• Overview
• Customizing the Email Template 
• Setting up a Bulk Action 
  • Using Filters & Criteria
  • Using a SQL Query
• Troubleshooting

 

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 REMIND_DAYS_BEFORE_END_LEARNERS.
• 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. The [Days] variable within the email template will populate from the Bulk Action settings (see the next section) and does not require further manual changes.

 

 

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

1. 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.
2. Click Get Data to review the enrollments that match your criteria.
3. Click New Auto-Email to select an existing 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.

1. Open a new Bulk Action, leave the criteria fields blank, and click New Auto-Email.
2. Input your reminder Template, Periodicity, and Name, then Save.
3. Navigate to Enrollments > Auto-Emails and locate your recently saved Auto-Email.
4. 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: 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.

 

 

Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Resolution
Learners are not receiving reminder emails	The job is set to Archived	Go to Administration > Edit Jobs, locate EmailReminders.SendEmailToStudentBeforeSectionEnd, and set its status to Active.
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 [DAY] variable in the email body is blank	The auto-email is not linked to the correct template or the Bulk Action periodicity is not set	Confirm the template name is REMIND_DAYS_BEFORE_END_LEARNERS and that the Periodicity field in the Auto-Email settings is set to EVERY_DAY.
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	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.