Quick Answer

Pinnacle Series sends an email for an unread Peak notification bell alert only when the Admin's global email notification setting and the affected user's own email notification setting are both enabled and the notification is still unread after the system's five-minute check.

What This Article Helps With

This article provides a complete overview of notifications across Pinnacle Series, covering Learning Path and Course notifications, Content Manager manual notifications, Library notifications, and SPARK notifications. It explains notification behavior from both the Admin Journey, where notifications are configured, triggered, and managed, and the User Journey, where notifications are received, acted upon, or dismissed. Use this article to understand which settings control email delivery and how each notification type behaves.

Admin and User Notification Journeys

Pinnacle Series notifications are the primary way users stay aware of assigned Courses, Learning Paths, shared Library content, and SPARK recommendations. Notification behavior differs depending on whether you are configuring notifications as an Administrator or receiving them as a User.

The Admin Journey

• Configures global email notification settings
• Creates and sends manual Content notifications
• Manages Library distribution and Library notifications
• Controls SPARK activation and rules
• Monitors assignment reminders and due date logic
• Responds to notification-related support queries

The User Journey

• Receives in-app notifications in Peak Experience
• Optionally receives email notifications, if enabled
• Acts on Learning Path deadlines and reminders
• Responds to SPARK insights and nudges
• Views Library-related updates when new content is shared
• Can disable their own email notifications to opt out

Core Notification Logic

The following four principles govern notification behavior across Pinnacle Series. Each is explained in more detail later in this article.

1. Two Toggles Control Everything: Admins control the global email notification setting. Users can override email delivery for themselves in their user profile settings, provided the global email setting is enabled.
2. In-App First: Bell notifications appear in-app first. The global email setting applies only to these bell notifications - email is sent only if allowed and the notification is still unread.
3. Five-Minute Check: The system reviews unread bell notifications approximately every 5 minutes to determine whether a "missed notification" email should be sent.
4. Read Equals No Email: If the user reads an in-app notification before the batch sends, no email is triggered.

Notification Types at a Glance

User-Facing Notifications

• Learning Path Alerts
• Content Notifications
• Library Updates
• SPARK Nudges

System Notifications

• Auto-Transcription
• Library Status Events
• SPARK Signals
• Assignment Logic

Admin Responsibilities

• Global Email Settings
• Content Notifications
• Library Distribution
• SPARK Configuration

Admin and User Email Notification Toggles

Notification delivery in Pinnacle Series is governed by two separate toggles - one controlled by the Admin, and one controlled by the User. Both must be understood together to predict whether an email is actually sent.

Admin Email Notification Toggle

The Admin Email Notification Toggle (Settings > General > "Allow Users to Receive Notifications via Email") controls whether unseen in-app notifications are automatically sent to users via email.

• When enabled, any in-app notification that is not viewed within approximately 5 minutes is sent to the user as an email.
• When disabled, users still receive in-app notifications, but missed notifications are not emailed.
• This setting does not affect emails that administrators explicitly choose to send from other areas of the platform (e.g., Assignments, SPARK, Users).

Admin-Initiated Emails Not Governed by This Toggle

• Admin-initiated emails from SPARK, Assignments, and User management are not governed by this toggle.
• If an admin enables email delivery within those features, emails are sent regardless of this setting.
• This setting applies only to the automatic email delivery of missed in-app notifications.

User Email Notification Toggle

This toggle is only visible when the Admin global email setting is enabled.

The User Email Notification Toggle controls whether missed in-app notifications are sent to that user via email.

• When enabled, the user receives an email if an in-app notification is not viewed within the system's delivery window.
• When disabled, the user receives in-app notifications only.
• This setting applies only to the automatic email delivery of missed in-app notifications.
• It does not affect emails explicitly sent by admins from SPARK, Assignments, or User management.
• It cannot override the Admin-level email notification setting.

How the Toggles Work Together

Admin Toggle	User Toggle	Email Sent?
ON	ON	YES (if the notification stays unread)
ON	OFF	NO (user opted out)
OFF	Not visible (Admin toggle is OFF)	NO (global email disabled by admin)

Key Rules to Remember

• Email is never sent if the user has disabled email notifications, even if the admin toggle is enabled.
• Email is never sent if the admin toggle is disabled, regardless of the user toggle.
• Email is only sent when both toggles are ON and the notification remains unread during the five-minute batch check.
• In-app notifications are always delivered, even if email is turned off.

Learning Path and Course Notifications

Learner Triggers

• A new Course or Learning Path is assigned (in-app notification, plus email if enabled)
• A due date is approaching (reminder)
• An item becomes past due (alert)

Personalized Learning Assignments Do Not Trigger Notifications

When a user self-enrolls in an Assessment and selects mapped training to automatically assign Personalized Learning, Pinnacle Series does not send an email or in-app notification for the resulting personalized learning assignments. Because the user initiated the enrollment, they are already aware of the assignment and do not need an additional notification. This behavior is intentional and part of the platform design.

However, if the same Assessment is assigned to another user with Automatically Assign Personalized Training enabled, that user receives the normal assignment notifications (email and in-app alerts).

This difference can create confusion when Administrators test Assessments using their own account, since the expected learner notifications will not appear.

