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Navigating the Learning Management System (Moodle)

Every unit you take has its own page on the LMS. That is where your lecturer puts notes, slides, reading, assignments and marks. Before you can see any of it, you must join the unit. This guide shows you how -– it takes about two minutes per unit.

Part 1 · Getting into your units

Before you start

  • Your university Google account -– the same one you use for your student email. The LMS has no separate password.
  • The unit code or unit name -– for example ISTP 701, or Foundations of Peacebuilding. Your timetable has these.
  • An enrolment key -– but only for some units. Your lecturer gives you this in class. Not every unit needs one.

Step 1 · Sign in

The LMS uses your Tangaza Google account. There is no separate LMS username or password to remember.

  1. Open your browser and go to lms.tangaza.ac.ke.
  2. Click the Continue with School Email button. It is the only way in.Capture.PNG
  3. Choose your Tangaza account from the list, or type your university email address and password if Google asks for them.
  4. The first time only, Google may ask you to allow the LMS to see your name and email. Click Allow.
Use your university account. You can only sign in with an email address ending in tangaza.ac.ke. A personal Gmail or any other non-university address will not work: the LMS will not let you in. Always sign in with your university account.
If Google will not let you in: the problem is with your university account, not with the LMS. Contact ICT. There is no password to reset on the LMS itself.

Step 2 · Find your unit

There are two ways. Either works.

The quick way -– search

Cannot find it? The unit may not be published yet. Lecturers open their units at different times. Wait a day or two, then ask your lecturer.

Step 3 · Join the unit

When you open a unit you have not yet joined, the LMS shows you an enrolment panel. It looks like one of two ways.

A. There is only a button

  1. Click EnrollEnrol me.Capture5.PNG
  2. That is all -– you are taken straight into the unit.

B. There is a box asking for an enrolment key

  1. Type the enrolment key supplied by your lecturer or Institute admin.administrator.Capture6.PNG
  2. Click EnrollEnrol me.

Three things about keys:

  • Capital letters matter. Isaac and isaac are not the same key.
  • Watch for trailing spaces. If you copied the key from a message, make sure you did not copy a space at the end. This is the most common reason a key is refused.
  • You only type it once. It is not a password, and you will not be asked for it again.
Please do not share unit keys outside your class. The key is how your lecturer keeps the unit to the students who are registered for it.

Step 4 · Check that it worked

  1. Click My courses in the main menu.
  2. Every unit you have joined is listed there.
  3. If a unit is missing, you did not finish joining it. Go back to Step 2 and try again.

You only join a unit once. From then on, it stays under My courses for the rest of the semester, and you go straight in with one click.

If something goes wrong

What you see What to do
There is no EnrollEnrol me button on the unit page Your lecturer has not opened enrolment yet. Ask them, not ICT.
My key is not accepted Type it by hand rather than pasting. Check capitals. If it still fails, ask your lecturer whether the key has changed.
“This course is currently unavailable to students” The unit is still being prepared. Ask your lecturer when it will open.
I cannot find the unit anywhere Check you are looking in the right academic year. If it is still missing, ask your lecturer for the direct link.
I joined the wrong unit Open the unit, go to the unit menu and look for Unenrol me. If you cannot see it, ask your lecturer to remove you.
I signed in but My courses are empty and everything looks new You are probably signed in with a personal Gmail. Sign out fully, then sign in again with your university address.
Google will not let me in at all This one is for ICT, not your lecturer.

Who to ask

Your question Ask
The enrolment key for a unit Your lecturer
When a unit will be opened Your lecturer
Assignments, marks and deadlines Your lecturer
Google sign-in problems, password resets, account locked ICT Service Desk -– ICT Help Desk Link
Signed in with the wrong account ICT Service Desk -– ICT Help Desk Link
The site is down or very slow ICT Service Desk  -– ICT Help Desk Link

Part 2 · Assignments

Assignments are submitted online, inside the unit. This section shows you how to find an assignment, upload your file, and — most importantly — make sure it is actually handed in.

Finding the assignment

  1. Open the unit and go to the week or topic where the lecturer placed the assignment.Capture7.PNG
  2. Click the assignment. You will recognise it by the assignment (hand writing)handwriting) icon. This opens the assignment page, which shows the instructions, the due date, and your submission status.
  3. If the lecturer attached a brief or question sheet, click it to download it. Read it carefully and be sure you understand what is required before you start.

Submitting the assignment

  1. On the assignment page, scroll to the submission status and click Add submission. Keep an eye on the due date shown near the top.Capture8.PNG
  2. In the File submissions box, either drag your file straight into the box or click the Add file icon to open the file picker.Capture9.PNG
  3. In the file picker, choose Upload a file, then click Choose File.Capture11.PNG
  4. Locate the file on your computer and click Open.Capture12.PNG
  5. Back in the picker, confirm that your file name now appears, then click Upload this file.Capture13.PNG
  6. Click Save changes.Capture14.PNG
  7. Check your submission status. If it reads Draft (not submitted), click Submit assignment and confirm. Your work is only handed in once the status shows Submitted for grading.

Submit before the due date. A submission left as Draft (not submitted) has not reached your lecturer —lecturer, always check that the status shows Submitted for grading.

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