Setting Up Canvas Badges in your Canvas Course

Background information

An instructor can use the free Canvas Badges app within their own course to issue badges created by the instructor. These badges will not carry the mark of any authorized credential-granting issuer including Framingham State University. Instructors using the free Canvas Badges app should not attempt to represent the badges they issue as being issued by Framingham State University. 

The free Canvas Badges app is not the same thing as Canvas Credentials, which requires a paid enterprise account (see Canvas Badges vs. Canvas Credentials). As of March 2025, FSU does not hold a license for Canvas Credentials. Both Canvas Badges and Canvas Credentials are different (but related) products that emerged from the 2022 acquisition of Badgr by Instructure. Unfortunately, as of March 2025, the transition is incomplete so you will still see the terms Badgr, Canvas Badges and (Canvas) Credentials used interchangeably, both in user interfaces and documentation.

You may still be able to find older iterations of the original Badgr app on the Canvas App Center. Do not attempt to install one of these apps. These are legacy apps that are not longer functional. You can only add the app using the process described below ("Add App to Canvas").

Instructions:

Before you Begin

Before you attempt to install and configure any badge-granting system in your course, you should have a plan in place for the course learning objectives, and the requirements that must be met in order to earn badges. Ideally, before attempting to set up a badging system, your course should be almost entirely built out already. With the free Canvas Badges app, badges can only be awarded for successful completion of a module, not individual assignments, quizzes etc. Therefore you must organize your course content using modules, and set up module requirements.

1. Create an Account on Canvas Badges

  1. Navigate to https://badgr.com/
  2. Click "Create Account" (do not attempt to use any of the "Sign in With.." options)
  3. Create an account using the same email address you use to sign into Canvas. As a part of this process, you will be required to enter a verification code that is sent to your email, then enter some information about yourself.
  4. You may initially see a welcome screen. To get into your account dashboard, click the red Canvas Badges icon at the top left.

2. Create An Issuer

  1. When you are logged into Canvas Badges, click the "Issuers" tab in the top ribbon. If you do not see "Issuers," you may need to refresh the page a few times. Or try logging out and logging back in.
  2. Click Create an Issuer
  3. Important: the issuer is you, representing yourself only. You are not authorized to present the "badges" you create as being issued by Framingham State University.
  4. Input your own name (or the name of your course, or a cool nickname, etc) for Issuer Name.
  5. You may input the url for your course homepage as the "Issuer Website"
  6. Complete the remaining required fields, and as much as you care to enter of the optional information
  7. Click "Create Issuer" at the bottom of the page

3. Create Badges

Note: this step can be done later.

  1. In Canvas Badges, Click click the "Issuers" tab in the top ribbon.
  2. Click on the name of the new Issuer you just created. This will take you to the issuer page.
  3. Click "Create Badge"
  4. Fill in all the required fields,
  5. Click "Create Badge"
  6. Repeat the steps for any additional badges you wish to create

4. Add App to Canvas

  1. In Canvas, Navigate into the course in which you wish to use the badges.
  2. Click on "Settings" at the bottom of your course navigation window.
  3. Click on the "Apps" tab at the top of the page.
  4. Click "View App Configuration"
  5. Click the gold "+App" button in the top right
  6. In the first drop-down menu (Configuration Type) select "Client ID"
  7. Enter the following client ID: 170000000000727 (This client ID is posted publicly in the Canvas Guide How do I install the Canvas Credentials LTI in Canvas?)
  8. Click "Submit".
  9. This will create an app called "Badgr at badgr.com: Badgr in Canvas LMS" in your external apps list. It should also add a link labelled "Credentials" to your course navigation menu.

5. Set Up Badges in Canvas

  1.  Click on Credentials in Course Navigation (Note: you may be asked to obtain a verification code from your email and enter it here. You may have to do this again in the future).
  2. Click "Add Badge"
  3. You will be presented with a drop-down menu in which you can choose from the badges you've already created. -OR-
  4. Click on the "More" menu (three dots to the right of the drop down menu) and select "Create New Badge". You will be taken to the interface described in "Create Badges," above
  5. When you have selected a badges you  will be asked "How will it be awarded?" (Canvas Integration or Manually). If you select Canvas Integration, you will be invited to indicate which Canvas Course items the learner must complete to earn the badges. Primarily, this will be modules, and completion will be determined by the Module requirements you have already set up.

For Canvas Admins: Developer Key Info

The developer key(s) for Canvas Badges (AKA Canvas Credentials LTI) are already installed (and enabled) at the root account level. They are inherited keys and therefore not open to changes. The app, on the other hand is not installed at the root account level, and we do not recommend that. We recommend that instructors install it at the course level for experimentation.

So for an instructor attempting install the app using the instructions as shown in How do I install the Canvas Credentials LTI in Canvas?, they can skip the first parts and proceed directly to "Add App".

Additional Information:

Canvas Badges/Credentials - User guides from Instructure. Be sure to note whether the article you are reading is referring to free Canvas Badges or the premium subscription-based Canvas Credentials. Many features are not available in free Canvas Badges.

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