OpenAI launches ChatGPT study mode for students

A new way to learn in ChatGPT that offers step by step guidance instead of quick answers. OpenAI recently introduced study mode in ChatGPT, a learning experience that helps you work through problems step by step instead of just getting an answer. Starting on July 29th, it’s available to logged in users on Free, Plus, Pro, Team, with availability in ChatGPT Edu coming in the next few weeks.

OpenAI launches ChatGPT study mode for students: Is it a shield against AI cheating or just a smokescreen?

ChatGPT is becoming one of the most widely used learning tools in the world. Students turn to it to work through challenging homework problems, prepare for exams, and explore new concepts. But its use in education has also raised an important question: how do we ensure it is used to support real learning, and doesn’t just offer solutions without helping students make sense of them?

We’ve built study mode to help answer this question. 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. Study mode is designed to be engaging and interactive, and to help students learn something, not just finish something.

How study mode was built

Under the hood, study mode is powered by custom system instructions we’ve written in collaboration with teachers, scientists, and pedagogy experts to reflect a core set of behaviors that support deeper learning including: ??encouraging active participation, managing cognitive load, proactively developing metacognition and self reflection, fostering curiosity, and providing actionable and supportive feedback. These behaviors are based on longstanding research in learning science and shape how study mode responds to students.

“Instead of doing the work for them, study mode encourages students to think critically about their learning. Features like these are a positive step toward effective AI use for learning. Even in the AI era, the best learning still happens when students are excited about and actively engaging with the lesson material," said Robbie Torney, Senior Director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media.

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: Easily toggle study mode on and off during a conversation, giving you the flexibility to adapt to your learning goals in each conversation.

Study mode was built with college students in mind. Some feedback we heard from students during early testing:

"The best way I’d describe it is a live, 24/7, all-knowing 'office hours'," said Noah Campbell, college student.

"Study mode did a great job breaking down dense material into clear, well-paced explanations," said Caleb Masi, college student.

"I put study mode to the test to tutor me on a concept I have attempted to learn many times before: sinusoidal positional encodings. It was like a tutor who doesn’t get tired of my questions. After a 3-hour working session, I finally understood it well enough to feel confident," said Maggie Wang, college student.

Study mode is especially useful for homework help, test prep, and learning new topics. To try it, select “Study and learn” from tools in ChatGPT and ask a question.

This is a first step in a longer journey to improve learning in ChatGPT. Study mode is powered by custom system instructions. We chose this approach because it lets us quickly learn from real student feedback and improve the experience, even if it results in some inconsistent behavior and mistakes across conversations. We plan on training this behavior directly into our main models once we’ve learned what works best through iteration and student feedback.

We’re also exploring functionality to make study mode more engaging and helpful for students including:

• Clearer visualizations for complex or text-heavy concepts
• Goal setting and progress tracking across conversations
• Deeper personalization tailored to each student’s skill level and goals
• The research landscape is still taking shape on the best ways to apply AI in education. OpenAI is enabling further research on learning and AI through various partners in its NextGenAI? initiative, and working with experts from the SCALE Initiative at Stanford University’s Accelerator for Learning?(opens in a new window) to study and share how AI tools influence learning outcomes in areas like K-12 education.
   

As we run longer-term studies on how students learn best with AI, we intend to publish a deeper analysis of what we’ve learned about the links between model design and cognition, shape future product experiences based on these insights, and work side by side with the broader education ecosystem to ensure AI benefits learners worldwide.