Boodlebox is a generative artificial intelligence (genAI) platform that brings together access to full versions of the major genAI models in a protected, efficient environment. Anyone can create a free account on Boodlebox and use it for up to 5 free prompts in a day. This article will introduce you to the basic functionality of Boodlebox.

Boodlebox Navigation

Once you have logged in to Boodlebox, you will land on the main Chat screen. The top menu also include links to the Knowledge Bank, Bot Builder, and the Assignments areas. To the right of the screen, you will see a drop-down menu indicating the 'team' you are working in. Every user will have their own default team (User's Team) as well as any they have been invited to join (such as the St. Olaf Boodlebox team for those with a pro license). Free accounts will show the number of daily chats left, whereas the St. Olaf team with unlimited chats will not. Finally, a small square with your initials on the far right will give you access to your account information, settings, and support options.

Chat

On the Chat screen you will see a collapsible side menu on the left that allows you to navigate your previous chats. In addition to the search bar, there is a cascading menu used to organize all your previous work. The MY FOLDERS area is where you can create (using the + to the right of the title) a folder system to collect your chats together by topic/task/course. Below this you will find ALL CHATS organized by date. You can also filter this list to show only Group Chats or Personal Chats. Clicking on one of these chats will bring you back to where you left off and allow you to continue that interaction. This menu area can be minimized by clicking on the icon above the search bar.

Starting a new chat with your selected Model/Bot

The main Chat area will first appear with the New Chat tab highlighted, allowing you to start a new interaction.  Below the prompt text area you will see a drop-down menu on the left, and three icon buttons on the right. The drop-down menu is where you will choose which AI Model (LLM) or Bot you wish to use for your next prompt. This can be changed at any point during an chat, and doesn't require you to start a new chat. Clicking on this drop-down will bring up a dialog menu of all the available AI Models and their variations, as well as predefined bots. The AI Models are organized by major LLMs with their different versions, and then more specific models are organized by task. Bots are custom sets of instructions that frame and determine the type of interaction and output generated.

The first icon button allows you to set the Mode of the chat. By default, Coach Mode is set on and will provide tips and feedback on each of your prompts to help you improve the results you are getting back from the instructions you provide. Message Mode you can enter text for your own reference, or to share a chat with other users with whom the chat is shared - the model or bot will not respond when this mode is on. Finally, Knowledge to Context Mode, which is off by default, is used in the rare occasions that you need Boodlebox to include the entirety of your Knowledge in the context of the chat for more in depth referencing.

The second icon button opens up the Knowledge selector, which allows you to upload new files to your Knowledge Bank (see below), or file, area or choose from that bank. Files of the type detailed on the page can be dragged and dropped onto the page or selected from your computer. Once a file is uploaded to any chat, it is added to your Knowledge area, where it is available to be selected and added to any subsequent chat.

The final icon button is the submit arrow that initiates your prompt response, or adds your comment in Message Mode.

Starting a new chat with a pre-built AI Tool

The other tab in the chat window is AI Tools which allows you to choose from a number of pre-built queries and bots, grouped by area of interest. These preconfigured chats start you off with a query and a model, and lead you through a conversation towards exploring a particular task or concept. Once the chat has begun, you are free to modify the settings as detailed above in Starting a new chat with your selected Model/Bot.

Knowledge Bank

Boodlebox saves all the files uploaded to the tool in a common area known as the Knowledge Bank. Files in this area are then available to be attached to any other chat. The menu at the top right of the page can be used to create folders for organizing your content, and uploading new files. Clicking on the star icon to the far right of an item name adds it to your favorites list, and the three dots allow you ​​edit the item's name, move it to a folder, or delete it from your Knowledge Bank.

Bot Builder

Clicking on the top bar menu item for the Bot Builder takes you to a listing of any custom bots that you have built. Custom bots are a combination of model and preset guideline, directions and workflow for how a bot should interact with queries. A more detailed explanation of building custom bots can be found here. This list can be filtered to show All Bots, Published Bots, Revised Bots, or Unpublished Bots. There is also a search bar in the upper right corner to locate your desired tool from a long list of bots. You can initiate the guided process of creating a custom bot by clicking on the + Build Bot button in the top right corner.

Assignments

Boodlebox assignments are a defined work area where an instructor can create a set of instructions for a specific AI task, determine which models or bots may be used for the task, and then monitor student interactions with the tool, and interact with the students directly as well. When clicking on the Assignments menu item, you will see a drop-down menu for Courses or Assignments. Courses are where assignments are deployed to students via Modules, and Assignments is where reusable assignments are created and edited. More information on setting up courses, modules, and assignments can be found in a separate Knowledge Base article.