Customize your assistant
Tune the tone, pick an AI model, control answer length and creativity, and decide whether answers cite their sources.
Once your assistant is answering questions, you’ll want to shape how it responds. Open your assistant’s settings to adjust any of the following. Changes take effect right away.
The instructions field
This is the single biggest lever you have. The instructions tell the assistant how to behave. A few ideas you can add:
- Set the tone — warm and encouraging, formal, Socratic, concise.
- Set boundaries — “Only answer using the course materials,” or “Don’t give away full solutions to homework; give hints instead.”
- Handle gaps gracefully — “If the answer isn’t in the materials, say so and point the student to office hours.”
Choosing a model
The model is the AI engine that writes the answers. Several are available, and they all work the same way from your point of view — you don’t need to know the technical differences.
Stick with the default
The default model is a well-rounded choice that works for most courses. When in doubt, leave it.
Try another if needed
If answers feel too short, too long, or off-tone, switch models and compare. It’s a safe experiment — nothing else changes.
Creativity and answer length
Creativity
Lower keeps answers focused and consistent — best for factual course content. Higher makes wording more varied and exploratory.
Answer length
A ceiling on answer length. Raise it for detailed explanations; lower it to keep answers short and to the point.
Show sources
Turn Show sources on and every answer lists which of your materials it drew from. This helps students verify answers and go read the original passage. It’s a great trust-builder for academic use.
Appearance (for embedded assistants)
If you embed the assistant on a website, you can match it to your site’s look:
- Light or dark theme
- Position — bottom-right or bottom-left corner
- Button and chat colors
Next: Share and embed
Give students a link or drop the assistant into your course site.