Gwen Docs
Searchable notes for using Gwen, authoring study material, and understanding how decks, cards, exercises, release timing, sync, and accounts fit together.
How Gwen works
Gwen connects organization, authoring, release timing, and review into one learning loop.
Decks
Choose a project deck for the subject, then add child decks for smaller scopes.
Deck placement is how Gwen understands what belongs together.
Release timing demo
Toggle a Release setting to see what reaches review.
Learners can review due cards and exercises in this deck tree.
Getting Started
Gwen is a learning workspace for planning what you want to learn, authoring practice, and returning to it through review.
The big picture
Gwen helps you organize what you are learning, turn it into practice, control when practice becomes reviewable, and keep due work coming back over time.
Use Gwen as one learning system
Keep goals, source material, cards, exercises, release timing, and review in one place so the next learning action is clear.
Begin with a project deck
Create a project deck when a subject needs a home. It has no parent, so it sits at the top of that subject's deck tree; add child decks for smaller review boundaries. Grouping also matters because decks can hold content until you release it for review after learning the material.
Author the right kind of practice
Use cards for stable direct recall: a question with an answer that should not change. Use exercises when the learner needs to recognize a pattern or perform a process across varied problems.
Review what is due
Review pulls cards and exercises back when they are due and when their deck release settings allow them to appear.
Protect your work
Sync helps with continuity across devices, while backups protect the full local Gwen user data before risky browser or device changes.
Decks and Project Decks
Decks are the organization model. A project deck is a deck with no parent, which makes it the root of a subject's deck tree.
Project decks organize subjects
A project deck is the top-level container for a subject, course, or long-running learning goal. Project decks have no parent, including Gwen's protected default deck.
Child decks define scope
Cards, exercises, events, and subdecks belong to a project deck by living somewhere in its deck tree. Gwen uses deck placement, not another container type, to determine grouping.
Create from Projects or Decks
Use New Project to create a project deck. Use New Deck when you want a deck under the currently selected parent, or clear Parent deck to move it to the project level.
Move by changing Parent deck
Parent deck controls the tree. Clearing it turns a child deck into a project deck; choosing a parent turns a project deck into a child deck under another deck.
Default deck is protected
The default deck cannot have a parent and cannot be deleted from the project surface. Deleting another project deck offers Move to Default unless you choose Delete Content from the deck workflow.
Cards
Cards are Markdown-backed prompts and answers for stable direct retrieval: facts, definitions, distinctions, formulas, and short explanations.
What cards do
Cards are for direct retrieval of things that do not change. Use them when the learner should see a prompt and recall a fact, definition, distinction, formula, or short explanation. If memorizing one answer would bypass the skill, use an exercise instead.
Card authoring
Question and Answer are Gwen Markdown fields. Use Rich text mode or Source mode for emphasis, lists, links, highlights, code, tables, media, and math when the recall target needs more than plain text.
Add media and LaTeX when they serve recall
Attach images, audio, or video through the editor when the media is part of the prompt. Use LaTeX delimiters for formulas so math renders during previews and review.
Use the generated card preview
Cloze and reversible cards show the generated fronts and reveals before saving. Check that preview when a card type creates more than one review item.
Card types
Basic
One-way prompts. Gwen shows Question first and expects the Answer, which works for term to definition, formula prompt to formula, or concept to explanation.
Reversible
Two-direction review. Gwen generates separate review items for Question to Answer and Answer to Question, so write each side as something that can stand alone.
Cloze
Hidden-term recall. Put deletions in the Question with markers such as {{1::Paris}}; Gwen generates the Answer from the hidden terms.
Exercises and Problems
Exercises are for procedural knowledge: recognizing a pattern or doing a process across varied problems. Problems define the prompts, answers, and generated variants inside an exercise.
