Project Overview 

The course syllabus is an official document, commonly used in higher education, to inform students of critical information, including course descriptions, requirements, and policies. However, it is also often overlooked, dismissed as a mundane, static, administrative document filled with an overwhelming wall of text for both instructors and students.

Several studies have argued for the untapped potential of the traditional syllabus as a tool for teaching and learning, proposing new approaches, including the inclusive syllabus, learner-focused syllabus, liquid syllabus, and visual syllabus. However, implementing these new forms has posed another challenge, given the technology and time barriers instructors face in reality.

This project aims to analyze current syllabus practices and opportunities at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and to propose practical strategies, featuring accessible AI-powered tools, so instructors can enhance their syllabus design to suit their pedagogical needs. Grounded in evidence-based research and design principles, the proposed AI prompts and tools can help reclaim and rediscover the purpose and meaning of the syllabus in teaching and learning.