The article details the use of the Earn Certification tool for webinars, allowing organizers to set criteria such as passing a test, answering polls, or spending a specific amount of time in a webcast for attendees to earn certification. The tool can be added via the Console Builder and configured in advance. Certificates can be customized and downloaded by attendees who meet the criteria. The tool supports both live and on-demand events, and multiple tools can be used for different criteria. The article also covers reporting features, allowing organizers to track certification statistics and download certificates.
Add the Earn Certification tool to the Console via the Tools Selector in the Console Builder tab of your event. Next, click the gear icon in the Earn Certification tool to open Configuration.
Things to Know
Important: The Earn Certification tool will be locked down 15 minutes prior to the event start time, and no further changes to the tool will be allowed to ensure accurate certification data. All criteria must be fully configured before this time.
Once the tool is locked, you will not be able to:
- Make changes to the configuration of an Earn Certification tool that was previously added to the console
- Add a new Earn Certification tool to the console
If you need to make a configuration change after an Earn Certification tool has been locked down, submit a Support ticket to find out additional options.
Additional Things to Know
- Multiple Certification tools for LIVE events may result in unexpected reporting data due to system processes. We recommend using only one tool for the live event and set up the credit options as needed.
- If you need to use different criteria for LIVE events vs. ON-DEMAND events, see the Using Multiple Tools tab
- Changing any criteria in the tool post event will impact historical data and is not recommended.
- The Earn Certification tool supports limited updates after an event ends - if enabled, you can update the downloadable certificate and adjust certification criteria based on revised standards.
- Note: Post-event changes are disabled by default, as they can cause inconsistencies. If your workflow requires them, contact Support to enable. Updates may take up to 24 hours to appear in the Audience Console and reports.
- If you're using the Download Certificate token in your Thank You for Attending emails, we recommend scheduling the emails to be sent the day after your event. This allows time for the system to load the data from the Certification tool.
Full Credit Options
Click the Full Credit tab to set up criteria attendees must meet in order to get full credit.
Decide how this set of criteria will be labeled in the tool for the audience. By default, it will be labeled Criteria for Full Credit. Click the pencil icon if you'd like to enter new text for the label.
Next, set the criteria attendees must meet in order to get full credit by toggling the following criteria on/off.
Required Viewing Minutes
- The amount of time an attendee must view the event
- Live and on-demand minutes are tracked and calculated separately - viewing minutes are NOT cumulative. For example, an attendee cannot watch 5 minutes of a live webinar and 10 minutes on demand to meet a 15-minute viewing requirement.
- Live viewing minutes are based on how long the console was open, starting at the scheduled webinar's live start time. The lobby time and any activity after the webinar ends is not counted.
- On-demand viewing minutes are based on the duration of the play of the Media Player. There is the possibility of cheating if the user were to use the seek bar to skip through the event - the Media Player can be configured to prevent this.
- If you need one set of criteria for live viewers and one set for on-demand viewers, you can set up multiple instances of the Earn Certification tool in your console - see the Using Multiple Tools tab.
Required Number of Polls to Answer
- Standard poll questions are created in Elite Studio
- This option should be toggled ON if you set up an Automated Attendance Check that is required in order to earn certification in LIVE events
- See the Certificate & Settings tab for more information
Require Completed Test
- The test information is based on the passing requirement set in the test criteria of the Take Test tool
Message for Full Credit
- Customize the message attendees will see once they meet the certification requirements
Earned Credit for Completion
- Enter the number of credits attendees can earn for meeting all of the certification criteria
Partial Credit Options
Click the Partial Credit tab to set up criteria attendees must meet in order to get partial credit.
You can offer up to 14 levels of credit for a webinar. Click Add Partial Credit Option to add a level of credit.
By default, it will be labeled Criteria for Partial Credit Option 1. Click the pencil icon if you'd like to enter new text for the label.
