[Proposal] LMS and Studio Notifications

[ali-hugo]

Update

The Community decided to implement the notifications feature as it exists on edx.org for the Ulmo Release. The decision was made via a Slack poll on August 7th, 2025.

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Abstract

The Open edX platform needs a robust, user-friendly notifications system. The notifications feature built by 2U would provide a good foundation. It enables timely updates to learners, instructors, and course staff about course activity. Notifications can be delivered via an in-app tray and via email. Users can configure what they receive, how often, and through which channels.

Detailed Product Proposal

https://openedx.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/resumedraft.action?draftId=5193629709&draftShareId=6c740fc0-699b-491a-9ced-7b1dcb6eebcb

Context & Background (in brief, if a Product Proposal is linked above)

2U has built a notifications feature that has been tried and tested on edx.org. The first phase of the notifications project will be to aim for feature parity with that feature. Future phases may look at improving the UX and extending the capabilities of the feature.

Scope & Approach (in brief, if a Product Proposal is linked above)

Goals

• Support multiple notification delivery channels including web notifications (notifications tray), email, and push notifications
• Allow users to manage their notification preferences
• Ensure security and compliance by keeping user data and communication channels secure and respecting user privacy

Value & Impact (in brief, if a Product Proposal is linked above)

Use Cases

1. As a Platform Admin, I want a flexible, user-friendly notification system that can scale with our needs, so it’s easy to adapt to future communication requirements.
2. As an Instance Manager, I want to manage notifications related to my instance so I stay informed and in control.
3. As a Course Admin, I want learners to receive automated course notifications, so I can keep them informed and engaged.
4. As a Learner, I want a seamless and consistent notification experience across mobile and desktop, so I can stay updated on course activity and receive updates throughout my learning journey.

Milestones and/or Epics

Milestone 1: Feature parity with the edX notifications feature

Named Release

Ulmo

Timeline (in brief, if a Product Proposal is linked above)

First phase to be released in Ulmo.

Proposed By

OpenCraft

Additional Info

No response

[github-actions]

Thanks for your submission, @openedx/openedx-product-managers will review shortly.

[ali-hugo]

@jmakowski1123 Thanks for taking this on as Coordinator! I’m happy to help with any questions or to chat about adjusting the proposal to better fit any existing plans for notifications. 🙂

[ali-hugo]

UPDATE:
@jmakowski1123 I haven't had the chance to update the product approach on the proposal yet, but the good news is that @pomegranited has volunteered to start looking into the various options for the technical approach from mid-May 👏 .

We will keep you posted!

[ali-hugo]

UPDATE:
We have started to update this proposal from a product perspective, and a technical discovery will begin soon.

[sarina]

UPDATE:
We're moving forward on the first phase of development by including the 2U implementation of Notifications in Ulmo.

@ali-hugo will provide additional updates.

[ali-hugo]

UPDATE:
The contents of this ticket, as well as the associated product proposal have been updated.