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)
No. CircleIn is entirely student-led. However, historical data shows that courses with the highest student engagement and success rates are those where the instructor explicitly includes it in the syllabus or reminds students about it before exams.
CircleIn features strict anti-cheating protocols. The AI Tutor operates on a Socratic method (asking questions rather than giving answers). Furthermore, the app includes robust, automated anti-bullying and healthy community filters to maintain a professional learning environment.
You can log in to insights.circleinapp.com using your standard UND single sign-on credentials to see trackable outcomes and engagement data for your specific course sections.
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 Support Center.