Programs can be managed in various ways, and as a creator, you have the flexibility to choose how participants are enrolled. Whether it's setting specific rules for automatic enrollment, enrolling particular users, or enabling users to self-enroll, each method offers unique advantages.
Enrollment rules
With enrollment rules, you can automate the way learners are enrolled based on the attribute criteria that you set. There are many ways that you can go about using these rules to your advantage, and below are some examples:
Enrollment rule examples
With enrollment rules, the possibilities are endless; all you need is information on user attributes with Sana to take full advantage of this feature (see this guide).
Below are some example use cases of how enrollment rules can be used:
Without a mouse click on Sana, automatically enroll all new members of the [Department: Sales & Marketing team] from [Country: Sweden] into [Program: Sales & Marketing Onboarding] 3 days after their [Start date]
Automate your sales team's training to boost their performance and increase their success rate. Instead of waiting for subpar results, use Smart Groups in conjunction with Programs to identify when a sales rep's conversion rate drops below 30%. Then, enroll them automatically in a revision course to help them improve their skills and get back on track.
You could even use it to enroll users into a birthday course on their birthday!! 🎉
Understanding enrollment rule logic
User no longer meets enrollment rule criteria: When a user no longer meets the enrollment criteria, they will automatically be unenrolled from courses or live sessions, without losing any progress.
Changes to enrollment rules: If you make any changes to enrollment rules, such as changing the start date, these changes will be applied both to new users and to users who have previously been enrolled in the program.
Manual enrollment overrides enrollment rules: If a user has been both manually and automatically enrolled (through an enrollment rule), the manual enrollment overrides the enrollment rule. Meaning, if the user is unenrolled due to changes being made to the enrollment rule, the user will remain enrolled because they were manually enrolled.
Enrollment rules priority: Ideally, enrollment rules for each program should be non-overlapping. However, if a user matches the criteria of multiple enrollment rules for the same program, the priority is as follows:
Active rules take precedence over paused (deactivated) rules.
Rule with earlier start date takes precedence over rule with later start date.
Pausing enrollment rules: If an enrollment rule is paused, no new users will be enrolled. However, previously enrolled users will remain enrolled.
Deleting enrollment rules: If an enrollment rule is deleted, no new users will be enrolled. Additionally, any previously enrolled users through that rule will be unenrolled.
Unenrolling a user from a program: If you manually remove a user who meets the enrollment rule criteria, they will be automatically re-added, and their enrollment date and due dates will be updated. Additionally, any custom email notifications in the program will be sent again.
To unenroll a user:
Update their attributes so they no longer meet the criteria.
Adjust the enrollment rule to exclude them.
These methods ensure that user participation is managed effectively without unintended disruptions.
Who can edit/view enrollment rules?
Admins and owners can edit
Group admins can view
Recommended - Enroll a group to your program
For the most optimized and automated experience, we recommend using smart groups for enrollment. However, if you have a standard group, you can still follow the steps below when enrolling a group to your program:
💡 For more information on Smart groups, check out this guide.
Click on the People tab
Click Enroll
Select Create enrollment rules
Add a name for the enrollment rule
Add smart group to triggers; click ‘+’, select Groups, choose the smart group from the list
Set the Program start date (see here for more info)
Click Enroll, and the learners will be enrolled in the program based on the parameters set
Customize enrollment, automate your way
Based on a set of parameters you set, you can choose who is enrolled now and in the future through automation. This option is better suited to you if it’s likely that the filtered users intended to be enrolled will not be used in another program.
💡 If you may use the same filtered group of users again in the future, it is recommended that you create a smart group for those users - see how to create a smart group here.
The steps below are similar for smart groups. However, the below will show how you can specify attributes with the trigger filter options.
In this example, we will create a rule that enrolls all UK based, Sales team members who started at the company on or after 01/07/2023.
Click on the People tab
Click Enroll
Select Enrollment rules
Add name for the enrollment rule
Click ‘+’ and add filters
Set the Program start date (see here for more info)
Click Enroll and the learners will be enrolled in the program based on the parameters set
💡 In the demonstration video above, if you change the filters to have Area ‘or’ Start date (instead of ‘and’, this will allow you to enroll all users of the sales team and all users who started after a specified date).
Program start date
Here, you can determine when and how learners are assigned to the program:
Now: Learners are instantly enrolled in the program and notified by email
Set a specific start date: Select a specific date that learners will be assigned
Select from specific attribute (recommended for enrollment rules)
Created at - selecting this will enroll a user based on their Sana account creation date.
Activated at - selecting this will enroll a user based on their Sana account activation date (accepting the Sana invite and registering their information).
Delay - enter the number of days of delay from created/assigned at in which you would like a user to be enrolled.
For example, if you want the learner to be enrolled 3 days after their account has been created on Sana:
Select Created at in the drop down
Input ‘3’ days into the Delay input box
Enroll users in programs - once
Use ‘enroll once‘ if you want to assign learners to content as a one off. This option may suit you if automated assigning of learners is not needed in the future. See the steps below on how to do this.
💡 If you add a smart group to enroll once, it will only add the current members of the group. Create an enrollment rule if you would like all future group members to join the program automatically.
Go to Manage > Users
Click Enroll
Select Enroll once
Add groups or individual learners
Set the Program start date (see here for more info)
Click Enroll and the learners will be enrolled in the program based on the parameters set
Note: In the above demonstration of ‘enrolling once’, the program start date was set to next week. Meaning, the individual learners added will be notified on the date specified.
Self enrollment in programs
Programs can also be available to all, allowing learners to discover them on the home page and self-enroll. This option introduces an additional step where users must click "Enroll" to begin the program. The learners can find the self-enrollable programs in the sections "You might like" and "New courses" in Home.
How to enable self-enrollment in a program:
Go to Manage > Programs and click the program of choice
Navigate to the Program settings
Select the option "Allow self-enrollment"
Save the changes
💡 Note! Making a program self-enrollable, automatically makes it visible for everyone.
FAQ
Can I edit enrollment rules as a group admin?
No - group admins can view existing enrollment rules for programs where they are admin, but editing these rules is reserved for administrators and owners. This ensures that enrollment rules are managed with a consistent approach across the organization. However, group admins can still directly enroll users into programs, providing flexibility in managing learner participation.