What exercises do
Exercises are for procedural knowledge. Use one when the learner should recognize something, such as a logical fallacy, or do something, such as solve a math problem. A single math problem on a card is easy to memorize as one answer; an exercise keeps the method in focus by varying the problems that test the same ability.
Exercises contain problems
An exercise is the container for one or more problems. The exercise carries the deck, description, rationale, and review schedule; problems define the varied prompts learners practice.
Choose a schedule for the learning stage
Exercises can be used for practice, not just recall. Use one-time or fixed-repeat schedules while learning or building a routine, then move important exercises to Spaced Repetition Algorithm when the skill should be maintained long term.
What problems do
Problems are the individual tasks inside an exercise. A useful problem states the givens, the action to perform or pattern to recognize, and the expected answer format. For math, the numbers can vary; for other subjects, the examples, questions, and answers should vary while proving the same ability.
Problem authoring
Problem prompts and answers use Gwen Markdown like cards do. Use Rich text mode for routine formatting and Source mode when you need precise Markdown, media links, or math delimiters.
Test generated math problems
Before saving a Math problem, test generated variables, the solution, and the full problem so the prompt, variables, and answer agree. Math problems use Validate and Save because Gwen checks the code before storing the problem.
Exercise review schedules
Pick the schedule that matches how the exercise should behave now. Practice can start before an exercise is ready for long-term spaced repetition.
Never
One-time practiceUse for a single attempt, diagnostic task, or early practice that should not return automatically. After completion, Gwen marks the exercise inactive.
Daily
Routine practiceUse when the exercise should come back the next day after completion.
Weekly
Routine practiceUse when the exercise should come back the next week after completion.
Spaced Repetition Algorithm
Long-term maintenanceUse when the skill is ready to be maintained over time. Again, Hard, Good, and Easy grades decide the next due date.
Problem types
Prompt
Free-response tasks. Use when the value is in doing the work, explaining a step, or comparing the response with your own judgment.
Question / Answer
Fixed-answer tasks. Use when every learner should see the same prompt and final answer.
Math
Generated-value tasks. Prompt With Variables uses placeholders like {{length}}, getInputValues supplies values, and getSolution returns the answer.
Recognize a fallacy
Read this argument: "We should ignore the proposal because the speaker failed algebra." Identify the fallacy and explain why.- Use this when the skill is recognizing a pattern in new examples.
- Add more problems with different arguments so learners cannot rely on one memorized answer.
Fixed algebra problem
Solve for x: $2x + 5 = 17$. Show the operation you use to isolate x.$x = 6$ because $2x = 12$ and $12 / 2 = 6$.- Use this when every learner should see the same prompt.
- Keep the answer short, but include enough work to confirm the method.
Generated area problem
A rectangle has length {{length}} and width {{width}}. What is its area?getInputValues returns length and width; getSolution returns { answer: length * width }.- Use this when the same skill should be practiced with many values.
- Name placeholders exactly the same way in Prompt With Variables, getInputValues, and getSolution.
Generated math demo
One problem template can create many concrete practice prompts.
A rectangle has length {{length}} and width {{width}}. What is its area?{
"length": 7,
"width": 4
}function getSolution({ length, width }) {
return { answer: length * width };
}7 x 4 = 28
Validate and Save checks this before saving.
Authoring Format
Card Question and Answer, exercise Description, and problem Prompt, Question, Answer, and Prompt With Variables fields support Gwen Markdown with media links and math.
Markdown basics
Use Markdown for emphasis, lists, links, code, tables, blockquotes, and highlights. Gwen highlights ==marked text== and keeps saved Markdown sanitized for safe display.
Choose Rich text or Source mode
Use Rich text mode when you want toolbar formatting. Use Source mode when you want to edit Markdown directly, preserve exact syntax, or work with content that is easiest to inspect as text.
Media in Markdown
When you upload media through Gwen, the editor inserts stable gwen-media Markdown so images, audio, and video stay attached to the content. Keep those links in the field where the media belongs.
