Learn how Recommendations can be included in your application process.
Recommendations functionality is available in Enroll to support organizations whose application process includes submitting requests to teachers, counselors, etc. to provide additional information about the applicant.
Reach out to your Customer Experience representative to have the Recommendations feature enabled in your site.
Note: Recommendations are not available for Registration processes at this time.
To create the form that will be completed by a Recommender,
Navigate to Settings > Forms > Recommendations.
2. Use the + button to add a Recommendation form and complete the fields to match your process needs and Save.
Form name
Deadline when the Recommender must submit the Recommendation (ex: the recommendation below must be submitted by 11:59PM the evening of 4/28/2025) based on the time zone selected for the organization's instance.
Days before the deadline when a reminder will be sent to the Recommender
Does your process allow the Recommender to decline the request to participate in the Recommendation process?
3. Click Manage Fields to add fields to the form (i.e. instructions to the Recommender, scale for rating the student, text box for comments, etc.).
Note: a pre-built field type called "Overall Recommendation" is available to be used in your form, if desired.
4. Navigate to the Application that will use the Recommendation form.
5. Add a Form Step to your Application for this Recommendation. This step will appear to families when completing your application.
If only certain grades or programs will use a Recommendation as part of their process, enable the Advanced Restrictions setting and configure the rules engine using the condition that meets your needs.
6. Click Manage Fields to configure the parameters per your Recommendation process:
Field Type: Use the system-built field type of "Recommendations"
Recommendation Form: Select a form from the dropdown menu of Recommendation forms you built
Minimum Required Recommendations: An application must have at least this number of Recommendations
Maximum Required Recommendations: An application may have no more than this number of Recommendations
Best practice: set your Maximum Required amount to one more (+1) than your process would normally manage. This gives you the flexibility to add another Recommender from within a student's application in the event the request is declined by the Recommender or a Recommender's email address is entered incorrectly.
Best practice: include a Content Snippet field in the step to give families instructions on your process.
The system-built field type: "Recommendations" will automatically populate the application with a block of fields that include:
Full Name (of Recommender to be included in this process)
Recommender's Email
Message to Recommender (optional note from guardian)
Guardian Experience of the Recommendations Process
As a part of your application, guardians will arrive at the Recommendation form step to complete the fields that you have configured using the Recommendations field type (that inserts the 3 fields below):
Full Name (of Recommender)
Recommender's Email
Message to Recommender (optional note from guardian)
If more than 1 Recommender is required, another block of Recommender fields will be displayed. A + button is available if additional, optional Recommenders can be added.
Recommender step information is included in the "Review and Send" step for families to confirm before Submitting the application.
The email request to Recommenders will not be sent out from the system until the entire application has been submitted
Upon submission, families can track the completion status of the Recommendation on their Guardian Dashboard.
Clicking the Recommender's email will open up the guardian's email client in the event they want to reach out to the Recommender.
Emails sent from the Guardian's email client are not tracked in Enroll.
Guardians do not have access to the content of the Recommendation provided by the Recommender.
Recommender's Experience of the Recommendation Process
Once an application is submitted, the system sends the email below to the Recommender that includes:
a link to the Recommendation form
a link to decline the request to be a Recommender (if enabled)
the deadline to submit the Recommendation form
Completing the Recommendation Form
Declining the Request
If the Recommender declines the request to provide a Recommendation, they are taken to a pop-up to confirm this decision.
Recommender Missed Deadline
If the Recommender has missed the deadline for submitting the Recommendation, they will see a message to contact the organization. The content of this message can be customized to your needs using the Platform Content Tool found under Settings > Content/Letters > Manage System/Platform Content.
Key: guest.recommendations.expiredMessage
Managing the Recommendation Process
From within the Applications module, use the Quick Filter for Recommendations to select one or more of the statuses that you would like to view.
The Standard View in the Applications module will include a column to display the Recommendation count and status.
Click the link to view the Manage Recommendations page that includes information for all Recommendations that were requested for a student, including:
Form Name
Recommender Name
Date Requested
Date Completed
Overall Recommendation, if that field type was used in the form
Status: Past Due, Completed, Pending, Declined
Preview of the form
Resend: to send another request to the Recommender listed
The "Add New Recommendation Form" button allows admins to manually add a Recommendation form for a student in the event a Recommender needs the admin to submit answers on their behalf.
A Bulk Action is available to facilitate bulk resending of the Recommendation Request for the student.
The same Bulk Action is also available in the Applications module to Resend Recommendation Requests for a group of students.
Troubleshooting Recommendations
Scenario 1:
If the Recommender has missed the deadline, but would still like to submit a Recommendation for a student:
Extend the deadline for the Recommendation to be submitted by navigating to Settings > Forms > Recommendations > pencil icon to edit the deadline
Proactively reach out to Recommendations with a "Pending" status prior to the deadline using the Bulk Action > Resend Recommendation Request functionality.
Scenario 2:
Guardian enters the Recommender's email incorrectly in the application.
Best practice: set your Maximum Required amount to one more (+1) than your process would normally manage. This gives you the flexibility to add another Recommender from within a student's application in the event the request is declined by the Recommender or a Recommender's email address is entered incorrectly.
Scenario 3:
If a Recommender declines the Recommendation request, but each application is required to have at least 1 Recommendation:
Navigate to the Recommendation step of the application, click Manage Fields, edit the Recommendation field to change the Minimum Required Recommendations to 0
Navigate back to the Recommendations step and use the trash icon to delete the Declined request
Use the + sign to add a new Recommender. Reminder: you must re-save the entire application (not just the step) to have the system send out your new request
If your application window is still open, return to the Recommendation field and return the Minimum Required Recommendations back to 1
Known Limitations
Reporting on Recommendations is limited to super admins with access to all programs
Recommendations fields are not available when creating Saved Views
Data captured (i.e. score) on the Recommendation form is unable to be populated into other steps of the Application
Emails sent to Recommenders are not logged in the Communication Logs in Enroll
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