Just like with the Full Credit option, next you'll decide the criteria attendees must meet in order to get partial credit by toggling the following criteria on/off:
- Required Viewing Minutes
- Required Number of Polls to Answer
- Message for Partial Credit Complete
- Earned Credit for Completion
The tool will track an attendee's progress through the certification levels.
When configuring multiple credit levels, make sure to define increasing criteria for each subsequent level. The example shown in the screenshot below has increasing criteria and is configured correctly.
- Correct Configuration - e.g., Level 1 requires 10 minutes, Level 2 requires 20 minutes, Level 3 requires 30 minutes, etc.
- Incorrect Configuration - e.g., Level 1 requires 30 minutes, Level 2 requires 20 minutes, Level 3 requires 10 minutes
Certificate & Settings
Certificate
Click on Certificate to choose if you want include a certificate and to set up the certificate.
Attendees can download or print a PDF certificate upon meeting the certification requirements. Use the certificate image provided or upload your own.
First, toggle on Include Certificate.
Click Change Certificate Image if you'd like to upload a custom certificate image.
- JPG or PNG
- Custom image dimensions should be 11 x 8.5 inches (landscape) or 8.5 x 11 inches (portrait)
- 150 DPI recommended
- 500KB Max file size
Next, click Add to add any of the following information to populate in the certificate:
- Participant Name and Event Name - will pull information from the registration
- Date - will automatically fill with the date the certificate was earned
- Credit - will fill with the number of credits the attendee earned watching the webinar
- Free Text - allows you to add custom text. See below for how to add custom text or additional registrant information to the Certificate.
Once added, you can drag and drop the field where you'd like it to appear on the certificate image. You can change the font, the size, and alignment of the text.
To preview the certificate, use the Preview Link to preview the Console, then open the Earn Certification tool and click on the certificate icon. Previewing the certificate is an important step to ensure tokens are displaying as expected. You can adjust the alignment as needed and preview until you are satisfied with the display.
When customizing your certificate, the Free Text option under Add will allow you to add custom text to the certificate, including information captured from any registration fields set up on your Registration page (using the tokens listed below).
The example below illustrates how to include the License # and Job Function registration fields.
Click and drag the Free Text option onto the certificate image. Then click into the box and begin typing.
Using the tokens listed below, Job Function and License # have been added to the certificate.
From the Registration tab of your event, hover over the field on the registration fields to see the database ID so you can use the appropriate token. For example, License # is in field STD1 in the registration setup, so STD1 token was used on the certificate.
Supported User Tokens
The list below indicates the Registration Field and Database ID followed by the Token.
- First Name | @@FIRSTNAME@@
- Last Name | @@LASTNAME@@
- Company | @@COMPANY@@
- Email | @@EMAIL@@
- Job Title | @@JOBTITLE@@
- City | @@CITY@@
- State | @@STATE@@
- Postal Code | @@ZIP@@
- Country | @@COUNTRY@@
- Street Address1 | @@ADDRESSSTREET1@@
- Street Address 2 | @@ADDRESSSTREET2@@
- Industry | @@COMPANYINDUSTRY@@
- Job Function | @@JOBFUNCTION@@
- Custom Field 1 through 10 | @@STD1@@
- For each custom field replace the number with the number of the custom field ie: Custom Field 2/STD2 | @@STD2@@, Custom Field 3/STD3 | @@STD3@@
Settings
Click on Settings to set up Automated Attendance Checks, Group Viewing, and when Certification is allowed.
Enable the Automated Attendance Check to automatically deliver a single answer pop-up for attendees to answer during the event. This check will not interfere with the delivery of the content, so presenters will not see or be required to manage this.
