In a world where generative AI chatbots are rising in numbers as we speak, expecting to use our own brains might be the last thing to imagine. San Francisco-based AI company Anthropic has expanded its reach into students' lives by offering a new plan called Claude for Education.
The specialized version of Claude chatbot for higher education institutions comes with several features designed to be used by students, teachers, and staff members. One of the highlights is a feature called "Learning Mode."
As the name suggests, the feature "guides students' reasoning process rather than providing answers, helping develop critical thinking skills," Anthropic explained in a blog post. It lives within Projects and lets students do the thinking part instead of spitting out the answer on the first click.
For instance, in Learning Mode, Claude can ask, "How would you approach this problem?" It can use Socratic questioning to deepen understanding by prompting students with questions like "What evidence supports your conclusion?"
Anthropic's education offering comes almost a year after its rival OpenAI launched ChatGPT Edu. It also allows students to discuss assignments with a GPT trained on course materials about what they've learned, which helps them think more deeply.
Learning Mode also allows Claude to emphasize core concepts by highlighting fundamental principles behind specific problems and provide useful templates with structured formats for research papers, study guides, and outlines.
Faculty members can use the chatbot to create rubrics aligned to specific learning outcomes, generate chemistry equations with varying difficulty levels, design courses, or give individualized feedback on student essays efficiently.
Meanwhile, Claude for Education allows administrative staff to analyze enrollment trends, automate repetitive email responses to common inquiries, and convert policy documents into accessible FAQ formats.
Anthropic has signed full campus access agreements with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Northeastern University, and Champlain College, where Claude will be available to all students. It has also partnered with Internet2 and Instructure, which are among the leading organizations working in the education technology sector.
The AI company notes that Northeastern was the first university in the US to develop an entire academic plan focused on AI and its applications for future learning. It's the first university partner to collaborate with Anthropic, offering Claude access to over 50,000 students, faculty, and staff across 13 global campuses.
Launching two new programs for students, Anthropic said that student developers building projects with Claude can apply for funding in the form of API credits. Its campus ambassadors program will allow students to work directly with the Anthropic team to launch educational initiatives on their campus.
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