How to configure the notifications that go out when an Assignment is delivered, becomes due, or is completed — for any Assignment or Automation type.
Notifications are the way Continu reaches learners about their assignments outside of the in-app Dashboard. Configure them once during Assignment or Automation creation, and Continu sends them automatically based on the events you define.
For the strategic frame on Notifications across Continu, see Notifications: Architecture and Strategy.
When to Configure Notifications
Notification configuration happens near the end of the Assignment or Automation creation flow, after you've defined audience, content, and due date. The configuration is per-Assignment (or per-Instance), so different deliveries can have different notification cadences.
What sends by default
Continu sends two kinds of notifications:
- System notifications — the defaults Continu fires automatically for platform events (a new assignment is delivered, a reminder, a completion, an overdue, a workshop registration, a password reset, and so on). See System Notifications: Full Reference for the complete list, default subject lines, and default body copy.
- Custom notifications — the ones you configure on an individual Assignment or Automation (described in the rest of this article).
Custom notifications replace the system default for the same event. If you configure a custom Initial notification on an Assignment, Continu sends your custom notification and does not also send the system "Assignment received" message (whether that would have gone out as email, Slack, or Teams). The same is true for Reminder, Completion, Overdue, and Assessment-grading notifications — once you configure a custom notification for that event, it takes over for that Assignment.
For event types you do not configure a custom notification for, the system notification still fires. If you configure a custom Initial but no custom Overdue, the system Overdue email still goes out on the due date.
If you want nothing to send at all for a given event, add a custom notification for that event with no channels selected — or contact your CSM to disable the system notification at the instance level.
Notification Types and Channels
Every notification has a type (what event triggers it) and one or more channels (how the learner receives it).
Types
| Type | When it fires | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| Initial | The moment the Assignment is delivered to the learner. | Assignee |
| Reminder | On a schedule before the due date (you set the cadence — e.g. 7 days before, 3 days before). | Assignee |
| Due soon | A fixed number of days before the due date. | Assignee |
| Overdue | After the due date passes if the Assignment is not yet complete. | Assignee (manager not notified by default — add a custom Overdue notification targeted to Manager if needed) |
| Completion | When the learner marks the Assignment complete. | Assignee (manager not notified by default — add a custom Overdue notification targeted to Manager if needed) |
| Custom | Manually triggered by an Admin, any time after the Assignment is live. | Assignee |
Channels
Each notification can go on one or more of these channels, depending on what's enabled on your instance:
- Email — delivered to the learner's email address on file.
- In-app — shown on the learner's Dashboard and in the in-app notifications tray. No email.
- Slack — delivered via the Continu Slack integration (requires Slack integration enabled).
- Microsoft Teams — delivered via the Teams integration (requires Teams integration enabled).
Choosing channels is additive, not exclusive. If you select both Email and In-app, the learner gets both. If you select only In-app, no email is sent for that notification — Only the channels you select fire — nothing extra goes out. Note that custom notifications also replace the system default for that event (see "What sends by default" above), so configuring a custom Initial on In-app only means the learner receives only the In-app message — no email, Slack, or Teams message — for that event..
How user-level notification preferences interact
Learners can control their own notification channels in their account settings (see Your Account and Notification Settings). If a learner has turned off a channel in their profile, Continu respects that preference — the notification does not send on that channel, even if you've configured it as an admin.
For required communications (compliance, mandatory training), route through a channel that cannot be disabled at the user level — typically email through the system "Assignment received" notification, or your organization's required-training email flow.
How to Create a New Notification
1. After updating the Assignment or Automation Settings, proceed to the Notifications section.
2. Click + New Notification.
3. Add the notification name. Use something descriptive — "Initial assignment email" rather than "Notification 1."
4. Select the Notification Type from the table above.
5. Select the channel(s). Choose any combination of Email, In-app, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. The notification fires on every channel you select.
6. Configure timing. For Reminder or Due Soon types, set how many days before the due date the notification fires.
7. Choose or edit the template. Use the default template or customize the subject and body. Variables like the assignment name and due date are auto-populated.
8. Save the notification. Repeat to add more notifications to the same Assignment.
How to Edit an Existing Notification
From the Assignment's Notifications section, click the notification to open it. Edit any field and Save. Changes apply to future sends — past notifications already delivered are unchanged.
Troubleshooting
"I set the notification to In-app only, but learners also received an email, Slack, or Teams message."
In order of likelihood:
- A second custom notification on the same Assignment is configured for Email. Open the Assignment's Notifications section and check every notification — not just the Initial one. A Reminder, Due Soon, or Overdue notification configured for email, Slack, or Teams will fire alongside your in-app Initial.
- A different event type is still using the system default. Custom notifications only replace the system default for the specific event type you configured. If you set a custom Initial but no custom Overdue, the system Overdue notification (email, Slack, or Teams, depending on your instance setup) will still fire when the assignment goes overdue. See System Notifications: Full Reference.
- The Assignment is also attached to an Automation with its own notification configuration. Check the Automation's notifications in addition to the Assignment's.
"The learner says they never got any notification."
- Check the learner's own notification preferences (Account Settings → Notifications). They may have disabled the channel.
- Check the Assignment's Notifications section — if a custom notification is configured for the event with no channels selected, the notification is suppressed and the system default no longer fires either.
- Check the integration health (Admin → Integrations) if the channel is Slack or Teams.
"The Completion notification isn't firing when the learner finishes."
- Confirm the Assignment is actually marked complete (not just viewed). Partial progress doesn't trigger Completion.
- Check that the Completion notification was saved — unsaved drafts don't fire.
Common Mistakes
Notification overload. A reminder every day until the due date is rarely the right cadence. Three thoughtful notifications (initial, mid-cycle reminder, due-soon) are more effective than ten frequent ones.
Wrong channel for the audience. Email works for office workers; deskless workers may need Slack. Match the channel to where your audience reads.
Forgetting to test the template. Send a test notification to yourself before activating broadly. Variable substitution issues (missing assignment name, broken due-date format) are easier to catch in a test than in a real send.
Editing a notification on a duplicated Automation. Notifications on duplicated Automations link back to the original — editing the duplicate's notification updates the original too. To get fully independent notifications, recreate them from scratch on the duplicate.
See Also
- System Notifications: Full Reference — complete list of what Continu sends automatically, including default subject and body.
- Notifications: Architecture and Strategy — strategic frame.
- Creating a Direct Assignment — where notifications fit in the Direct flow.
- Creating an Automated Assignment — where notifications fit in the Automated flow.
- Your Account and Notification Settings — the user side: how learners control which notifications they receive.
Create notifications during Assignment or Automation setup. Pick the type, channels, timing, template. Three thoughtful notifications outperform ten frequent ones.