Study Methods
Study Methods
Section titled “Study Methods”Platform-defined templates in v1. Users may suggest new methods; church-published templates come later (Domain Model).
Notes and study step instructions use the rich text envelope in storage (TipTap JSON in CRDT body or plan instructions column); legacy markdown is migrated on read. Fields depend on method/template.
Study method and focus
Section titled “Study method and focus”Each study has:
study_method— one of seven platform methods (immutable after create).focus— a single string whose meaning depends on the method (immutable after create, except hypothetical focus may be edited).
| Method | focus stores | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Book | USFM book id (e.g. Rom) | Validated against KJV 66-book canon |
| Topical | Topic text | Max 255 characters |
| Word | Term | Max 255 characters |
| Hypothetical | Short scenario | Max 500 characters; reserved for future auto-tagging |
| Character | Person name | Max 255 characters |
| Guided | study_plan_templates.id (UUID) | Published guided template; must be accessible to the user’s spiritual phase |
| Mentorship | Empty or reserved | Intro pairing and checkup plans only; created via mentorship flows, not the new-study picker — see Mentorship |
Create requires both studyMethod and focus. started_at defaults to now when omitted.
Method availability (spiritual phase)
Section titled “Method availability (spiritual phase)”Study methods declare a minimum spiritual phase in UI config (ui/src/lib/study/methods.ts). Methods above the user’s spiritual_phase are hidden on the new-study screen.
Suggested defaults:
| Method | Minimum phase |
|---|---|
| Book, topical, word | Milk |
| Hypothetical, character, guided | Transition |
Server enforcement of method minimum level is deferred; guided plan access is enforced on the API.
Guided study plans
Section titled “Guided study plans”study_plan_templates with study_method = guided and is_published = true form the global catalog (no church tenancy in v1). Each entry has one or more spiritualPhases (pivot study_plan_template_spiritual_phases), plus optional description for the picker.
The availableGuidedStudyPlans query returns templates whose phase is accessible to the authenticated user’s phase (ladder: Transition includes milk plans; Meat includes all). Create uses a strict allowlist: the user’s phase must be in the template’s spiritualPhases set — see Study Plans — Resolution.
Creating a guided study uses the template id as focus and materializes that template’s steps onto the study. See Study Plans.
Progression (v1 vs later)
Section titled “Progression (v1 vs later)”| Mechanism | v1 | Later |
|---|---|---|
| Phase gating (methods in UI, guided plans in API) | Yes | — |
| Mentorship Track assignment, skip/noop, electives | Yes — Tracks | — |
Per-user progress table (user_course_progress) | — | Deferred |
| Session milestones per course | — | TBD |
| Phase promotion | Mentor checkup studies can set phase_source = mentor and update spiritual_phase via promote_phase steps; profile self-edit locked unless platform admin — see Learning outcomes | Broader re-assessment flows |
See Architecture Questions for remaining deferred progression items.
Book studies
Section titled “Book studies”Milk book studies use curated per-book plan templates; the new-study UI only lists books returned by availableBookStudyBooks. Transition and meat use generic (or repeat-variant) templates when no book-specific plan exists. Details: Study Plans.
Structured reading through a book of the Bible: passage ranges, per-section prompts, application notes.
Will read the book multiple times. Start with a general overview, but each reading should have more focus on details.
- Read all, preferably in one sitting. Ask about overall theme.
- Read all, looking for:
- sections (ignore chapters!)
- Repeated words or phrases or other emphasized concepts
- Research additional context on the book: author, time period, etc.
- Read by section
- More…
Topical / systematic studies
Section titled “Topical / systematic studies”Theme- or doctrine-driven tracks across passages; may use OIA-style sections (Observation, Interpretation, Application) where the template defines them.
Word studies
Section titled “Word studies”Focus on terms in original language context; link out to Logos for lexicons and tools in v1 (Bible and Scripture).
Hypothetical studies
Section titled “Hypothetical studies”Short “what if” scenarios stored in focus for reasoning through Scripture (future: auto-tagging from scenario text).
Character studies
Section titled “Character studies”Biographical / narrative focus on a named person in Scripture.
Guided studies
Section titled “Guided studies”Structured plans from published guided templates; study focus holds the selected template id.
Studies, sessions, and log entries
Section titled “Studies, sessions, and log entries”- A study is the long-term container (method + focus until complete).
- A study session is the short active period when the user is studying (virtual in v1; see Domain Model).
- A log entry records activity and may exist with or without a study; it is not a note (Domain Model).