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Graduation and Retention Network

Introducing the CircleIn Study App

CircleIn logo

What is CircleIn?

CircleIn (CI) is designed to provide a flexible, digital learning platform that enables students to collaborate and seek academic support across different times and locations. It focuses on enhancing skills such as reflection, time management, note-taking, test preparation, and help-seeking, while facilitating text-based communication that aligns with students' preferences.  
 
As part of our ongoing mission to improve student learning outcomes, USC-Columbia is providing the CircleIn Study app to students, instructors, and SI leaders—at no direct cost.  

 

 

What's unique about CircleIn?

Developed through a grant through the National Science Foundation, CircleIn (CI) was built on the science of peer-led learning. CI is a mobile app that’s available 24/7, providing a place for students to study together online at any time of day or night. CircleIn fosters an interactive community where students can actively support each other's learning and development, creating a strong sense of belonging in various course formats—whether in-person, hybrid, or fully online.

CircleIn feature comparison chart titled “Who Can See It?” The chart compares visibility of features under four categories: Private, Just My Class, All Sections of the Course, and Library.  Flashcards, Resources, Shared Notes, and Questions — visible to all sections of the course and added to the library if posted by professors or experts.  Posts — visible only to the class.  Collaborative Documents — visible privately or to all sections.  AI Tutor Conversations — private, but professors can view their students’ conversations.  Direct Messages — private.  Class Chats — visible to the class.  Footnotes:  Professors’ and experts’ Flashcards, Resources, Notes, and Questions are added to the Library.  AI Tutor Conversations are private but visible to professors for their students.CI provides one place for students to chat, create and share flash cards, post class notes, ask questions, share videos, DM each other, create quizzes, study using an AI Tutor – all in a mobile app. Students can also provide weekly feedback on what they’ve learned or may not understand. This feedback goes directly to their instructors as part of their instructional strategy.  

CircleIn also incentivizes engagement through a point system that rewards students for sharing knowledge, tackling challenging problems, and collaborating with classmates, thereby providing both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for them to contribute to each other’s unique learning journeys. Students can then convert these points into gift cards. For faculty, the platform delivers valuable insights into student study behaviors without adding to their workload, enabling them to identify and address learning gaps effectively. 

 

 

Student privacy and accessibility
USC and CircleIn are committed to protecting the privacy all users, as well as ensuring that the app is designed for everyone to use. Read CircleIn’s Privacy and Accessibility statements for more details.


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