This article contains instructions for instructors and students who are about to begin a class that has been built using an LMS Integration with CompTIA's CertMaster platform. This does not cover full CertMaster platform onboarding -- simply what the instructor or student needs to do to use the integration successfully.
AS THE INSTRUCTOR:
Click one of the CertMaster assignment links in your LMS course. When you click on the link, a like-named class is automatically created in CertMaster. You can view this class on your home page within your CertMaster account. Make sure to click a link from each of your LMS courses. As a best practice, don't rename, archive, or manually create a duplicate of this class within CertMaster. However, you may archive the class after your cohort ends.
DO NOT create your class manually in CertMaster when you have an integration. This is done automatically the first time you click a link.
DO NOT invite students to your CertMaster class through CertMaster. They will automatically be associated to the class the first time they click an integration link.
Note: It is critical that at least one initial assignment be clicked to establish integration between your LMS and your CertMaster account, which involves the creation of the automatic class within your CertMaster account, as well as its associated start/end dates. See below for additional information around class dates.
INSTRUCT YOUR STUDENTS:
Click one of the CertMaster assignment links inside your LMS course. Upon clicking, a student account will automatically be created for the student in CertMaster, and the student will be enrolled in the corresponding class in CertMaster. It is critical that at least one initial assignment be clicked to establish integration between your LMS and the CertMaster student and instructor accounts. This is how the CertMaster platform knows that your student exists, and is also important for multiple aspects of integration functionality, such as score return from CertMaster to your LMS.
Licenses: If your agreement with CompTIA involves pre-purchased licenses or Usage-Based Billing (UBB), a courseware license is also automatically activated and applied to the billing method in question when a user clicks into a product they don't already have access to.
Access Keys: If your students will be gaining access through Access Keys (usually purchased by the student ahead of time via a bookstore or the CompTIA store), they will be prompted to enter their access key when they click their first CertMaster link.
- For students who already have CertMaster accounts, make sure that the email address associated with their CertMaster account is the same as the email address of their LMS account. This way, the integration will be able to find and connect to the existing student CertMaster account.
- DO NOT create your students' accounts inside CertMaster through CSV, individually, or through email invites.
- Students DO NOT need to create their accounts through login.comptia.org
Regarding Start and End Dates of your CertMaster class
- If the LMS course start date is known via the integration, this date will be used as the start date for the CertMaster class.
- If the LMS course end date is known via the integration, this date will be used as the end date for the CertMaster class. The end date shouldn’t exceed 18 months from when a course is first created in CertMaster.
- If the LMS course start date is NOT known via the integration, the date when the first initial TestOut assignment link is clicked will be used as the start date for the CertMaster class.
- If the LMS course end date is NOT known via the integration, the CertMaster end date will be 12 months from the start date (the start date is based on the standards set above).
- If the LMS course end date is set to continuous, the CertMaster end date will be 12 months from the start date (the start date is based on the standards set above).