Totara Integration
Totara can issue TRUE certificates when a course or certification completes
Totara's own documentation gives this exact example: when a course or certification is completed, send a webhook so another system can generate and send a certificate. TRUE is that other system. Point the webhook at us and the credential issues automatically, branded as yours, on your own domain, and written to blockchain at the moment of issue.
TL;DR
Totara ships with a webhook system, configured from the development section of the quick access menu, and it fires on both course completion and certification completion. That second one matters: a certification in Totara is the thing that expires and has to be renewed, and it is exactly the credential somebody outside your organisation will want to check. An administrator adds the webhook and points it at the address we provide, and from then on the credential issues on its own.
- Nothing to build. Webhooks are part of Totara, and its documentation names issuing a certificate from another system as the use case.
- Courses and certifications. Both events are available, so recurring certifications are covered, not only one off courses.
- Then it runs itself. Every completion issues a credential, for every learner.
How does the Totara certificate integration work?
Totara knows when a learner has completed a course or a certification, and its webhook system exists so another tool can act on that. TRUE takes the call, issues the credential against the matching design and delivers it to the learner. Nothing is exported and no second list is kept.
1
Add the webhook in Totara
An administrator opens the webhook settings under the development section, chooses the completion event and pastes in the address we provide.
2
Decide what a certification renewal should do
A certification that expires and is renewed can issue a fresh credential each time, with its own date. We set that up with you, because it is a policy choice rather than a technical one.
3
Credentials issue themselves
On completion the learner receives a branded, blockchain secured credential with a permanent verification link. Nobody has to trigger it.
What does the certificate carry?
The learner name, the course or certification, your organisation and the date it was issued, written to blockchain at the moment of issue so it cannot be edited or backdated afterwards.
- Learner name and programme. Taken from the Totara completion itself, so it matches your course or certification exactly.
- Your organisation. The certificate is branded as yours and lives on your own domain.
- Date of issue, fixed. Written to blockchain at issuance, which is what makes backdating impossible.
- A permanent verification link. An employer confirms it by opening the link or scanning the QR code, without contacting you.
What has to be in place before it can be switched on?
Totara administrator access and a certificate design. Totara runs on your own instance, so it is worth confirming your version carries the webhook settings before you plan the work; we check that with you.
- Totara administrator access, which is what the webhook settings need.
- A Totara version with webhooks. Because each organisation runs its own instance, we confirm this against your instance rather than assuming it.
- A certificate design, built by us to your profile or adapted by you from an existing template.
What does a learner receive?
A branded, animated certificate delivered by email, on your own domain rather than ours. It carries a QR code and a permanent verification URL, so anyone can confirm it without contacting you, and it goes onto a LinkedIn profile in one click.
- Beautifully designed. Animated, branded and interactive rather than a static PDF.
- A shareable link. One URL that works in an email signature, a portfolio or a CV.
- QR code verification. An employer, a client or a regulator confirms the credential instantly.
- LinkedIn ready. Added to a profile in one click, which puts your name in front of their network.
- Blockchain secured. It cannot be edited, forged or backdated after issue.
How is learner data handled?
Totara passes the learner name, email address and the course or certification details to TRUE, which is what a credential needs to exist. Nothing else is sent, because nothing else is needed.
TRUE is hosted in the EU, and we sign a data processing agreement with you before anything is switched on.
How much has TRUE issued for organisations like yours?
More than 500,000 documents for over 200 organisations in 15 or more countries, and credentials shared by their recipients have produced over 100 million marketing impressions. These are TRUE platform figures, not third party research.
500K+ Documents issued
200+ Organisations
15+ Countries
100M+ Marketing impressions
Is a Totara completion record on its own enough?
It proves the course was completed inside your organisation, which is enough internally. What it cannot do is prove anything to an auditor, a client or a regulator who has no access to your Totara.
| Capability | Completion record on its own | Completion with TRUE connected |
|---|---|---|
| Proof outside your organisation | The reader has to take it on trust | A permanent verification link anyone can open |
| Tamper proof | No | Yes, written to blockchain at issue |
| Lives on your domain | No | Yes, branded on your own domain |
| LinkedIn shareable | A file to attach | One click add to LinkedIn |
| Effort per participant | Manual handling for anything formal | None, it issues on completion |
| Recurring certifications | A record only your staff can see | A fresh credential each renewal, each with its own date |
| Analytics | None | Views, shares and verifications tracked |
What do Totara administrators ask about this?
Mostly whether certifications are covered as well as courses, what version they need and whether anything has to be built. Yes, we check it with you, and nothing.
Does the Totara integration have to be built?
No. Totara has a built in webhook system, and its own documentation names generating a certificate from another system as the use case for it.
Does it cover certifications, not just courses?
Yes. Totara fires on certification completion as well as course completion, so recurring credentials are covered.
What happens when a certification is renewed?
A fresh credential can be issued for the new period, with its own issue date. The previous one stays as it was, which is what makes a history readable later.
Which Totara version do we need?
One that carries the webhook settings. Every organisation runs its own Totara instance, so we confirm this against yours rather than assuming.
Do participants need a TRUE account?
No. The certificate arrives by email with a unique link. No login, no account and no app.
Can the certificate carry our own design?
Yes. We build the design to your graphic profile, or you adapt one from an existing template. The certificate is branded as yours and lives on your own domain.
Can we issue certificates for courses that already finished?
Yes. Earlier completions can be issued as a batch, so a backlog does not have to be handled by hand.
What does a recipient do with the certificate?
Share it. It is a link rather than a file, so it goes on a LinkedIn profile in one click and into an email signature or CV, and every share points back to a verification page carrying your name.
Ready to switch it on?
We prepare your credential design, confirm the webhook settings on your instance and give you the address to paste in, and the next completion issues on its own.