UVACollab Transition Checklist

UVACollab is scheduled to retire (Opens new window) but will remain available until at least December 2025. The guidance on this page will help you determine what you should do with your UVACollab sites and discover alternative collaboration tools provided by and widely used at UVA.

 

I Need to Move My Site

My UVACollab site is used mostly for...

File Storage & Sharing

For files large and small, consider:

For more sophisticated sites with multi-channel communication, synchronous file collaboration, virtual meetings, etc., consider Microsoft Teams, an “all-in-one” tool.

 

Committees

Committees need to comply with the University’s retention requirements. If you must transition, consider:

 

Collaborating With People External to UVA or UVA Medical Center

I Want to Collaborate With...

UVA Medical Center 

The UVA Medical Center and Academic areas have different Microsoft 365 environments. For help, email [email protected] to request a virtual consult.

People External to UVA

For access from outside UVA, OneDrive (Opens new window), Microsoft Teams (Opens new window), and UVA Box (Opens new window) offer collaboration with external users. 

 

Courses

Academic Courses 

Although UVACanvas will be home to all academic (SIS-rostered) course sites beginning this summer, UVACollab will remain available until at least December 2025 to support the numerous other sites dedicated to programs, development, and collaborative work. View more about UVACanvas (Opens new window)

Non-SIS Rostered Courses 

UVA is assessing long-term solutions for the sites dedicated to aspects of the academic experience (e.g., assessment, engagement, advising, etc.) and will share more information as this effort progresses. To see if UVACanvas may be an option for you in the future or for support selecting a new collaboration tool, contact the LMS Project team at [email protected]

 

Announcements & Group Email

You may have used your UVACollab site mostly for sharing information and updates via announcement or site email. If you are looking for a new tool with this functionality, consider using Microsoft Groups (Opens new window) and Sympa Lists (Opens new window).

 

None of the Above (See Recommendations)

If you don’t see your site type listed above, determine what alternative platform will work best for you by reviewing a full list of UVA-provided collaboration tools, including recommended tools and feature comparisons. See UVA Collaboration Tools (Opens new window).

I Do Not Need My Site Anymore

If you or your collaborators need to access the files on your site after 2025, based on the Retention Requirements below, you must transition your site to an alternative platform.

Note to Medical Center employees: Documents that support clinical and operational standards at the Medical Center should be migrated into PolicyTech (opens new window) in accordance with Clinical and Operational Document Management Medical Center Policy (opens new window). Contact [email protected] to develop a migration plan. If documents are no longer needed, archive in accordance with Medical Center Records Retention Medical Center Policy (Opens new window). For medical document retention questions, contact Ben Smith [email protected] 

Review Retention Requirements

After the project, retain documents needed for reference. For IT projects, retain for the life of the system. 

Since UVACollab will remain until the end of 2025, see below to see which content must be transitioned or archived. Recommended transition options include Microsoft Teams or Groups.

Note to Medical Center employees: Documents that support clinical and operational standards at the Medical Center should be migrated into PolicyTech (opens new window) in accordance with Clinical and Operational Document Management Medical Center Policy (opens new window). Contact [email protected] to develop a migration plan. If documents are no longer needed, archive in accordance with Medical Center Records Retention Medical Center Policy (Opens new window). For medical document retention questions, contact Ben Smith [email protected] 

Content Type Retention Requirements Must transition or archive if decision made or course ended in…
Promotion and tenure     5 years 2021 or later
Search committee 3 years 2023 or later
Departmental meeting notes 3 years 2023 or later
Admissions related 3 years

2023 or later
Academic courses 1 year Not Applicable Fall 2023: All courses in UVACanvas
University-level committee commissioned by the President or Provost All

If currently active: Must transition.

If currently inactive: Must retain for transfer to University Archives.

Contact Records & Information Management at [email protected] for guidance.

Faculty and staff senates decisions, meeting notes, other notes
All

Must retain for transfer to University Archives. Contact Records & Information Management at [email protected] for guidance.



Personnel files
All
Remove & transfer to HR

Project sites 
For the duration of the project
After the project, retain documents needed for reference. For IT projects, retain for the life of the system

 

How to Delete a Site

You can delete your sites by following the instructions at How do I delete a site? (Opens new window)

Note: If need be, you can restore a site for up to 12 months after you delete it.

If you get the error message below, edit your site membership in Worksite Setup from administrator to owner to be able to delete the site.

 

For a smooth transition, ensure users know the site will be moving to a new tool. Use these communications templates or write your own:

UVACollab Announcement Templates

Sites retiring in 2025

This site is scheduled for retirement and is no longer being updated. It will be deleted when UVACollab retires at the end of 2025. See how to download files from UVACollab. If you have questions, please email [your UVA email].

Sites moving to OneDrive

Files in [Site Name] are moving to OneDrive. Site members will receive a notification with a link to access the files. If you would like to request access, please email [your UVA email]. If you are experiencing technical issues, contact the UVA Help Desk for assistance.

Sites moving to Teams or Groups

[Site Name] is moving to [Microsoft Teams/ Groups]. Site members will receive a notification with a link to access the new [Team/ Group]. If you would like to request access, please email [your UVA email]. If you are experiencing technical issues, contact the UVA Help Desk for assistance.

Email Templates
Sites moving to OneDrive

Dear Colleague,

In the coming weeks, I plan to move files from [Site Name] in UVACollab to my OneDrive site. OneDrive will become the new home for these files moving forward.

When these files are ready for you to access, you will receive an email notification that I have shared these files with you. Follow the link in that email to access OneDrive by logging in using your UVA [email protected] and password (forgot password?) or, if you are external to UVA, the email address that receives the notification.

If you are new to OneDrive, you may find this resource helpful as you get started: OneDrive (Microsoft 365).

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions about the files. If you have trouble accessing the files or are experiencing other technical issues, contact the UVA Help Desk for assistance.

Best Regards,

[Your Name]

Sites moving to Groups

Dear Colleague, 

In the coming weeks, I plan to move [Site Name] from UVACollab to Microsoft Groups. Groups will become our new platform for collaboration moving forward.

When the Group is ready for you to access, you will receive an email notification that you have been added to a new Group. Follow the link in that email to access the new Group site by logging in using your UVA [email protected] and password (forgot password?) or, if you are external to UVA or have been added as a guest, the email address that receives the notification.

If you are new to Groups, you may find these resources and tutorials helpful as you get started: Learn About Microsoft 365 Groups and Teams & Groups FAQs (Microsoft 365).

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions about the site. If you have trouble accessing the site or are experiencing other technical issues, contact the UVA Help Desk for assistance. 

Best Regards, 

[Your Name]

Sites moving to Microsoft Teams

Dear Colleague, 

In the coming weeks, I plan to move [Site Name] from UVACollab to Microsoft Teams. Teams will become our new platform for collaboration moving forward.

When the Team is ready for you to access, you will receive an email notification that you have been added to a new Team. Follow the link in that email to access the new Teams site by logging in using your UVA [email protected] and password (forgot password?) or, if you are external to UVA or have been added as a guest, the email address that receives the notification.

If you are new to Teams, you may find these resources and tutorials helpful as you get started: Microsoft Teams (Microsoft 365) and Teams & Groups FAQs (Microsoft 365).

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions about the site. If you have trouble accessing the site or are experiencing other technical issues, contact the UVA Help Desk for assistance. 

Best Regards, 

[Your Name]

 

 

 

 

 

For more advanced support, email [email protected] to request a virtual consult.

You are done. Great job!