InstaSkul User Guide

Learning Management Platform. Version 2.0 | January 2025

Introduction

Welcome to InstaSkul, a comprehensive platform designed to connect educators and learners through engaging online courses. This document provides a complete guide for using the platform and outlines the Terms of Use to protect our content and ensure a fair, professional experience for all users.

About InstaSkul

InstaSkul enables educators to build and share educational courses, while learners can enroll, track progress, and complete tutorials. Our platform is accessible on web and mobile, with secure payment processing through M-Pesa (for Kenya) and Mobile Money (for Uganda), supporting multiple currencies including UGX, KES, USD, EUR, and GBP.

What's New in Version 2.0

• Multi-Currency Support: Set course prices in UGX, KES, USD, EUR, or GBP
• M-Pesa Integration: Seamless payment processing via Safaricom Daraja API for Kenyan users
• Blog Platform: Share educational articles and insights with rich text editing
• Enhanced Payment Flow: Real-time payment status tracking and confirmations
• Improved Content Creation: Advanced rich text editor with multimedia support

Purpose of This Document

This guide helps educators and learners navigate InstaSkul's features. The Terms of Use section ensures proper use and protects intellectual property.

User Guide for Educators

This section explains how educators can set up and manage courses on InstaSkul. A new admin setup requires: admin title, school of specialization, description, cover image, and optional supporting materials. You must create at least one Course under the Admin before publishing. Each Course must have at least a Tutorial and a Coursework before it can be published. Each Tutorial should have an assignment for students to submit upon completion.

Navigating the Admin Interface

The admin is your organizational space to embark on Course creation and management. If you are an organization, such as an education institution or a company, you can create multiple admins to suit your organization's Faculties or Departments. InstaSkul facilitates continuous improvement allowing you to create and produce Courses at your own pace and publish only when you are ready. You can also unpublish your works. You maintain the copyright to your content.

• Access Dashboard: Navigate to the Admin Dashboard from the sidebar.
• Click on create admin and give a title to your admin. This will be your admin's brand. You can, if necessary, change it.
• This enables you to navigate to your admin.
• Inside your admin select your school of specialization from the dropdown, e.g., Science, Arts, Business, etc.
• In the description, provide the necessary metadata, i.e., a brief updated description of your admin.
• Upload admin's cover image.
• If and when necessary, provide supporting materials in the form of PDFs, videos, text or images.
• Use the admin noticeboard to communicate with your Faculty or Department when and if necessary.
• Course creation begins inside the Admin when you create a Course with a title. This enables the edit link that navigates to the course page.
• At least one published Course is required before you can publish your Admin. You can continue adding more Courses to the admin as necessary.

Navigating the Course Interface

• The course page enables you to develop Course(s) in your Admin. Each Course you create is identified with your admin.
• The Course title and Admin - to which the Course belongs - are already indicated as you set them in the admin page. You can edit any or both of them if necessary.
• Provide a brief updated description of your Course to attract and inform your visitors about the Course.
• Upload the course cover image.
• Set Your Course Price: Fill in the course amount and select your preferred currency (UGX, KES, USD, EUR, or GBP). This will be used for checkout.
• Payment Methods: Kenyan courses (KES) support M-Pesa payments. Ugandan courses (UGX) support Mobile Money. Other currencies use standard payment processing.
• Consider breaking your Course into multiple Tutorials, e.g., Tutorial 1: Introduction; Tutorial 2: Basics, etc.
• You can add support materials (when and if necessary) in the form of PDFs, videos, text or images.
• Communicate internally with your students when and if necessary, through Course notices.
• Give a coursework to be submitted at Course completion.
• Tutorial creation begins here when you give your tutorial a title. This enables an edit link to navigate to the Tutorial page.
• You must first publish at least one Tutorial before you can publish a Course. Afterwards you can continue adding more Tutorials.

Navigating the Tutorial Interface

• The tutorial page enables you to specialize on an individual lesson in the corresponding Course.
• The Course and Admin to which the Tutorial belongs are already indicated. You can change any or both of them if necessary.
• Provide the Tutorial's objective(s). NOTE: Ensure that you set and achieve the objective(s) within the limited Tutorial span.
• Consider breaking down multiple objectives into multiple Tutorials rather than cramming them in one Tutorial.
• For Tutorial videos you can save your PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations as videos and upload them as Tutorials.
• You can also attach additional details (when and if necessary) in the form of PDFs, videos, text or images.
• Ensure that each Tutorial is accompanied by a published assignment for students to submit upon watching the Tutorial.

Managing Tutorials

• Edit Content: From the course page, edit tutorial titles, content, or order (via "position" field).
• Track Progress: Monitor learner enrollment and progress via the dashboard analytics.
• Set Free/Locked: Mark tutorials as free or locked (requires enrollment) in the tutorial settings.

Blog Management

InstaSkul now includes a powerful blog platform for sharing educational content, insights, and updates with your audience.

