Student Guide. By UNICAF University

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2 Student Guide By UNICAF University 1

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4 Table of Contents 1) Introduction ) Student Panel (SIS) ) Student Panel (SIS) Login ) Definitions ) Registration ) Login Instructions ) First Time Log In ) Login Errors ) Password Reset ) Module Registration ) Financial Information ) Registering for a Module ) What to Consider After a Successful Module Registration ) VLE Browser Support ) VLE Login Page ) Login Instructions ) Using the VLE ) Home Page ) Administration Block ) Navigation Block ) My Courses Course navigation explained ) Student Area ) Main Course Block ) Course Contact Block ) ebook Block ) Calendar ) Add Events to the Calendar (User events) ) View the Events ) Messages ) Unread Messages ) Contacts ) Compose new message

5 14.4) Message Navigation ) View, add, Remove, and Block Users ) Add a user to your contact ) Remove and Block a User ) Settings ) Accepting the Turnitin Agreement ) Assignments ) Submit an Assignment ) Submission notifications ) Viewing the Similarity Report ) Forum ) Get familiar with the VLE forum ) Main Area ) Auto save ) Using VLE forum ) Creating new thread ) Edit thread ) Thread navigating ) Reply to post ) Subscription ) Forum subscription ) Thread subscription ) Contact Information

6 1) Introduction The main aim of this guide is to provide students with an introduction to the University s online resources and more specifically to the Student Panel (SIS) and the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Our university is using a virtual learning environment called Moodle to model authentic, realworld education by integrating a set of virtual concepts for classes, examinations, resources, etc. The guide uses pictures with captions for better understanding of what is being described. When arrows and numbers appear near the pictures, simply follow the sequence in the description. All pictures are identified by their topic name and number; some instructions can refer to picture number. Look for the picture under the same topic as these instructions. Course shells are arranged in a three-column format. The two outside columns are for small boxes. Moodle calls them blocks. Blocks can be interactive, or they can contain useful and important information. The third, center column allows for viewing of the entire site. 2) Student Panel (SIS) The student panel is accessible at provides students with an easyto use interface for managing important student tasks such as: My page Modules Student Finance Transcript Evaluations Suggestion Box Help Services 2.1) Student Panel (SIS) Login This section offers guidance with the process of signing in to the Student Panel (SIS) account ) Definitions Username: It is the personal address used to register with us. Password: It is the password sent to via after enrollment completion as advised by the admission s adviser. Make sure to check spam/junk folders in case the password was routed to these folders. 5

7 2.1.2) Registration The image below shows how a typical registration from the university should look. Registration Image 1 6

8 2.1.3) Login Instructions a) Navigate to You should be automatically redirected to the URL below: You will then be presented with the login area in the middle of the page which requests your username and password (see image 1). Login Instructions Image 1 b) Enter the correct username and password as defined in the Definitions (2.1.1) section above, and click the Login button. After using the correct username and password and clicking the Login button, you will be presented with the front page of the Student Panel, which should look similar to Image 2 below. Login Instructions Image 2 7

9 2.1.4) First Time Log In When you log in for the first time you, will need to complete the following 5 steps: Confirm your intended programme of study with the preferred start date; Complete your personal information; Provide your contact information; Include additional information; and Check the admission requirements. Your next steps: Upload the required academic documents; If you wish to apply for a scholarship please click on the "Apply for a scholarship" button; Submit payment of the application fee; If your application is successful, an offer letter will be issued; and When you have received the Offer Letter you should proceed to pay your deposit by clicking on the "Pay Deposit" button ) Login Errors If you are unable to log in into your account, make sure that: a) You are using the personal address with which you registered as the username. b) You are using the correct password sent to you in the registration . It is the password sent to you via . Make sure to check your spam/junk folder. c) You are entering your password with upper and lower case letters where needed. All passwords are case sensitive. d) If you are copying and pasting the password, make sure that no spaces/empty space is being copied. e) You are using the correct URL: If you are already doing all of the above and are still facing issues, you may use the Password Manager which is available in the Login Area of the Student Panel (SIS) as a link, or navigate directly to The Password Manager allows you to change or reset your password. The new password can be used to log on to the University s Student Panel (SIS) and the Virtual Learning Environment. Please bear in mind that Virtual Learning Environment accounts are automatically created only for students with at least one registered module. If a student has not registered to at least one module yet (current or past module), then access to the VLE is not provided at that point. 8

