[People] Clarify "Pending" Status for Students in Unpublished Courses

Status: New Submitted by Monday
Problem statement:

Currently, when a teacher adds a student to an unpublished course in Canvas, the status next to the student's name appears as "Pending". This creates confusion because it implies that the student has been sent an invitation and needs to take action, even though students cannot access invitations until the course is published.

Proposed solution:

To improve clarity, I propose the following changes:

  1. Update the Status Label: Instead of "Pending", display a clearer message, such as "Course Unpublished – Invitation Not Sent".
  2. Add a Tooltip or Pop-Up Explanation: Include a brief explanation with the status, e.g., "This student has not received an invitation because the course is unpublished. Publish the course to send the invitation."
  3. Display a Warning When Adding Students to Unpublished Courses: When a teacher adds students to an unpublished course, show a notification like: "Students will only receive their course invitations once the course is published." This small change will help eliminate unnecessary confusion for teachers and reduce miscommunication. Teachers will better understand that the issue is not with the student but with the course publication status.
User role(s):

instructor

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