The importance of certificates for educational institutions and training providers offering eLearning courses is on the rise.
When it comes to providing your students with adequate certificates, it has become a crucial requirement of LMS (Learning Management System) software. Your LMS should be able to generate various types of certificates for your learners.
As an LMS administrator, you have the ability to create certificates and distribute them to your students upon completion of their courses.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the basic process of creating and managing LMS certificates.
Before we start to explore the processes and methods for creating eLearning LMS certificates, you might also be interested in the ways of deploying a full-fledged online education platform on mobile devices using apps. Find out which best education apps exist.
How to build a beautiful LMS certificate
- What is an eLearning certificate?
- Creating New eLearning Course Certificate
- Steps to create a certificate in LMS
- Certificate checker
- Suggested size for certificates
- Managing the dates mentioned on Certificates
- Benefits of giving LMS certificates
- Types of Certificates you can create
- Wrapping Up
What is an eLearning certificate?
An eLearning certificate is an online training program that can be completed at your own pace. Businesses often use them for training new employees or individuals who want to learn new skills on their own time.
There are many different types of eLearning certificates available. Some are designed for a specific job function, while others are more general. Many can be used as standalone credentials or as part of an overall professional development plan.
By providing an online certificate, you can verify that the learner has completed a course and has acquired specific knowledge and skills. This can be a helpful tool in their training and development strategy.
User-friendly training certificates increase the interactivity of online learning and give your students a way to measure their progress. If your learning management system (LMS) has certificate management capability, you can personalize templates and assign them to particular user fields and courses. You can award eLearning certificates to all users who complete a course by linking a certificate to that course.
We’ll go through the steps needed to create a template in MasterstudyLMS. You can then associate the template with a course, generate it, and download a final certificate.
Creating New eLearning Course Certificate
It’s important to give your instructional design experience a distinctive look and feel. So, you should utilize a branded background that aligns with your firm’s visual identity (company logo, colors, payoff) while designing a new template for an online course.
Put your branding everywhere when it looks as beautiful as yours, right?
Now, there are two ways you can manage your course templates: creating a standard, branded template to apply to all of your courses or by creating a unique template for each course.
So, let’s get started with the steps to create a certificate in Masterstudy LMS.
Steps to create a certificate in LMS
Masterstudy LMS has an amazing certificate builder. It helps you create your certificates to award the students. There are personalized, downloadable, and printable certificates available for the students. You can find them in the “My certificates” section of the student’s account page.
Let’s see what’s needed to create your LMS certificate.
Step 1: First, go to LMS settings, activate the certificate builder addon in the LMS settings, and click the gear icon or open the certificate builder menu from the dashboard. 
Step 2: On the left side of the builder you can see a collection of templates. Select one of them and tailor it to your needs.
Step 3: You can create a new eLearning certificate from scratch by clicking on the “+” sign. Choose the horizontal or vertical orientation for your certificate.
Step 4: Design a custom certificate with different options. Upload a background image and add elements like Text, Image, Certificate code, Date, Course name, Details, Progress, Student name, Student code, Instructor name, and Co-Instructor name. 
Step 5: Enter the name of your template. Save it by clicking on the button on the page bottom. You can preview the certificate you just created and check if it matches your brand. 
Step 6: After this, you’ll see three tabs where you can assign a default certificate, link to categories, or link to certain courses. Search for the course needed and edit it with Course Builder. Open settings here and go to the Certificate section. Select a template from the list and save changes. Students who complete this specific course will get the certificate you have chosen. 
The powerful Certificate Builder add-on makes it super easy to create branded certificates that your students will love.
Certificate checker
Adding a certificate checker to your website is a great way to give users the ability to verify the authenticity of your certificates. A certificate checker can be added to your page via WPBakery Page Builder and Elementor, or as a shortcode, so it’s easy to implement on your site.
With Shortcode
To use the certificate checker feature, navigate to LMS Settings > Shortcodes and copy the certificate checker shortcode. Paste the code into the page where you want the certificate checker to appear.
With page builder – WPBakery
To insert a certificate checker using WPBakery, edit the page you want to add the element to, click ‘Add element‘, and select ‘STM Certificate checker‘.
Enter the Title.
With page builder – Elementor
Elementor also has a widget for certificate checkers. To edit the page with Elementor, go to the Elements tab and search for the Certificate Checker widget. Drag it into the working space, and in the Content settings, enter the title.
With Divi modules – Divi Builder
To use the certificate checker, go to the Divi Builder and type MS to find MS modules. Select and add the Certificate Checker bar. Enter the module title in the content tab, adjust the settings, and check customization options for design.
In order to verify an LMS certificate, users will need to use the code associated with it.
Just copy and paste the code into the designated field and click “Check Code” to make sure it’s correct.
Suggested size for certificates
There is no definitive answer regarding the size of an LMS Certificate. However, we recommend using a size that is large enough to be easily viewable on a computer screen but not so large that it takes up too much space on your screen. Here’s what you need to keep in mind while creating eLearning certificates.
