|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Building Certifications |
| 3 | +weight: 5 |
| 4 | +description: > |
| 5 | + A step-by-step guide to building a professional certification in the Academy. |
| 6 | +categories: [Academy] |
| 7 | +tags: [Academy] |
| 8 | +--- |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +In [Layer5 Academy](https://cloud.layer5.io/academy/), a **Certification** is a formal assessment designed to validate a learner's professional skills in a specific domain. Unlike a Learning Path, which guides a user through a curriculum, a Certification's primary goal is evaluation. |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +The successful completion of a Certification results in an official, shareable **Certificate of Completion** and a valuable badge, signifying a verified level of proficiency. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +### When to Use a Certification |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +To understand its unique role, here is a comparison with other content types in the Academy. Use this table to decide if a Certification is the right format for your content. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +| Feature | Learning Path | Challenge | Certification | |
| 21 | +| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | |
| 22 | +| Primary Goal | To teach and guide through a comprehensive curriculum. | To solve a specific, hands-on problem in a competitive scenario. | To validate and prove existing knowledge through formal examination. | |
| 23 | +| Structure | Hierarchical (Path → Courses → Modules). | Typically a single, scenario-based task. | Flat; a collection of one or more exams. | |
| 24 | +| Main Content | Lessons, informational pages, labs, and progressive assessments. | A set of instructions for a practical task and a validation mechanism. | A series of exams, potentially with a brief study guide. | |
| 25 | +| Outcome | Acquired knowledge and skills. | A score, rank status. | An optional, paid official certificate and a verifiable badge.| |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +{{< alert type="info" title="Certification: Focus on Assessment, Not Instruction" >}} |
| 28 | +A Certification is ideal when the main objective is to test, not teach. It assumes learners have prior knowledge and are ready to prove their expertise. |
| 29 | +{{< /alert >}} |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +## How to Create Your Certification |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +Building a new certification involves setting up the correct directory structure and defining its properties through Markdown frontmatter. |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +### 1. Set Up the Directory Structure |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +All content for a new certification must reside within the `content/certifications/orgID` directory. To keep content organized, each certification has its own folder named with a descriptive, URL-friendly slug. |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +The final URL will follow this pattern: `https://cloud.layer5.io/academy/content/certifications/orgID/<certification-folder-name>/` |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +Below is the standard file structure: |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +``` |
| 44 | +content/certifications/ |
| 45 | +└── orgID/layer5-certification-exam/ <-- The <certification-name> directory |
| 46 | + ├── _index.md <-- Defines the certification's metadata |
| 47 | + ├── exam-1.md <-- (Optional) A standard content page for introduction |
| 48 | + ├── optional-exam-2.md <-- An optional supplementary exam |
| 49 | + └── exam-3.md <-- A mandatory exam, accessible after completing all previous required units. |
| 50 | +``` |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +**Key Files:** |
| 53 | +- **`_index.md`**: The entry point for your certification containing all metadata (title, description, banner, etc.) |
| 54 | +- **Exam Files (`*.md`)**: Individual Markdown files containing the exams. Order and optional status are controlled by frontmatter, not filename. |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +### 2. Define the Certification with Frontmatter |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +The `_index.md` file's frontmatter controls how the certification is presented to users.. |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +Here's a complete example of the YAML frontmatter for a certification's `_index.md` file: |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +```yaml |
| 63 | +--- |
| 64 | +type: "certification" |
| 65 | +id: "445a80d2-1234-1234-1234-2329c5ddcdec" |
| 66 | +title: "Layer5 Network Certification" |
| 67 | +description: "Validate your expertise in Layer5 networking technologies through comprehensive assessment" |
| 68 | +banner: "images/layer5-icon.svg" |
| 69 | +weight: 1 |
| 70 | +tags: [layer5, cloud, infrastructure] |
| 71 | +level: "beginner" |
| 72 | +categories: "platform" |
| 73 | +--- |
| 74 | +``` |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +#### Frontmatter Fields Reference |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +> In this table, fields marked with ✅ are required, while those marked with – are optional. |
| 79 | +
|
| 80 | +| Field | Required | Description | |
| 81 | +| :--- | :--- | :--- | |
| 82 | +| `type` | ✅ | Must be set to `"certification"` to identify this content correctly. | |
| 83 | +| `id` | ✅ | A globally unique identifier (UUID) for the certification. | |
| 84 | +| `title` | ✅ | The human-readable title that will be displayed to users. | |
