Digital Contracts and Signatures Tutorial

managing contracts is an important part of the student enrollment process, but many institutions still rely on printed documents, handwritten signatures, and manual document storage with ampeducator's contract management tools and digital signature integrations, institutions can manage the entire process electronically—from creating contract templates and generating student specific agreements to collecting digital signatures and storing completed contracts automatically whether you're creating enrollment agreements, payment plans, refund policy acknowledgements, or other student documents, ampeducator provides a complete workflow for managing contracts from creation to completion in this guide, you'll learn how to create and configure contract templates design contract layouts and content configure digital signature fields generate contracts for students send contracts for signature track contract status and completion access signed contracts and signature certificates by the end of this guide, you'll understand the complete contract workflow and be ready to implement digital contracts at your institution understanding the contract workflow before creating contracts, it's important to understand how the contract workflow works in ampeducator contracts move through four main stages creating a template, assigning the contract to a student, generating the completed document, and collecting signatures 1\ contract templates contract templates serve as the foundation for your contracts they define the content, structure, and signature requirements of the document and can be reused for multiple students 2\ student contracts once a template has been created, it can be assigned to a student at this stage, contract specific details such as dates, signers, and other information can be reviewed and updated 3\ generated contracts when a contract is generated, ampeducator combines the template with student information to create a completed contract document dynamic fields such as names, program information, and fees are automatically populated 4\ digital signatures generated contracts can be sent electronically for signature once all required parties have signed, the completed contract is automatically stored within ampeducator for future reference creating a contract template contract templates serve as the foundation for all contracts generated within ampeducator once created, a template can be reused for multiple students and programs, helping ensure consistency and reduce manual work navigating to contracts to create or manage contract templates, navigate to home → contracts contract management the contracts page displays all contract templates available to your institution from this page, you can create new contract templates edit existing contracts duplicate contracts view contract details delete unused contracts creating a new contract to create a new contract template, click the new contract button the new contract window will appear, allowing you to enter the basic contract information and configure access permissions before creating the contract complete the following fields contract name the name of the contract template this name will be displayed throughout ampeducator when assigning and managing contracts description an optional description used to provide additional information about the purpose of the contract read only access determines which user groups can view the contract without making changes read / update access determines which user groups can edit the contract and update its settings and content location access determines which locations can access and use the contract template once all required information has been entered, click add to create the contract the contract will now appear in the contracts list and is ready to be configured designing your contract after a contract template has been created, it can be opened for editing and design from the contracts page, click the contract name or the edit icon beside the contract you want to update the contract designer consists of two main areas details – configure contract settings, permissions, formatting, and availability design – build the contract by adding sections, fields, content, and signature requirements contract details the contract details section allows you to control how the contract looks, who can access it, and when it can be used access permissions access settings determine who can view, edit, and use the contract template read only access allows selected users to view the contract without making changes read / update access allows selected users to modify the contract template location access limits access to specific campus locations appearance & formatting the appearance & formatting settings control how contracts are displayed when generated use these options to apply branding, customize document layout, and configure page formatting title displays a custom title at the top of the generated contract logo displays your institution logo docid\ b4fit43bgacko4niocav on the contract page numbers adds page numbers throughout the document revision date displays a revision date for version tracking generated date displays the date the contract was generated generated by displays the user who generated the contract pdf template allows you to apply a custom pdf template docid 3aw2wrbz qzwggegdssr pdf templates can be used to add branded headers, footers, watermarks, or background designs so contracts match your institution's look and feel page size determines the page size used when generating the contract pdf font sets the font used throughout the document base font size sets the default font size for contract content margins controls the spacing around the edges of the document these settings allow you to align contracts with your institution's branding and document standards contract availability contracts can be restricted to specific programs, courses, or locations programs available for limits the contract to selected programs courses available for limits the contract to selected courses locations available for limits the contract to selected locations this is useful when different agreements are required for different programs or campuses third party signers some institutions require signatures from individuals other than the student, such as parents or guardians or employers enabling