Getting Started with Assistants
Overview of assistants, Single stage and Multi stage modes, how to choose the right one, and common settings.
What is an Assistant?
An assistant is what your learners interact with. Every assistant is grounded in a course (its knowledge base). Choose Single stage for consistent one-setup guidance, or Multi stage for a guided, step-by-step experience.
Before You Start
Assistants live inside a Course. Create a course before you create an assistant. For a Multi stage assistant, you configure stages on the assistant itself after creation.
Navigate to your course, open the Assistants tab, and click Create Assistant.
Assistant Modes
When you create an assistant, you choose a mode. This controls how the assistant reasons and responds.
| Type | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Single stage | One setup with rules and instructions the assistant follows consistently. | Q&A, study support, revision prep, office-hours simulation. |
| Multi stage | A fully guided assistant that walks the learner through stages step by step. | Guided application exercises, case analysis and decision walkthroughs, assignments where structure and rigour matter. |
Choosing the Right Type
| Situation | Recommended Type |
|---|---|
| General Q&A, FAQ, exploratory use | Single stage |
| Focused task with clear rules and constraints | Single stage |
| Guided step-by-step learning workflow | Multi stage |
| You want something live fast | Single stage |
| You want maximum structure and rigour | Multi stage |
| You want to replace repetitive office-hour questions | Single stage |
| You want to guide learners through a case or assignment | Multi stage |
Settings (All Types)
Every assistant has settings that apply regardless of configuration type:
- Access Level: Controls who can use the assistant (Private, Restricted, or Public). Cannot be more permissive than the course it belongs to.
- Conversation Starters: 1 to 5 starter prompts shown when a learner first opens the assistant.
- AI Model: The language model that powers the assistant. Defaults to Auto. Includes Temperature and Top-p controls.
For the full reference on each setting, including access level compatibility rules, cohort integration, and model options, see Assistant Settings.
Previewing Your Assistant
While editing an existing assistant, click Preview in the form header to open the Test Assistant inline. On desktop the preview docks as a side panel; on mobile it opens as a bottom sheet. The preview shows the last saved version of your Test Assistant — save your changes before previewing to see them reflected. The Preview button appears only in edit mode (after you've created the assistant).
Next Steps
- Structured Assistants: Fill in the structured fields for Single stage.
- Assistant Settings: Access level, AI model, conversation starters, and more.
- Deployment and Versioning: Test and deploy your assistant.