In This Article:
Overview
Genius can automate reminder emails that are sent to learners prior to their enrollment or section end date. These reminders help ensure learners are aware of upcoming deadlines and have sufficient time to submit assignments, complete outstanding coursework, and successfully finish their course requirements.
Common use cases include sending reminders 90, 60, and/or 30 days before the enrollment or section end date:
Section end date - For sections with a set start and end date
Enrollment end date - When a learner’s enrollment is set to end for ongoing courses, and the section has no set end date
Multiple reminder emails can be configured, allowing organizations to create a sequence of notifications based on their needs. The timing of these reminders is fully customizable and can be tailored to support a variety of business and academic processes.
Customizing the Email Template
Navigate to Administration > Default Templates > Search for the Template named END_DATE_REMINDER.
Revise the email copy as needed, and keep in mind the same message will be used for all notifications that you program.
Preview and validate your template to ensure it is working as expected.
Note: Variables are not supported in the subject line.
Setting up a Bulk Action
Follow the steps below to create automatic reminder emails that will be sent to learners prior to their section end date or enrollment end date for ongoing courses. This can be programmed via filters and criteria or SQL query depending on your preference.
Using Filters & Criteria
Navigate to Enrollments > Bulk Actions to set up the criteria. You can program this action for specific courses and sections, learning paths, instructors, etc. depending on your needs.
Click Get Data to review the enrollments that match your criteria.
Click New Auto-Email to select your END_DATE_REMINDER template or create a new one, set the periodicity, and save.
Note: The Periodicity field controls how often the system checks for matching enrollments. Set this to EVERY_DAY so it runs a daily check. The lead time before the end date (e.g., 60 or 30 days) is set by the filter criteria or SQL query you configured in the steps above, not by this field.
Using a SQL Query
As an alternative option, the Bulk Action can also be created via SQL Query.
Open a new Bulk Action, leave the criteria fields blank, and click New Auto-Email.
Input your END_DATE_REMINDER Template, Periodicity, and Name, then Save.
Navigate to Enrollments > Auto-Emails and locate your recently saved Auto-Email.
Click the pencil icon to open the edit screen, then click on Show/Hide Query to open the SQL editing screen to customize.
Below are some helpful SQL examples that can be customized and used for auto-emails:
Scenario 1: Send a reminder email 60 days before the enrollment end date for a particular course and section
SELECT enr.EnrollmentIndex FROM vEnrollments enr WHERE enr.Status = 'ACTIVE' AND enr.CourseIndex = 74 AND enr.SectionIndex = 123 AND CAST(enr.EndDate AS date) = CAST(DATEADD(day, 60, dbo.GETLOCALDATE()) AS date)
Note: Be sure to replace the course and section index numbers with the relevant indexes for your use case.
Scenario 2: Send a reminder email 60 days before the enrollment end date for ALL courses (i.e., no course/section index filtering)
SELECT enr.EnrollmentIndex FROM vEnrollments enr WHERE enr.Status = 'ACTIVE' AND CAST(enr.EndDate AS date) = CAST(DATEADD(day, 60, dbo.GETLOCALDATE()) AS date)
Scenario 3: Send a reminder email 60 days before the section end date for ALL courses
SELECT enr.EnrollmentIndex FROM vEnrollments enr INNER JOIN Sections sec ON sec.SectionIndex = enr.SectionIndex WHERE enr.Status = 'ACTIVE' AND CAST(sec.EndDate AS date) = CAST(DATEADD(day, 60, dbo.GETLOCALDATE()) AS date)
Note: The section end and enrollment end are two different fields and can technically be different. If the section has a set end date, the enrollment end variable will populate that same date. Any manual changes to a learner's end date would change when the email is sent and what date is populated in the variable.
Programming Multiple Emails
To send out additional notifications (e.g., 30, 60, and 90 days before the section or enrollment ends), create a new, separate auto email and bulk action for each timeframe. Replace “60” in the SQL above with “30” and “90” for each email.
Activating the AutoEmails Job
Navigate to Administration > Recurring Jobs > Edit Jobs to see if your site's AutoEmails job is currently active.
Locate the Job ID "AutoEmails" in the list.
If the status is Active, review the frequency and timezone for any needed changes. Remember that any changes will be applied globally to your site for all auto-emails.
If the status is Archived, or if any other changes are needed, click on the pencil icon to edit.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
Emails are not firing at the expected interval (e.g., 60 days out) | The parameter value or SQL query has a typo or extra space | For the Parameters method: confirm the value field contains only numbers separated by commas with no spaces (e.g., 60,30). For the Bulk Actions method: review the date logic in your SQL query. |
The wrong learners are receiving the email | The Bulk Action filter criteria or SQL query is pulling more enrollments than intended | Click Get Data to preview which enrollments match your criteria before saving. For SQL queries, validate the CourseIndex and SectionIndex values match the intended course and section. |
Emails are sending but the subject line looks generic | Variables are not supported in the email subject line | Variables are not supported in the email subject line. This is expected behavior. Customize the subject line with static text — dynamic variables only work in the email body. |
A learner with an ongoing course (no section end date) is not receiving reminders | The Parameters method only works for sections with a designated end date | Use the Bulk Actions method instead, and filter or query by enrollment end date (enr.EndDate) rather than section end date. |