AI creates suggestions on an uploaded syllabus Word document file in various categories as it is needed on the document, saving the instructor time and connecting them to university resources.
Obstacle
A GSE instructor mentioned that she uses the CTL Syllabus Template every quarter when writing/editing her syllabus. However, the template is over 35 pages long and not every section is relevant to her each quarter. Mae Bethel then took the initiative to find a way to make the template more personalized and digestible for instructors.
After exploring various tools from smart forms like Airtable to Zapier, Gen AI came into play. With the help of Wilson Wang, Mae Bethel designed a tool utilizing this new functionality to create suggestions based on the CTL Syllabus Template. Each suggestion was informed by each section of the template, and ChatGPT 4o aligns those sections with the language in the submitted syllabus.
To align with accessibility, Auston Stamm from OAE recommended the final version of the suggestions appear as inline comments in a Word doc. This way users can see the headings and tab through the comments on a screen reader.
Further developments include links to university resources, such as OAE contacts, and downloadable templates. Design and user pathway elements were created by KaiFeng Cheng in the Web and Digital Services team at GSE IT.
Personalized Suggestions
Image of suggestions created by ChatGPT 4o
Actionable Comments
Image of suggestions inline a downloaded Word doc
Downloadable Templates
Image of templates on the download page
After consultations from CTL and OAE, and instructor user testing, the Syllabus Builder is now ready for instructors in the new 2024-2025 academic year.
It will be promoted at the GSE for all instructors as a pilot. And available at the website domain syllabusbuilder.stanford.edu, to be piloted by faculty at the GSE and accessible to professors campus-wide in the future.
