Kira’s AI tutor now offers settings that allow teachers to adjust the learning experience based on student needs and reading comprehension levels. These new settings provide flexibility in how the AI tutor communicates with and supports students.
What's New: Customize for Individual Students
As teachers, you know that not all students need the same type and/or level of support — that is why we built a feature to customize AI tutor settings for individual students. The expanded functionality allows teachers to provide personalized support based on:
- Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
- Student accommodations
- Different learning styles and paces
- Specific educational goals
Read more about how you can make adjustments to reading and support level to ensure your students are getting the most out of the AI tutor.
Reading Level Settings
Choose from three grade-based reading levels to ensure that the AI tutor hints are accessible to their students:
- Grades 3-5
- Lexile range: 501-780
- Optimized for elementary school reading comprehension
- Grades 6-8 (Default setting in the previous version of the AI Tutor)
- Lexile range: 920-1180
- Designed for middle school reading comprehension
- Grades 9-10
- Lexile range: 1181-1260
- Tailored for high school reading comprehension
Support Level Settings
Choose from one of three support levels, enabling them to provide individualized support to students based on their level of need:
- Level 1: Conceptual Guidance
- Focuses on high-level concepts and problem-solving strategies
- Does not provide direct code examples
- Student Profile: Ideal for students who need less technical support and are working on developing independent problem-solving skills
- Level 2: Specific Guidance (Default setting on the previous version of the AI Tutor)
- Offers targeted suggestions and explanations
- Includes minimal code examples
- Student Profile: For students on the cusp of grasping the material, but, depending on the activity, may require more specific, targeted guidance
- Level 3: Comprehensive Guidance
- Provides detailed explanations and step-by-step assistance
- Includes thorough code examples
- Student Profile: Perfect for students who benefit from a high level of support
Adjusting Your Settings
See the video below for in-platform guidance on how to adjust your settings
Section-Level Settings
- Access Section Settings:
- Navigate to your Dashboard
- Click the three dots next to your section title
- Select “settings” from the dropdown
- Modify Settings:
- Click “AI Tutor”
- Enable AI Tutor for all students
- Make your selection in Reading Level
- Make your selection in Support Level
- Save Changes:
- Changes take effect immediately, you will notice a success message appear indicating that settings have been saved
- All students in the section will experience the updated AI tutor behavior unless the teacher has made individual student modifications
Individual Student Settings
- Access Student Settings:
- Navigate to your Dashboard
- Click the three dots next to your section title
- Select “settings” from the dropdown
- Customize Support:
- Click “AI Tutor”
- Enable AI Tutor for all students
- Click “Add Student” under Students in the modal
- Adjust the settings for individual students
- Apply Changes:
- Changes take effect immediately, you will notice a success message appear indicating that settings have been saved
- Only the selected student(s) will experience the customized settings
Benefits of the Improved AI Tutor
- Personalized Learning Experience: These new settings allow teachers to adjust based on individual student needs
- Enhanced Accessibility: The AI tutor is now improved to better serve diverse student populations, including ELL students and students with IEPs
- Flexible Teaching Approach: These adjustments enable teachers to align the AI tutor support with their unique instructional methods
Best Practices for Individual Customization
- Document Adjustments: Keep track of which students have customized settings and why, especially for IEP purposes!
- Regular Review: Intermittently assess if the customized settings are meeting student needs – you may find over time, a student with higher levels of AI Tutor support may need less specific hints
- Consistent Support: Ensure student-specific settings align with any other accommodations and support measures outlined in IEPs or other support plans
- Communication: Consider informing students about their personalized support levels to help them better understand their learning resources