Skip to main content

Instructional Support Level

The instructional support level decides how much Iris gives away when it helps a student. It is a single per-course setting with three values, and it is the most consequential pedagogical choice you make about Iris: the same student question draws a very different answer at each level.

Where to Configure​

The support level is set in the Iris settings on your course overview page, alongside custom instructions and the other Iris configuration.

The setting applies to the whole course. Moderate is the default, and a course that has never been configured behaves as if Moderate were chosen explicitly.

The Three Levels​

The settings page shows an example conversation at each level, using the same student question throughout, so you can compare the levels directly rather than in the abstract.

Low​

Iris responds only with high-level counter-questions that redirect students back to their own reasoning.

Student: My sorting algorithm is not working. Can you help?

Iris: What sorting algorithm are you implementing? What output do you get when you trace through your code with a small input like [3, 1, 2]?

Best suited for advanced courses where independent problem-solving is a core learning objective.

Moderate​

Iris asks guiding questions and provides targeted hints to help students work through problems. This is the default.

Student: My sorting algorithm is not working. Can you help?

Iris: Let us work through this step by step. Can you describe what your algorithm should do with the input [3, 1, 4, 1, 5]? Walk me through the first pass.

Best suited for courses where students have some experience but benefit from concrete nudges and contextual pointers.

High​

Iris provides step-by-step explanations with analogies and small code examples to illustrate concepts.

Student: My sorting algorithm is not working. Can you help?

Iris: That IndexOutOfBoundsException is coming from your inner loop — the one that walks the array on each pass. It means the loop asked for a position that is one past the end.

Here is the idea. Java arrays are zero-indexed: an array of length 5 has valid positions 0 through 4, so the last valid index is always one less than the length. Picture a row of five numbered lockers starting at 0 — asking for locker 5 finds a wall.

Here is the shape of it in an unrelated setting — counting rainfall readings:

// valid readings live at 0 .. readings.length - 1
for (int day = 0; day < readings.length; day++) { ... }

So look at your inner loop's stopping condition and ask: on the very last pass, what index does it allow, and is that index still inside the array? Trace it with a five-element array and write down the last value the loop reaches.

Best suited for introductory courses where students are new to programming and need clear and approachable explanations.

Choosing a Level​

Reading the three examples against each other is the quickest way to decide. The same question — a sorting algorithm that does not work — draws a bare counter-question at Low, a walk-through invitation at Moderate, and at High a full explanation of the underlying concept with the faulty line localised, stopping short of the corrected condition itself.

The choice is about what the exercise is meant to teach, not about how capable your students are:

  • If working the problem out unaided is the learning objective, Low protects it. A hint at the wrong moment removes the exercise.
  • If students are stuck on incidental obstacles rather than the concept you are teaching — build errors, language syntax, tooling — High removes the obstacle without giving away the concept.
  • Moderate is the sensible starting point when you are unsure. Adjust once you have seen how your students actually use Iris.
warning

The support level applies to the entire course. It cannot be set per exercise. If one exercise is meant to be worked out unaided while the rest of the course benefits from more help, say so in that exercise's problem statement — the support level cannot carve it out.

What the Level Does Not Change​

The support level shapes how much Iris explains. It does not remove the limits that apply at every level.

info

Iris is globally restricted from providing complete solutions or full code blocks, regardless of your settings. High is not a way to turn Iris into a solution generator, and this restriction is not one you can relax.

The support level is also not a content setting. What Iris knows about your course comes from your lecture materials and FAQs; what tone and emphasis it uses comes from your custom instructions. A High support level cannot compensate for material Iris has never seen.

Support Level and Custom Instructions​

The two settings work together and are worth keeping distinct:

SettingWhat it controls
Support levelHow much Iris gives away — questions, hints, or explanations
Custom instructionsWhat Iris should emphasize, and in what style and language

Use custom instructions for things a general tutor cannot know — which language version your course uses, which of two conventions you teach, where to send students for background. Do not use them to restate the support level; if you want less help given away, lower the level rather than instructing Iris to hold back.

Next Steps​