diff --git a/src/courseware/course/Course.jsx b/src/courseware/course/Course.jsx
index 459d76bee0..76873b06e3 100644
--- a/src/courseware/course/Course.jsx
+++ b/src/courseware/course/Course.jsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import SidebarProvider from './sidebar/SidebarContextProvider';
 import SidebarTriggers from './sidebar/SidebarTriggers';
 
 import { useModel } from '../../generic/model-store';
+import { getSessionStorage, setSessionStorage } from '../../data/sessionStorage';
 
 const Course = ({
   courseId,
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ const Course = ({
   const {
     celebrations,
     isStaff,
+    verifiedMode,
   } = useModel('courseHomeMeta', courseId);
   const sequence = useModel('sequences', sequenceId);
   const section = useModel('sections', sequence ? sequence.sectionId : null);
@@ -53,6 +55,16 @@ const Course = ({
   const shouldDisplayTriggers = windowWidth >= breakpoints.small.minWidth;
   const daysPerWeek = course?.courseGoals?.selectedGoal?.daysPerWeek;
 
+  // 1. open the notification tray if the user has not purchased the course and is on a desktop
+  // 2. default to close on the first time access
+  // 3. use the last state if the user has access the course before
+  const shouldDisplayNotificationTrayOpenOnLoad = windowWidth > breakpoints.medium.minWidth && !!verifiedMode;
+  if (shouldDisplayNotificationTrayOpenOnLoad) {
+    setSessionStorage(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseId}`, 'open');
+  } else if (!getSessionStorage(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseId}`)) {
+    setSessionStorage(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseId}`, 'closed');
+  }
+
   useEffect(() => {
     const celebrateFirstSection = celebrations && celebrations.firstSection;
     setFirstSectionCelebrationOpen(shouldCelebrateOnSectionLoad(
diff --git a/src/courseware/course/Course.test.jsx b/src/courseware/course/Course.test.jsx
index 07349601e6..d2c60d8fbe 100644
--- a/src/courseware/course/Course.test.jsx
+++ b/src/courseware/course/Course.test.jsx
@@ -136,9 +136,9 @@ describe('Course', () => {
 
     const notificationTrigger = screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Show notification tray/i });
     expect(notificationTrigger).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(notificationTrigger.parentNode).not.toHaveClass('mt-3', { exact: true });
-    fireEvent.click(notificationTrigger);
     expect(notificationTrigger.parentNode).toHaveClass('mt-3');
+    fireEvent.click(notificationTrigger);
+    expect(notificationTrigger.parentNode).not.toHaveClass('mt-3', { exact: true });
   });
 
   it('handles click to open/close discussions sidebar', async () => {
@@ -146,17 +146,17 @@ describe('Course', () => {
     const discussionsTrigger = await screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Show discussions tray/i });
     const discussionsSideBar = await waitFor(() => screen.findByTestId('sidebar-DISCUSSIONS'));
 
-    expect(discussionsSideBar).toHaveClass('d-none');
+    expect(discussionsSideBar).not.toHaveClass('d-none');
 
     await act(async () => {
       fireEvent.click(discussionsTrigger);
     });
-    await expect(discussionsSideBar).not.toHaveClass('d-none');
+    await expect(discussionsSideBar).toHaveClass('d-none');
 
     await act(async () => {
       fireEvent.click(discussionsTrigger);
     });
-    await expect(discussionsSideBar).toHaveClass('d-none');
+    await expect(discussionsSideBar).not.toHaveClass('d-none');
   });
 
   it('displays discussions sidebar when unit changes', async () => {
@@ -177,9 +177,6 @@ describe('Course', () => {
 
     await waitFor(() => {
       expect(screen.getByTestId('sidebar-DISCUSSIONS')).toBeInTheDocument();
-      expect(screen.getByTestId('sidebar-DISCUSSIONS')).toHaveClass('d-none');
-      const discussionsTrigger = screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Show discussions tray/i });
-      fireEvent.click(discussionsTrigger);
       expect(screen.getByTestId('sidebar-DISCUSSIONS')).not.toHaveClass('d-none');
     });
 
