Overview
This guide explains the application setting “Use digital signature in consents verification” (UseDigitalSignature). This setting is part of the Consents Management options inside Basic Customization, and it controls whether users are asked to hand-draw a personal signature when they answer mandatory consent forms in the Portal.
What This Setting Does
When this setting is turned on, a signature drawing area appears at the bottom of the screen whenever a user – a parent, a Student, or a Teacher – is asked to review and answer mandatory consent forms. Using a mouse, finger, or stylus, the user can hand-write their signature directly on the screen. This signature is captured as an image and stored together with the consent answers submitted at that time.
When this setting is turned off, no signature area is shown. Users still answer the consent questions normally, for example by selecting agree or disagree, but no hand-drawn signature is collected.
A “Clear Signature” option is shown next to the drawing area, so the user can erase and redraw their signature before saving, in case of a mistake.
Main Settings / General Settings / Basic Customization / Consents Management / Use digital signature in consents verification
If selected, when a user answer mandatory consents, a special draw box will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.
This will allow the user to “hand-write” his/her signature. (Figure 1)
Setting -> Active
Figure 1
Setting -> Inactive
Figure 2
Where It Is Used
The signature area controlled by this setting appears on every screen where end users are asked to answer mandatory consents, including:
- The dedicated consents review page shown to Students, parents, and Teachers when they have outstanding consents to answer.
- The pop-up window shown on the Portal home page reminding a user of pending mandatory consents that must be answered before continuing.
- The consents step of the online admission/application process, when a prospective Student or parent is asked to accept consent terms while applying.
- The consents section shown during re-registration, when returning Students are asked to reconfirm their consents for a new Academic Period.
The signature area is shown once per screen and applies to the whole batch of consents the user answers during that visit, rather than to each individual consent question separately.
Business Logic / Behavior
- This setting works as a simple on/off switch. No additional configuration is required to activate it once it is enabled.
- The signature is captured as a drawn image, similar to signing a delivery receipt on a screen, rather than as a typed name or a digital certificate.
- The captured signature is attached and saved together with the consent answers submitted in that session, creating a visual record that the user personally reviewed and confirmed their response.
- This setting does not change which consent questions are shown to the user – it only adds or removes the signature step. The wording and content of the consents themselves are configured separately.
- Institutions can also require a signature on one specific consent document individually, using the “Signature” option available when configuring that document (see Notes below). That per-document option works independently of this general setting and can be used together with it or on its own, depending on how each consent document is configured.
Example(s)
Alpha Institute enables “Use digital signature in consents verification” at the start of the school year. When Maria P., a parent, logs into the Portal and is prompted to answer the mandatory medical treatment consent and the field trip consent for her child, a signature drawing box appears at the bottom of the screen after she answers both questions. Maria uses her mouse to sign her name in the box, reviews it, and clicks Save. Her hand-drawn signature is stored together with both consent answers, giving Alpha Institute a signed confirmation that Maria was the one who reviewed and answered these consents.
If Alpha Institute later disables the setting, the same consent questions would still be shown to Maria, but no signature box would appear – she would simply answer the questions and save, without being asked to sign.
When to Use
When to Enable
Enable this setting when the institution wants an extra layer of confirmation that the person answering a mandatory consent personally reviewed and agreed to it, similar to a handwritten signature on a paper form. This is useful for institutions moving from paper-based consent forms to digital ones, or that want stronger records for consents with legal or safeguarding significance, such as medical treatment or field trip permissions.
When to Disable
Disable this setting when the institution prefers a faster, simpler consent process where users only need to select their answers, without an additional signing step. This may also be preferred if users mostly access the Portal from devices where drawing a signature with a mouse or touchpad is inconvenient, or if the institution relies instead on the separate PIN-based verification option described in the Notes section below.
Notes
This setting behaves the same way whether the institution is operating in K-12 mode or in Higher Education mode; there is no difference in how or where the signature area appears between the two modes.
This setting is found at: Configuration > App Settings > Basic Customization > Consents Management
Related settings in the same Consents Management section:
- Employee receiving notifications for Consent modifications/Employee_Receiving_Consent_Modifications_Notifications_OnEdit – defines an employee who is notified whenever an end user changes a previously answered consent.
- Remove Close/Cancel button from forced consents dialog/Remove_CloseCancel_Button_From_Forced_Consents_Dialog – removes the Close/Cancel option from the mandatory consents pop-up, forcing users to answer before continuing.
- If the Student’s date of birth is not given, then consents are answered by/If_The_Students_Date_Of_Birth_Is_Not_Given_Then_Consents_Are_Answered_By – defines who answers consents when a Student’s date of birth has not been recorded.
Other related settings:
- Enable 2-Factor Authentication for the following actions/TwoFactorAuthenticationActions (Configuration > App Settings > Security Settings > Basic Settings) – when Consents is selected in this list, users must also enter a one-time PIN code, sent through their authentication contact method, to confirm their consent answers, in addition to or instead of a hand-drawn signature.
- Enable Signatures/Enable_Signatures (Configuration > App Settings > Signatures > Basic Settings) – activates a separate, more advanced electronic signature feature used for formally signing generated documents such as agreements or contracts. This is a different feature from the consents signature area described in this guide and is configured independently.
- Signature (per consent document)/UseSignature, configured on an individual consent document under Supporting Documents – lets the institution require a signature on that one specific consent document, regardless of whether “Use digital signature in consents verification” is enabled.
