Name |
Certificate |
Module type |
Activity module |
Author |
Chardelle Busch |
Released |
2007 |
Maintained |
Actively |
Languages |
English, Gallego, German, Italian, Portuguese Brazilian, Romanian, Spanish |
Compliance |
Good |
Documentation |
Online documentation, help files |
Errors |
None displayed |
Certificates for completing a course could be considered as a fun addition, or it could be quite a serious aspect. The certificate module allows students to generate certificates that they can keep electronically or print out. This module is highly configurable and can be linked to course grades or assessment outcomes.
The Certificate module is one of the most downloaded contributed modules for Moodle. This is not surprising as the module is a great example of a well-designed and useful module. To see statistics about contributed module downloads, visit http://download.moodle.org/stats.php.
Unzip and copy the certificate
directory into the /moodle/mod/
directory, then visit the Notifications page.
Once installed, you can add the Certificate module as an Activity by selecting Certificate from the Add an activity... menu.
Once created, you will be taken to the configuration page for a Certificate activity:
Scrolling down there are more options:
Letter Grades
Grade letter values are set at the site level. For information about setting letter grades, visit http://docs.moodle.org/en/Grade_letters.
Teacher names can be added to the certificate. The module uses the teachers defined for the course (users who have the teacher role). Additional teachers can be added by assigning them to the teacher role for the module instance. To do this, go to the settings for the Certificate activity and click the tab labeled Locally assigned roles. Click on the Teacher role and Add users from the list on the right to the one on the left.
At the bottom of the Certificate configuration page there are some more settings:
png)
and copy the file to /moodle/mod/certificate/pix/signatures/
This signature is then available site-wide, which may not be appropriate in a large institution. A seal or logo image can be added to certificates. To add a new logo image, copy a jpg
or png
image to /moodle/mod/certificate/pix/seals/
. This would be useful for institutional crests or logos.With a Certificate activity in place, students can begin to produce their own certificates, provided requirements are met. When a teacher views the Certificate module page, there is a link in the top-right corner to a Certificates report.
The Certificates report lists who has been awarded with a certificate, when it was awarded, and what grade was added to the certificate. The code for each certificate is provided and can be matched to a certificate for verification.
From a student's perspective, when they click on the link to the Certificate page they will see whether or not they are eligible to receive a certificate:
If students are eligible they will see the button above and be able to produce their certificate. If they are ineligible, the student is told that their grade is below the required level and no option to produce a certificate is provided.
The certificate is produced as a PDF file, whether it is to be delivered as a web download or using e-mail. The certificate is a somewhat official looking document that the student can keep as a record of their completion of the course.