@@ -189,21 +186,20 @@ describe('Course', () => {
   it('handles click to open/close notification tray', async () => {
     sessionStorage.clear();
     render(<Course {...mockData} />, { wrapWithRouter: true });
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe(null);
+    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('"open"');
     const notificationShowButton = await screen.findByRole('button', { name: /Show notification tray/i });
-    expect(screen.queryByRole('region', { name: /notification tray/i })).not.toHaveClass('d-none');
-    fireEvent.click(notificationShowButton);
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('open');
     expect(screen.queryByRole('region', { name: /notification tray/i })).toHaveClass('d-none');
+    fireEvent.click(notificationShowButton);
+    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('"closed"');
+    expect(screen.queryByRole('region', { name: /notification tray/i })).not.toHaveClass('d-none');
   });
 
   it('handles reload persisting notification tray status', async () => {
     sessionStorage.clear();
     render(<Course {...mockData} />, { wrapWithRouter: true });
     const notificationShowButton = await screen.findByRole('button', { name: /Show notification tray/i });
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe(null);
     fireEvent.click(notificationShowButton);
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('open');
+    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('"closed"');
 
     // Mock reload window, this doesn't happen in the Course component,
     // calling the reload to check if the tray remains closed
@@ -213,7 +209,7 @@ describe('Course', () => {
     window.location.reload();
     expect(window.location.reload).toHaveBeenCalled();
     window.location = location;
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('open');
+    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('"closed"');
     expect(screen.queryByTestId('NotificationTray')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
@@ -222,18 +218,18 @@ describe('Course', () => {
     const courseMetadataSecondCourse = Factory.build('courseMetadata', { id: 'second_course' });
 
     // set sessionStorage for a different course before rendering Course
-    sessionStorage.setItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseMetadataSecondCourse.id}`, 'open');
+    sessionStorage.setItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseMetadataSecondCourse.id}`, '"open"');
 
     render(<Course {...mockData} />, { wrapWithRouter: true });
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe(null);
+    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('"open"');
     const notificationShowButton = await screen.findByRole('button', { name: /Show notification tray/i });
     fireEvent.click(notificationShowButton);
 
     // Verify sessionStorage was updated for the original course
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('open');
+    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${mockData.courseId}`)).toBe('"closed"');
 
     // Verify the second course sessionStorage was not changed
-    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseMetadataSecondCourse.id}`)).toBe('open');
+    expect(sessionStorage.getItem(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseMetadataSecondCourse.id}`)).toBe('"open"');
   });
 
   it('renders course breadcrumbs as expected', async () => {
diff --git a/src/courseware/course/sidebar/SidebarContextProvider.jsx b/src/courseware/course/sidebar/SidebarContextProvider.jsx
index 8a4be654fc..b61c577b19 100644
--- a/src/courseware/course/sidebar/SidebarContextProvider.jsx
+++ b/src/courseware/course/sidebar/SidebarContextProvider.jsx
@@ -4,10 +4,7 @@ import React, {
   useEffect, useState, useMemo, useCallback,
 } from 'react';
 
-import { useModel } from '../../../generic/model-store';
 import { getLocalStorage, setLocalStorage } from '../../../data/localStorage';
-import { getSessionStorage } from '../../../data/sessionStorage';
-
 import SidebarContext from './SidebarContext';
 import { SIDEBARS } from './sidebars';
 
@@ -16,8 +13,6 @@ const SidebarProvider = ({
   unitId,
   children,
 }) => {
-  const { verifiedMode } = useModel('courseHomeMeta', courseId);
-
   const shouldDisplayFullScreen = useWindowSize().width < breakpoints.large.minWidth;
   const shouldDisplaySidebarOpen = useWindowSize().width > breakpoints.medium.minWidth;
   const query = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
@@ -27,11 +22,7 @@ const SidebarProvider = ({
   const [upgradeNotificationCurrentState, setUpgradeNotificationCurrentState] = useState(getLocalStorage(`upgradeNotificationCurrentState.${courseId}`));
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    // if the user has not purchased the course or previously opened the notification tray, show the notification tray
-    const showNotificationsOnLoad = !!verifiedMode || getSessionStorage(`notificationTrayStatus.${courseId}`) !== 'closed';
-    if (showNotificationsOnLoad) {
-      setCurrentSidebar(SIDEBARS.NOTIFICATIONS.ID);
-    }
+    setCurrentSidebar(SIDEBARS.DISCUSSIONS.ID);
   // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, [unitId]);
 
diff --git a/src/data/sessionStorage.js b/src/data/sessionStorage.js
index ef809330d3..fe86b577d0 100644
--- a/src/data/sessionStorage.js
+++ b/src/data/sessionStorage.js
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ function getSessionStorage(key) {
 function setSessionStorage(key, value) {
   try {
     if (global.sessionStorage) {
-      global.sessionStorage.setItem(key, value);
+      global.sessionStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(value));
     }
   } catch (e) {
     // If this fails, just bail.