Drupal, at its base installation, is a blank slate, a content management system that can be used to create a large variety of different websites. This installation is preconfigured for creating a community site suitable for the online writing classroom, a highly configurable platform that better facilitiates community interaction and collaboration than is otherwise possible with proprietary course management systems (e.g., Blackboard or WebCT). Educators will find that this distribution eliminates most of the work involved in setting up a Drupal site for a writing class.

It is not possible within the scope of this text to explain all Drupal configurations, modules, and features. Instead, the DrupalEd Site Configuration Guide is intended as a getting started FAQ that will guide you through some basic issues and answer some specific configuration questions. As you become more comfortable with Drupal, it is certainly worthwhile to learn more--so that you can take advantage of the flexibility and wide range of configuration options and additional features.

For much more detailed information on Drupal configuration and usage, consult the Drupal modules and features section on drupal.org. Also be sure to read the help material available at the top of many of the administration pages.