Tips for Syllabus Creation and Revision with Generative AI

(Tested using Chat GPT4o)

Generate a generic 10-week syllabus template 

Prompt: Generate a generic 10-week syllabus template 

Draft Learning Objectives

Prompt: Align a course on [X Topic] with UCLA General Education/ Writing II learning objectives OR Suggest learning outcomes for a course on [X Topic] for an upper-division undergraduate course.

Suggest a quarterly break-down of a topic 

Prompt: Using this textbook or discrete topic, how would you thematically/chronologically/etc organize a 10-week class? OR Based on [these learning objectives] how you structure a 10-week course on [X topic]

Take a 10-week quarter syllabus and reduce it to 6 weeks for summer teaching

Prompt: Take this course schedule and re-organize it to be 6 weeks instead of 10, retaining all of the readings and course content 

Help scaffold out assignments

Prompt: My students have a large written assignment due at the end of our 10-week course. How should I scaffold the assignment over those 10 weeks? Include what aspects of the assignment should be due, why that part is due now, and how it contributes to the overall project. 

Brainstorm topics, themes, or ideas to cover

Prompt: For [X Topic] what is typically covered in intro-level college courses on the subject? OR Brainstorm themes or topics to cover in a class on [X Topic]

Support Student Needs and Learning Styles 

Prompt: Revise this syllabus to feature more visual aids OR Revise this syllabus with color-coded content OR Create a summary of key information and dates for the course from this syllabus OR Turn the Course Schedule into a visual calendar

Build Assessments for Your Course

Prompt: Based on the types of content covered and the desired learning outcomes, which types of assessments would be best for this course? Generate sample quiz/essay/exam questions.