use custom fields allows the contract to pull a third party's name and email address from student custom fields docid\ rpezijrjbyey7n uhpasv this can be used when a contract requires additional signatures beyond the student, such as a parent signing on behalf of a minor student or a sponsor acknowledging financial responsibility contact design the design section is where you build the contents of your contract contracts are organized into sections, which can contain student information, fees, payment plans, signatures, custom text, and other contract elements sections can be added, removed, reordered, and customized to meet your institution's requirements default contract sections when a new contract is created, ampeducator automatically includes several commonly used sections to help you get started these sections can be customized, reordered, or removed depending on your institution's requirements student info the student info section is used to display information from the student's record this information is automatically populated when the contract is generated and may include details such as the student's name, contact information, program, academic session, and other student record fields fees the fees section displays fee information associated with the student's enrollment this may include tuition, application fees, material fees, and other charges depending on how your institution has configured student accounts payment plan the payment plan section can be used to display scheduled payments and instalment information this is commonly used when students are paying tuition over multiple payments rather than in a single payment signatures the signatures section is used to collect digital signatures and acknowledgements signature sections can be configured to require signatures from students, third parties, or other designated signers these default sections provide a foundation for many common contract types, but they can be fully customized to meet your institution's needs in the next section, we'll look at how to edit and configure contract sections student information the student info section is typically the first section that institutions customize to add information from a student's record, click new field within the student info section the add contract field window will appear the options available in this window will vary depending on the selected field type display student info field type one of the most commonly used field types is display student info this field type allows you to automatically populate information from the student's record when the contract is generated after selecting display student info , choose the student fields you would like to display multiple student fields can be added to create a complete student information section that automatically populates when contracts are generated after selecting your student fields, they will be added to the section each field displays as a separate block within the contract designer fees the fees section allows you to display tuition, fees, and other charges on the contract you can either automatically pull fees from configured programs, academic sessions, or courses manually enter fee items directly into the contract adding fees automatically if your institution has fees configured within programs, academic sessions, or courses, click the dropdown arrow icon select the fee schedule you would like to use, and the fee items will automatically be added to the contract adding fees manually if fees are not configured elsewhere in the system, click the add new fee (+) icon to create a fee item manually a new line item will be added to the fee table editing fee items after adding a fee, click the edit icon beside the line item the following fields can be configured account – the accounting account associated with the fee description – the fee description displayed on the contract rate – the fee amount quantity – number of units being charged taxes – applicable tax settings saving fee items once all fee details have been entered, click save item to add the fee to the contract after saving, the fee will appear in the fee table and be included in the contract total multiple fee items can be added to a contract repeat the process as needed to include tuition, application fees, material fees, technology fees, housing fees, or any other charges required by your institution payment plans the payment plan section allows you to define when and how fees will be paid payment plan items can be added manually to create a schedule of installments that will appear on the contract adding payment plan items to add a payment plan item, click the add payment plan item (+) button a new payment plan row will be added the following fields can be configured due date – the date the payment is due description – a description of the payment installment amount – the amount due for that payment once all payment details have been entered, click save item to add the payment to the contract after saving, the payment will appear in the payment plan table and be included in the payment plan total multiple payment plan items can be added to create installment schedules, deposit structures, monthly payment plans, or any other payment arrangement required by your institution signatures the signatures section controls who must sign the contract and how signatures are displayed by default, contracts can be configured to collect signatures from students, staff members, and third party signers such as parents, guardians, sponsors, or agents signature recipients use the signature recipients dropdown to determine who is required to sign the contract available options include student – only the student is required to sign staff – only a staff member is required to sign third party – a configured third party signer is required to sign student & staff – both the student and staff member must sign show current date enable show current date to automatically display the signing date beside each signature this helps provide an audit trail showing when the contract was signed staff signatures when staff is included as a signature recipient, additional options become available choose how staff signatures should be handled set per contract – the staff member generating the contract provides their signature when the contract is created fixed signature – a predefined signature image is stored