How the AI helps

Tell the AI what an activity is for in your own words, choose how far it may go, and give a section its own support.

2 min read · Updated Oct 29, 2026

How the AI helps tells the agent what one activity is for and how far it may go. It appears in the activity editor once you choose who Learners talk with.

The agent reads it with every message. Learners don't see it.

The How the AI helps section: a goal about two-step word problems, the chosen standard 4.OA.A.3 with its description, four learning components checked and one earlier standard, and four choices for how far Math tutor may go with Hints only selected.
How the AI helps: a goal, the standard 4.OA.A.3 with its learning components, and Hints only.

Goal

Under Goal, write what learners should be able to do by the end, in your own words. For example: "Explain each step of a two-step word problem in their own words."

A goal alone is enough for any learners, from a university seminar to a library session. You don't need a standard.

A standard, a skill or misconceptions

Standard or skill is optional: a K-12 standard, or a durable skill for any age. For math, Misconceptions to listen for suggests common misconceptions. See Standards, skills and misconceptions.

How far the AI may go

Choose one, or leave all four off:

  • Ask first: it asks what they think or have tried, then builds on it.
  • Hints only: hints and guiding questions, a step at a time, never the answer.
  • Explain when stuck: it explains and shows a worked example, then they try one.
  • Only check: it says what is right and what to look at again in their own work.

Different for a section

Under Different for a section, give a section, such as an extra-support period, its own How far choice and a note (up to 500 characters) the agent reads only in that section's chats. Each message's record keeps which section's settings it used (teaching_section in the research export).

It isn't offered on a study's design or while a course's study runs, where every section follows the design, nor for one learner: a note about a person would go to a model.

Check what the AI is given

Open What [agent] reads with every message to see the exact text the agent gets. With a section of its own, choose it under As read by.

Note

This is an instruction, not a lock. To keep the AI out of part of an activity, show the panels in steps with a step that has no AI. See Activities and panels.

With a VETTING step, its reviewer checks each reply against this too, and replies that can't pass show up under To look at.

A change here makes a new version of the activity, and each message's record says what the AI was asked to do.

This page is also plain Markdown at /docs/teach/ai-helps.md. Point your AI at /llms.txt to find every page.