Things to Know
- If you want Automated Attendance Checks to be required in order to earn certification, you will also need to enable the Required Number of Polls to Answer in the Credit option(s)
- Automated Attendance checks are considered polls. If you do not enable Required Number of Polls, the attendance check will still be shown to attendees, but will not be a requirement for earning certification
- All responses to attendance checks will be captured in the Interactions section of Webcast Intelligence reports under Polls
- Supported for Live and Sim-2-live webinars only. Automated attendance checks are NOT supported for Simu-live and on-demand viewings.
- If you have multiple Certification tools on your console, the Automated Attendance Check option only has to be turned on in one of the tools. Once you have turned it on in one of the Certification tools, the field will be disabled in the other Certification tool(s).
Setup
- Enter a custom message to display to the attendees
- Choose how often you want the check to appear
- The attendance check will display within 10% of the interval entered, meaning the checks will be less predictable, so attendees can not cheat the system
- Choose the display duration (30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes)
- The check will disappear once the time has passed
- Choose if an audio chime will play for the attendees when the check displays on their console
- Due to an inherent limitation in iOS browsers and how they work with ON24, the audio notification chime will not work for anyone using iOS
Attendee view
Choose whether attendees can earn certification during Live events only, On-Demand events only, or Live and On-Demand viewings.
Select one of the following options under Allow Certification when:
Live Only
- Choose this option if your certification program requires viewers only to earn credit during a live webinar
- Users who receive their certificate during a live webinar will still be able to access and download their certificate on-demand
On-Demand Only
- Choose this option if your certification program allows viewers to earn credit when watching the event on-demand
Live and On-Demand
- Choose this option if viewers can earn credit either watching the event Live OR on-demand
- The same set of criteria will be used for both types of viewers - changing any criteria in the tool post event will impact historical data
- If you need one set of criteria for live viewers and one set for on-demand viewers, you can set up multiple instances of the Earn Certification tool in your console - see the Using Multiple Tools tab
Audiences can view webinars as a group to earn certifications.
Select On under Allow Group Viewing.
When Group Viewing is enabled in the Certification tool, and all certification criteria are met, viewers will see an Open Group Viewing Form button.
When an audience member opens the Group Viewing form, they must attest that the additional participants met the certification criteria. Attendees in this group can access their certificate just like any other certified attendee.
Using Multiple Tools
The intended design and use case for the Earn Certification tool is to support a single set of criteria per event, with the same criteria expected for everyone throughout the event.
If you need to have one set of criteria for certification for LIVE viewers and one set of criteria for certification for ON-DEMAND viewers, you can use multiple instances of the tool in your event.
Setup
To start, add two instances of the Earn Certification tool to your console.
Configure each tool as needed, setting one up with the requirements for your LIVE viewers and the other up with the requirements for your ON-DEMAND viewers.
We recommend changing the tool names to Live Viewing Certification and On-Demand Viewing Certification to help you keep track of which tool is which on the console and in the reporting.
You will still be able to see both tools using the Preview URL.
Earn Certification Tool for Live Viewing
Set up the Live Viewing Certification tool with the live viewing certification criteria, then choose Allow Certification when: Live Only option under Settings in tool Configuration.
Attendees who meet the Live Viewing Certification criteria can download their certificate once they have met the required criteria during the live event. A certificate icon will appear in the Live Viewing Certification tool window for download. The icon will open the certificate as a PDF in a new browser tab.
Note: The Live Only version of the Earn Certification tool will be automatically hidden during on-demand viewing unless the attendee has already earned the live viewing certificate during the live event. If they earned the live viewing certificate during the live event, it will still be available in the console for them to download during on-demand viewing.
Earn Certification Tool for On-Demand Viewing
Set up the On-Demand Viewing Certification tool with the On-Demand event criteria, then choose Allow Certification when: On-Demand Only option under Settings in tool Configuration.
Attendees who meet the On-Demand Viewing Certification criteria can download their certificate when they have met the required criteria during the on-demand event. A certificate icon will appear in the On-Demand Viewing Certification tool window for download. The icon will open the certificate as a PDF in a new browser tab.
