Getting Started

Before using your site, complete the following basic configuration steps.

User account

Once logged in, visit the my account link in the navigation menu in the sidebar, and select the "edit" tab. Be sure to change the

• Username
• E-mail address
• Password
• Enable the "Personal contact form." Students will then be able to email you directly from the site from the contact tab on your user account page.
• Click "save"
• Select the "Personal Information" link at the top of the page and fill in any of the personal profile fields (optional).

Note: You can always edit and change these settings later on.

Site Settings

Enter some basic information for the site on the administer >> site configuration >> site information page. Click on "Site information" to make these changes:

• Name. The official designation for your class (e.g., "English 420: Business Writing").
• E-mail address. The official e-mail address for the site (e.g., your email address).
• Slogan (optional). A subtitle for your class (e.g., "Writing about the University") that will appear in the header of the page underneath the title (if the theme allows it).
  
• Mission (optional). A description of your class. This text in this field will display permanently at the top of your course home page.
• Footer (optional). A default copyright message has been added. You may want to change the date of the copyright.
• Save your changes

Return to the administer >> site configuration page. Click on "Date and time." Select your "Default time zone." Pick the one that matches your current time.

Note: Be careful about arbitrarily making changes to other settings. For instance, it is recommended that you do not enable "Cache support" unless you run a very, very busy Internet site and your server is having trouble supporting it.

Now you can begin customizing your site and posting content.

Providing Course Materials

At some point, you'll want to begin posting course materials into the sample pages (e.g., course description and calendar) and creating your own pages. Read more about how to work with these pages and add additional ones in Adding and Managing Course Materials.

Public vs. Private Site

By default, this site is configured to be a public space where anyone may view posted content (except attachments and private profile information) but only logged in site members may post content. To change the site so that posts are private on the Internet, see Configuring a Private Website.