What it does
The Note Types page gives your institution reusable note types — a general note, or one built for advising check-ins or CCC reviews — each with its own visibility ceiling, optional review workflow, and optional required cadence. Inside the note editor, a separate Content preset picker offers ready-made starting content. Bulk note creation writes the same note to many learners in a program at once, so a cohort-wide note doesn't have to be entered person by person.
Who it's for
Institution administrators with notes-template permission maintain note types; program staff in the administration portal use bulk creation; everyone writing notes picks a note type and uses a content preset when one fits.
How it works
Managing note types. The sidebar item is still labeled Note Templates, but it opens the Note Types page (/notes/templates). It lists each type's name, the roles that can see it, its contexts (Learner, Program, Event, Operational), and status (Active, Inactive, or Locked for a system type). New Type opens a form for the name, icon, default content, and which roles can see or author notes of that type — visible to subject, visible to mentors, mentors can author, course directors can author. Requires review turns on a review workflow and blocks the Private visibility level. Required note sets a compliance cadence: frequency in days, a compliance scope (Institution, Program, or Learner), and a reminder lead time. System types are locked and can't be edited or deleted. Other types can be deactivated or reactivated. Deactivating removes a type from the note-type picker without deleting it.
Using a content preset. After choosing a note type, the editor offers a Content preset picker filtered to presets for that kind of record. Selecting one fills in default content, category, visibility, and priority, all adjustable before saving. The picker only appears when at least one preset exists for that context.
Bulk notes. From the Notes workspace in the administration portal with a program selected, the bulk option opens the Create Note for Multiple Learners dialog. Pick recipients from the program roster (search, or Select All/Deselect All). Choose a required Note type, optionally apply a content preset, write the note once, and set visibility, priority, and category. Create N Notes writes one individual note on each selected person's record. Each behaves like any other note afterward.
Before you start
You need institution-scoped notes-template permission to create or edit note types; other users can pick from existing types but not change them.
To use bulk creation you need the administration portal, a program selected, and bulk-note-creation permission.
Decide the note type before you open the bulk dialog — it can't be submitted without one.
Do this
Open the Note Templates sidebar item (
/notes/templates) → you should see the Note Types page listing existing types.Select New Type → the Create Note Type dialog opens.
Enter a Name, pick an Icon, and turn on the roles that should see or author this type's notes → the role summary in the list will reflect your choices after saving.
If notes of this type must be reviewed, turn on Requires review in the dialog and confirm at least one visibility role is on → this also removes Private from the visibility choices for this type.
If notes of this type are required on a schedule, turn on Required note, then set the Frequency (days) and Compliance scope fields in the dialog → confirm both are filled in before selecting Create.
Select Create in the dialog footer → you should return to the Note Types list and see the new type with status Active.
You're done when
✓ The new type appears on the Note Types page with the roles and contexts you set.
✓ The type is selectable from the Note type picker when writing a note in an allowed context.
✓ A type you deactivated shows status Inactive and no longer appears in the note-type picker.
Boundaries and limits
Creating and editing note types requires institution-scoped notes-template permission; other users can select an existing type but not change its configuration.
System note types are locked — they can't be edited or deleted, only viewed.
A note type applies to specific contexts (Learner, Program, Event, Operational) — a type scoped to Learner notes won't appear when writing a note on a site.
A type with Requires review on can never be set to Private for its notes; reviewers see it through Team or Admin Only instead.
Deactivated types disappear from the note-type picker but keep their configuration and can be reactivated. Notes already created with a type are unaffected by later changes to that type.
Bulk creation is available in the administration portal only, with a program selected; recipients come from that program's roster, and a note type is required just as for a single note.
Bulk creation validates your access to every selected person before writing anything; if any recipient is outside your access, the whole batch fails and no notes are created.
Bulk-created notes are independent copies — editing or deleting one afterward does not affect the others, and there is no linked "bulk group" to manage them together later.
Common questions
Q: I clicked Note Templates in the sidebar and landed on "Note Types" — is that right? A: Yes. The sidebar label hasn't caught up; the page manages note types, which set visibility rules and review/required-note behavior for a category of note.
Q: If I deactivate a note type, do notes already created with it change? A: No. Deactivating only removes the type from the picker for new notes; existing notes keep the type and content they were saved with.
Q: Who can see the notes I create in bulk? A: The same visibility rules as any note, capped by the note type and using the level you set in the bulk dialog. A team-visibility bulk note on learners is visible to each learner on their own record.
Q: Can I bulk-create notes across programs? A: No. Bulk creation targets the roster of the currently selected program, one program at a time.
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