Syllabus Assumption Audit

Overview

Tool: NotebookLM*  

Time: 20–30 min  

What you need: your syllabus as a PDF or Word doc

How to do it:

1. Open NotebookLM and sign in with your UMD Google account.
2. Create a new notebook. Upload your syllabus using the "Add source" button.

3. Click into the chat panel and paste the prompt below.

   "What knowledge, skills, resources, or technology does a student need to succeed in this course that I have not explicitly stated or provided? Where might students with significant work or family obligations face structural barriers in how this course is paced or assessed?"

4. Read the response, then ask follow-up questions about any section that surprises you.

Notes:  

NotebookLM is only pulling data from your uploaded syllabus. It cannot tell you how students from specific demographic groups actually perform in your course — that requires institution-level data.

To see whether your course shows differential outcomes by student population (first-generation status, transfer, Pell eligibility), connect with the Educational Effectiveness team.

*We encourage you to exclusively use UMD-approved GenAI tools, which are deployed in alignment with institutional security and compliance requirements.