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