Generative AI’s Study mode – a support for studies
OpenAI recently launched the “Study mode” feature, designed to provide students with more support in their learning rather than simply giving direct answers. “Study mode” allows students to ask questions and discuss course content in a more dialog-based way, where the AI adapts to the student's level and needs. As a teacher, it can be useful to know how the tool works, so that you can show your students how to use it in a way that supports their learning. Note that there are several other generative AI tools offering similar features. Here, we focus on ChatGPT’s “Study mode”.
What is “Study mode”?
"Study mode" provides access to a more structured way of studying and is designed to be more interactive and support a more active and reflective approach to learning. Unlike the regular ChatGPT mode, its main purpose is not to give quick answers but to encourage students to think further, ask follow-up questions, do quiz-like exercises, and understand the reasoning behind a solution. “Study mode” can, for example, suggest step-by-step explanations, ask the user to create their own examples, or compare different approaches. In this way, it can help students develop their understanding of both the subject content and their own learning.
As a teacher, you can encourage students to use “Study mode” as a complement to your teaching. It can, for example, be used to prepare for seminars, to support self-study, or for exam preparation.
As always, it is important to think critically. “Study mode” is not a substitute for personal guidance from teachers or for course literature, but works best as a complementary tool for reasoning, practice, and clarifying ideas. Since the generated answers can be inaccurate, students should compare them with the course materials.
For more information about “Study mode”, see OpenAI’s page about “Introducing study mode” .
Tip! Another example is Google Gemini’s “Guided Learning”. Google Gemini currently has an offer available until December 8, allowing students to access Gemini Pro for one year, but “Guided Learning” is available in both the free and Pro versions. If you want more information about the offer, you can read about it on Google Gemini’s page about getting Google AI Pro for a year .
How students can use “Study mode”
“Study mode” can be used to:
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get explanations of difficult terms or formulas,
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practice for exams through interactive questions and examples,
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ask for explanations at different difficulty levels,
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get help planning your studies or understanding how different parts of the course are connected
To achieve the best result possible, it is important that the student formulates their prompt clearly, for example by explaining their current level and prior knowledge. It can also be helpful to include open information, such as parts of the course syllabus. In this way, “Study mode” is less likely to function merely as an answer generator and instead becomes an active support in the learning process.
Examples
“Explain derivatives as if I were a beginner in calculus in one variable”
or
“Ask three practice questions about the energy principle and explain the answers step by step.”