1
Read
5–8 minute lessons. Short paragraphs. Runnable code. Every concept explained why-before-how. No filler.
How it works
Read. Practice. Verify.
Three steps, repeated thousands of times, from your first byte to your first board meeting. No theatrics. No shortcuts. Just a loop that compounds.
2
Practice
Lessons combine reading with quizzes and practice activities. The activity type and time needed vary by lesson and learner.
3
Verify
Practice module checks and phase tests. Optional strict gating requires a passing module score. Local certificates record your results; a separate online assessment can issue a server-scored receipt.
Mastery, not just completion
Most learning platforms track what you watched. DURA tracks what you can do.
Module assessments sample the available question bank. Strict gating is optional in Settings; when enabled, the configured passing score unlocks the next module. Check the assessment screen for its question count and retry timing. You can keep reading freely with strict gating off.
Phase tests support self-review and produce local learner certificates. Separately, the online server-scored assessment can issue an integrity-protected receipt of submitted answers and a self-reported name. These are unproctored learning records, not identity verification, accreditation, or proof of workplace competence. Public lookup of a synced local certificate does not make its score server-verified.
Remembering, not cramming
Use Add to cards on vocabulary terms and supported quiz feedback to create flashcards. DURA uses FSRS-5, the same spaced-repetition algorithm Anki power users swear by, to decide when to show each card next.
The goal is 90% retention. Review intervals estimate when another practice session may help; they cannot predict exactly when you will forget. Your ratings adjust future scheduling.
About DURA's AI scheduler
DURA uses an AI scheduling algorithm called FSRS-5 to personalize when each flashcard becomes due for review and to decide when new content unlocks based on your demonstrated mastery.
- What it does: picks intervals between reviews and reorders due cards. It does not write content, choose your career path for you, or judge you.
- What it processes: only your local study history (review timestamps, ratings, FSRS state). It does not call any external AI service. Your data does not leave your browser unless you sign in to sync, and even then only the same study history fields are sent over TLS.
- How to override it: the scheduler is advisory — you are never blocked from any card. Open Review from your dashboard to study any due card immediately, regardless of when FSRS would have surfaced it next. You can also change study modes (Standard / Review / Sprint / Challenge) from Settings.
This disclosure satisfies the EU AI Act Article 13 transparency requirement; the override path satisfies Article 14's human-oversight provision. Read more about how DURA makes decisions or our privacy notice.
Generative AI — what you opt into
Optional · BYOKDURA has two AI-backed surfaces — Ask Claude about this lesson (a tutor embedded in the lesson reader) and Code review (paste code, get structured feedback). Both are off by default and supplementary. The 418-lesson curriculum, the sandboxes, FSRS, the dictionary, and certificates stay 100% free without them.
What gets sent
Your question (or the code you paste) + the current lesson’s title, concept tags, and body. Never your name, email, progress, FSRS state, or any other lesson.
BYOK — your key, your bill
You bring your own Anthropic API key, stored only in your browser. Each question costs roughly 1–3 cents on Anthropic’s metered API. Durwood Studios never sees or pays for these requests.
Where it goes
Directly from your browser to api.anthropic.com. No Durwood server is in the path. Anthropic does not train on API calls by default — see their privacy policy.
Turn it on (or off) anytime in Settings → AI Features. Revoking consent also deletes your stored key.
Published curriculum references
Authors publish alignment references where applicable, using frameworks such as:
- CS2023 — computing curriculum guidance from ACM, IEEE-CS, and AAAI
- SWEBOK v4 — the IEEE software engineering body of knowledge
- SFIA 9 — the skills framework used by governments and enterprise HR
- Bloom's taxonomy and Dreyfus stages per question and lesson
These references do not establish accreditation or complete standards coverage. See the alignment index for scope and limitations.
Keep learning with saved content offline
DURA is a Progressive Web App. Previously cached lessons and local learner records work offline; visit content and initialize supported local runtimes online before disconnecting. Web previews, AI, account sync, and server-scored receipts require a connection. Optional account sync sends learning records to the configured Supabase deployment.
You can export a portable learner-record archive from Settings. That's not a GDPR afterthought — it's the point. Your learning is yours.