How to fix notifications and turn notifications off for people who have completed a course.

Question

Hello,

I have notifications set for learners to receive a notification only when they get feedback on an assignment; however, it seems that they are getting notifications anytime there is an incomplete assignment or unread forum. I don't want them to get that many notifications - only when feedback on an assignment is given.

Also, I do not want learners who have completed the course to continue getting these notifications (ideally, if the first problem is fixed, this won't need to be addressed). I want to leave them enrolled in the course so they can refer back to it in the future if they want to use it as a resource. How do I keep learners who have achieved their course certificate of completion from getting further course notifications?

Karim.M.508 · Answer

Hi @Shonelle.W.988

Currently in Brightspace (D2L), instructors and administrators cannot globally enforce notification preferences for learners. Learners control their own notification settings through their personal account settings.

You can’t set or lock default notification preferences for learners from the admin or instructor side. However, here are some best practices you can use to guide them:

1. Guide Learners to Update Their Own Notification Settings

You can provide a simple walkthrough or short video showing them how to:

* Go to their Personal Settings > Notifications
* Enable only the settings you recommend (like “Assignment Feedback Released”)
* Turn off unwanted items (like daily summary emails)

Optional message you can share:

“To make sure you only get notified when assignment feedback is released, we recommend you update your notification settings. Go to your Profile > Notifications and enable only the feedback-related ones.”

2. Use Intelligent Agents Cautiously

If you're using Intelligent Agents to notify learners, set conditions to exclude completed learners:

* Use a "Not achieved certificate" or similar release condition
* Set agents to run only for active learners

Shonelle.W.988 · Answer

Thanks for your quick response, Steve,

How would I go about setting default notifications for learners?

Steve.B.446 · Answer

The notification settings in your screenshot are your own personal site-wide settings, rather than affecting what learners will receive.  If a learner has opted in to receive the daily summary, they will keep getting them even if there is no activity to report.

Beyond that, release conditions on the assignments and discussions so that they are not available to learners who have completed the course would probably be the best option.