Getting started
Open the chatbot link
Your professor will share a public URL for the chatbot — typically posted on Canvas, Blackboard, or your course website. Click the link to open the chat interface in your browser.
You do not need to create an account. The chatbot is publicly accessible to anyone with the link.
Type your question
Enter your question in the text field at the bottom of the chat window and press Enter or click the send button.The chatbot searches the lecture transcripts for the most relevant content and generates a response using that material.
Review the answer and citations
Your answer will appear in the chat along with up to three source citations. Each citation links directly to the moment in the lecture video where the information comes from. See Understanding citations for more detail.
What the chatbot knows
The chatbot only knows what is in the lecture videos your professor uploaded. It cannot answer questions about:- Topics not covered in the course lectures
- Readings, slides, or assignments that were not added as video sources
- General knowledge outside the uploaded content
Tips for effective questions
The quality of your questions directly affects the quality of the answers you get. The chatbot uses semantic search to find relevant lecture segments, so specific questions return more targeted results.Be specific about the topic
Be specific about the topic
Vague questions cast a wide net and may surface less relevant content. Narrow your question to the concept you’re actually trying to understand.
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| ”Explain sorting" | "What is the time complexity of merge sort?" |
| "Tell me about cells" | "How does the mitochondria produce ATP?" |
| "What did the lecture say?" | "What are the three types of market failure discussed in lecture 4?” |
Ask about things covered in lectures
Ask about things covered in lectures
If your professor uploaded lecture videos covering specific topics, those are the best subjects to ask about. The chatbot will have strong coverage of anything your professor explained on camera.If you’re not sure whether something was covered, ask directly: “Was the traveling salesman problem covered in the lectures?”
Use follow-up questions for depth
Use follow-up questions for depth
The chatbot maintains conversation context throughout your session. After an initial answer, you can ask follow-up questions without restating the topic:
- “Can you give me an example of that?”
- “What’s the difference between that and [related concept]?”
- “Which lecture does that come from?”
Ask for clarification or examples
Ask for clarification or examples
If an answer is unclear, ask the chatbot to rephrase or illustrate it:
- “Can you explain that more simply?”
- “Give me a concrete example.”
- “What does [term] mean in this context?”
Understanding your answer
Each response includes the answer text and a list of citations showing which lecture segments were used to generate it. The citations include the video title and a timestamped link that opens the lecture at the exact moment where the information appears.Understanding citations
Learn how source citations work and how to use them to verify and explore answers
For professors
See how professors build and configure course chatbots