10 2.1.6) Password Reset At the Login page: click on the click here link (see image 1) to navigate to the Password Manager. Then, you will be connected to where you will see a screen just like the one below: Password Reset Image 1 Password Reset Image 2 1. Type in the you used when you registered with us. 2. Use the refresh button only when you don t see the numbers in the image. 3. Type in the numbers that you see in the image above. 4. Finish by clicking on the Submit button. 9

11 If you typed in everything correctly, you will see a message just like the one below. Password Reset Image 3 Next, check your inbox/spam box for an for further instructions; it should look just like image 4. Password Reset Image 4 1. Select the alphanumeric characters without any spaces on either side. Right-click with your mouse and select Copy. 2. Click on the link to which the arrow is pointing. 10

12 When the new page opens, you will see a form just like the one below. Password Reset Image 5 1. Right click with your mouse and choose paste. 2. Type in the you used when you registered with us. 3. Type in your new password (should be at least 8 characters long). 4. Type in your new password again. 5. Type in the numbers you see in the image above. 6. Click on the Submit button when you have finished. If you typed in everything correctly, you should see a success message. Now you can login using your new password. Password Reset Image 6 11

13 2.2) Module Registration This section will guide you on how to register for a module by using the University s Student Panel ) Financial Information Before commencing with the instructions for the module registration, it is important to make sure that you do not have any overdue instalments in your account. You may check your instalments status by selecting the My Payment Plan option through the Student Panel s menu. (see image 1). Financial Information Image 1 In case an overdue instalment exists, it will be displayed in red and have its status will read Overdue. When an overdue instalment exists, a student will not be able to register for a module, therefore he/she must use the Make Payment option in order to pay the overdue amount. Students can also check their Student Balance through the block located on the top right side of the Student Panel account as shown below: Financial Information Image 2 12

14 Finally, a statement of account is available by selecting the Statement of Account option through the left main menu. The statement of account can be exported in a PDF format by clicking on the Download Statement link as shown below (red arrow): Financial Information Image 3 The PDF Statement (shown below) displays all the transactions made in a student account. On the debit side it shows module orders and how much each module costs. On the credit side it shows the scholarships for each module plus deposits made. It does not matter if the Total Balance is positive or negative. At the bottom of the page, the box Remaining Due Balance shows the date and the amount of the next payment as well as any outstanding instalments that exist. 13

15 Financial Information Image 4 14

16 2.2.2) Registering for a Module Registering for a new module is a very easy task and should take just a couple of minutes if the above conditions are met. To register for a module, follow these steps: a) Log in into your account. b) Navigate to the Modules section through the navigation menu on the left side of the screen. You should see a list with all of the available courses in your academic programme. You can distinguish the available from the unavailable modules by examining the Availability column on the far right hand side of the screen. In the image below, only the course with name Research Practices and Methods is shown as available for registration. Registering to a Module Image 1 The Modules section displaying all the modules for the logged in user s programme. The red arrow indicates the only available module for registration. Registering to a Module Image 2 c) Click on the See available button located next to the module that is open for registration. It is crucial to click on the See available button and not on the module s name or code. 15

17 d) You should then see the starting and ending date of the module, the instructor s name and the number of places left in the class. In order to continue with the registration, you must click on the Register button as shown in the image below. Registering to a Module Image 3 e) The final step is to confirm that you have selected the correct module for registration. When you are satisfied that you have selected the correct module, click on the Continue button. Registering to a Module Image 4 f) If there are no financial issues involved, you should now receive a Thank you page, otherwise you should see a Transaction Failed page. 16

18 g) In case of a successful registration, you should receive an containing your module details and the Virtual Learning Environment s URL (See the next chapter for instructions on how to log in and use the VLE). Registering to a Module Image ) What to Consider After a Successful Module Registration There are three things to take under consideration upon a successful module registration: a) You may log in to the University s VLE immediately after receiving the module s registration . b) In the module s registration , you will not receive a new username and password for the VLE. Your Username and password for the VLE are the same as those used for the Student Panel (explained in the previous chapters). c) You will be able to access your module from the starting date of the module. 17