Assessment Assignment Notifications

When a user is assigned a KnowledgeSmart Skill Assessment, they receive a dedicated assessment invitation that behaves differently from standard notifications:

• Sent using either the default KnowledgeSmart template or a custom template from the assessor or administrator
• Optional KnowledgeSmart reminders may follow
• KnowledgeSmart emails operate outside of the Pinnacle Series email toggle described above
• The assignment still appears in the Peak notification bell

Reminder Timing

• 14 days before the due date
• 7 days before the due date
• Within 24 hours after the due date (past-due alert)

Assignor and Assignment Admin Notifications

The following events generate Admin-facing notifications:

• A learner drops an Assignment
• A learner marks an Assignment complete
• The system verifies true completion
• An Assignment becomes past due

Admin Experience:

• Notifications appear in the Admin Portal activity feed
• Used for progress and overdue monitoring
• Never shown to end users

Manual Email Reminders

Admins and Assignors may send a manual reminder using Send Email within the Assignment options menu.

Notification Delivery Flow

A simplified view of how User and Admin notifications behave:

User Flow:

• Appears in the Peak bell immediately
• If opened, email is suppressed
• If unread, checked in the five-minute batch
• If unread and email is enabled, an email is sent

Admin Flow:

• Appears in the Admin Portal only
• Used for oversight
• Never emailed
• Email reminders must be manually initiated

Assignment Email Logic: Feature Emails vs. Missed Bell Notification Emails

It is important to separate feature-driven Assignment emails from the platform's automatic "missed notification" emails.

Missed Bell Notification Emails (Global Toggle)

• Controlled by Settings > General > "Allow Users to Receive Notifications via Email"
• Only applies to unread in-app bell notifications that remain unseen after the approximately 5-minute window
• If the user opens the bell notification before the batch runs, no email is sent

Assignment Feature Emails (Assignment Controls)

• Sent only when an admin or assignor explicitly enables an assignment email option (e.g., "Send Email" or reminder actions)
• Not governed by the global "missed notification" email toggle
• Assignment activity still creates a bell notification, which may separately trigger a "missed notification" email if unread and email is enabled

Practical takeaway: An Assignment may generate both a bell notification and a feature email, but they are controlled by different settings.

Key Takeaways

• The global email toggle controls only automatic emails for unread bell notifications.
• Assignment emails are feature-driven and depend on the Assignment's own email or reminder actions.
• Assignments still create bell notifications, which may separately trigger a "missed notification" email if unread and email is enabled.

Content Manager Manual Notifications

Why It Matters

Manual notifications allow Content Managers to highlight important updates, promote new content, and draw user attention to resources that matter. Thoughtfully crafted notifications drive adoption without causing alert fatigue.

How to Send a Notification

1. Navigate to the Content area of the Admin Portal.
2. Select Send Notification from the Action Menu (⋯).

Best Practices for Content Notifications

• Set Clear Titles: Use concise, action-driven titles that immediately signal value (e.g., "New Revit Workflow Added").
• Write Meaningful Messages: Keep the message short and focused on why the content matters.
• Use Associated Content: Always link directly to the resource using the Add Content button to increase engagement.
• Target the Right Audience: Notifications should be scoped to the groups or roles that will benefit from the update.
• Avoid Overuse: Reserve notifications for meaningful updates — avoid sending multiple alerts in a short time frame.
• Use Visual Cues: If applicable, upload a thumbnail or select content with strong visuals to increase click-through.

Recommended Use Cases

• Announcing a new set of workflows or process guides
• Highlighting time-sensitive or mandatory training
• Promoting new content Collections or Libraries
• Sharing project-specific learning resources
• Driving awareness to underutilized high-value content

Title Field Restrictions

• Up to 100 characters
• Alphanumeric and special characters allowed
• No leading or trailing spaces
• Required field

Message Field Restrictions

• No character limit
• Optional field
• Alphanumeric and special characters allowed

Manual notifications are most effective when used sparingly and strategically. Prioritize clarity, relevance, and user value to maintain trust and engagement.

Library Notifications

What Triggers Library Notifications

Library notifications are generated when content is shared into a Library that has notifications enabled. These alerts ensure users know when new resources have been published to Libraries they can access.

Automatic vs. Optional Notifications by Library Size

Notification behavior depends on how many users have access to the Library:

Libraries with fewer than 200 users:

• Notifications are sent automatically when content is added

Libraries with 200 or more users:

• An additional confirmation popup appears
• Admins may choose between Send Notification (notifies all eligible users) or Add Without Notification (adds content silently with no notification)

User Experience

• Library notifications appear in the Peak notification bell
• If the user reads the notification before the email batch runs (every 5 minutes), no email is sent
• If unread and the email toggles are enabled, the user receives an email
• Clicking the notification opens the Library directly

Admin Experience

• Admins share Libraries with users, groups, roles, or the organization
• Notifications are system-generated and cannot be customized
• Notification behavior depends on access volume (automatic vs. confirmation popup)
• Email delivery follows the Admin and User toggle logic described above

See Managing Library Notifications for more detailed guidance.

SPARK Notifications

What Triggers SPARK

SPARK is Pinnacle Series' intelligent recommendation system. SPARK notifications highlight relevant content based on user activity, role, Library access, and organizational goals.

• A user completes content, and SPARK suggests next steps
• A user interacts with specific topics, and SPARK surfaces related resources
• New high-value content is added, and SPARK promotes it
• SPARK campaigns configured by admins trigger targeted nudges

User Experience

• SPARK notifications appear inside the Peak notification bell
• SPARK suggestions also appear in the user's SPARK panel
• Opening a SPARK notification suppresses email
• If unread and email is enabled, an email is sent

Admin Experience

• Admins enable or disable SPARK at the organization level
• Admins configure SPARK rules and campaigns
• Admins cannot manually send SPARK notifications; they are algorithm-triggered
• Email logic still follows the global and user toggle model

See Managing and Customizing Spark Notifications for more detailed guidance.

Helpful Tips

• SPARK works best when Libraries and metadata are well-organized, ensuring recommendations are accurate and high-value.

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