How to Set Up Awards

Relevant to: faculty and staff

This article contains information considered accurate at the time of publishing. Technology updates, changes in University security practices, and/or policies and procedures may affect the information in this article - updates to articles are scheduled on a periodic basis and will address any required changes.

Introduction

Awards offer you another way to acknowledge a student's accomplishment(s) during a course. You can give awards based on any criteria you determine.

Awards do not contribute to a passing grade, but are a way to reward the kind of behaviors and work that result in a passing grade.

Students see their awards in their course profile, under the heading "Awards Showcase."

Types of Awards

There are two types of awards: badges and certificates. Both badges and certificates are digital markers that represent accomplishment throughout a course or program. Both are awarded based on criteria you set. Neither badges nor certificates contribute to a passing grade or appear on a transcript.

Examples of criteria for awarding a badge include posting 15 discussion posts in the first month of a course, or perfect attendance, or academic excellence.

Certificates typically indicate an official statement of certification or award at the end of a program, but can be awarded during the course for other criteria as well. Certificates can be awarded based on achieving a milestone that a learner can use for further academic or career success, such as passing a practical exam. Certificates include a PDF that users can print.

Set Up an Award

1. From the course homepage, click on the "Tools" menu in the navbar and select "Course Admin."
2. Under the "Assessment" heading, click on "Awards."
3. Click on the tab "Course Awards" and then click the button "Add Award to Course."
4. The page will change and display a list of existing certificates and badges that you can choose to include in your course. To set up a new award, click the "Create" button.
5. Enter a name and description of the award in the respective fields.
6. Choose the award type (badge or certificate) from the drop-down menu.
7. Under "Availability," choose how widely you want to share this award.
8. Under "Expiry," choose how long the award remains live.
9. Under "Choose Award Image," you can either choose from an existing library of images, or upload a new icon.
10. If you're creating a certificate, choose the certificate template. You can choose from the existing library of templates, or upload a new one.
11. Under "Issuer Information," you would typically enter the following:
    • In "Issuer Name," enter your name.
    • In "Issuer URL," enter the university homepage, https://www.sunyempire.edu.
    • In "Issuer Contact," enter your university email address.
12. Click "Save and Close."

Assign Credits

1. From the course homepage, click on the "Tools" menu in the navbar and select "Course Admin."
2. Under the "Assessment" heading, click on "Awards."
3. Click on the tab "Course Awards" and scroll down to the badge or certificate you want to assign credits to.
4. Click "Edit Properties" and the page will refresh to display the award's properties.
5. In the "Credits" field, enter the number of credits.
6. Click "Save."

Set Release Conditions

1. From the course homepage, click on the "Tools" menu in the navbar and select "Course Admin."
2. Under the "Assessment" heading, click on "Awards."
3. Click on the tab "Course Awards" and scroll down to the badge or certificate you want to set release conditions for.
4. Click "Edit Properties" and the page will refresh to display the award's properties.
5. Under the "Release Conditions" heading, click "Create."
6. A pop-up window will appear. Select the condition type from the drop-down menu.
7. The pop-up window will refresh to show additional fields for details related to your chosen condition type. Complete the fields as appropriate.
8. Click "Create" and the pop-up window will close.
9. Click "Save."