Featured Activities

Professor Assistant includes four evidence-informed activity types. Below, you’ll see what each activity does, what it helps students achieve, and the learning research it’s built on. Students join with a code—no registration required.

Socratic Discussion

A structured dialogue where students engage with competing viewpoints and defend their reasoning. Instead of “getting the answer,” students practice explaining, questioning, and refining ideas in conversation.

What students do
  • Read a short reference text
  • Choose a side and respond in rounds
  • Build arguments with evidence and clarity
What you get
  • A transcript of student reasoning
  • Clear signals of misconceptions and gaps
  • Classroom-ready discussion momentum
Research basis
Socratic questioning has been associated with gains in higher-order thinking and engagement in classroom settings. See research examples in Chemistry Education Research and Practice and BMC Medical Education.

Open-ended Discussion

A guided, conversational activity around a question you provide (or AI helps generate). Students explore ideas in their own words, clarify thinking, and develop confidence expressing understanding.

What students do
  • Respond to an open prompt in a dialogue
  • Explain reasoning, examples, and connections
  • Reflect and refine ideas as the conversation progresses
What you get
  • A full discussion transcript per student
  • Richer evidence of understanding than multiple choice
  • A low-friction way to prompt reflection
Research basis
Open-ended prompts are commonly recommended for encouraging student explanation, curiosity, and deeper thinking. See examples from Responsive Classroom and ASCD.

Spaced Retrieval

Retrieval practice designed to strengthen memory and understanding. Students answer factual and reasoning questions one at a time, building durable knowledge rather than short-term cramming.

What students do
  • Answer questions derived from your text
  • Practice both factual recall and reasoning
  • Stay focused with short per-question timers
What you get
  • Per-question correctness and feedback
  • A clear picture of what stuck (and what didn’t)
  • A fast way to reinforce key ideas
Research basis
Spacing and retrieval practice are well-established learning strategies. See an overview in Nature Reviews Psychology and a STEM meta-analysis in International Journal of STEM Education.

Revision

Students write an initial response, receive feedback, then revise. This activity supports clearer thinking, stronger writing, and deeper understanding through iteration.

What students do
  • Submit a first response
  • Use feedback to improve and revise
  • Submit a second response for review
What you get
  • Before/after writing you can compare quickly
  • A record of growth and misconceptions
  • A grading-ready submission workflow
Research basis
Timely, specific feedback supports revision and learning. For an example of LLM-assisted feedback on open-ended responses, see arXiv:2308.02439.