Cloze syntax belongs in card questions
For cloze cards, put deletions in the Question with markers such as {{1::term}}. The Answer becomes generated, so edit the Question when you need to change what is hidden.
HTML stays literal
Raw HTML examples are preserved as study text instead of activated as page markup. Use Markdown links for external references; unsafe, relative, and hash-only links are displayed as text.
Authoring preview
Switch examples to see how Gwen study text becomes readable review content.
Remember ==active recall== before rereading.LaTeX
Use explicit math delimiters in Gwen authoring fields. Gwen renders the math during review and read-only previews.
Inline math
Use single dollar delimiters or parenthesis delimiters for math that belongs in a sentence.
Block math
Use double dollar delimiters or bracket delimiters when the equation should stand on its own line.
Delimiter caveats
Gwen preserves dollar signs in code and link destinations, and dollar amounts like $5 stay plain text. Use explicit delimiters around real math instead of relying on bare parentheses.
Inline LaTeX
$A = \pi r^2$This docs preview is handcrafted for readability. Gwen renders supported LaTeX syntax with KaTeX in the app.
Block LaTeX
\[\int_0^1 x^2\,dx = \frac{1}{3}\]This docs preview is handcrafted for readability. Gwen renders supported LaTeX syntax with KaTeX in the app.
Release Timing
The Release setting controls when cards and exercises become available for review, so you can plan a learning journey and create future content without testing material before it has been learned.
Release timing stages the learning path
Use Release when a deck should exist before learners are ready to review it. Locked or scheduled content lets a teacher, tutor, or self-directed learner prepare upcoming cards and exercises while keeping them out of practice until the lesson, unit, or prerequisite knowledge has been introduced.
Release controls review timing
Set Release to Released, Locked, or Scheduled. Locked decks and scheduled decks with a future Release Time hold due cards and exercises in that deck subtree out of review.
Release settings follow ancestors
Cards and exercises inherit release settings from their deck and ancestor decks. Move content into the intended deck tree before changing Release on a parent or project deck.
Events
Events are dated records for lessons, deadlines, milestones, and other learning moments tied to a deck.
Events live in decks
Choose Event Location to place a lesson, deadline, or milestone in the deck tree. The event follows that deck organization so related learning work stays together.
Use Due Date for planning
Set Due Date for deadlines or scheduled learning moments. Use Completed On when you want to record when the event actually happened.
Review
Review pulls due cards and exercises when their schedules and deck release settings allow them.
Cards and exercises review separately
The review screen shows due cards and due exercises as separate queues. Switch between them when you want recall practice or procedural practice.
Exercise schedules decide the next due date
Exercises follow the Review Schedule selected on the exercise. Spaced repetition exercises ask for a grade and write review history, while Daily and Weekly exercises repeat on calendar intervals. Never exercises leave the queue after completion.
Due work respects release settings
A due card or exercise can still be held out of review when its deck or an ancestor deck is Locked or Scheduled for the future.
When review work is missing
If a card or exercise is not showing in review, check the card and exercise queues separately, confirm the item is actually due, then check whether its deck or an ancestor deck is holding it behind a release setting.
Undo is for the current review session
Use undo when you immediately need to reverse a recent review action. Gwen restores the item to the current queue when local review history can be reversed.
AI Assistance
AI chat can draft learning content, but Gwen applies data changes only after user confirmation.
Ask for drafts and planning help
Use Chat to plan a review session, break a topic into cards, draft exercises, or ask for a clearer explanation before authoring content yourself.
Review can offer contextual chat
When a card or exercise problem is active in Review, Gwen can show an Ask AI button. Opening it starts Ask Gwen with the current card or problem included, so prompts such as Restate, Tell me more, or Give me a hint can use the review context.
AI proposes actions for confirmation
When chat suggests creating or changing content, review the proposed action before Gwen saves it into your workspace.
