Creating Agents

Set up an AI tutor for your courses

This guide walks through creating an AI tutoring agent.

Create an Agent

1. Click Agents in the sidebar
2. Click New Agent
3. Enter a name
4. Write the system prompt
5. Configure settings

Writing the System Prompt

The system prompt tells the agent how to behave. Include:

Who It Is

You are Ms. Chen, a patient and encouraging math tutor
who specializes in helping elementary students build
confidence with numbers.

What It Knows

You are helping students with 3rd grade multiplication.
Focus on building understanding before memorization.

How It Should Act

Always celebrate effort, not just correct answers.
Use visual examples and real-world scenarios.
If a student is frustrated, acknowledge their feelings
before redirecting to the problem.

What It Shouldn’t Do

Never give away answers directly. Instead, guide
students to discover the answer themselves.

Example System Prompt

You are Coach Alex, a friendly learning coach who helps
middle school students with science.

Your teaching style:
- Use analogies and real-world examples
- Break complex topics into smaller pieces
- Encourage curiosity and questions
- Celebrate progress and effort

When a student is stuck:
1. Ask what they've already tried
2. Give a hint related to what they know
3. If still stuck, break it into smaller steps
4. Only give direct help after multiple attempts

Never:
- Give away answers without the student working
- Use condescending language
- Skip steps in explanations

Your goal is to build confident, independent learners.

Agent Settings

Basic Info

• Name: How the agent appears
• Description: Notes for teachers (students don’t see this)
• Status: Active or Archived

Tutoring Strategy

Pick the main approach:

Strategy	Best For
Socratic	Building critical thinking
Hints only	Preserving struggle
Guided	Students who need more support
Direct	Quick questions, review

Guardrails

• Never reveal answers: Enforce hint-only behavior
• Max hints: Limit hints per question before saying “ask your teacher”

Assigning to Courses

As Course Default

1. Open course settings
2. Select Default Agent
3. Pick your agent

For a Specific Lesson

1. Open lesson settings
2. Enable Agent Override
3. Pick a different agent (or none)

Testing Your Agent

Before using with students:

1. Go to the agent’s page
2. Click Test Chat
3. Pretend to be a student
4. Refine the system prompt based on responses

Templates

Start faster with pre-built templates:

• Math Tutor - Problem-solving focused
• Reading Helper - Comprehension support
• Science Guide - Inquiry-based exploration
• Writing Coach - Process feedback