ChatGPT Edu Onboarding Guides | AI Competency Centre

This tab is for users that have no experience or limited experience with ChatGPT. It covers basic information on the structure of the ChatGPT interface. 

This powerful tool offers revolutionary support for work cases spanning administration, research, education, and beyond. Its chief limitation is user imagination. It is one of the jobs of the AI and Machine Learning Competency Centre to help new and experienced users alike explore these possibilities.

Fundamentally, ChatGPT works by a call-and-response kind of conversational interface. The user sends a request or statement to the AI (called a “prompt”) and then the AI responds to that prompt in a way that resembles a text message conversation.

ChatGPT Chat Interface

The main chat interface has several major parts. The most important is labeled “Message ChatGPT”. This is where you click to type in your message and “talk” to the AI. 

The other five elements are labeled below:

1. Switch which “model” you want to use: Think of the *model* as the particular AI brain that you want to talk to. They range in terms of abilities and intelligence. In the image above the model GPT-5 is selected - this is ChatGPT's flagship model released in August 2025.
2. Attach files: You can upload upload directly from your machine or pull them in from OneDrive or Google Drive.
3. Choose tools: ChatGPT offers a variety of tools that can enhance the conversation with the AI in interesting ways. 
   1. Study Mode is a feature that facilitates step-by-step learning through guided prompts, hints, and knowledge checks rather than direct answers.
   2. Image creation is a function that lets you ask the AI for a picture and it will create one for you.
   3. Web Search is a function that allows ChatGPT to search the internet for information and links.
   4. Canvas is a tool that lets you edit text that the AI generates. This is useful if you are drafting content like a letter where you may want the AI to edit specific parts, sentences, or words without rewriting the whole document.
4. Dictate is a function that allows you to dictate your prompt rather than type it out
5. Start Advanced Voice Mode: This is a mode that allows the user to speak directly to the AI and receive responses via speech. You will know that Advanced Voice Mode is activated because a blue circle will appear on the screen. The transcription of your conversation will be available in the chat after you exit out of this mode.

ChatGPT Extended Interface

Beyond the chat window, ChatGPT offers additional functionality across the platform.

1. Start New chat. This button allows you to start a new conversation from scratch.
2. Hide/Open Chat History Sidebar. This button allows you to hide the entire left-hand sidebar to focus exclusively on the conversation that you are currently having with the AI.
3. Chat history. This section catalogues a list of your past conversations with the AI. ChatGPT will automatically name these conversations based on the content of what you have discussed with the AI. If you wish to rename them, hover over the name and then click the three dots which will reveal options to rename and archive that conversation.
4. Search chat history. This function allows you to search through all of your past conversations at once, so that you can find all the conversations that relate to a specific topic. This can be super handy if you recall having a conversation about a certain topic, but you can't find it in your chat history.
5. Explore GPTs. Custom GPTs are ready-to-go conversations with the AI that are already primed with context and background information. Once you initiate one of these custom GPTs, you'll be able to hit the ground running to get useful responses from the AI that may have otherwise taken a while to elicit in a normal conversation window.
6. Settings. Settings contain a lot of useful features that are applicable to more advanced applications.

ChatGPT Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Type / in chat to quickly choose tools
2. Type @ in chat to call a recently used GPT
3. Type Cmd/Ctrl + / to see a list of other keyboard shortcuts

Next part of the onboarding

Congratulations! You have finished the first part of the onboarding. By this point, you should feel fairly comfortable:

1. Starting new conversations
2. Browsing the history of your past conversations
3. Using some of the tools available in the conversation window
4. Maybe even using a Custom GPT or two in your workflow

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has created a series of useful onboarding videos for beginner users, you can view these in the next tab.

If you are a brand new user of ChatGPT, you many find the following videos useful. These are recordings offered by OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) to onboard new users.

ChatGPT 101

ChatGPT 102

For new users who want to get onboarded quickly, the following links offer a step by step overview of basic concepts and prompting practices.

OpenAI, LLMs and ChatGPT

Multimodality Explained

Introduction to Prompt Engineering

Introduction to GPTs

ChatGPT Search

Advanced Prompt Engineering

ChatGPT for Data Analysis

Putting AI to Work series

This section offers a series of videos that are focused on how to use ChatGPT in the context of work. If you want to skip over the background knowledge and jump right into an overview of how to use ChatGPT Edu in your workflow, check out these videos.

🔗 Put AI to Work: Lessons from Hundreds of Successful Deployments

🔗 Put AI to Work for Marketing Teams

🔗 Put AI to Work: Automate and Scale Financial Operations

Next part of the onboarding

Congratulations! You have finished the second part of the onboarding. By this point, you should feel fairly comfortable:

1. Multimodality
2. Prompting
3. Search
4. Data analysis

For users who are already experienced with ChatGPT and want more advanced onboarding to ChatGPT, we have collected the following resources.

