Sections and Self-enroll: How to change the default section for self-enrollees

[KateRichardson2]

Context: I am assisting with management of a placement test administered in a "course" through Canvas. Students self-enroll. 

We are using sections to distinguish between placement test takers in different years. Currently, new students who self-enroll are automatically enrolled into the 2024-2025 section, when they should be enrolling into the 2025-2026 section. 

How may I adjust the default section for new self-enrollees? 

[NoahBoswell · Accepted solution]

Hi @KateRichardson2 !

I was in the same exact boat as you recently.

Unfortunately... there isn't a direct way to change the default section for enrollees, at least without there being a student information system set-up and configured to do so. I ended up having to make a new course for those users, because otherwise I would've had hundreds of students to go through. You are able to choose the section the students are added to if you manually add the students to the course, but student's don't have that option and are added to the section that was originally created with the course.

I'm sorry this isn't the news you were hoping for. However, I think this would be worth submitting as a feature idea!

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructure-Community-Guide/How-do-I-create-a-new-idea-in-the-Ins...

Best,
Noah

[Gabriel33]

What happens then if the original section has an "end date" in the past and has restricted enrollments to section dates?
Does that stop anyone from joining the course, even if there's another section that's currently open?

I couldn't find that setting (restrict enrollments to section dates) on the Canvas guides, but it is a setting in the API: Sections | Instructure Developer Documentation Portal (see the second to last parameter in the "Edit a section" section).

[NoahBoswell]

Hey @Gabriel33 ,

I just tested this out, and unfortunately for some reason, it still added the student to the 'concluded' section, even if the section end date was set to end a date prior to the day they tested.

- Noah

[Gabriel33]

Thanks for testing it, that setting must be doing something else then (or nothing?).

[KateRichardson]

Noah, thank you so much for your helpful answer. 

Perhaps another workaround will be to change the name of the default section every year to the current year and move last year's students into an archival section. Bummer, but good to know. 

[NoahBoswell]

Happy to help Kate!

Yeah, it is a bummer. We've also taken the previous sections and moved (crosslisted) them to a different, empty course and then after we confirmed none of the students needed access, we would delete the course. Maybe that would be an idea for you, too?

Noah

[dbrace]

Hi @KateRichardson2,

We use Canvas for placement testing as well but we do not allow self-enrollment or use Canvas sections

Without going into too much detail, below is what we do with our SIS (Banner) and Canvas:

1. the appropriate area of the college creates CRNs for each different placement test far (we have our Spring 2026 placement test courses created but they have not been used yet) in advance of each Fall (which includes our Summer) and Spring (which includes our Winter) semester
2. when needed, the appropriate area of the college enrolls a student into the CRN(s) for the different placement tests that they need to take
3. based on the scheduling that we use, students are enrolled into the placement test course in Canvas

We have found that having different courses for each placement test and each semester helps to stay organized.

Some figures for context with our upcoming Fall 2025 semester and what is in Canvas:

1. we have 8 different placement test "courses"
2. in those 8 "courses", we have almost 1,350 student enrollments
3. the enrollments in the courses range from about 10 to about 450

If you would like to discuss some more of the specifics, feel free send me a private message.

-Doug

[KateRichardson]

Interesting, and thanks for the input, Doug! Now that we've tried keeping consecutive years' students in one placement test course, I'm agreeing that having separate "courses" for each year keeps things more organized. We had tried switching, because there was a lot of confusion where students were being sent links to previous versions of the placement tests, and instructors accessing the correct years' placement tests, but that can be resolved by removing the instructors from prior iterations each year so they only have access to one course. 

Out of curiosity, why do you opt to not use self-enrollment, particularly for the less popular placement tests? 

[dbrace]

You are welcome, Kate!

Why do we not use self-enrollment? Because:

1. it provides a record in the placement testing process
2. it provides accountability (for our Testing Center and the student)
3. the "Allow Self-Enrollment" option is a root account feature (and all of our courses - including sandbox or development courses or other outliers - are created through some sort of CSV file - either through a scheduled SFTP upload or from the GUI - for consistency and record keeping) that cannot be enabled at the sub-account level
   • we do not want faculty to allow students to self-enroll into a course
   • we use the Honorlock LTI / app in a separate "Placement Testing" sub-account because Honorlock supports external / third-party testing platforms
   • we use Respondus LockDown Browser as a root account LTI / app for regular courses
4. with very few exceptions, we do not use Canvas authentication and require SSO/Okta authentication (even for placement testing)

-Doug