19 3) VLE Browser Support Browser Minimum version Recommended version Notes Google Chrome 30.0 Latest Recommended. Mozilla Firefox 25.0 Latest Apple Safari 6 Latest Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Latest Version 10 is required for drag-and-drop upload of content from outside the browser into Moodle 18

20 4) VLE Login Page The login page appears after you navigate to At this point, you are not logged into the system. Access to VLE is granted to whomever has been registered to any module at least once. Login Page Image 1 4.1) Login Instructions 1) Make sure that you are using your * address as your username and that you are using the correct password. 2) Then click on Log in button. Important Notes: *Use the address that you used when you registered at our university. You can reset your password in the VLE and you might choose to have different passwords between VLE and student panel (SIS). If you forgot your password, you can reset it by using the Forgot your password? link located on the login page. 19

21 5) Using the VLE Did you know that you can customize the view of the VLE according to your needs? You can roll-up or roll-down the blocks hiding the content and leaving just the title visible. 1) By clicking on the (^) sign, the block will roll up. 2) By clicking the (v) sign, the block will roll down. Or, you can remove all the blocks to focus on the main area. You can do this by clicking on the button, which is located on the upper right corner of the course shell. But do not forget to recover the blocks back by clicking on the button. 6) Home Page The VLE Home Page is the first screen you will see after logging in to your account on the University s Virtual Learning Environment. Home Page Image 1 The colors of the boxes on Image 1 are associated with the colors of the headers below. Header In the header, you will see the navigation bar, from which you have quick access to Student Support, the course to which you are registered, and the user menu. From the user menu, you can access the student area, your profile page, messages and your private files. Left-Column Here you see three blocks, Navigation, Administration, and the Clock. In the Navigation block, you will find the Student area, the Calendar, Forum posts, Messages, My private files and the My Courses Category. You will see an extra category appear when you enter a course, called Current Course. In the 20

22 Administration block, you will see Edit profile and Messaging. In the Clock block you see the difference between your time and server s time. Center-Column, Main Content At the homepage, this area will inform you about news and announcements related to the University, such as scheduled maintenance, updates, announcements, and so on. 7) Administration Block The Administration Block can have different content depending on the currently active page. The default content of this block when the active page is the Front page or course overview page is the following: 1) My profile Administration Block Image 1 a) Edit profile b) Messaging Update your profile change your timezone, your preferences, upload your photo, etc. Configure methods for incoming message notifications. 8) Navigation Block The Navigation Block is used for the main navigation across the VLE. It contains categories, subcategories and links. Navigation Block Image 1 21

23 1) Home View news and announcements. 2) Student area A brief overview of the course. 3) VLE a) Calendar 4) My profile a) Forum posts i) Discussions You can view deadlines for assignments and quizzes, chat times and other course events. View all the posts you have made in discussion forums. b) Messages Your contacts, messages and notifications. c) My private files 5) My courses a) University of South Wales i) Module code name to which you are currently registered, if any. ii) Spprt-106 Student Support Area Your private space for uploading and managing a set of files. Access to the module to which you are currently registered. Help and support for students. 8.1) My Courses Course navigation explained Your course explained in detail. 1. Your course code name expanded. 2. Course participants list - participants are the teachers and students who are part of the course. 3. Course Sections - all the courses are divided into sections for better organization of material. 4. Section Assessment Point-Self Assessment expanded. This is a quick way of accessing the course activity or resource. My Courses Image 1 22

24 9) Student Area The student area includes a quick overview of the current course(s) on which you are enrolled. Student Area Image 1 10) Main Course Block This area contains the main course material. Main Course Block Image 1 23

