Iskra — classroom chat

Iskra is the controllable AI chat for a whole class. It is a separate tool from the AI Assistant (the bubble available to every student) — a teacher turns Iskra on and configures it per class, and its behaviour can be tuned to the students' level.

Iskra lives at /dashboard/iskra and runs in two modes:

• Student — a chat window with Iskra.
• Teacher / owner — a control panel (configuration, oversight, metrics).

For students — how to use Iskra

• Where to find it — in the left sidebar, if your teacher enabled Iskra for your class.
• Ask in plain language — Iskra answers like a patient tutor: explains in simple words, shows short examples, and encourages you to try it yourself.
• You don't pick a model — Iskra chooses the best way to answer your question. You just type.
• Attachments — if your teacher allows it, you can attach a screenshot or file (e.g. a code snippet) so Iskra sees the exact problem.
• Chat sessions — your conversations are saved as separate sessions, so you can return to an earlier explanation and keep learning.
• Limits — the number of messages per day depends on the class settings your teacher chose.

How Iskra "thinks"

A teacher can switch Iskra into advanced mode (orchestration) for a class. In that mode, before Iskra answers, for every question it:

1. Analyses — what the student really wants to know, and whether they're frustrated.
2. Chooses how to teach — give a ready example, or guide with questions instead.
3. Answers — briefly, at the student's level.
4. Checks itself — and improves the answer if it was unclear or too hard.

In basic mode Iskra simply answers with a single model — fast and straightforward. Switching modes needs no code change and doesn't affect other classes.

Teacher panel — per-class configuration

Every class has its own Iskra settings (panel at /dashboard/iskra, teacher/owner access):

Setting	What it does
Enabled	Whether Iskra is visible to the class at all.
Allowed models	The list of AI models Iskra may use.
Extra prompt	Your own instructions for Iskra in this class (e.g. style, topic scope).
Limits	Daily message limit and sending rate.
Advanced mode	The master switch: basic ↔ orchestration.
Model-selection profile	economy / balanced / quality first.
Attachments	Whether students can attach files, and which kinds.

Iskra can also be turned on or off for the whole organization with a single setting.

Metrics & oversight (teacher)

In the Iskra tab of the metrics area (/dashboard/insights?sub=iskra) a teacher/owner sees — read-only:

• daily cost and a per-model breakdown,
• how often answers were corrected or escalated,
• student ratings (thumbs up / down),
• response time,
• the topics students most often struggle with.

Teacher intelligence (signals)

Iskra can summarise weekly where students need help — without reading private conversations by name. Signals detected:

Signal	What it means
Repeated confusion	A student keeps getting stuck on the same topic.
Frustration cluster	A run of conversations with clear frustration.
Possible misconception	A student is reinforcing an incorrect understanding.
Over-reliance on answers	A student mostly asks for ready-made answers.
Topic mastery improving	A student moved from confused to understanding.
Content gap	Questions with no matching material in the lessons.

Signals and weekly summaries are in the Teacher intelligence tab (/dashboard/insights?sub=iskra-intelligence): filters, summaries, marking a signal as resolved. Teachers see only students in their own groups; owners see all.

Safety & privacy

• Iskra stays on programming-learning topics.
• Message limits protect against abuse and keep costs in check.
• The "teacher intelligence" analysis runs on signals and metrics — it supports the student, it isn't a grading tool.
• The teacher controls everything per class: whether Iskra is on, which models, which limits, which mode.

Plans

The full Iskra experience (control panel, metrics, teacher intelligence) is intended for the Teacher and School plans.