in the contract template and used whenever the contract is generated fixed signatures when using a fixed signature, you can configure user signature name – the name displayed beneath the signature user signature title – the title displayed beneath the signature signature image – the signature image that will appear on generated contracts third party signatures if your contract requires signatures from parents, guardians, sponsors, or agents, select third party as a signature recipient third party signers are configured through the third party signers docid 0czlolmxnenprkiipkt3c section of the contract template managing contract sections each contract section can be customized to control how it appears within the generated contract to edit a section, click the edit icon in the upper right corner of the section after clicking the edit icon, the edit contract section window will appear this window contains the settings used to control how the section is displayed within the contract the available options will vary depending on the section type, but common settings include section title the title displayed at the top of the section new page starts the section on a new page in the generated contract display title controls whether the section title is shown add separator adds a horizontal divider line below the section for general sections, additional options may be available section columns display information in a single column or two column layout with save adds a save option for forms that may be completed over multiple sessions once your changes have been made, click save to update the section in addition to editing a section, you can also reorder sections using the up and down arrows delete sections that are not required add new sections using the new section button creating custom sections in addition to the default contract sections, you can create custom sections to collect additional information, display policies, or capture acknowledgements from students and third party signers to create a new section, click new section the new contract section window will appear section options all section types support the following options section title – the title displayed at the top of the section new page – starts the section on a new page in the generated contract display title – controls whether the section title is displayed add separator – adds a horizontal divider beneath the section with save – allows information entered into the section to be saved and reused general sections also include section columns – displays content in either a one column or two column layout once a section has been added, fields can be added to the section to display information or collect responses section types there are three section types available general, pdf document, and signatures general sections general sections are the most flexible section type available in a contract they can be used to display information, collect responses, gather acknowledgements, and capture additional details from students, third parties, and staff unlike pdf document sections, general sections support interactive contract fields that can be completed during the contract process adding contract fields contract fields can be added to any general section to add a field, open the general section and click new field the add contract field window will appear from here, select the desired field type and configure any available options depending on the field type selected, additional settings may be available such as labels, option lists, field mapping, required fields, or automatic population from student records after configuring the field, click add to save it to the section contract fields can be used to display information, collect responses, gather acknowledgements, and capture additional details as part of the contract completion process contract field types contract fields allow you to display information and collect responses directly within a contract they can be used to show student information, gather acknowledgements, and capture additional details from students, staff, or third party signers depending on the selected field type, additional options may be available such as required responses, predefined selections, field mapping, and automatic population from existing student records display student information the display student information field allows information from the student's profile to be displayed directly within a contract one or more student profile fields can be selected, allowing existing information such as contact details, addresses, or emergency contact information to appear automatically within the contract this field is display only and does not require the student or staff to enter information text fields used when information needs to be entered manually student text completed by the student commonly used for comments, explanations, or additional information staff text completed by staff often used for internal notes or contract specific information third party text completed by a third party signer used when additional information is required from a parent, guardian, sponsor, or other signer checkbox fields used to collect acknowledgements or yes/no confirmations student checkbox completed by the student staff checkbox completed by staff third party checkbox completed by a third party signer date fields used to capture a date within the contract student date completed by the student staff date completed by staff third party date completed by a third party signer selection fields used when the signer must choose from predefined options student list completed by the student staff select list completed by staff third party select list completed by a third party signer initials student initials requires the student to enter their initials commonly used to acknowledge specific clauses, policies, or sections of a contract field mapping certain student and third party field types support field mapping field mapping allows information entered into a contract field to be copied to a field within the student's profile for example, a student text, date, checkbox, or list field could be mapped to a student profile field such as gender, phone number, date of birth, or a custom student field the map to field option specifies which student profile field should receive the information collected in the contract if a field is mapped