25 The main course block is the most important block in the Virtual Learning Environment. Every student should become familiar with the main course block since this is the block which contains all the module material as well as module s announcements, contacts, and events. The main course block has three parts: a) The first part contains the Instructor s details and a link for sending him/her a direct VLE message. Main Course Block Image 2 b) The second part of the main course block is the general introduction message accompanied by introductory material to the course. Main Course Block Image 3 c) The third and final part is the topic section. Each topic is easily identified by the distinctive background color behind each topic s title. The user has the option to open or close all topics at once by using the buttons shown in the image below. Each section has its own introductory text and a number of different types of files such as PDF s, audio recordings, videos, presentations, word documents, text files, and links to other sites. Main Course Block Image 4 24

26 11) Course Contact Block The Course Contact block works in concert with the VLE messaging system. The main purpose of the Course Contacts block is to provide an easy way to communicate with fellow students and the Instructor. This block is only located in the module area (right bottom corner) since each course has different participants. Course Contact Icons Explained 1) Send s directly from VLE 2) Messaging VLE instant messaging system 3) User Status Online Indicates when a user is online 4) User Status Offline Indicates when a user is offline Course Contact Block Image 1 In order to send a VLE message to a contact, you have to click on the (2) dialog icon located under each contact s name. A new page will open (see 14.3.Compose New Message) where you can compose the message and click on the Send Message button. The only difference between sending messages and sending s is that you need to click on (1) the envelope icon instead of the message icon, should you wish to send an . 12) ebook Block The ebook block is located in the right column of each module area. Its main aim is to provide useful information regarding the ebook used for the specific module. E-Book types may differ from course to course. Wherever an ebook is provided for a module, you can click on the puzzle icon located under the welcome message to access it. Details of both essential and required reading are provided in the course outline and, where relevant, the ebook details can be seen on the right hand side of the VLE screen. Note: During the Induction module all the required material can be found in the course. There is no ebook. E-Book Block Image 1 25

27 13) Calendar In the calendar, you can view your deadlines for assignments and quizzes, chat times and other course events or you can create your own events. Calendar events are divided in four categories. 1) Global Events: These events are global and visible to every user in the VLE. 2) Course Events: These events are related to a specific course and are only visible to the participants of that course. 3) Group: Students and Instructors of a specific module are part of a group. These events will be visible only to people belonging to this group. 4) User: Each VLE user may create its own events by using the Navigation Block and clicking on the Calendar link located in the category named VLE. User scheduled events are only visible to the user who has created the event. 13.1) Add Events to the Calendar (User events) To open the calendar, first click on the Calendar link from the navigation block, then, secondly click on the New event. Add Events to the Calendar Image 1 26

28 Step by step of creating a new event. Add Events to the Calendar Image 2 General 1) Type of event You are allowed to create only 'user' events. 2) Event title Type in the title of the event. 3) Description It's optional, but you can describe the event as well. 4) Date Start date of the event. Duration 5) Without duration Instant event, no continuation 6) Until Specify the date by which the event should end 7) Duration in minutes Specify the minutes by when the event should end Repeated events 8) Repeat this event Check the box if you wish the event to repeat on a weekly basis 27

29 9) Repeat weekly, creating all together 10) Save changes Click to create the event Specify how many weeks the should the event last or repeat itself 13.2) View the Events Click on Student Area from the Navigation block. There you will see two blocks with which you can interact. Calendar Block (Image 1). As you can see from the image, we have scheduled the event on 27-Jul-15, that s why the 27 on Monday is highlighted. 1) Hover with your mouse over the highlighted day. In this case it s 27. 2) A label should appear. Click on the event name as the image shows, to view more details about the event. View the Events Image 1 Upcoming Events Block (Image 2). As the name of the block suggests, you are able to view upcoming events. As you see on the image, our event starts Today and lasts for 2 hours. 3) Navigate to the calendar and view all the upcoming events. 4) Create New Event takes you straight to Add Events to the Calendar Image 2. View the Events Image 2 14) Messages You can send instant messages to your Instructors or your fellow students directly in the VLE. The VLE messaging system notifies you when there are new post in forums (if you are subscribed), assignment submission etc. Messages Image 1 28

