Honor Assist: Bringing Pedagogical Purpose to AI in Learning
By Dr. Jeremy DeanAt Honor, we’ve introduced AI with a clear purpose: to help instructors build more efficient and effective learning experiences without losing their unique voice.
AI holds enormous potential, but only when used thoughtfully. Many AI tools prioritize automation at the expense of authenticity. At Honor, we’ve taken a different approach. Assist was designed to complement human expertise, not replace it, helping creators bring context and care to every course they design.
Why Context Matters
Any time an instructor uses Assist, they are asked to select related course content. This is because we believe AI works best when specific context is provided. We don’t want AI outputs based on the generic content of the internet, but on the specific teaching and learning context of those involved.
Supporting Storytelling with AI
From the start, Honor was built for active learning, not for simply delivering content to be passively consumed. We’ve always encouraged instructors to bring their own voice to their courses and to teach through storytelling rather than static materials.
With Narratives, instructors can place course content within a broader story that connects and contextualizes material. We’ve integrated Assist into Narratives to help jumpstart and refine this storytelling. Starting from a single reading, video, or image, Assist helps build cohesive Narratives that introduce new material, summarize key takeaways, and include guiding questions that keep learners thinking critically.
Creating Space for Learner Voice
Another key part of Honor’s philosophy is giving learners the space to share their own voices and tell their own stories as they move through a course. As a part of this, Assist enables instructors to add in Exercises that give space for learners to share their thoughts and feelings.
With Assist, the Exercise creation process is faster and more intuitive. Instructors can generate polls, knowledge checks, and short answer questions for students to engage with, all through pedagogically grounded best practices that prompt critical thinking and personal reflection.
AI Prompts Built for Learning
Even when Assist is doing something as simple as refining existing content, it’s doing so based on best teaching practices. While Assist includes familiar writing refinements like Shorten and Formalize, it also introduces two that are unique to the learning context:
Support Learning: Reviews and revises content to ensure that key terms and concepts are clearly defined for learners.
Encourage Engagement: Adds analogies or anecdotes to make material more relatable and relevant.
These prompts were built to support comprehension and engagement, two core elements of effective learning design.
Amplifying and Empowering Instructors
As AI continues to evolve, our goal remains the same: to empower instructors with tools that honor their expertise and amplify their impact. Assist helps instructors build robust learning experiences rather than simple static content. A single article becomes part of a larger story, fostering opportunities that inspire learner understanding and curiosity, all while preserving the instructor’s unique teaching voice. With Assist, instructors don’t just save time, they create space for deeper learning and more authentic connection.
Learn more about Assist here, or get a custom demo to learn how Honor could transform your learning.