FeedForward

Initial Setup Guide

Table of contents

Overview

This guide walks you through the initial configuration of FeedForward after installation. Following these steps ensures your system is properly configured, secure, and ready for instructors and students.

Complete these setup steps before allowing instructors to create courses or students to submit work.

Pre-Setup Checklist

Before beginning initial setup, ensure you have:

  • [ ] Completed the installation process
  • [ ] Created an admin account
  • [ ] Started the FeedForward server
  • [ ] Access to AI provider API keys
  • [ ] SMTP email server credentials
  • [ ] SSL certificate (for production)

Step 1: Access Admin Dashboard

  1. Navigate to your FeedForward instance
  2. Log in with your administrator credentials
  3. Click "Admin Dashboard" in the navigation menu
  4. Verify you see the admin interface
Bookmark the admin dashboard URL for quick access: `http://your-domain/admin`

Step 2: Configure Core Settings

Application Settings

  1. Go to Settings → Application
  2. Configure the following:
Application Name: FeedForward
Institution Name: Your University
Support Email: support@youruniversity.edu
Time Zone: America/New_York
Default Language: en

Security Settings

  1. Navigate to Settings → Security
  2. Configure security options:
Session Timeout: 24 hours
Max Login Attempts: 5
Password Requirements:
  - Minimum Length: 12
  - Require Numbers: Yes
  - Require Special Characters: Yes
  - Require Mixed Case: Yes

Enable Audit Logging: Yes
Log Retention Days: 90
For production deployments, always enable HTTPS and secure cookies.

Privacy Settings

  1. Go to Settings → Privacy
  2. Set privacy options:
Anonymize Analytics: Yes
Data Export Format: JSON
GDPR Compliance Mode: Yes
Draft content is retained by design so students can track progress across drafts. Students can hide drafts from their own view at any time.

Step 3: Email Configuration

Email is used only for instructor account emails — registration verification and password resets. Students are never emailed by the system; instructors distribute personal join links through their own channels.

SMTP Setup

  1. Navigate to Settings → Email
  2. Enter your SMTP configuration:
SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 587
Username: feedforward@youruniversity.edu
Password: [your-app-password]
Use TLS: Yes
From Address: noreply@youruniversity.edu
From Name: FeedForward System

Test Email Configuration

  1. Click "Test Email Settings"
  2. Enter your email address
  3. Click "Send Test"
  4. Verify you receive the test email
If using Gmail, create an [app-specific password](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833) rather than using your regular password.

Email Templates

  1. Go to Settings → Email Templates
  2. Customize templates for: - Instructor Registration Verification - Password Resets

Step 4: AI Provider Configuration

Add Your First AI Provider

  1. Navigate to AI Models → Providers
  2. Click "Add Provider"
  3. Select your provider type:

OpenAI Configuration

Provider: OpenAI
API Key: sk-...your-key-here
Organization ID: org-...your-org (optional)
Default Model: gpt-4
Max Tokens: 2000
Temperature: 0.7

Anthropic Configuration

Provider: Anthropic
API Key: sk-ant-...your-key
Default Model: claude-3-opus-20240229
Max Tokens: 2000
Temperature: 0.7

Google AI Configuration

Provider: Google AI
API Key: ...your-key
Default Model: gemini-pro
Max Tokens: 2000
Temperature: 0.7

Test AI Connection

  1. After saving, click "Test Connection"
  2. The system will verify: - API key validity - Model availability - Response generation
  3. Check the test results

Set Default Models

  1. Go to AI Models → System Defaults
  2. Set defaults for: - Primary Feedback Model - Fallback Model - Quick Feedback Model

Step 5: Create Initial Users

Create Your First Instructor

  1. Navigate to Users → Instructors
  2. Click "Create Instructor"
  3. Fill in details:
Name: Dr. Jane Smith
Email: jsmith@university.edu
Department: English
Employee ID: 12345
Temporary Password: [generate]
Send Welcome Email: Yes

Set Up Departments (Optional)

  1. Go to Users → Departments
  2. Create department structure: - English Department - Computer Science - Mathematics - Business

Step 6: Configure System Limits

Resource Limits

  1. Navigate to Settings → Limits
  2. Configure appropriate limits:
Max Students per Course: 500
Max Assignments per Course: 20
Max Drafts per Assignment: 5
Max File Upload Size: 10MB
Max AI Calls per Day: 10000
Max Concurrent Processing: 10

Rate Limiting

API Calls per Minute: 60
Submissions per Student per Hour: 10
Login Attempts per IP: 10
Password Reset per Email: 3

Step 7: Set Up Monitoring

Enable Monitoring

  1. Go to Monitoring → Configuration
  2. Enable monitoring features:
System Metrics: Enabled
API Usage Tracking: Enabled
Error Logging: Enabled
Performance Monitoring: Enabled
User Activity Tracking: Enabled

Configure Alerts

  1. Navigate to Monitoring → Alerts
  2. Set up alerts for:
High API Usage: > 80% of daily limit
System Errors: > 10 per hour
Failed Logins: > 20 per hour
Database Size: > 80% of limit
Queue Backlog: > 100 items

Alert Recipients

Add email addresses for alert notifications: - admin@university.edu - it-support@university.edu

Step 8: Backup Configuration

Automatic Backups

  1. Go to Maintenance → Backups
  2. Configure backup settings:
Backup Schedule: Daily at 2:00 AM
Retention Period: 30 days
Backup Location: /backups/feedforward/
Include Submissions: No (privacy)
Compress Backups: Yes

Test Backup

  1. Click "Run Backup Now"
  2. Verify backup completes successfully
  3. Check backup file is created

Step 9: Final Verification

System Health Check

  1. Go to Dashboard
  2. Verify all indicators are green: - ✅ Database Connected - ✅ Email Configured - ✅ AI Providers Active - ✅ Storage Available - ✅ No Error Alerts

Test User Flow

  1. Create a test instructor account
  2. Log in as test instructor
  3. Create a test course
  4. Verify all functions work

Documentation

  1. Document your configuration: - AI provider details - Email settings - Backup locations - Admin contacts

Post-Setup Tasks

Immediate Actions

  1. Change default passwords for all test accounts
  2. Enable SSL/HTTPS for production
  3. Configure firewall rules
  4. Set up monitoring dashboards

Within First Week

  1. Train instructors on the system
  2. Create documentation for your institution
  3. Establish support procedures
  4. Plan maintenance windows

Ongoing Maintenance

  1. Weekly: Check system health and logs
  2. Monthly: Review AI usage and costs
  3. Quarterly: Update API keys
  4. Annually: Review security settings

Troubleshooting Setup Issues

Common Problems

Cannot send emails - Verify SMTP credentials - Check firewall allows port 587/465 - Try with different email provider - Check spam filters

AI provider connection fails - Verify API key is active - Check billing/credits available - Ensure network allows HTTPS - Try different model

Database errors - Check disk space - Verify file permissions - Run database integrity check - Review error logs

Next Steps

Your FeedForward instance is now configured! Continue with:

  1. User Management - Create instructor accounts
  2. AI Configuration - Fine-tune AI settings
  3. Maintenance - Set up regular maintenance
Save a copy of your configuration settings in a secure location for disaster recovery purposes.