Introduction
Certificates can be used to reward learners after they've completed a course or training plan. The awarding of certificates to users is configured in the training settings for each e-learning course, instructor-led training, and training plan.
As they include an option to expire at a certain date or a certain number of days after the training has been completed, certificates can work to proof that a learner has completed certain training and that the acquired knowledge is still valid.
LMS365 enables you to create a selection of certificate templates that can each have different settings in terms of the visual look of the certificate and which information it'll include. When assigning a certificate to a course or training plan, the course admin can then choose between the available templates.
In this article, we provide an overview of how to create, configure, and edit certificate templates in LMS365.
Where to manage certificates
Required role: catalog admin.
To manage certificates, go to the LMS365 Admin Center > Catalog Settings > Certificate Templates.
Create a certificate template
To create a new certificate template:
1. In the LMS365 Admin Center, under Catalog Settings select Certificate Templates.
2. On the Certificate Templates page, select Create Certificate Template.
3. In the drop-down menu, select whether the certificate should be used for courses or training plans. The Create Certificate Template panel opens.
4. On the Create Certificate Template panel, fill in the fields.
- Name. Specify name for the certificate template. The name will help to select the certificate template while course or training plan creation or edit. The field is required.
- Description. Enter description of the certificate template that is helpful for search of the certificate template in the certificate templates list. The field is optional.
- Background Image. The default background image is set for you to create the certificate template. You may upload images to customize the certificate template background or select from the provided image collection.
The supported formats of the images for the Background Image: PNG, JPEG (JPG), BMP, GIF.
To apply a different image, select Choose Image > Select the relevant image. The selected image will be highlighted blue. Save to apply this image as the certificate template background.
To upload a custom image, select Choose Image > Upload > Select the image from your device. Save to apply this image as the certificate template background.
To delete an image from the image collection, select the relevant image and then select Delete. You won't be able to delete the image that is in use. You'll see the warning message "You can't delete this image. It is in use."
- Select the area on the background image in which the certificate text will be displayed.
To preview the certificate template, select Preview.
- Content. Enter the certificate text that'll be placed in the defined area on the certificate template. You may use your own text or variables that are listed below the Content field.
- Variables. You can use the listed variables to display information on the certificate that is different for each user, for example, name, department, or the date when the certificate is acquired.
The Training Plan certificate template has two more variables compared to the Course template: {training plan} and {courses}. The Course certificate, on the other hand, has the variable {instructors} which the Training Plan certificate template doesn't.
NOTE
- The date and time format of certificates is set via the provided variables options. Select All Formats near the relevant variable to see the full list and apply the relevant format.
More information about the language used in date and time variables can be found in this article.
- You can indicate the specific format of the CEUs {ceu:F2} to be displayed on the certificate, where 2 is the number of digits after the delimiter. To learn more about the formats, see the Microsoft documentation.
- Text Alignment. From the drop-down list, select either Left, Center, or Right to set the text alignment.
- Vertical Alignment. Select either Top, Middle, or Bottom to set the vertical alignment.
- Drop Shadow. Enable this option if you want the text to drop shadow.
- Font. From the drop-down list, select the font type for the text on the certificate.
- Font Size. From the drop-down list, select the font size of the text on the certificate.
- Font Style. Enable the relevant font style(s) to apply corresponding style to the text.
5. Save the new certificate template or Cancel to discard without saving.
Search for a certificate template
There are different options you can use to find the relevant certificate template:
- From the All Certificates Templates drop- down list, select the type of the certificate to filter: All Certificates, Course, or Training Plan.
- In the search field, enter a word or words combination to find a relevant certificate template.
Set the certificate expiry reminder
LMS365 allows certificates to be awarded for completed training. Depending on the settings, certificates may have an expiry date. A certificate can have one of the following statuses: Valid, Expiring, or Expired.
The certificate expiring status depends on the Certificate Expiry Reminder settings in the LMS365 Admin Center > Catalog Settings > Notifications > Certificate Expiry Reminder > Edit Template > Send Reminder Emails.
By default, the Send Reminder Emails field is completed with 60, 30, 14, 7 days in advance but you can customize these settings. The numbers in the field should be positive integers.
EXAMPLE
A certificate was issued to a user on 5/4/20 and the certificate expiry date is 5/31/2020. The Send Reminder Emails is set as 60, 3, 2 days in advance and the system checks for a change of status only on these number of days in advance. In this example, the system will check only on 5/28/2020 and 5/29/2020 (3 and 2 days before the certificate expiry date). It won't check 60 days before because this date had passed before the certificate was issued. As a result, the status will change to Expiring on 5/28/2020.
NOTE
If the certificate expiry date is in the past, the status can be changed only by re-enrolling users manually.
Edit certificate templates
To edit certificates, follow the steps:
1. Go to the LMS365 Admin Center > Catalog Settings > Certificate Templates.
2. Select the certificate template and on its Actions panel, select Edit Certificate Template.
3. Make necessary changes.
4. Save to introduce the changes or Cancel to discard them.
More information on editing and changing the certificate template language, date and time format can be found in this article.
Delete certificate templates
To delete certificate templates, follow the steps:
1. Go to the LMS365 Admin Center > Catalog Settings > Certificate Templates.
2. Select the certificate template to delete and on its Actions panel, select Delete Certificate Template.
3. In the Delete Confirmation dialogue box, select Delete. To cancel the action, select Cancel.
Certificate templates that are in use in a course or training plan can't be deleted. In this case the message "You cannot delete the Certificate Template because it is in use." is displayed after selecting Delete Certificate Template.
Comments
Article is closed for comments.