Tips and tricks for building Custom GPTs

These next resources are focused on offering tips and tricks for building Custom GPTs which are AI Bots in ChatGPT that are tailored to execute specific tasks with a relatively high degree of reliability.

🔗 Key Guidelines for Writing Instructions for Custom GPTs

🔗 GPTs for Business Cookbook

🔗 OpenAI Cookbook

Next part of the onboarding

Congratulations on completing your onboarding journey with ChatGPT Edu! You have finished the fourth part of the onboarding. By this point, you should feel fairly comfortable:

1. Building Custom GPTs
2. Using GPT for data analysis

To continue your exploration and learning with like-minded individuals, we invite you to join the AI Special Interest Group (SIG) hosted on Microsoft Teams.

This community is a collaborative space for educators, researchers, and professionals who are passionate about leveraging AI in education. As a SIG member, you’ll gain access to:

• Engaging Discussions: Join thought-provoking conversations and exchange insights with a diverse group of peers.
• Exclusive Resources: Explore curated materials, tips, and guides to maximize your use of ChatGPT in educational settings.
• Workshops & Events: Participate in regular webinars, live demos, and collaborative sessions to deepen your understanding and expand your skills.
• Expert Support: Benefit from direct access to AI Consultants from the AI Competency Centre, who are available to support you in integrating and innovating with AI tools like ChatGPT.

We look forward to welcoming you to this dynamic community!

From September 2025, all staff and students at the University of Oxford have free access to a ChatGPT Edu account through their University SSO (Single-Sign On).

What features are available in the University of Oxford ChatGPT Edu workspace?

Within the University's ChatGPT Edu workspace, which all staff and students now have access to through individual SSO-linked ChatGPT Edu accounts, access to features will be subject to internal governance and decision-making based on business need.

Following the rollout of ChatGPT Edu in September 2025, you can expect to have access to the following features via your SSO-linked ChatGPT Edu account:

ChatGPT models:

• GPT-5
• GPT-5 Thinking
• GPT-4o
• GPT-5-mini

Specific tools within ChatGPT Edu:

• Study mode
• Image generation
• Web search
• Canvas
• Voice mode
• Codex (for staff only)

Custom GPT functionality:

• Creating and managing custom GPTs
• Sharing custom GPTs to the University's workspace and externally (please refer to guidance on sharing custom GPTs)
• Access to custom GPTs shared in the University's workspace (this does not apply to third-party GPTs due to data concerns)

Having trouble with your ChatGPT Edu account?

1. Consider first seeking support from the company whose product you're using:
   ChatGPT Edu: For access and activation queries, please use the OpenAI help portal. You can use the chat at the bottom of the page to ask questions and connect with support by clicking on the Message tab. If you are unable to resolve your issue through the help portal, then you should contact OpenAI support directly by email at support@OpenAI.com.
   
   If your query is about whether an outage is affecting your connection to a particular tool, try the relevant status pages:
   - OpenAI Status page for ChatGPT Edu
2. For simple queries regarding University-supported GenAI tools and support, use the AI Competency Centre chatbot to be directed to relevant information.
3. For support accessing AI services, contact the Central IT Service Desk. 

Connect with Oxford AI Community

You are welcome to join Oxford’s AI community. Join the AI SIG (Special Interest Group) for broader AI discussions and connect with the BUG (Builders User Group) if you’re a builder. Become an AI Ambassador if you would like to assist with the implementation of AI at Oxford and share knowledge within your team.

💡 Special Interest Group (SIG)

Link: Generative AI SIG | General | Microsoft Teams

The SIG serves as the broad, University-wide community for exploring generative AI’s impact on teaching, research, and innovation. It’s ideal for:

• Discussing AI use in education and professional settings.
• Connecting with others across disciplines.
• Accessing updates, learning resources, and events.

🛠️ Builders User Group (BUG)

Link: AI-BUG - AI Builders User Group | General | Microsoft Teams

The BUG is specifically for developers, engineers, and AI builders interested in:

• Running local models, APIs, and custom bots.
• Sharing tools, frameworks, and open-source projects.

If you’re focused on development, experimentation, and implementation, the BUG is your dedicated space.

🤖 AI Ambassadors

Link: AI Ambassadors

The AI Ambassadors are active AI users from across the collegiate University who are happy to be points of contact for colleagues in their local context.

Ambassadors can:

• Signpost you to best practice guidance
• Offer advice on how to integrate AI into your work
• Help to mentor you in applying AI tools