Introduction
What is a Certificate?
A Certificate is a document earned by a Learner for completing a Course. Certificates display details about the completed Course and are available for viewing and download from the User Transcript.
Certificates are administered in the Completion Course Settings block. From here, you can import a customized Certificate, update the Certificate to use a Custom Title, set an expiry, and opt to allow Learners to upload Certificates earned outside the system.
This article provides instructions on configuring a Course Certificate, creating and uploading a custom Certificate to a Course, and other helpful tips.
This is an example of the Online Course > Completion setting section. Certificate configuration is the first item listed.
Instructions
Configuring a Course Certificate
These instructions begin from an Online or ILC Course build's Completion Course Setting section.
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Completion Settings: Certificate
Field | Details |
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Certificate | Click the toggle button to change the status setting. The default state is OFF. |
ON = Learners will receive a certificate upon completion. Additional options will display once enabled. | |
OFF = The feature is disabled. | |
Certificate Source | Click the radio button to select an option. |
File = Click the Choose File button to open a modal to upload new content. | |
URL = Enter the URL address to the external content. | |
Note: Unless you upload a new Certificate file or link to an outside resource, the Absorb default Certificate template will be used. | |
Use Custom Tile | Click the toggle button to change the status setting. The default state is OFF. |
ON = A new field, Title will become available for you to enter the custom Certificate title. | |
OFF = The feature is disabled. | |
Notes | A field to add optional notes about the Certificate: the information entered here is only visible within the Admin Experience. |
Expiry | Click the radio button to select an option: |
No Expiry =The Certificate will not expire. | |
Time from Completion = The Certificate will expire within the established period. When selected, options to configure the period become available. | |
Date = The Certificate will expire on a specific date. When selected, a calendar tool becomes available to identify the date and time. | |
Certificate Upload | Click the Certificate Upload button to expand this section. |
Click the Edit Upload Instructions button to open a pop-up window. From there, you can enter instructions that will be visible to Learners on how to upload content. These instructions are shared between the default and certificate uploads for the Course. | |
Label = Enter an identifying label of the content you want to be uploaded by the Learner. Example: "Drivers License." | |
Approval = Click the radio button of the User type responsible for approving the submitted upload. |
How to Configure a Certificate Upload
Getting Started
The Certificate Upload option, when enabled (ON), allows Learners to upload and submit Certificates they earn outside of the Absorb LMS portal. The following instructions detail how to configure these settings.
These instructions begin from an Online or ILC Course build's Completion Course Setting section.
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Completion Settings: Certificate Upload
Field | Details |
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Edit Upload Instructions | Click this button to edit the Upload Instruction text. This action will open a new modal containing a rich-text field. |
Apply = Saves the entered instruction text and closes the modal. You return to the Course form. | |
Cancel = Closes the modal without saving any changes made. You return to the Course form. | |
Label | Enter a Label to identify the Course Upload. The Label will be displayed on the Learner's Transcript. This is a required field. |
Approval | Choose an option by selecting a radio button. The default selection is NONE. |
None = No approval is required for the course upload. | |
Course Editor = A course editor must approve the course upload. | |
Supervisor = A user's supervisor must approve the course upload. | |
Administrator = A user's department administrator must approve the course upload. | |
Other = Specify the users that are responsible for approving the course upload. Two fields become available when this option is selected: Choose and Reviewer's Notes. | |
Reviewer's Notes* | This field becomes available when the Approver selected is Course Editor, Supervisor, Administrator, or Other. |
When evaluating the submitted item, the text entered in this field becomes visible to the Reviewer (the person approving). | |
Choose (Other)* | Select this field to search for and identify the Admin(s) who will act as the Reviewer (the person approving). |
Approving the Certificate Upload
The Course Uploads report will allow Administrators to view all learner uploads through the course upload feature, including Certificate course uploads. This report will allow filtering of specific data associated with the certificate upload, such as the Certificate Expiry Date, Certificate Issue Date, Certificate Issuer, and more. For more information, please visit The Course Upload Report article.
How to Make a Custom Certificate with Dynamic Fields
Getting Started
Absorb LMS uses the Portable Document Format (PDF) for certificates. To configure your Certificate, you will need Adobe Acrobat or another PDF form editor. If you would like to have the Absorb Design team customize your certificates, please inquire about our Fully Tailored Design option.
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Example: Format Dynamic Fields
Important Field Information
Custom Fields
Absorb LMS allows you to configure certificates with custom user fields to populate with custom user data. The data in these fields can also be passed to your PDF certificate using the following form field:
LearnerCustomFieldNameNoSpaces
Where the dynamic field FieldNameNoSpaces is located will populate with the name entered into Portal Settings > Custom Field (with the spaces within the Custom Field name stripped out of the form field).
Notes:
- If changes are made in the LMS to that custom field name, your certificates will need to be updated to reflect them.
- For the field to be mapped correctly, all capital letter formatting must be respected (if any).
- Currently, the LMS does not support customizing the fonts of dynamic fields in PDF certificates. If the LMS does not recognize a font or font character, it will add substitution fonts, such as Arial.
Date Format
Please note that the date format on certificates will match the format determined in Portal Settings > Defaults in the Report Date Format field. You can select from the drop-down from YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY, or MM/DD/YYYY. This will also update the date format within your reports, so please be sure you are comfortable with your changes before saving the new format.