30 You can access the messages either from (1) the Messages link located under My Profile or from (2) the student menu located on the top right of the shell. You can also use the Course Contact Block (click for more details). 14.1) Unread Messages When the messages page loads up and you have unread messages, it will show you the sender of the message as well as how many unread messages you have. Messages Image ) Contacts If you don t have unread messages, you will be shown the contact list. Messages Image ) Compose new message To send a VLE message first navigate to your module and locate the Course Contacts block on the bottom right-hand side of the module. Then click on the text bubble icon next to the person you would like to send a message. #11.Course Contacts Block explain in more details the functions of Course Contacts block. Type the message in the text field, then click the Send message button. A copy of your message will appear above the text field. 29

31 Messages Image ) Message Navigation In message navigation section, you will find your Contacts list, recent conversations and notifications. *If you have blocked someone, an extra notice will appear at the end of the list named Blocked Users. Messages Image ) View, add, Remove, and Block Users ) Add a user to your contact To add someone to your contact list click on the Add contact (1) when you are sending him/her a message, Chapter Also, from the same place you can add this user to the block list by clicking the Block contact (2) link. 30

32 Messages Image ) Remove and Block a User To remove someone from your contact list, first, click on Messages as the Chapter 14 describes. Then on the name of the person you want to be removed. Now click on the X icon (1) or the Remove contact (1) link. To block someone from sending you messages, click on the forbidden icon (2) or the Block contact (2) link. You can also, click on the text bubble icon (3) or the All messages (3) tab to view the conversation with that user. Messages Image 7 31

33 14.6) Settings Click on messages in the administration block. Messages Image 8 Here, you are able to specify in which cases as well how you want to receive your messages. Messages Image 9 For example, in the screenshot labelled Image 10, you can configure personal messages between yourself and your fellow students. In this case, the check box is unchecked when you are logged in. When you are offline, this box is checked, which means that you will receive a notification in your that you have a personal message in the VLE. This only happens when you are offline. Popup notifications will pop up whether you are online or offline. At the end of the page, you will see a General settings tab, image (Messages Image 10) Messages Image Alerts you with a sound when popup notifications are displayed. 2. By checking this box, you are blocking everyone who is not in your contact list. 3. Disables all notifications except those marked as "forced" by the site administrator When you are done updating your settings, don t forget to click on Update profile. 15) Accepting the Turnitin Agreement If you haven t accepted the Turnitin agreement before, you will need to accept it (this is done only once) to procced with the upload and the submission of your document. After you click on the Add submission button in the assignment activity. 32

34 You will see the following message: That you will need to click. Then a pop-up will show up with the agreement which you will need to agree by clicking on the I agree button. 16) Assignments Important Note: In case a student is unable to upload his/her assignment on the VLE, he/she must immediately send an to his/her tutor informing him/her about the technical issues and attaching the assignment file as a proof of evidence. The student should also contact the Technical Team informing them about the technical issue. Please be as descriptive as possible when reporting the issue. 16.1) Submit an Assignment Step 1: Click on the assignment link. You should then see a screen similar to the image below. Step 2: Click the Add submission button (1) to bring up the file upload page. (Image: Assignments 1) Assignments-Image 1 Step 3: Upload and save the file. (Note: Saving your file is not considered that you have submitted for marking). (Image: Assignments 2) There are two ways to upload a file. First one is to browse for a file (1) and the second is to drag-and drop the file (2) from your desktop or folder to the big blue arrow where it says You can drag and drop files to add them. 33

35 When the upload completes and your file(s) appear in the Files area, click the Save changes button (3). Assignments-Image 2 Step 4: Revise, edit or submit. (Image: Assignments 3) Your document has been saved as a draft (1). That means you have the opportunity to revise your document until the due date. Please do not forget to submit for marking before the due date. When you submit the document, your tutor will know that it s ready for marking. If the assignment link has Turnitin enabled, your document will be checked for plagiarism. You should see the Turnitin status: Pending below the document that you have uploaded (2). Come back later to see your Turnitin status, if the similarity report is too high you can edit your submission until you will be satisfied with the result. To edit your submission click Edit submission (3). This will take you back to Step 3. Now to delete your file, click on it then click the delete button and then update button. When you finish with the revision you must finalize your submission. To submit your document for marking, click Submit assignment (4) button. 34