Keep review responsibility with the author
Generated content should still be checked for accuracy, scope, and fit before it becomes study material.
Sync and Offline Use
Gwen is local-first. You can keep working locally, then sync when account access and connectivity are available.
Local-first work
The app is designed around local data first, so authoring and review can continue without treating the network as the primary source of truth.
Sync protects continuity
Sign in and keep sync healthy before relying on multiple devices or clearing browser storage.
Do not clear site data casually
For a signed-in user with healthy sync and no pending uploads, clearing browser site data is usually recoverable. The danger is unsynced local changes. For local-only users or anyone without sync access, clearing storage can remove decks, cards, exercises, review history, and queued work unless there is a recent Export Backup.
Queued work may be local only
If sync is offline or disconnected, keep the browser profile intact until pending changes upload. The Account page shows whether sync and backup state are healthy.
When sync looks stuck
If sync appears stuck, check account status, connectivity, pending upload count, and the last synced time before changing browsers or clearing storage.
Import, Export, and Restore
Backups protect the full local Gwen user data. Content import and export copy selected deck content without replacing existing data.
Export Backup copies user data
Use this when you want a full local Gwen backup, including decks, cards, exercises, events, review state, logs, media metadata, and sync state.
Restore Backup imports backup records
Preview a backup file, then import records from that backup into the current workspace. Gwen skips records that already exist, so use it for recovery, not for sharing a single lesson with another workspace.
Export Content is deck-scoped
Choose a deck with Content export target, then export that deck subtree. Content exports are deck-only and do not treat projects as a separate container type.
Import Content adds a copy
Preview a package and add imported decks, cards, events, exercises, problems, tags, and media as a copy without replacing the rest of the workspace.
Share content with export and import
To share a deck subtree, export content from the source workspace, then import that content in the destination workspace.
| Action | Scope | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Export Backup | Full local Gwen user data | Creating a recovery point before risky browser or device changes |
| Restore Backup | Full local Gwen user data | Replacing local data from a backup during recovery |
| Export Content | Selected deck subtree | Sharing or moving selected learning content without the rest of the workspace |
| Import Content | Content export package | Adding shared content as a copy without replacing existing data |
Billing and Account
Account and billing pages manage sign-in, subscription status, and sync access.
Local use and paid sync
Gwen can be used locally, while paid plans focus on cloud backup, sync, and account-backed continuity.
Account status controls access
If sync or account-backed features are unavailable, check the account and pricing pages for the current status.
Sign in before troubleshooting sync
If the Account page says Local only, Not signed in, Not active, Offline, or Disconnected, fix sign-in, subscription, or connectivity before assuming content is missing.
Recover Google account access first
Gwen sign-in uses Google. If you forgot a password or cannot access the Google account, recover that Google account before troubleshooting Gwen sync or subscription state.
Back up before risky browser changes
Use Export Backup before changing browsers, clearing storage, resetting a profile, or testing another device. Sync is helpful, but a fresh backup is the clearest recovery point.
Classes
Class tools are for organization-led learning where teachers manage class rosters, student invitations, and organization access.
Classes belong to organizations
Create a class inside the teacher organization you want to manage. Class names and descriptions help distinguish sections, periods, cohorts, or study groups.
Invite students by email
Use Add Invite from the class detail view to invite a student. Pending invitations stay visible; use Send Again when a student needs a fresh email.
Manage the roster carefully
Active students and pending invitations are managed from the class detail view. Removing a student changes access for that class, not the student account itself.
Archive finished classes
Archive a class when it should no longer be managed as active. Archived classes are retained as records instead of being treated like active teaching spaces.
Organization Admin manages teacher access
Active organization admins can open Organization Admin to invite teachers, remove teacher access, resend pending teacher invitations, and check teacher, member, and seat-limit counts.
Check class access first
If a class is missing, confirm the learner is signed into the expected account and that the organization or teacher invitation was accepted before changing local content.