but auto map is not enabled, the information can be reviewed and applied manually when processing the completed contract the auto map option automatically applies the selected field mapping when the contract is completed when enabled, information entered into the contract field is automatically copied to the mapped student profile field without requiring manual review pdf document sections pdf document sections allow you to include existing pdf files within a contract this can be used for policies, disclosures, handbooks, housing agreements, refund policies, or other supporting documents to attach a pdf, select choose file, select the pdf from your device, and then click update new file after uploading, the pdf will be attached to the contract and available when the contract is viewed or printed signature sections signature sections can be added to collect signatures elsewhere within the contract once added, signature sections are configured in the same way as the default signatures section included with new contract templates for more information on signature recipients, fixed signatures, third party signers, and signature settings, refer to the signatures docid 0czlolmxnenprkiipkt3c section earlier in this guide previewing and downloading contracts before using a contract, you can preview it to review the layout, formatting, and field placement selecting preview opens a sample version of the contract using the current template settings this allows you to verify that sections, fields, signatures, and supporting documents appear as expected selecting download generates a pdf copy of the contract this can be useful for reviewing the final document, sharing it outside the system, or keeping a local copy for reference adding contracts to students once a contract template has been created, it can be assigned to individual students contracts are managed within the student's profile to access a student's contracts, navigate to students profile / profile tab / contracts section the contracts section displays all contracts associated with the selected student and provides options to create, generate, send, and manage contracts throughout their lifecycle adding a new contract to add a contract to a student click new contract the new contract window will appear use the available filters to narrow the list of contract templates by program , course , or location if needed select the desired contract , enter the date , and then click add after the contract has been added, it will appear in the student's contracts section with a status of pending at this stage, the contract record has been created but has not yet been generated or sent for signature managing student contracts after a contract has been added, it will appear in the student's contracts section with a status of pending the actions available for a contract are displayed to the right of the contract the available actions are edit modify the contract details and configuration view view the contract record and associated information generate generate the contract document using the selected template and student information delete remove the contract from the student's record before a contract can be sent for signature, it must first be generated generating contracts once a contract has been added and reviewed, select generate (⚙️) from the document column the system will generate the contract using the selected template and populate any configured student information, fees, payment plans, signatures, and contract fields after generation is complete, the contract pdf will appear in the document column and additional actions become available the available actions are download pdf download a copy of the generated contract edit modify the contract details view view the generated contract generate generate a new version of the contract after making changes email pdf email a copy of the generated contract to a recipient this can be useful for sharing a completed or signed contract sign contract send the contract to the student and any configured third party signers for review and signature delete remove the contract from the student's record if changes are made to the contract template or student information after a contract has been generated, use generate to re create an updated version before sending it for signature sending a contract for signature note before sending contracts for digital signature, ampsign or another electronic signature provider must be configured for your institution for setup instructions, see configuring digital signatures docid\ ji6zsfxvzxmfbeu4gzv6m once a contract has been generated and reviewed, it can be sent to the student and any configured third party signers for completion to begin the signing process, click sign contract icon this window is used to either upload a completed contract that has already been signed, or send the contract for digital signature through ampeducator signature types two signature methods are available upload select upload when the contract has already been signed outside of ampeducator and you would like to store the completed document in the student's record to upload a completed contract select upload as the signature type click choose file and select the signed pdf document optionally enter any notes click sign the uploaded pdf will be attached to the contract record and marked as completed digital select digital to send the contract electronically for signature when digital is selected, additional options become available signature provider the electronic signature service used to process the contract subject the email subject line recipients will receive email template docid\ mfokyknsnlceovhnocnl3 an optional email template that can be used instead of the default signing email notes – internal notes related to the signing request after reviewing the settings, click sign after clicking sign , the contract is sent to the student and any configured third party signers the contract status will update to digital pending , indicating that the signature request has been sent and is awaiting completion while the contract is in a digital pending status, staff can view the generated contract email a copy of the contract pdf monitor the signing progress and recipient activity the contract will remain in a digital pending status until all required signatures have been completed student signing experience when the