Set up a challenge based on reading

Note: Sometimes administrators ask us if they can simply edit a past challenge rather than create a new challenge from scratch. You should definitely not do this! Instead, you will want to duplicate an existing challenge or create a new challenge.

Create a Challenge

Follow the steps below to create a challenge based on reading:

1. Log in to the administrative side of your site.
2. Go to Setup > Manage Challenges.
3. Click Create a Challenge.
   
4. Select Logging for the ways in which people can earn badges. 
   
   
5. Next, decide if you are creating a challenge from scratch, or using one of the challenge templates created by Beanstack.

Challenge Setup

The first part of your challenge that you will work on is Challenge Setup. This is where you will enter some basic information for your challenge. Follow the instructions below to complete the Challenge Setup page: 

1. Enter Challenge Name: What do you want to call this challenge? The name will be visible to patrons.
2. Enter a Challenge Description: Tell your patrons all about your challenge! If you have a paper reading log, be sure to link to a PDF (printable) version of the log within the description. You may use html code in your description to add things like italics, boldface, color, and more to the description.
3. Set the Challenge Position: If you are offering more than one challenge, determine where it will appear on a patron's page. 
4. Add a Header Image: Include a challenge image. The ideal size for this image is 920px x 351px.
5. Scope your challenge by Age or Grade: What ages or grade level is this challenge available? Remember, if you are scoping a challenge according to grade level, you want that registration field to be required on your site.
6. Set the Challenge Dates: What are the dates on which this challenge will be live and available to readers? Note that in the date fields. If you leave this blank, the challenge will be considered “ongoing.”
7. Determine if the challenge is Staff Only: Is this challenge intended to be only for those with staff level access? If so, select “yes,” only for staff members. This is a setting you may change later but may be helpful for training/testing purposes!
8. Determine if you would like to enable Alternative Challenges: Decide whether readers may participate in this challenge and any other challenge, or if they need to choose between this and another challenge. 
9. Select Additional Required Registration Information: Select which questions you want to require your readers to provide before enrolling in the challenge. Note that if they already provide this information when they register for Beanstack it is likely unnecessary to require your readers to provide this information again.

Badges

The next section of your challenge to set up is Badges. This is where you will determine the logging milestones, choose badge images, and attach any rewards or certificates you see fit.

At the top of the page you will see the types of logging that you have enabled for your challenge. 

In the middle of the page you will see Badge Time Restrictions. Select "Any Time" if you want badges to be earned at any time during a challenge, or you select "Restricted" if you want badges to be earned within a specific time frame. Note that restricting your badges will change logging in your challenge from cumulative to episodic. 

Next, you will note there are three types of badges in a challenge based on reading: Registration Badge, Completion Badge, Logging Badge. 

Including a registration badge is recommended for all challenges! Follow the steps below to add a registration badge: 

1. Select Add a Badge.
   
   
2. Next, select the badge you want participants to earn upon registering for the challenge (this badge will automatically pop up when they enroll in the challenge).
3. Choose a badge image: Here you can select badges from different badge groups.  If you click on one of the groups, you will then only see badges associated with that group as options below. This is an optional action, and can save you time if you already know the group to which your preferred badges are attached.  If you have uploaded your own custom badges they will also show up in the filter options.
4. 
   

Once you select the badge, the ability to add a reward will also become available. You may select an existing reward on your site or create a new reward. Once you add a reward, it will be available to use for other challenges as well. Keep in mind that the “Instructions for recipients” will appear with a badge when it is earned, will remain on the reader’s dashboard, and will also go to their email as a notification. For example, you may want to indicate a “pick up by” date for a prize in the instructions.

Follow the instructions below to add a reward to your Registration Badge: 

1. Return to the Badges page of your challenge setup and scroll to Registration Badge.
2. To add a new reward click on +Add New.
   
3. Add instructions on how readers can receive their reward. 
4. Then, click "Save and add".
   
5. You can now select your new reward from the registration badge's drop-down menu.

Next, you have the opportunity to add a Completion Badge. Ask yourself, at what increments do we want to acknowledge achievement with a virtual badge, or virtual badge and a prize? For example, consider completing this phrase, “I want a reader to earn a badge for having read ___ books/mins/hrs, etc.” You will have the chance to determine what a completion is for a challenge later in the setup process. 

Follow the instructions below to add a Completion Badge:

1. Return to the Badges page of your challenge setup and scroll to Completion Badge.
2. Select Add a Badge.
3. Select the badge image you would like to use.
4. Determine if you would like to add an existing reward or create a new reward for the Completion Badge. Is there a reward available for having completed the whole challenge? If so, add the badge and reward here. If you plan to connect a completion reward to a logging badge or activity badge, then do not add a completion reward or it will be awarded twice!  Set up a completion badge reward the same way you would a registration badge reward.
   
   

Finally! You can set up your logging badges. Logging badges will be awarded to your patrons throughout the challenge. Follow the steps below to create logging badges: 

1. Return to the Badges page of your challenge setup and scroll to Logging Badges.
2. Select Create a Badge.
3. Click on Choose Badge to select the badge image you would like to use.
4. Choose the Log Type and Goal. In this example, we are creating a badge that will be awarded to participants every time they reach/log another hour of reading.
   
   Note that unless you added badge date restrictions to your logging badges, reading is cumulative. This means you would set logging badges for 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours and so on, rather than 10 badges that all equal 1 hour. 
   
5. Determine if you would like to add an existing reward or certificate to the Logging Badge. You can also create new rewards and certificates from here.
   Readers will receive a notification when they earn a reward, and this will also be indicated for staff to see on the reader's page. Certificates are automatically generated within Beanstack. They are very basic in design, though can have custom language. Once earned, certificates are available for download by a reader. 
   
   Enter the information as you see fit. Then click "Save and add."
   
   Note: If you have an existing certificate that you want to award as part of a challenge, we recommend that you create a reward called "Certificate" or "Certificate of Completion". In the reward description, include a link to a printable version of your certificate.
6. Determine Time Restrictions if necessary. If a badge may be earned at any time during your challenge, simply leave this section blank. If not, indicate the dates during which it may be earned. 
   
   

Tickets

Adding Ticket Drawings to your challenge is optional. Ticket Drawings allow readers to determine where they want their entries to go if you have multiple drawing options available to them. 

For example, if a reader earns three ticket, they may decide where to allot their tickets based on the drawings available. See this helpdesk article to set up a ticket drawing. 

Completion Requirements

The final part of building a challenge is determining the Completion Requirements. This is where you can decide how many badges/which badges are required to complete a challenge. Which badges must someone earn in order to complete the challenge, versus which are going the extra mile?

Saving a Challenge

Last step! Ready to finalize your challenge? Determine if this challenge is still a draft or if it should be published. 

Draft: Save as a draft if you do not want this challenge to be visible to any readers or staff members.
Published: Once you save a challenge in a “published” state, it is live on your site. Even if the start date for the challenge is in the future, if the challenge is published, it would then be available for pre-registration.

Remember to click Save!

You did it! REPEAT for any additional challenges you plan to offer!