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Tips for Effective Use

These practical tips will help you get the most out of Iris.

Ask Specific Questions​

The more specific your question, the more useful the answer. Compare:

Instead of...Try...
"Help me""Why does my BFS implementation fail on graphs with cycles?"
"I don't understand""Can you explain the difference between a stack and a queue using an example?"
"My code doesn't work""My code compiles but the third test case fails. What could cause an off-by-one error here?"

Specific questions help Iris target its response to exactly what you need.

Set the Right Context​

The active context decides what material Iris can draw on, so it makes a big difference:

SituationContext to set
General question about a course topicCourse
Debugging a programming exerciseThat exercise
Improving a text submissionThat text exercise
Question about a specific lectureThat lecture

You do not have to set it every time. Opening Iris from a lecture or exercise page fills it in, and Iris switches the context itself when you ask about an identifiable lecture, exercise, or course-level topic in your course. See Chat Context.

Share Your Thinking​

When asking for help, tell Iris what you have already tried or what you think the problem might be. This helps Iris avoid repeating things you already know and gives more targeted guidance.

"I think the issue is in my merge function, but I'm not sure if the problem is with the base case or the merge step."

Use Follow-Up Suggestions​

After each response, Iris may show clickable follow-up buttons below the message. These are curated next steps that can help you:

  • Dig deeper into a concept
  • Explore a related topic
  • Get a different perspective on the same problem

You are never limited to these suggestions — type your own follow-up questions whenever you want.

Rate Responses​

Use the thumbs up/down buttons on Iris responses to provide feedback. This helps improve Iris over time. If a response was not helpful, the thumbs-down lets the system learn from it.

Use Multi-Line Messages​

Press Shift+Enter to add a new line within your message. Press Enter alone to send. This is useful when you want to:

  • Ask a multi-part question
  • Provide additional context before your question
  • Format your message for readability

Start Fresh When Needed​

If a conversation has gone off track, or you are moving to something unrelated, start a new chat with the pen icon. Iris reads the recent history to understand what you are asking about, so a long conversation that has wandered across unrelated topics leads to less relevant answers.

When the new topic builds on what you were just doing, changing the context is the better move. It keeps the thread, and Iris knows the topic changed.

Know What Iris Can and Cannot Help With​

Iris can help with:

  • Course topics and concepts
  • Exercise debugging and strategy
  • Lecture content and explanations
  • Writing structure and argumentation (text exercises)
  • General programming concepts covered in your course

Iris cannot help with:

  • Exam dates, grading policies, or administrative questions (unless in course FAQs)
  • Topics outside your course content
  • Complete solutions to exercises
  • Personal advice unrelated to your coursework

Manage Your Usage Limits​

Your instructor may configure a maximum number of interactions per time period (for example, 20 messages per 24 hours). A counter in the chat header shows your current usage.

To make the most of your available messages:

  • Plan your question before typing — a well-formed question often gets a useful answer in one exchange.
  • Use follow-up suggestions instead of starting over from scratch.
  • Set the context before you ask, so the first answer already has the right material.
tip

Usage limits reset on a rolling basis. If you have reached the limit, come back later and your counter will have refreshed.

Copy and Save Useful Responses​

Click the copy icon on any Iris response to copy it to your clipboard. This is handy for saving explanations, code hints, or concept summaries to your own notes for later review.

Next Steps​