36 Assignments-Image 3 Step 5: Final Step. (Image: Assignments 4) And lastly, click the Continue button. Once finalized, you will not be able to make any more changes. Assignments-Image ) Submission notifications Upon successful submission you should receive in your a receipt that the assignment has been successfully submitted. Assignments-Image 5 35

37 If the assignment has Turnitin enabled, you will also receive Turnitin Digital Receipt. (Image: Assignments 6) Assignments-Image ) Viewing the Similarity Report Click on the assignment link that you previously have uploaded and saved your assignment and you should see the similarity report (1) below your assignment. You can also click on the similarity report (1) to view the full report. (Image 7) Assignments-Image 7 36

38 17) Forum The forum activity module enables participants to have asynchronous discussions i.e. discussions that take place over an extended period of time. The News Forum though it s an exception, due to it s not made for discussions but for informing students relatively to the course, about different announcements and news s, used just by the teachers. Hence you may not reply nor create a discussion in there. A single discussion is also called a "thread", or topic. 17.1) Get familiar with the VLE forum Forum Icon: Forum name can be anything (Assignment 1 for instance) ) Main Area To enter the forum main area click on the forum activity, the area we show on the image 1. Main Area Image 1 After you click on the forum link you will see a screen similar the image 2 below. 1. Button for adding new thread to the forum. 2. This is the search engine of the forum. 3. The settings of the forum. 4. Title of the thread (click to open). 5. Author of the thread. 6. Shows how many replies the thread has. 7. Shows how many unread posts you have. 8. The dot icon indicates you are not subscribed to the thread, you can click on it to get subscribed. 9. The mail icon indicates you are subscribed to the thread, you can click to unsubscribe. 37

39 Main Area Image ) Auto save While you are writing new thread, you may notice every minute below the text editor a notification appears and informs you the thread you are writing got saved. To retrieve the saved thread, simply start a new thread, you will see your thread recovered and the notification below the text editor 17.2) Using VLE forum ) Creating new thread While you are in the forum main page click on the button. 38

40 1. Write your threads title. 2. Write your message. 3. Choose whether you want to be subscribed to your own thread and receive notifications when someone replies back, or to be unsubscribed and to not receive any notification about this thread (not recommended). 4. Here you can attach a file to your thread by simply dragging and dropping into the upload box area, considering the restrictions of curse, mentioned above the upload box. 5. And finally when you done click on the Post to forum button. Creating new thread Image 1 You will see a success message informing you that you have 30 minutes if you want to make changes to your post. Creating new thread Image ) Edit thread In case you want to edit your post and you still have time, first you need to open the thread. Click on title (1) to open the post. 39

41 Edit thread Image 1 Then at the bottom right-hand corner of your post, you will see Edit, Delete and Reply. Click on edit link and you will see Adding new thread Image 1 from above. Edit thread Image ) Thread navigating To open a thread you need to click on its title when in main forum area. 1. This is the title of the forum. 2. This is the title of the thread. 3. Here you can subscribe to the current thread. 4. Navigate to previous thread. 5. Change the way how you view the thread. 6. Here you click to reply to that post. Thread Navigating Image 1 40

42 17.2.4) Reply to post At the bottom right-hand corner of the post you can see the reply link. By clicking on it you will get navigated to page with a text editor. The process for replying it s the same as creating new thread. 17.3) Subscription You can subscribe either to the whole forum and receive notifications from all of the threads or you can subscribe to one or multiples individual threads of your interest (recommended) ) Forum subscription First you need to be located in the forum, then you can click the Subscribe to this forum link, which is located under forum administration in the administration block. The link will change to Unsubscribe from this forum, and of curse by clicking it again, you will be unsubscribed. Forum subscription Image ) Thread subscription To subscribe to an individual discussion you need to click on the dot icon at the end of the line of the discussion, how we show on the image 1 below. Thread subscription Image 1 Image 1 To unsubscribe you need to click on the mail icon, like the image 2 below indicates. Thread subscription Image 2 Image 1 41

43 18) Contact Information For any technical-related issues, you may contact the VLE Technical Support Team at the following address: For any ebook-related issues, you may contact the ebooks Department at the following address: For any other issues, you may contact Please allow 24 to 48 hours (during working days) for a reply. 42