[Notifications] Modify default email notifications to have “Content Updates” and “Files” off (opt-in)

[maki1]

We would like the default email notification setting for “Content Updates” and “Files” to be off, so that students would intentionally opt in per course if they would like these updates.

Some example cases where having the notifications "on" for everyone by default has been problematic are:

• For "Content Updates" - we use Canvas in large staff training courses, and a minor edit on a page may unintentionally send email notifications to 1000s of students who are unaware of the email notification settings.
• For "Files" - when an instructor uploads a file to a course, it is set to a “published” status by default and the “Files” area is also visible in the navigation menu by default for a newly created course. This can potentially lead to sending email notifications whenever a file is uploaded to the course, even if the intention is not to send it.

If it is not possible to modify the default to off across Canvas, we would like to suggest allowing a new permission for admins to customize the default for which notification types are on or off at an institutional/sub-account level.

[KristinL]

Hi @maki1 -

There is a long-standing request open that feels similar -- Default notification settings profiles by user role 

I think that the existing Idea is a little broader, but if you feel it could include the settings you need, I will merge the threads. 🙂 

[maki1]

Hi @KristinL , thank you for your quick reply on this. I see the thread you linked and the subsequent comments raise a range of ideas around how email notifications could be improved, so if it's more helpful to have various perspectives added to that one thread, I’m happy to have my comments merged there to add to the discussion.

However, I would note that the idea is still different in what is being asked. The key ideas in my post are:

• Set the default for Content Updates notifications to off but allow opt-in
• Set the default for Files notifications to off but allow opt-in
• Allow admins to set defaults for notifications across the institution

The key ideas in the other post seem to be:

• Set default notifications by user role
• Allow admins to lock/unlock notification settings so people can’t choose whether to opt in or not

So in that sense with the variety of ideas presented, I don't believe it's easy to vote the specific idea up or down and have an accurate reflection of what features are being requested. Please let me know how best to move forward.

[KristinL]

Hi @maki1 - Thank you for the clarification. Because you are able to define the differences, we can open this thread on its own.

[maki1]

Thank you @KristinL !