[Catalog] Allow customization of time frame for waitlisted learners to claim an open spot

When a learner is on a waitlist for a Catalog course and a spot opens up, they will receive a "Waitlist: Action Needed" email that indicates "You have 12 hours to finalize your enrollment before your spot is taken." If that person does not finalize their enrollment in 12 hours, the spot is then offered to the next person on the waitlist. 

We find this default time frame very short and instead of 12 hours, we would prefer to have an option to customize this for our sub-catalog to a longer time frame such as 24h or 48h. I’ve raised this with Canvas support, but was informed there is currently no setting that allows our institution or Instructure to change the time delay configuration. 

Having the customization option would be beneficial because: 

  • It would allow admins to control the time frame appropriately to make their courses accessible to their intended target audience.
  • From a cybersecurity perspective, the call for urgent action increases suspicion that the email notification is phishing. The waitlist email may be sent a while after the learner registered themselves on the waitlist and thus may not be expected, so a reasonable time buffer would help encourage proper verification before they click on an embedded link, input their credentials, and payment information to claim the spot. 

Please note this applies specifically to Canvas Catalog listings that have (1) an Enrollment Fee, (2) Student Cap, and (3) Allow Wait List options enabled.

3 Comments
KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: Open
 
KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: New
 
KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: Added to Theme