contract is sent for digital signature, the student receives an email with a link to review and sign the contract if an email template docid\ mfokyknsnlceovhnocnl3 was selected when sending the contract, the student will receive the selected template instead of the default email after selecting review document from the email, the contract opens in the student's web browser the student can review the contract contents, including any student information, fees, payment plans, policies, acknowledgements, and other contract sections configured by the institution navigation controls are available to move between pages, refresh the document, or download a copy of the contract for personal records any required signature or initial fields are displayed directly within the contract when a student selects sign here , the sign document window opens students can choose between two signature methods draw – draw a signature using a mouse, trackpad, touchscreen, or finger auto – automatically generate a signature using the student's name after choosing their signature method and entering their signature, students click sign to apply it to the document after a signature has been applied, it is immediately displayed within the contract the signature field will be marked as completed, and a verification code is included with the signature for audit and validation purposes once all required signing actions have been completed, the student clicks complete at the top of the page to finalize the contract before the contract is finalized, the student will be presented with an electronic signature consent confirmation this confirmation reviews the electronic signature agreement and consent terms displays the recipient and document details confirms the identity of the person completing the signature provides a final opportunity to review the contract before submission students click complete to finalize the signing process after the contract has been successfully submitted, the student can download a copy of the signed contract directly from the signing page for their records the student will also receive a confirmation email indicating that the contract has been successfully signed this confirmation serves as a receipt of the completed signing action and provides assurance that the signed document has been received by the institution additional signers and staff signatures if the contract includes staff or third party signatures, the signing process follows the same workflow for each recipient in this example, the student signs the contract first once their signature is submitted, the staff signer receives an email notification containing a secure link to review and sign the document each signer receives a unique signing link and can only complete the signature fields assigned to them once the final signer has completed the document, the contract status is automatically updated to signed completed contracts once all required recipients have completed their signatures, the contract status is automatically updated the contract will display a signed digital status, indicating that all required signatures have been collected and the signing process is complete at this stage the final signed pdf is available for viewing and download all digital signature activity is permanently recorded the contract becomes part of the student's permanent record a signed copy can be emailed to recipients if required the contract can be opened at any time to review the completed document and signature history tracking and viewing contracts to view contract details and signing activity, click the view icon beside the contract this icon can be accessed at any point during the contract lifecycle whether a contract is pending, awaiting signatures, or fully completed, this page provides real time visibility into the contract's status and signing progress contract information the contract information section displays key details about the contract, including its status, dates, owner, generated document, and signature settings digital signature recipients the digital signature recipients section shows everyone involved in the signing process, their signing order, current status, and completion dates this allows you to quickly identify who has signed and who is still awaiting action digital signature activity the digital signature activity section provides a complete audit trail of the signing process you can review when the signing request was created, when notifications were sent, and when recipients completed their signatures this information is available throughout the entire signing process and can be used to monitor progress or troubleshoot signing issues contract preview the lower portion of the page displays the generated contract itself, including student information, fees, payment plans, signatures, and any custom content included in the document validating completed contracts (ampsign) every contract signed through ampsign includes a digital signature certificate that provides a complete audit trail of the signing process the certificate records all activity associated with the signing process, including recipient information, document views, signature completion dates, electronic signature consent, ip addresses, and a complete event history this information can be used to verify the authenticity of a completed signature request and support institutional compliance requirements in addition to the audit trail, ampsign applies a digital signature directly to the completed pdf document this protects the document from being modified after it has been signed when a completed contract is opened in a compatible pdf reader, such as adobe acrobat, the document's digital signature can be validated a valid document will display a confirmation indicator, such as a green checkmark, confirming that the document has not been altered since it was signed if changes are made to the document after signing, the digital signature becomes invalid and the pdf reader will display a warning indicating that the document's integrity can no longer be verified summary ampeducator's contracts and digital signatures tools allow institutions to generate contracts, collect electronic signatures, track signing activity, and verify completed documents from a single workflow all contracts remain attached to the student record, providing a secure and auditable history of the signing process