| 85 | +| `description` | ✅ | A comprehensive summary of the certification's scope and objectives. | |
| 86 | +| `weight` | - | Controls the display order (lower numbers appear first). Items are sorted alphabetically by title if not specified.| |
| 87 | +| `banner` | - | Path to an image in the `static` folder, e.g., `images/icon.svg`. | |
| 88 | +| `tags` | - | Keywords for content discovery. Multiple tags can be selected. | |
| 89 | +| `level` | - | A string for the intended difficulty (`beginner`, `intermediate`, `advanced`). Default: `beginner`. | |
| 90 | +| `categories` | - | A string that assigns the certification to a specific category. | |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +### 3. Add Content and Exams |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +A certification is primarily composed of exams. However, you can also include standard content pages to provide context. |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | + - **Exams:** The core assessable components. A certification can contain one or multiple exams. |
| 97 | + - **Informational Pages:** Standard Markdown pages that can serve as an introduction, a study guide, or a list of helpful resources. |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +{{< alert type="info" title="How to Create and Configure Exams" >}} |
| 100 | +Every "Exam" file within a certification follows the unified Academy assessment standard. |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +For detailed instructions on how to write an exam file, define various question types, set scoring and passing percentages, and use advanced options, please refer to our comprehensive [Integrating Assessments in the Academy](../integrating-assessments-in-the-academy/) guide. |
| 103 | +{{< /alert >}} |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +## Learner Outcomes: Badges and Certificates |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +Successfully completing a certification provides learners with valuable, verifiable credentials. |
| 108 | + |
| 109 | +### Badges |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +Upon successful completion of all mandatory exams, learners are awarded a digital badge. This badge serves as a verifiable credential that is perfect for sharing on professional profiles to showcase the achievement. |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +See a live example on a [user's profile](https://cloud.layer5.io/user/a5eb9e0a-c9e3-4b66-890c-8f018e729306?tab=badges) |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | + |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +### Official Certificates |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +The ultimate outcome of a certification is an **official Certificate of Completion**. |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +A key feature unique to the Certification content type is that while the learning materials and exams are offered for free, the **issuance of the official certificate is a paid feature**. This model allows anyone to learn and validate their skills at no cost, with the option to purchase the formal certificate to document their accomplishment. |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +## Frequently Asked Questions |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | +<details> |
| 127 | + <summary>Can my certification have only one exam?</summary> |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +Yes, it can. The simplest form of a certification consists of a single final exam. You can also include multiple independent exams if you wish to assess different skills. |
| 130 | +</details> |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | +<details> |
| 133 | + <summary>When should I choose to create a "Certification" instead of a "Learning Path"?</summary> |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +You should choose a Certification when your primary goal is to **test and assess** a learner's existing knowledge, rather than **teaching them** from scratch. A Learning Path focuses on instruction, while a Certification focuses on assessment. |
| 136 | +</details> |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +<details> |
| 139 | + <summary>What does an "Optional" exam mean, and how does it affect a learner's progress?</summary> |
| 140 | + |
| 141 | +An optional exam is supplementary material. Learners can take it, but they **do not** have to pass it to earn the final certificate. Its score **does not count** towards the certification's passing requirements. This is typically used for extra practice or to test non-core knowledge. |
| 142 | +</details> |
| 143 | + |
| 144 | +<details> |
| 145 | + <summary>How do I set an exam as "Optional"?</summary> |
| 146 | + |
| 147 | +You need to add a specific field, `is_optional: true`, to the front matter of the exam's `.md` file. This field tells the system that the exam is not a mandatory requirement to pass the certification. |
| 148 | +</details> |
| 149 | + |
| 150 | +<details> |
| 151 | + <summary>Can I control the order of multiple exams within a certification?</summary> |
| 152 | + |
| 153 | +Yes, you can. Each exam file's front matter has a `weight` field. Lower numbers result in an earlier display order. If you don't set a `weight`, the exams will be sorted alphabetically by file title by default. |
| 154 | +</details> |
| 155 | + |
| 156 | +<details> |
| 157 | + <summary>As a content creator, do I need to handle the certificate payment process?</summary> |
| 158 | + |
| 159 | +No, you don't. The payment and certificate issuance process is handled by the Layer5 platform. You only need to focus on creating high-quality assessment content. |
| 160 | +</details> |
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