FAQs

General Questions

1. What is AlmaBridge?
   AlmaBridge is a digital credential platform that issues and verifies tamper-evident credentials, with verification records linked to blockchain transactions.
2. What problem does AlmaBridge solve?
   It replaces hard-to-verify paper/PDF certificates with credentials that can be independently verified by employers and third parties.
3. How are credentials verified?
   Each credential has a verification page and blockchain reference (mint/signature) so anyone can validate issuer, status, and integrity.
4. Do I need a blockchain wallet to use AlmaBridge?
   No. Issuers and verifiers can use most functions without a wallet. Wallets are mainly for learner claim/ownership flows.
5. Is personal learner data stored on-chain?
   No sensitive personal data should be stored on-chain. Personal details stay in the platform database; verification uses non-sensitive proof data.
6. What does “issued”, “active”, “suspended”, and “revoked” mean?
   issued: credential created.
   active: valid and in-force.
   suspended: temporarily invalid.
   revoked: permanently invalid.
7. Can I verify a credential without logging in?
   Yes. Public verification pages are designed to work without account login.
8. What happens if a credential is edited after issue?
   Pre-mint edits are allowed by issuer policy. Post-mint edits should be restricted; material changes should be handled by issuing a new credential and statusing the old one.
9. How is credential authenticity protected against tampering?
   By combining database controls, audit logs, claim flow controls, and blockchain-linked metadata/signatures.
10. Which organizations can use AlmaBridge?
    Universities, colleges, training providers, awarding bodies, employers, and regulated credential issuers.
11. Is AlmaBridge suitable for compliance and audits?
    Yes, if your deployment keeps audit logs, role controls, and clear status lifecycle policies.
12. Can credentials include QR codes?
    Yes. Credentials can include QR links to verification pages.
13. What happens if a credential expires?
    It remains historically visible but should display an expired/non-current status per policy.
14. Can AlmaBridge integrate with LMS platforms?
    Yes. It can be integrated with LMS systems (for example Moodle) to use completion evidence as issuance input.
15. How do I report a technical issue or suspected fraud?
    Use the platform admin support channel and include credential ID, verification URL, and timestamps.

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Certificate Issuers

16. How do I set up an issuer profile?
    Create an issuer account, complete organization details, and save profile fields required by your governance process.
17. What fields are required before issuing credentials?
    Typically: issuer identity, credential type/name, learner identity (or claim path), issue date, and status defaults.
18. How do I upload or change an organization logo?
    Use the issuer profile logo uploader. If caching delays updates, refresh with cache-busted URL/versioning.
19. How do I create a credential template?
    From issuer dashboard, define reusable fields (type, name, description, level, outcomes) and save as template.
20. Can I edit a credential after creating it?
    Yes, generally before minting/finalization.
21. Can I edit a credential after it is minted?
    Normally no for integrity reasons. Use revoke/supersede and issue a corrected credential.
22. How do claim codes work for learners?
    A unique code links a prepared credential to the intended learner claim flow and prevents accidental reassignment.
23. How do I issue credentials in bulk?
    Download the template, populate learner rows, upload through issuer bulk upload, and review per-row results.
24. Which file format should I use for bulk learner upload?
    Use CSV as default. XLS can produce Office format warnings if extension/content mismatch exists.
25. How do credits work for issuers?
    Credits are consumed per issuance operation; balances and transactions are tracked in issuer credit tables.
26. Why is my issued credential not visible in public listings?
    Common causes: not minted, status not issued/active, missing mint address, or filter mismatch.
27. How do I suspend or revoke a credential?
    Use issuer/admin credential controls; action is logged and reflected on verification pages.
28. Can I re-issue a corrected credential to the same learner?
    Yes. Best practice: revoke/supersede old credential, issue new record, keep audit linkage.
29. How do I add learning outcomes and ESCO skills to credentials?
    Attach outcomes to credential templates or records, then map outcomes to ESCO skills via search/import.
30. How can I track who issued or changed a credential?
    Use audit log records with action type, actor, timestamp, and affected credential ID.

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Employers

31. How do I verify a candidate credential from a link or QR?
    Open the verification URL or scan QR; check issuer, status, issue details, and blockchain references.
32. What does a failed verification result mean?
    It may indicate revoked/suspended state, invalid token, missing record, or tampered/incorrect link.
33. How do I post a job on the employer dashboard?
    Create a role and fill title, description, location, salary, job type, and external job URL.
34. Which job fields are supported (location, salary, type, URL)?
    Location, salary, job type (fixed term, permanent, contract), and job posting URL are supported.
35. How do learners discover posted jobs?
    Learners browse jobs in the learner-facing jobs view with the same field details shown.
36. Can I filter candidates by credential type or level?
    Yes, if your deployment enables those filters in directory/search views.
37. How do ESCO skills improve job matching?
    They normalize skill vocabulary, improving relevance in search, matching, and gap analysis.
38. Can I message learners through AlmaBridge?
    Yes, if messaging tables/features are enabled.
39. How can I trust that a credential was not altered?
    Check verification status, issuer identity, and blockchain-linked metadata/signature consistency.
40. What should I do if a credential is suspended or revoked?
    Treat it as non-valid for decisioning until issuer provides updated active credential.

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Educators

41. How can educators contribute to credential design?
    Define learning outcomes, evidence criteria, grading logic, and mapping to recognized skills frameworks.
42. How do I define learning outcomes for a course credential?
    Create concise, assessable outcome statements and store them in credential template/outcome records.
43. Can I map course outcomes to ESCO skills?
    Yes, outcomes can be linked to ESCO skill URIs/labels for labor-market alignment.
44. How do I ensure assessment evidence supports issued credentials?
    Use internal moderation, evidence retention, and issuance approvals before status changes/minting.
45. Can credentials include grades or classifications?
    Yes. Grade/classification fields can be included where policy permits.
46. How are course language and level represented?
    Use template/credential metadata fields such as course language and qualification level.
47. How do I update a curriculum without breaking past credentials?
    Version templates; keep historical credentials immutable; issue new credentials under new template versions.
48. Can educators review issued credentials for quality assurance?
    Yes, using dashboard views and audit trails to sample and validate issued records.
49. How can credentials support learner progression pathways?
    By structuring outcomes/levels and mapping to skills needed for next study stage or job roles.
50. What reporting is available for program-level credential performance?
    Typical reports include issuance volume, status distribution, claim/mint rates, and skill coverage trends.