CircleIn and AI Tutor
The Student-Led Study Community & Virtual Academic Assistant
CircleIn is a digital peer-to-peer study space that functions like a virtual library or coffee shop, allowing students to form study groups, share notes, and collaborate remotely.
What’s New for Fall 2026: Following a successful pilot, the University of North Dakota has expanded its 5-year partnership with CircleIn. The platform—including its new integrated AI Tutor—is now automatically available to ALL students in undergraduate and graduate courses across all colleges.
Faculty Quick Facts: What You Need to Know
- Minimal Administrative Lift: You do not need to build, manage, or moderate CircleIn. It automatically syncs with your Blackboard course shells. All that’s needed is for you to upload your syllabus.
- AI Guardrails: The integrated AI Tutor is built strictly for higher education. It is programmed never to give students answers. Instead, it guides them through problem-solving steps to ensure authentic learning. Learn more here.
- Actionable Insights: Instructors can access the AI Tutor Analytics to see anonymized student study trends, frequently asked questions, and concepts where students are struggling.
Faculty Toolkit & Resources
You're automatically added to CircleIn—all you need to do is download the app and sign in with your UND credentials.
Resources to introduce CircleIn to your students on Day 1 without adding to your workload.
- Utilize Fall 2026 CircleIn Syllabus Statement
- CircleIn Student Introduction Video
- CircleIn Student Welcome Guide
- Faculty CircleIn Intro Videos: These videos give a quick introduction to CircleIn and show how it can support student engagement, collaboration, and academic support without adding to faculty workload.
- Student Email Invitation Template
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Support & Contacts
- For Faculty Pedagogical Support: Contact the Teaching Transformation and Development Academy (TTaDA) at und.academic.technology@UND.edu or call 701.777.2129.
- For Technical & App Support: Students and faculty can contact CircleIn directly at support@circleinapp.com or access the CircleIn Knowledge Base.