Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


New ChatGPT Study Mode Guides Students Through Questions

OpenAI has announced a new study mode for ChatGPT that helps students work through problems step by step — instead of just providing an answer.

"When students engage with study mode, they're met with guiding questions that calibrate responses to their objective and skill level to help them build deeper understanding," the company explained in a blog post. "Study mode is designed to be engaging and interactive, and to help students learn something — not just finish something."

Study mode was created with input from teachers, scientists, and pedagogy experts, who collaborated on custom system instructions designed to support deeper learning through encouraging active participation, proactively developing metacognition and self reflection, fostering curiosity, and providing actionable and supportive feedback, OpenAI said. Key features, as described by the company, include:  

  • Interactive prompts: Combines Socratic questioning, hints, and self-reflection prompts to guide understanding and promote active learning, instead of providing answers outright.
  • Scaffolded responses: Information is organized into easy-to-follow sections that highlight the key connections between topics, keeping information engaging with just the right amount of context and reducing overwhelm for complex topics.
  • Personalized support: Lessons are tailored to the right level for the user, based on questions that assess skill level and memory from previous chats.
  • Knowledge checks: Quizzes and open-ended questions, along with personalized feedback to track progress, support knowledge retention and the ability to apply that knowledge in new contexts.
  • Flexibility: Study mode can be easily toggled on and off during a conversation, providing the flexibility to adapt to learning goals in each conversation.

Next Steps

OpenAI said it plans to fine-tune study mode through iteration and student feedback, and eventually train the behavior directly into its main models. It is also working on additional functionalities such as clearer visualizations, goal setting and progress tracking across conversations, and deeper personalization.

Study mode is currently available in the Free, Plus, Pro, and Team version of ChatGPT, with availability in ChatGPT Edu to come in the next few weeks. For more information, read the OpenAI blog post.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • silhouette of business person facing wall of data

    Why AI Strategy Belongs in the President's Office

    Institutions that are succeeding with AI share one thing in common, and it is not a better committee, a larger budget, or a more sophisticated technology stack. It is a president who never handed off the steering wheel.

  • Businessman using laptop analyzing data and growth graph chart

    AI Budgets in Education Show No Sign of Decline

    The vast majority of education organizations (98%) expect their AI infrastructure budgets to either increase or hold steady over the next year, according to a recent report from cloud storage provider Wasabi.

  • Student classroom scene with diverse learners attentively engaging in lecture, using laptops

    The AI Literacy Gap No One Expected

    While Gen Z may be advanced at generating quick outputs or using free LLMs for surface-level tasks, they need to develop critical thinking, communication, and analysis skills.

  • Neon blue security locks with a single red highlight

    AI Shifts Cybersecurity Focus from Finding Flaws to Fixing Them

    For decades, one of cybersecurity's most difficult challenges has been finding vulnerabilities before attackers do. A growing number of security professionals now say artificial intelligence is changing that equation, shifting the focus from discovering flaws to fixing them quickly enough to prevent exploitation.