OneTutor Guide for Learners

What is OneTutor?

OneTutor is an AI-powered learning assistant that knows only your specific course materials.

You won't get random, hallucinated answers from the depths of the internet, just targeted explanations drawn directly from the documents your instructor uploaded.

Two main features are at your disposal:

💬 Chat: Ask questions about lecture content, complex concepts, or organizational topics. The AI answers and shows you exactly which document and page the information came from.
📝 Quiz: Practice with questions that your instructor has reviewed and approved. You get instant feedback and can even request step-by-step guidance to find the right answer—even for open-ended text responses.

Logging In & Finding Your Course

1. Logging In

You don't need to create a new account. Simply log in using your university credentials via Single Sign-On (SSO). ➡️ Go to app.onetutor.ai and search for your institution.

💡 Tip: Many universities have their own dedicated address (e.g., lmu.onetutor.ai). Your instructor will usually provide you with this direct link.

2. Finding Your Course

There are two ways to access your course:

Direct Access: Click the direct link or scan the QR code provided by your instructor (often found in Moodle, Canvas, or Blackboard).
App Search: Use the search bar inside the app and type in your course name.

💡 Tip: If you haven't received a link, ask your instructor. Courses do not always appear automatically in the public directory.

How does OneTutor work Step-by-Step?

Log In:
- Open app.onetutor.ai
- log in with your university account.
Search for the Course
- Click the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner
- find your course
- optional: enter the password if your instructor provided one.
Enroll
1. Open the course
2. click the green enroll icon to enroll in the course
Start Learning:
Dive into the course to:
- take quizzes
- ask questions
- clarify complex topics
- close your knowledge gaps

Using the Chat

The chat answers your questions based strictly on your course materials—and always includes precise source citations.

What you can ask:

Content questions: e.g. "Explain the difference between X and Y."
Comprehension checks: e.g. "I don't understand slide 12. Can you explain it in a different way?"
Organizational queries: e.g. "When is the deadline to submit the essay?" (provided the instructor has added this info).

Why the AI sometimes says "I don't know":

Some courses are configured tightly so that the AI answers strictly based on the provided material. If your question isn't covered in the documents, the AI will tell you directly. This isn't a bug, it is a feature designed to prevent misleading information.

💡 Tip: Specific questions work much better. Asking "What is the difference between nominal and real GDP?" will yield a great answer every time, whereas "Explain Chapter 3" is too broad.

Learning with Quiz Questions

The platform features two types of questions:

Multiple Choice: Select the correct answer from the options.
Free Text / Open-Ended: Type out your answer in your own words. The AI will evaluate your response and point out what might be missing.

💡 Tip: Free-text questions require more effort, but they are significantly more effective for long-term learning and retention.

Where do the questions come from?

The questions are initially drafted by the AI but are thoroughly reviewed, tweaked, and approved by your instructor. You can trust that they align perfectly with your exam topics.

When should you use the Quiz?

Right after a lecture: Find out what you actually understood while the material is fresh.
Before an exam: Pinpoint your remaining knowledge gaps.
On the go: 5 minutes are more than enough for a quick session.

💡 Tip: Start quizzing early in the semester rather than right before the exam. Regular practice almost always beats last-minute cramming.

OneTutor vs. ChatGPT/ Gemini/ Claude: What’s the Difference?

While both are AI-powered tools, they are built for entirely different purposes.

Feature	OneTutor	ChatGPT/ Gemini/ Claude
Knowledge Base	Only your course materials. It won't pull random facts from the web.	The entire internet (up to its last training cutoff).
Reliability	High. It provides exact document and page citations for every answer.	Variable. It can hallucinate facts that sound plausible but are completely incorrect.
Data Privacy	GDPR-compliant. Your inputs are secure and never used to train external models.	Inputs are often used by default to train future commercial models.
Quiz Quality	All questions are verified and approved by your actual professor.	Questions are generated completely on the fly without academic verification.