Get Started with MerryQuery

Step 1: Register for an Account

Visit the Website: Go to mq.dk-lab.xyz.
Create Your Account: Click the Register button located at the top right corner of the homepage. A registration page will appear; click on the Register tab if you’re not already there.
Fill in the Registration Form: Complete the form, selecting the role you wish to test: Teacher or Student.
- Important Note: If you want to test the Student role, ensure that you or one of your classmates has already registered as a Teacher, created a course, uploaded materials, and shared the course joining code with you.
Log into Your Profile: After registration, log in using the username and password you created.

Access Your Dashboard: Once logged in, look to the left side of your screen to find the sidebar. You will see an icon that looks like a piece of paper. Click on that.
Create a New Course: Click on Add Course. A form will appear where you should input the following: Course Name, Course Number, Course Description, Image URL (if you’d like to display a course image). Fill out all these and submit to create your course.

Navigate to Your Course: After creating your course, it will appear on your dashboard. You’ll notice a gear-like icon at the bottom left of the course card. Click on that icon to open more options.
Select Add/Remove Materials: A menu will pop up. From the options, choose Add/Remove Materials to begin uploading files and organizing your course content.
Create or Select an Agent: At the top of the File Manager, click on the blue dropdown. Select Create a New Agent. This allows you to create agents with similar course settings and materials that can be used across different courses.
Configure the Agent:
- Set the GenAI Assistance Level (1–5): Control how much help the AI provides, from Level 1 (concepts and pseudocode only) to Level 5 (full working solutions).
- Assign Workspace-Specific Documents: Upload separate document sets for Study Coach mode and Practice mode, so each workspace draws from the right materials.
- Note 1: Course-related documents like the syllabus can be exempt from workspace-specific restrictions if the instructor chooses. During the upload process, there is an option to determine that.
- Note 2: You can always access these settings and change the GenAI level or workspace documents later.
Upload Files: Click on Upload File. You can either drag and drop the files into the upload area or click to browse files on your computer. After uploading each file, click Submit to finalize your additions.

Generate a Course Invitation Code: If you’re an instructor, you can generate an invitation code for students to join. Navigate to the course, click on the gear icon at the bottom left of the course card, and choose the Roster option.
You’ll see an option to Enable Invitation Code. Once enabled, a code will be generated automatically, which you can copy and share with students.
Join a Course as a Student: If you are testing MerryQuery as a student, enter this code by clicking on the Join button on your dashboard, and you’ll gain access to the materials associated with that course.
Manage TAs and Roles: Instructors can invite TAs and graders with scoped, role-based permissions. TAs get a dedicated interface for their responsibilities.

Access the Chat Feature: On your course card, click the Chat button located at the bottom of the course description to begin setting up a chat session.
Select an Agent: In the chat interface, locate the dropdown menu near the top-left corner to select the agent for your chat session. If no agent is available, create a new agent as needed.
Create a New Chat Session: To initiate a new conversation, click the plus button (+) next to the dropdown menu, which will open a prompt to start a new chat.
Name Your Chat Session: Assign a name to the chat session. Choose a descriptive name related to the discussion topic (e.g., “Homework Help” or “Project Discussion”).
Start Chatting: Once you’ve named the session, click on the chat name to open the conversation. You are now ready to start chatting with the agent and ask questions!

Access the Teacher Dashboard: On your course card, click on the gear icon located at the bottom left of the course card.
From the menu that appears, select Teacher Dashboard to access the full analytics suite.
View Engagement Analytics: The dashboard provides student engagement metrics, struggle detection, keyword analysis, time-slot usage breakdowns (morning/afternoon/evening/late night), concept difficulty tracking, and topic performance charts.
Review Individual Conversations: Drill into individual student conversations from the Instructor Review page to see detailed chat histories.

Open Agent Settings: Navigate to your course and open the agent configuration from the File Manager.
Choose a GenAI Level (1–5):
- Level 1 — Idea Spark: Concepts and pseudocode only, no executable code.
- Level 2 — Code Check: Style and readability feedback without writing code for the student.
- Level 3 — Debug Helper: Identifies bugs, explains why they occur, and suggests minimal fixes.
- Level 4 — Co-Builder: Provides one small code snippet at a time; pauses for the student to try it before continuing.
- Level 5 — AI Only: Full working solutions, labeled as study-only (not for course submission).
Save Settings: The level applies per agent/assignment, so you can set different levels for different activities.

Understand Workspace Modes: MerryQuery offers two workspace modes — Study and Practice — each with its own set of uploaded documents.
Assign Documents to Each Mode: When uploading course materials, specify whether each document belongs to the Study workspace, the Practice workspace, or both.
How Students Use Modes: Students access Study Coach mode for guided study coaching and the Practice page for generating exam-style questions which are two tasks designed to teach students how to engineer good prompts and reflect on GenAI response.