ABCs of How We Learn

Field	Value
Status	🟢 Active
Category	Build-a-Bot
What	Educational chatbots explaining learning science concepts from Dan Schwartz’s ABCs of How We Learn
Website	bot101.app/abcs
Contact	Cathy Chase (primary user), Dan Schwartz (author)
Next Action	Follow up with Microsoft (Anoo Padte & Max Fritz) - met Dec 17, 2025
Tags	[BRIDGE-BUILD] [TOOLBOX] [CO-CREATE]

Context

Connection from EdTech Summit. Discussed Build-a-Bot/ABCs. Need to follow up on next steps.

Recent Updates (Feb 2026)

Cathy Chase oncology faculty training (Feb 14)

Cathy is using ABCs bots to train 12-15 oncology faculty on learning science principles. She’s been teaching them 10 of the 26 principles from Dan’s book. Using the bots as a summative/reflective activity — faculty explore the bots and use them to redesign instruction incorporating learning science principles.

Feature updates (Feb 11-12)

• Bug fix: Fixed editing — users can now click blocks and edit text directly
• Multi-perspective conversations: Can now add up to 5 bots to a single conversation. The active bot incorporates all added perspectives in its responses. (“Add to the conversation” feature)
• Prompt refinements based on Cathy’s feedback (feedback doc):
  • Analogy Annie — now asks the learner to explain the connection instead of explaining it herself
  • Contrast Carl — vary only 1-3 key features at a time, hold everything else constant
  • Deliberate Dana — diagnostic-first approach, targeting subskills at the edge of learner’s reach
  • Generator Grace — explicit boundary: stay focused on retrieval, don’t drift into elaboration (that’s Elaboration Eddie’s territory)
  • Knowledge Keeper — strengthened innovation-first ordering (“ALWAYS, must not be reversed”)