In addition to what Mary has shared, I can give you my own thoughts.
When the semester is over, I make sure to backup my Moodle.
Then, I "backup" the course, without users, and "restore" it (as another name) for the next semester.
In the new course, I reset it (just to make sure), and get it ready by hiding topics, etc.
For the courses just completed, I leave these on for about half a semester, then I hide them, letting students know to contact me if they need to see something. If so, I unhide the course for about a week.
In my case, I seldom have students with incompletes. This is because I pace my courses and have strict deadlines. Also, I keep my grade books up to date, so students always know their status.
When the semester is over, I make sure to backup my Moodle.
Then, I "backup" the course, without users, and "restore" it (as another name) for the next semester.
In the new course, I reset it (just to make sure), and get it ready by hiding topics, etc.
For the courses just completed, I leave these on for about half a semester, then I hide them, letting students know to contact me if they need to see something. If so, I unhide the course for about a week.
In my case, I seldom have students with incompletes. This is because I pace my courses and have strict deadlines. Also, I keep my grade books up to date, so students always know their status.