Sign-in rule
Public assistants use public approved sources only. Student-specific topics require sign-in through the college identity provider. A failed sign-in routes to the handoff office, never to a public answer.
Guides
Build your first college assistant
Create one assistant for one job, with its own approved sources and handoff office. An assistant can be published only when every linked source is approved for that college and a handoff office is named.
Who can do this
A builder or college administrator creates the assistant. An approver who did not build it approves it. Pausing an assistant stops new answers at once and keeps past answers readable.
Step 1: Open Assistants and choose Create an assistant
Sign in and confirm your college workspace. Open Assistants. Choose Create an assistant. Check that the college shown is your college. Start with one job, such as admissions and financial aid, IT help desk, or student services.
Step 2: Name the assistant and write the welcome text
Name the assistant in plain words. Write the welcome text so a person knows which college it serves, which approved sources it uses, that it says so when it does not know, and that it can hand off to an office. Add three to five starter questions a person can try, such as a deadline or a form question.
Step 3: Choose approved sources for this college only
Add sources from the Sources list. Only sources in approved status for this college can be added. Check each source status and review date. If a source is pending, suspended, or past its review date, approve it first through Approve a source. A newly approved source is not used by an assistant until you add it to that assistant.
Step 4: Name the handoff office and write the not-known message
Choose the handoff office from the office directory for that college. Confirm the office name, phone, email, hours, and location. Write the not-known message in plain words, for example that approved sources do not cover the question and the named office can help. An assistant without a named handoff office cannot be published.
Step 5: Test three questions and submit the assistant for approval
Open the test panel and follow Test answers. Test one question the source can answer, one it cannot answer, and one that needs an office. Mark each result pass or needs work with a note. Submit the assistant for approval. Changes to a published assistant create a new draft version and need approval again before they go live.
Settings to set before you publish
Set these in Assistant builder. Blank means inherit the college default. A tone or length choice never widens the list of usable sources.
Language
Set English and Spanish where the college offers both. Keep names, dates, and numbers exact in translation drafts. Label writing and translation drafts as drafts and require a person to edit before saving.
Answer service
Choose the underlying answer service for the college at setup so the college is not tied to one vendor. Keep source approval separate from that choice. Record who changed the setting and when.
If a check fails
If a source is not approved, approve the source first. If no handoff office is named, add one from the office directory. If a test answer has no source link, do not publish. Fix the source or wording and test again. If the assistant needs a student record, require sign-in and set the data rule before you publish.
Next guide
Test each answer and check its sources before approval.