FeedForward uses an invitation-based system for student enrollment, ensuring only authorized students join your courses. When you invite students, the system creates a personal join link for each student, which you distribute through your own channel — an LMS announcement, a cohort email, or in class. This guide covers individual invitations, bulk CSV uploads, distributing join links, and troubleshooting common enrollment issues.
1. Instructor enters student emails (paste or CSV)
↓
2. System creates an account and a personal join link
for each student
↓
3. Join links appear on-screen for the instructor
(with a copy-all option)
↓
4. Instructor distributes the links via their own
channel (LMS announcement, cohort email)
↓
5. Student opens their link and activates their account
↓
6. Student joins the course and can access assignments
FeedForward never emails students. You are always the one who delivers each student's join link, through whatever channel your institution already uses.
Invitation Form:
Student Email: student@university.edu
Optional Fields:
First Name: Jane
Last Name: Smith
Student ID: 12345678
The system creates the student's account and displays their personal join link on-screen. Copy the link and send it to the student yourself — for example, in a direct message or email from your own account.
When the student opens their join link, they are taken to an activation page where they:
If the student already has a FeedForward account, the link enrolls them in your course immediately.
email,first_name,last_name,student_id
jdoe@university.edu,John,Doe,12345678
asmith@university.edu,Alice,Smith,12345679
bwilson@university.edu,Bob,Wilson,12345680
cjohnson@university.edu,Carol,Johnson,12345681
Select Your File - Click "Choose File" - Select your prepared CSV - Maximum size: 5MB
Preview Import ``` Import Preview: ┌─────┬──────────────────┬────────────┬───────────┐ │ Row │ Email │ Name │ Status │ ├─────┼──────────────────┼────────────┼───────────┤ │ 1 │ jdoe@univ.edu │ John Doe │ ✓ Valid │ │ 2 │ asmith@univ.edu │ Alice Smith│ ✓ Valid │ │ 3 │ invalid-email │ Bob Wilson │ ✗ Invalid │ └─────┴──────────────────┴────────────┴───────────┘
Valid: 2 | Invalid: 1 | Duplicates: 0 ```
Review and Confirm - Check for errors - Fix invalid entries - Confirm upload
Collect the Join Links - System creates accounts and generates a personal join link per student - Links appear on-screen next to each student - Use "Copy All" to grab the full list at once
Common issues and solutions:
Error: "invalid-email" is not a valid email address
Fix: Correct the email format (user@domain.com)
Error: "jdoe@university.edu" appears multiple times
Fix: Remove duplicates, keep only one entry
Error: Row 5 missing email address
Fix: Add email or remove the row
Error: Unable to parse CSV file
Fix: Save as UTF-8 without BOM
After inviting students, the join links are shown on-screen:
Copy All - Click "Copy All" to copy every student's email and personal link - Paste into a spreadsheet, mail merge, or LMS message
Copy Individually - Click the copy icon next to a single student - Useful for late enrollers or one-off invitations
LMS Announcement or Message - Post a course announcement explaining FeedForward - Send each student their own link via the LMS message tool - Most students already check the LMS daily
Cohort Email - Use your institutional email or a mail merge - Include the student's personal link in each message - Add context: what FeedForward is and when to join by
In-Class Handout - For small classes, walk through activation together - Have links ready before the session
Each join link is personal to one student. Do not post links in a shared location where students could pick up the wrong one.
View all invited and enrolled students at a glance:
Enrollment Status Overview:
┌────────────┬────────┬──────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Status │ Count │ Last Action │ Actions │
├────────────┼────────┼──────────────┼─────────────┤
│ Invited │ 15 │ 2 hours ago │ Get link │
│ Active │ 45 │ 1 hour ago │ View │
│ Removed │ 2 │ 3 days ago │ Re-invite │
└────────────┴────────┴──────────────┴─────────────┘
If you need a student's link again — because they lost it or you didn't record it:
You can retrieve a student's link as many times as needed; it always points to the same personal invitation.
Remove students who should no longer have access:
Monitor who has joined:
Activation Metrics:
Total Invited: 50
Activated: 45 (90%)
Not Yet Joined: 5 (10%)
Average Time to Activate: 4.5 hours
Fastest: 12 minutes
Slowest: 3 days
Sync with your Learning Management System:
Export from LMS - Download roster - Format as CSV - Include email addresses
Import to FeedForward - Use bulk upload - Map fields correctly - Copy the generated join links
Distribute via LMS - Send each student their link through LMS messaging - Or post an announcement directing students to check their messages
Connect with institutional systems:
SIS Integration:
Import Method: CSV export from SIS
Sync Frequency: Start of term + add/drop period
Field Mapping:
SIS_Email → email
SIS_FirstName → first_name
SIS_LastName → last_name
SIS_ID → student_id
Prepare Students - Announce in class - Explain FeedForward - Set expectations - Provide timeline
Check Email Lists - Verify addresses - Remove duplicates - Confirm enrollment
Optimal enrollment schedule:
Recommended Timeline:
Week -1: Create invitations and distribute links
Week 1, Day 1: First reminder in class / LMS
Week 1, Day 3: Follow up with students who haven't joined
Week 2: Individual follow-up (re-send links via "Get link")
For students who haven't activated:
Re-Send Their Link - Use "Get link" on the course students page - Send via LMS message or direct email - CC academic advisor if needed
In-Class Reminders - Verbal announcements - Demonstrate the activation process - Offer help session
Alternative Contact - Phone calls - Office hours - Peer assistance
"I lost my join link" 1. Go to your course's Students page 2. Find the student and click "Get link" 3. Copy the link and send it to the student again
"A student opened someone else's link" 1. Join links are unique to each student — don't swap them 2. Ask the student to close the page without activating 3. Use "Get link" to retrieve the correct link for each student 4. Send each student their own link
"The link doesn't work" 1. Check the full URL was copied (links can break across line wraps) 2. Verify the student is still on the course roster 3. Retrieve a fresh copy via "Get link"
"I can't create an account" 1. Check password requirements 2. Clear browser cache 3. Try different browser
"I activated but can't see the course" 1. Verify activation completed 2. Check course status is Active 3. Have student log out/in
Bulk upload fails - Check CSV format - Verify file size < 5MB - Remove special characters - Try smaller batches
Join links not appearing - Refresh the course students page - Verify the upload completed - Contact administrator if links are still missing
Minimal Information - Only collect necessary data - Email required, rest optional - No sensitive information
Secure Links - Unique, unguessable tokens per student - HTTPS required - Links tied to a single account
Access Control - Only instructor can invite - Links are personal — one per student - Removed students lose access
Maintain educational privacy:
✅ Create invitations early in term ✅ Use bulk upload for large classes ✅ Distribute links through your LMS ✅ Follow up with students who haven't joined ✅ Communicate clearly about the process
❌ Wait until assignments are due ❌ Post join links in shared/public spaces ❌ Swap links between students ❌ Upload sensitive student data ❌ Assume all students saw your announcement
Set up a reminder for yourself to check activation status on the course students page during the first two weeks of class, and re-send links with "Get link" as needed.
Students who join late can still access all previous assignment feedback, making the invitation system flexible for add/drop periods.