Technical roadmap for online teaching excellence at KCA University.
1. Access & Navigation
Open virtualcampus.kcau.ac.ke in your browser.
Click Log In and enter your staff email credentials.
On the Dashboard, locate your unit under "Course Overview" and click the title to enter.
SUCCESS TIP:
Can't find your course? Ensure the filter on your Dashboard is set to "All" or "In Progress". Courses often disappear from view if the filter is accidentally set to "Past".
2. Restoring the Master Template
In your course, click the More tab → Course Reuse.
Set the top-left dropdown to Restore.
Upload your .mbz template file. Click Restore.
Scroll to the bottom of the summary page and click Continue.
Choose "Merge the backup course into this course" → Continue.
Click Next through all screens until Perform Restore appears. Click it.
SUCCESS TIP:
Always do this before you start adding your own content. Restoring a template after you've built your own weeks can sometimes create duplicate sections that are hard to clean up.
3. Uploading & Managing Materials
MANDATORY: Turn "Edit Mode" (Top Right Toggle) to ON.
Uploading Notes
Click + Add activity → File. Drag your PDF in. In Appearance, select "Open".
Name your files logically. Instead of "lecture1.pdf", use "Week 1: Introduction to Macroeconomics". This helps students find materials easily when using the search function.
Under Grade, choose Point and enter the max marks.
Under Submission types, check File submissions and Online text.
SUCCESS TIP:
When using Turnitin, set the "Report Generation Speed" to "Generate reports immediately (resubmissions allowed until due date)". This allows students to see their plagiarism score and fix mistakes before final submission.
5. Student Interaction & Web Conferencing
Web Conferencing Options
Zoom Integration
Click Zoom Meeting → Schedule a New Meeting.
Set Date/Time. Check "Recurring" for weekly classes.
Select "Record the meeting automatically in the cloud".
Click Save. The join link appears for all students.
Google Meet Integration
Add activity → Google Meet.
Click "Sign in with Google" using your KCAU Staff email.
Click "Generate Room Link" → Save.
Students click the link in Moodle to launch the Meet app directly.
Discussion & Messaging
Announcements: Use the top forum for one-way broadcasts. Every student gets an email.
Forums: Create a "Weekly Discussion" to foster collaborative debate.
Messaging: Use the bubble icon at the top right to chat 1-on-1 with students.
SUCCESS TIP:
When using Zoom, download the "Attendance Report" after the meeting ends. Within the Zoom activity in Moodle, click "Previous Meetings" → "Report". This saves you from taking manual roll calls.
6. Tracking & Reporting
Activity Completion: Go to Reports → Activity Completion to see which students have read your notes.
Gradebook: Click Grades → Export to download your CAT marks as an Excel file for the Registrar.
SUCCESS TIP:
Check the "Course Participation" report every Friday. Identify students who haven't logged in for the week and send them a quick message. This significantly reduces drop-out rates.