Notes:
- The On-demand Only version of the Earn Certification tool will be automatically hidden during the live event.
- If an attendee earns both the live viewing certificate during the live event and the on-demand viewing certificate during the on-demand event, both versions of the tool will be available to them in the console during on-demand viewing to download either certificate they've earned.
Certificate Downloads
There are several ways to access earned certificates for both attendees and event creators.
From the Audience Console
- Attendees can download their certificate when they have met the required criteria for the event
- A certificate icon will appear in the tool window, allowing the attendee to download their certificate
- Clicking the icon will open the certificate as a PDF in a new browser tab
- It can take 1-2 minutes after meeting the criteria for the tool to show the attendee that they have passed
From a Post-Event Email
- You can add a Download Certificate token to the Thank You For Attending email so attendees can easily download their certificate after the event, even after they've exited the console
- If the attendee earned multiple certificates, all versions of the certificates earned will be available at the link
From the Earn Certification Reporting
- Certificates are available in the Earn Certification Reporting in the Webcast Intelligence Report Interactions Tab. See the Reporting tab for more information.
Certificate Access for Simu-live Webinars
The audience console will close automatically after the recorded presentation is complete. To ensure your attendees have enough time to download their certificate at the end of the webinar, include extra time in your pre-recorded media.
Attendees can also access their certificate once the webinar is available on-demand, or by using the download link in the Thank you for attending email if configured.
Personalized Certification using Segments
Note: This feature is available with the AI-Powered ACE package.
With AI-Powered ACE, the Earn Certification tool offers segmentation capabilities that allow you to deliver personalized, relevant certificates to attendees in different segments created in Segment Builder.
For example, you could define a "California Attendees" segment and an "Arizona Attendees" segment in Segment Builder based on a registration field, then configure the Earn Certification tool so that attendees in each segment receive unique certificates:
- Attendees in the "California Attendees" segment are presented with a certification that requires watching a 30-minute video and passing a test. If they fulfill the criteria, they earn a California-specific downloadable certificate.
- Attendees in the "Arizona Attendees" segment receive a certification that requires only 25 minutes of viewing. If they fulfill the criteria, they earn an Arizona-specific downloadable certificate.
While all attendees will see the same tool container in their audience consoles, the content displayed within it will vary for each attendee based on their segment. The same applies to reporting—if an attendee did not see a version of the tool, they will not be included in that version’s report.
Setting Up Personalized Certification For Different Segments
To begin, open the Earn Certification Tool Configuration menu by clicking the gear icon on the tool in your console.
Under the Certification tab, you can select Certification for All or Personalized Certification.
- If you choose Certification for All, you can set up the tool to display a single, standard certification to all attendees.
- If you choose Personalized Certification, you can select segments and certification criteria to deliver a unique certification to attendees in the selected segments. You can add multiple Personalized Certifications with different segments and criteria.
Click Personalized Certification to begin selecting your segments and criteria.
Select the desired Segments for the Personalized Certification from the dropdown menu and Save.
Note: The Fallback Option is available for attendees who do not fall into a selected segmentation category. This can be configured after Personalized Certifications have been configured.
Once segments have been selected, you can configure unique certification criteria for the Personalized Certification by adjusting the options in the Full Credit, Partial Credit, and Certificate tabs (in the same way you'd configure a single Certification for All.)
Once setup is complete, you'll see all Personalized Certifications you've created in the Certification tab. For Each Personalized Certification, you'll see the name of the segment(s) it's shown to and the criteria for certification. You can also view the certificate, reorder the certifications in the list, and edit or delete the Personal Certification.
When previewing your audience console in the Console Builder, you can select segments to see the audience view for attendees in that segment, then review how the Personalized Certificate will look in the tool.
Reporting
The certification results are available within the Reports URL of the webcast, under the More tab in Interactions. Click View Details to see attendee information.
The certification report can be exported to Excel. Data may be delayed up to 300 minutes.