• Create Blog Posts: Access the blog section from your admin dashboard. Create posts with titles, rich text content, cover images, and excerpts.
• Rich Text Editor: Use the advanced editor to format text, add images, create lists, insert links, and style your content professionally.
• Categorize Content: Add categories and tags to organize your posts and make them discoverable.
• Publishing Control: Save posts as drafts or publish immediately. You can unpublish or edit posts at any time.
• SEO-Friendly: Add excerpts that appear in search results and social media previews to attract more readers.

Publishing Your Content

Note: When publishing your first admin, your first Admin publishing will begin at the Assignment page, then use the backlink (at the top of the page) to navigate to the associated Tutorial, Course through to Admin, publishing each of them. You now have a published Course under your Admin. You can then continue adding Courses and Tutorials as necessary. You can publish multiple admins to suit your organization.

Best Practices

• Use clear, concise titles and descriptions.
• Ensure content is original to avoid copyright issues.
• Test tutorials for accessibility on mobile and web.
• Use landscape mode to capture images and videos for better viewing experience.
• Choose the appropriate currency for your target audience's location.
• Regularly update blog posts to keep your audience engaged.
• Use high-quality cover images that are relevant to your content.

User Guide for Learners

This section guides learners on enrolling in and navigating courses.

Enrolling in a Course

• Browse Courses: Explore available courses on the platform, filtered by category, admin, or search.
• View Pricing: Each course displays its price in the set currency (UGX, KES, USD, EUR, or GBP).
• Enroll: Click a course, then select "Enroll" to proceed to payment.
• Payment Options:
  • For KES courses: Pay via M-Pesa using your Safaricom number (e.g., 0712345678 or 254712345678)
  • For UGX courses: Pay via Mobile Money using your MTN/Airtel number (e.g., 256123456789)
  • Other currencies: Use standard payment methods
• Confirm Enrollment: After successful payment, the course appears in your dashboard and all tutorials unlock.

M-Pesa Payment Process (Kenya - KES)

• Click "Pay with M-Pesa" on the course enrollment page
• Enter your Safaricom M-Pesa number (e.g., 0712345678)
• Click "Pay Now" to initiate the payment
• You will receive an M-Pesa prompt on your phone
• Enter your M-Pesa PIN to complete the payment
• Wait for confirmation - you'll be automatically redirected once payment is successful
• Check your M-Pesa messages for the transaction confirmation

Navigating Courses

• Access Sidebar: On desktop, view the sidebar at instaskul.com/courses/[courseId]. On mobile, tap the menu icon to open it.
• View Tutorials: Click tutorial titles to access content. Locked tutorials require enrollment and payment.
• Track Progress: Check completion status (checkmark for completed, play icon for in-progress) and overall progress percentage in the sidebar.
• Submit Assignments: Complete tutorial assignments to track your learning progress.
• View Course Materials: Access additional PDFs, videos, and resources provided by instructors.

Reading Blog Posts

• Access the blog section to read educational articles and updates
• Browse posts by category or tags to find topics of interest
• Share posts on social media to spread knowledge
• Subscribe to stay updated on new content

Payment Instructions

• M-Pesa (Kenya): Use a valid Safaricom number (07XXXXXXXX or 2547XXXXXXXX)
• Mobile Money (Uganda): Use a valid 12-digit MSISDN (256XXXXXXXXX)
• Ensure you have sufficient balance before initiating payment
• After payment, tutorials unlock automatically
• Keep your transaction ID for reference
• Contact support if payment was deducted but course didn't unlock: support@instaskul.com

Terms of Use

By using InstaSkul, you agree to these Terms of Use, which protect our intellectual property and ensure a fair platform experience.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

• All content on InstaSkul, including courses, tutorials, blog posts, and the InstaSkul logo, is owned by InstaSkul or its creators and protected by copyright law.
• Users may not reproduce, distribute, or modify content without written permission from InstaSkul or the content creator.
• Admins retain ownership of their course content and blog posts but grant InstaSkul a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host and display it.

User Responsibilities

• Admins: Must upload original content and comply with copyright laws. InstaSkul is not liable for user-generated content violations.
• Learners: Must use content for personal learning only. Sharing login credentials or course materials is prohibited.
• Payment Processing: Users are responsible for ensuring payment details are correct. InstaSkul partners with M-Pesa and Mobile Money for secure transactions.

Payment and Refund Policy

• All payments are processed securely through M-Pesa (Kenya) or Mobile Money (Uganda)
• Course access is granted immediately upon successful payment confirmation
• Refunds may be requested within 7 days of purchase if course content is not as described
• Refund requests must be submitted to support@instaskul.com with transaction details
• Processing fees may apply to refunds depending on payment method

Limitations of Liability

InstaSkul is not responsible for payment issues due to invalid phone numbers, insufficient balance, or network errors. We partner with trusted payment providers (Safaricom M-Pesa, MTN/Airtel Mobile Money) for secure transactions. For payment issues, contact support: support@instaskul.com

Platform Updates and Changes

InstaSkul reserves the right to update features, pricing structures, and payment methods. Users will be notified of significant changes via email or platform notifications.

Contact & Support

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