Ans uses labels to indicate the status of a course test. Course test labels are pre-set institution-wide, so they’re the same for every Hanze user of Ans. We use the following course test labels: 

1. Concept/Draft 
2. Revision needed 
3. Ready for Preview 
4. Ready to go 
5. Final grades / Final Grades Final Projects  

The last label is important for archiving. When the test has been administered and assessed, and the final grades are in Osiris, the teacher can assign the label Final grades / Final Grades Final Projects to the test; the test is then 'frozen' and can no longer be changed. The label Final Grades Final Projects will not be used much for the time being, as most work in Ans is not a final project. 

All teachers in the course can change the label for a course test, including this final label; this would let people edit the test again. This is why the test should be archived, as it prevents the test from being edited when grades are already final. The labels Final grades / Final Grades Final Projects indicate that the test can be archived. 

If a course test is linked to an item bank test and the course test has used test or exercise attachments from the item bank test (visible to students), the teacher must download these test or exercise attachments from the item bank test and add them to the course assignment prior to archiving. 

If attachments in the item bank test are deleted, they will also disappear from the (archived) course test. After adding the attachments to the course test, the attachments from the item bank test will still be visible, but with a synchronization label. If these attachments are later removed from the item bank test for future use, the archived course test will remain complete. 

If an attachment is added to the item bank test, it will not appear in the archived test because that test has the status ‘archived’. 

In addition to the course test itself, the test matrix must also be archived if it was used in the item bank test. This matrix cannot be accessed from the course test, and thus also needs to be added from the item bank prior to archiving. The teacher can print the necessary test matrix to a pdf file In the item bank and then add this pdf file as an attachment to the course test. 

Once the test is complete, the digital test supporter (DTO) can archive it via the test settings and the Archive button. The test then disappears from the overview of 'active tests’, but can be viewed again via a filter option. 

When archiving a test, if a teacher archives it, this teacher can also de-archive it (while other teachers cannot) and can therefore change it again. If an administrator or digital test supporter archives the test, teachers can no longer de-archive this test.  

Once the test is complete, the Digital Test Supporter (DTO) can archive the test via the test settings under General by clicking the Archive button. The test will then disappear from the default overview of ‘active’ tests within a course but can still be accessed using a filter option. Attachments from the linked item bank test will still be visible, but with a label showing the name of the item bank test. When viewing the archived test, these ‘linked attachments’ can be disregarded (as the attachments used in the test were downloaded and added to the course  test, and are frozen’ upon archiving — meaning they can no longer be modified).

When archiving, it applies that if a lecturer archives the test, they can also unarchive it (other lecturers cannot) and thus make changes again. However, if the department administrator/Digital Test Supporter (DTO) archives the test, lecturers can no longer unarchive it.

For the archiving of tests and results, a retention period of 7 years applies to final work and 2 years for non-final work. Currently, Ans does not yet offer an option to automatically delete tests. Results are deleted after 7 years and, depending on the label, anonymized after 2 years. The previously mentioned labels have the following consequences: 

• Final Grades (and also labels 1 through 4): results are anonymized after 2 years (and the test is automatically archived if this hasn’t been done manually) and deleted after 7 years. After anonymization, results remain available for analysis but can no longer be traced back to individuals. 
• Final Grades Final Projects: Archived results are not anonymized (due to a protection rule), non-archived results are therefore not automatically archived (!) and results are deleted after 7 years. 

The retention periods are measured from the end time of the last taking timeslot or (if taking timeslots have been deleted) from the moment the last test result was submitted.