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‎content/en/cloud/academy/certification/index.md

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---
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title: Creating Certification
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weight: 4
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description: >
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A step-by-step guide to building a professional certification in the Academy.
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categories: [Academy]
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tags: [Designer]
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---
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In [Layer5 Academy](https://cloud.layer5.io/academy/), a **Certification** is a top-level content type designed to formally **validate** a learner's professional skills and expertise in a specific domain. Unlike a Learning Path, which guides a user through a structured learning process, a Certification focuses primarily on **assessment and evaluation**.
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The successful completion of a Certification results in an official, shareable **Certificate of Completion** and a valuable badge, signifying a verified level of proficiency.
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### Certification vs Other Content Types
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To better understand its unique role, here is a comparison with other content types in the Academy:
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| Feature | Learning Path | Challenge | Certification |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| **Primary Goal** | To teach and guide through a comprehensive curriculum. | To solve a specific, hands-on problem in a competitive or timed scenario. | To **validate** and **prove** existing knowledge through formal examination. |
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| **Structure** | Hierarchical (Path → Courses → Modules). | Typically a single, scenario-based task. | Flat; a collection of one or more exams. |
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| **Main Content** | Lessons, informational pages, labs, and progressive assessments (Quizzes/Tests). | A set of instructions for a practical task and a validation mechanism. | A series of rigorous exams, potentially with a brief study guide. |
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| **Outcome** | Acquired knowledge and skills. | A score, rank, or completion status. | An **official certificate** and a badge signifying verified expertise. |
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## Getting Started
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### Directory Structure
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All content for a new certification must reside within the main `content/certifications/orgID` directory. The structure is organized to group certifications by the organization that provides them, ensuring clarity and scalability.
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To create a new certification, you must first create a two-level directory structure:
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1. **Organization ID folder** (`orgID`) - Groups certifications by organization
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2. **Certification Name folder** (`<certification-name>`) - A descriptive, URL-friendly name (slug) for your certification
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The URL will follow this pattern: `https://cloud.layer5.io/academy/certifications/orgID/certification-name/`
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### File Structure
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Below is a typical file structure for a new certification:
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```
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content/certifications/
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└── layer5-certification-exam/ <-- The <certification-name> directory
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├── _index.md <-- Defines the certification's metadata
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├── exam-1.md <-- (Optional) A standard content page for introduction
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├── optional-exam-2.md <-- An optional supplementary exam
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└── exam-3.md <-- A mandatory exam (You must complete all previous units to access this exam)
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```
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**Key Files:**
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- **`_index.md`**: The entry point for your certification containing all metadata (title, description, banner, etc.)
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- **Exam Files (`*.md`)**: Individual Markdown files containing the exams. Order and optional status are controlled by frontmatter, not filename.
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## Configuration
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### Setting Up the Certification (`_index.md`)
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The `_index.md` file defines the core properties of your certification. Its frontmatter controls how the certification is presented to users and categorized within the Academy.
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Here's a complete example of the YAML frontmatter for a certification's `_index.md` file:
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```yaml
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---
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type: "certification"
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id: "445a80d2-1234-1234-1234-2329c5ddcdec"
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title: "Layer5 Network Certification"
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description: "Validate your expertise in Layer5 networking technologies through comprehensive assessment"
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banner: "images/layer5-icon.svg"
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weight: 1
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tags: [network, cloud, infrastructure]
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level: "beginner"
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categories: "platform"
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---
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```
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#### Frontmatter Fields Reference
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| Field | Required | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `type` | ✅ | Must be set to `"certification"` to identify this content correctly. |
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| `id` | ✅ | A globally unique identifier (UUID) for the certification. |
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| `title` | ✅ | The human-readable title that will be displayed to users. |
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| `description` | ✅ | A comprehensive summary of the certification's scope and objectives. |
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| `banner` | ❌ | Path to an image in the `static` folder, e.g., `images/icon.svg`. |
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| `weight` | ✅ | Controls the display order (lower numbers appear first). |
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| `tags` | ❌ | Keywords for content discovery. Multiple tags can be selected. |
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| `level` | ❌ | A string indicating the intended difficulty (e.g., `beginner`, `intermediate`, `advanced`). |
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| `categories` | ❌ | A string that assigns the certification to a specific category. |
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## Content Creation
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### Composing Certification Content
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A certification is primarily a collection of exams designed to validate a learner's skills. However, you can also include standard content pages to provide context and guide the learner.
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The content within a certification folder can include:
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- **Exams:** These are the core, assessable components. A certification can contain one or multiple exams. You can control the display order using the `weight` field in each file's frontmatter.
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- **Informational Pages:** You can add standard Markdown pages to serve as an introduction, a study guide, or a list of helpful resources. These pages do not contain questions and are not part of the formal assessment process.
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{{< alert type="info" title="How to Create and Configure Exams" >}}
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Every "Exam" file within a certification follows the unified Academy assessment standard.
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For detailed instructions on how to write an exam file, define various question types (single-answer, multiple-answer, short-answer), set scoring and passing percentages, and use advanced options, please refer to our comprehensive [Integrating Assessments in the Academy](../) guide.
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{{< /alert >}}
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## Advanced Features
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### Certificate of Completion
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The primary outcome of successfully completing a certification is the issuance of an official Certificate of Completion. This certificate serves as a formal validation of the learner's skills and expertise in the subject matter.
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The specific design, template, and data schema for the certificates are currently being finalized and will be available in a future update.
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### Monetization
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Certifications are designed with the capability to be configured as paid content. This allows organizations to offer premium, high-value accreditations for professional development.
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The specific steps for setting prices and integrating payment processing are planned for a future release and will be documented accordingly.

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