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📜 Certificate Course Phase

The Certificate Phase allows instructors to generate and distribute course completion certificates to students. Certificates are generated as PDF documents from customizable Typst templates.

Overview​

The certificate phase provides:

  • Template Management: Upload and manage Typst-based certificate templates
  • Preview: Test certificates with mock data before releasing to students
  • Controlled Release: Set a release date or release certificates immediately
  • Download Tracking: Monitor which students have downloaded their certificates

For Instructors​

Setting Up a Certificate Template​

  1. Navigate to the certificate phase in your course management view.
  2. Upload a Template: On the settings page, paste or write your Typst template in the editor and save.
  3. Test the Template: Click Test Certificate to generate a preview with mock data. This verifies your template compiles without errors.
  4. Set a Release Date (optional): Use the release date picker to schedule when students can download certificates. Alternatively, click Release Now to make them available immediately.

Template Format​

Certificate templates use the Typst markup language. Your template receives student data via a JSON file.

Loading Data​

#let data = json("data.json")

Available Fields​

FieldTypeDescription
studentNamestringStudent's full name (first + last)
courseNamestringCourse name from PROMPT
teamNamestringTeam name (empty string if not allocated)
datestringGeneration date (e.g., "January 2, 2006")

Example Template​

#let data = json("data.json")

#set page(paper: "a4")
#set text(font: "Linux Libertine")

#align(center + horizon)[
  #text(size: 28pt, weight: "bold")[Certificate of Completion]

  #v(2em)

  #text(size: 18pt)[This certifies that]

  #v(1em)

  #text(size: 24pt, weight: "bold")[#data.studentName]

  #v(1em)

  #text(size: 18pt)[has successfully completed the course]

  #v(1em)

  #text(size: 22pt, style: "italic")[#data.courseName]

  #if data.teamName != "" [
    #v(1em)
    #text(size: 16pt)[as a member of team #data.teamName]
  ]

  #v(3em)

  #text(size: 14pt)[#data.date]
]

Embedding Images​

Since templates are stored as a single file, images (logos, signatures, etc.) must be embedded directly in the template. No external files can be referenced.

SVG graphics (best for logos, icons, and decorative elements — they scale without losing quality):

#let logo = bytes("<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='200' height='100'>...</svg>")
#image(logo, width: 4cm)

Raster images (PNG/JPG) — encode the image as base64 and wrap it in an SVG:

#let signature = bytes("<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='400' height='100'><image href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo...' width='400' height='100'/></svg>")
#image(signature, width: 5cm)

To convert a PNG file to a base64 string, run in your terminal:

base64 -i image.png | tr -d '\n'
tip

Set the SVG width and height attributes to the original pixel dimensions of your image for a correct aspect ratio. Use the width parameter on #image() to control the display size in the certificate.

Template Tips​

  • Target A4 page format for consistency
  • Use json("data.json") to access certificate data
  • Test with the Test Certificate button before releasing — it shows compilation errors if the template is invalid
  • Fonts must be system fonts available in the deployment environment
  • Images must be embedded inline (see above) — external file references will not work
  • See the Typst documentation for the full language reference

Managing Participants​

The Participants tab shows all enrolled students with:

  • Download Status: Whether a student has downloaded their certificate
  • Download Count: How many times a student has downloaded
  • First/Last Download: Timestamps for download tracking

Instructors can also download a certificate for any individual student from the participants table.

Release Configuration​

You have three options for releasing certificates:

  • Set a Release Date: Choose a future date/time when certificates become available
  • Release Now: Make certificates immediately available to all students
  • Clear: Remove the release date (certificates become unavailable until a new date is set)
tip

Use the Test Certificate button before setting a release date to ensure your template works correctly.

For Students​

Downloading Your Certificate​

  1. Navigate to the certificate phase in your course dashboard.
  2. If certificates have been released, you will see a Download Certificate button.
  3. Click the button to download your personalized PDF certificate.
  4. You can download your certificate multiple times — the download counter tracks this for the instructor.

Certificate Availability​

  • Certificates are available only after the instructor has released them (either by setting a release date that has passed, or by releasing immediately).
  • If certificates are not yet available, you will see a message indicating when they will be released.
note

If you encounter any issues downloading your certificate, contact your course instructor.