Core Content is Seneca's own course content. Our subject experts write it, and it follows exam board specifications. When you add a topic to an assignment, you are adding Core Content.
Every Core Content topic is adaptive. Two students can study the same topic and get different questions. Seneca changes what each student sees based on how they answer. We built it on principles from cognitive neuroscience, so students remember topics better.
How a topic is set up
Each topic is split into a small number of concepts. Students meet each concept in two steps.
Learn the concept
The student first sees some learning slides. It pairs short bullet-pointed information with a picture or diagram. This is dual coding. Students remember more when they take in an idea through words and images together.
Answer questions on it
Seneca then tests the student on that concept. Recalling an answer from memory makes it stick better than reading it again. This is retrieval practice.
How a topic adapts
Questions get harder as students improve. A student new to a concept might fill in one missing word. As they get it right, Seneca asks for more. If they get it wrong, the next question is easier.
Wrong answers come back. If a student gets a concept wrong, Seneca brings it back later in the session, after a gap. Coming back to an idea after a gap helps students remember it for longer. This is spaced practice.
Concepts are mixed. Seneca moves between the concepts in a topic and doesn't finish one before starting the next. This is interleaving. It helps students tell similar ideas apart.
Seneca remembers each student. If a student studies a topic again, Seneca starts from where they left off on each concept. It doesn't start from scratch.
When does a session end?
A session ends when the student has shown they know every concept in the topic. A student who answers well finishes sooner. A student who struggles sees more questions where they need them. This is why students in the same class can take different amounts of time on the same homework.
What this means for your assignments
You don't need to set different work for different students. Each topic adapts for each student.
Use Exam Questions alongside Core Content when you want students to practise writing longer answers.
Need a hand? Contact our support team at Learnmore@seneca.io