Minimum suggested size:
- Portrait: 905 x 1280 pixels – 72 dpi;
- Landscape: 1280 x 905 pixels – 72 dpi
Optimal size:
- Portrait: 1810 x 2560 pixels – 150 dpi;
- Landscape: 2560 x 1810 pixels – 150 dpi
Restrictions:
- The background image size cannot be more than 2560x1810px and 10MB;
- The supported image formats are JPG, PNG, JPEG, and GIF.
Managing the dates mentioned on Certificates
Keep up the good work! You can change the date format on certificates to the one that works best for you, as you can edit the date tag. Here’s how:
- Standard tag: [date_complete] 01/01/2022;
- New format option: [date_complete format:” d, FY”];
- Result: 1 January 2022
It would help if you used the [date complete] format when inserting the tag. Next, add the letters for the day, week, month, time, and time zone.
Benefits of giving LMS certificates
- Reward good behavior and performance
A certificate can help students recognize their achievements and progress as they move through their coursework. When you give out a certificate, it’s like saying, “You did something right.”
Giving them physical proof of their hard work will encourage them to continue on their path towards success. This can be especially helpful for younger students who may need to develop an appreciation for the value of their efforts.
- Incentivize learning
There are lots of ways to motivate your learners, but some of the most effective are not easy to implement. Giving certificates is one such method that can be used to encourage desired behaviors.
For example, if you want your learners to complete their courses and earn certificates, you can offer them a certificate for completing each course or a higher level certificate for completing multiple courses. This will encourage them to complete more courses and motivate them to keep going.
- LMS automates the certificate distribution process
LMS can automate the certificate distribution process, reducing costs and saving time for all parties involved.
LMS manages the entire process of issuing digital certificates to students, making it easy for them to access their certificates anytime and anywhere. You can even create a private space within your LMS to securely store your digital certificates.
- Builds credibility for you as a trainer or educator
Certificates are official recognition that you have completed a course or training program and can be used for professional development in your resume or CV (curriculum vitae).
Learners also have the ability to share LMS certificates on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more so that other people can see them and know about their achievements. This helps build credibility for both you and your employer/company as an expert in your industry or field.
Types of LMS Certificates you can create
The certification builder in MasterStudy LMS is genuinely versatile. You can create any type of eLearning certification by understanding the appropriate use of each certification type. The certification feature can be used in a learning management system in the following ways:
- Certificate as a marketing tool
Consider the value of a certificate awarded at the end of a course. Even a participation certificate is still preferable to receiving no acknowledgment at all. Every person thrives on constant feedback and acknowledgment as a learner, regardless of age bracket (young, teenager, or adult).
Any course’s certification at the conclusion serves as “evidence” of completion. This straightforward paper can be converted into an effective e-portfolio using the electronic format. You’ll have a target enrollment rate if you recommend the certification to your learner as a self-marketing tactic.
- Certificate of achievement
A “certificate of achievement” is a document that shows recognition for a job well done. It can be a reward for completing an educational program or for excellence in a specific area, such as customer service or marketing. A certificate of achievement can be given to individuals or groups.
The purpose of certificates of achievement is to demonstrate that learning objectives have been met. These diplomas emphasize achieving goals. As an illustration, the service management department of a company asks for an online course with clear learning goals.
When a course is created, developed, and promoted in accordance with the learning objectives, it attracts more support and results in higher enrollment rates.
- Certificate of completion
How you market your course will determine how many people enroll in it. Keep in mind that both inner and extrinsic motivation is effective. The problem of time commitment and consistent effort comes with longer courses.
A completion certificate enhances the learner’s reputation as a trustworthy and disciplined professional. The person gains respect and status in addition to learning the skills needed for a promotion, especially if their name appears on the certification on the business intranet.
A certificate of completion highlights that a student has completed a course of study. The student must complete the required work and pass a test or other evaluation before receiving the certificate.
- Certificate of award or title
Never undervalue the impact such credentials can have. These concrete examples of standard courses attest to the learners’ aptitude, skill, and ability to perform tasks required of a person with the given title.
These courses take work to complete!
Your company must join a group that develops the requirements and oversees the training programs for skill-based titles. The reward will be profitable after overcoming the membership and auditing bundle.
Numerous eager students will swarm to your online course. An LMS’s certification function puts more obligation on the course developer. Revisions must be iterated upon using new criteria. Version control certifications are even more intriguing and effective at drawing students to your course.
- Certificate of Participation
Students who participate in the certificate of participation programs understand the importance of participating.
This certificate is awarded to students when they complete at least 75% of their assignments, quizzes, or tests during the course. It can indicate that the student has participated in the course but has yet to complete it.
The CoP is important because it proves that you’re a community member and entitles you to certain rights and privileges.
The certificate is usually issued per the requirements of the course instructor’s specific rules. The purpose of issuing this document is to acknowledge that the student has completed all requirements for obtaining a certain qualification.
Wrapping Up
Elearning certificates are convenient rewards that can motivate learners to follow course material or complete projects.
This walkthrough makes sure you go through the creation and management of eLearning certificates within an LMS with ease. With a couple of clicks and minimal effort, you can now create professional looking certificates for your eLearning courses with the certificate builder in Masterstudy LMS. These certificates look great, are easy to create, and are sure to impress students, clients, and learners.
By marking the activity as complete and adding the certificates to your LMS, you can save some serious time when it comes time to award students eLearning certificates.