The top of the View Details section will provide a summary of the certification statistics, including:
- Unique Views - The number of unique individuals who viewed the tool
- Total Views - The total number of times the tool was viewed by attendees
- The number of attendees who received full credit, partial credit, or not certified
Below the graph, you will see a detailed list of attendees. Use the column picker at the top of the list to select which fields are shown, including any registration fields used in the event.
Quickly see who has earned their certification using the symbols next to each attendee:
- Green Checkmark - this attendee met all of the requirements
- Yellow Circle - this attendee only met some of the criteria
- Red X - this attendee did not meet the requirements
The criteria you set for the event will also be displayed, along with detailed information about the number of minutes attendees watched live and/or on-demand, how they met the criteria you set, and how many credits they have earned for this event.
Note: If a viewer used an increased playback speed when watching the event on-demand, the number of minutes may differ between the Audience tab and the qualification for certification. For example, a 30-minute viewing requirement is part of certification. An attendee watches the full 30 minutes at 2x playback speed, meaning they were in the event for 15 minutes.
- The certification report will show as qualified since they watched the full 30 minutes
- The Audience tab will only show 15 minutes viewed
- Both are correct
If an attendee received certification, the Attended column will show when they got certified, either during the Live or On-Demand Viewing.
If an attendee did not receive certification, the Attended column shows simply how they watched the event.
When using the Group Viewing option in the tool, you'll be able to see the email address of the individual who entered the additional names using the Attester column, found in the column picker.
To print a single certificate for one of your attendees, use the download icon at the end of their row. This will open a PDF of the attendee's certificate.
To bulk download certificates, select the box next to the name of the applicable attendees, then click Download Certificates. We will create a download file and send an email with the PDF links to the address associated with your ON24 account when the file is ready.
Maximum of 50 selectable rows per download.
Comments
11 comments
Downloading the certificate - are attendees able to download the certificate to their mobile device or is that functionality only available for attendees on a desktop?
Yes, you can easily download the certificate right to your mobile device!
Is the certificate supposed to populate the attendees name? Currently when we tried it says they passed but does not fill who is getting the certificate.
Hi Sonja,
To add the attendee's name to the certificate, click the Add dropdown when customizing the certificate in set up and select Participant Name.
Once added, you can drag and drop the Participant Name #First_Name# #Last_Name# tokens where you'd like the name to appear on the certificate image.
If these steps still aren't working for you, please let us know and we can help you open a support ticket to have our team double check the certificate settings in your event console! Thanks for reaching out.
If you embed a download certificate token to any post event emails and the attendee has not met the requirements to attain said certificate, what happens when they click the link to download?
I figured out that if you successfully complete the certification requirements during the Live webcast, you will still show as "completed" and can download the certificate in the On Demand version (if you have that certification set up for on demand), so that is nice. However, if someone was say, 5 minutes shy of reaching the minimum time (45 minutes) during the live webcast, will those minutes "carry over" and they will get the certification after watching 5 minutes of the on-demand recording? Or will they need to watch for 45 minutes in the on demand recording? (Assume that the fast forward option has been deactivated for on-demand viewing)
Jennifer,
Live and on-demand minutes are tracked and calculated separately - viewing minutes are NOT cumulative and wont carry over so to speak. If they missed the live cert by 5 minutes they would need to watch the entire On Demand certification requirement to get certification.
Hope that helps!
I have not been able to find where to add certificates in the console.
Samantha - You can add the Earn Certification tool to the Console via the Tools Selector in the Console Builder tab of your event. If you aren't seeing the tools you expect reach out to Support! They are happy to help.
For Group Viewing, will the attendees who are entered via the Group Viewing Form be added to audience reporting? I would want to make sure that we are still able to track the attendance of those viewers in reporting.
Hi Taylor - yes, those that are added to the Group Viewing form will also show in the Audience tab of the event report.
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