k2f-syllabus

K2F Syllabus — AI-Native Aesthetic Design

Purpose

Teach agents to blueprint a course syllabus before layout: day-one essentials, scannable layering, and aligned outcomes, meetings, and grades—without policy dumps, orphaned readings, or schedules that hide assessment logic.

Built on K2F

This skill produces course syllabi as .K2F documents. Follow the k2f skill for authoring: unpack or init a workspace, edit the semantic tree, run pack/verify, then export. K2F keeps agents on meaning (sections, schedule rows, policy blocks)—not pixel coordinates—while the engine compiles layout, typography, and theme.

Before you build, install the core skill: npx skills add suzheng/k2f --skill k2f.

When to Use

• An instructor needs a new or revised syllabus (higher ed, professional continuing ed, or structured K–12 course overview).
• The user supplies partial inputs: catalog description, week topics, textbook, or an old syllabus to modernize.
• Not for supplementary reading-list generators, exam prediction from past tests, or lesson-level daily plans (use k2f-lesson-plan).

Workflow

Step 1. Generate the contentanddesign.md

One blueprint for what belongs in the syllabus and how it should read when printed or shared as PDF. Structure it so the schedule spine and shared facts are named once and referenced everywhere the k2f skill will map to sections.

Sub-steps

1. Route & clarify — Infer discipline, term length, meeting pattern, and audience (intro undergrad through professional). Ask at most two high-leverage questions (e.g., mandated policy text vs. draft, credit hours); default term length when unspecified.

1. Course identity — One identity block: title, catalog code, instructor contact, term dates, room/platform, office hours, prerequisites—do not repeat elsewhere.

1. Course story — Brief description plus 3–6 learning outcomes with verbs suited to audience. Infer missing outcomes from the description; mark [inferred]. Link each outcome to an assessment or major assignment.

1. Schedule spine — Week/unit rows: topic, in-class focus, readings, due dates. Compress long topic lists into 6–12 units with stated grouping logic. Label topics with applied domain (course context, not generic keywords). Place high-stakes deadlines on the spine, not only in grading prose.

1. Assessment & grading — Categories, weights to 100%, short performance cues, outcome alignment. Late-work rules here only when they change grades.

1. Policies & support — Attendance, integrity, accommodations, tech, communication—brief and neutral unless the user supplies approved text (use verbatim). List materials, tools, safety/field notes, and help resources.

1. Design intent — For the engine, not coordinates:

• Tone: credible welcome; grads assume fluency, intro defines terms once.
• Hierarchy: title/term first; outcomes and schedule next; policies last.
• Density: tight schedule rows; policies as bullets; no duplicate identity narrative.
• Consistency: one date format and unit label scheme; parallel schedule columns.
• Palette: print-safe; one accent for outcomes or schedule header; clear dates/weights.

Rules & constraints

• Golden thread — Outcomes → schedule → assignments → weights; cut units that do not serve outcomes unless labeled enrichment.
• Honest inference — Tag inferred fields; never fabricate accreditation details or mandatory policy quotes.
• Arithmetic discipline — Weights total 100%; workload fits credit level.
• User-owned policy — Mandated language verbatim; otherwise generic drafts flagged for registrar review.

Common failure modes

• Policies before purpose → identity, story, outcomes, then schedule.
• Too many vague outcomes → consolidate to assessable skills.
• Readings only in an appendix → tie to schedule rows.
• Grading labels with no spine assignment → rename or add rows.
• Repeated contact info → identity block only.
• Audience mismatch in jargon or load → recalibrate verbs and readings.

Quality checklist

• [ ] Identity block complete; contacts not duplicated.
• [ ] 3–6 outcomes linked to assessment/spine; [inferred] tagged.
• [ ] Full-term spine; major dates visible; 6–12 units if compressed.
• [ ] Weights total 100% and match spine assignments.
• [ ] Policies concise; materials and support listed.
• [ ] Design intent covers tone, hierarchy, density, consistency, palette.

Step 2. Use the contentanddesign.md and k2f skill to generate a K2F file and export to an appropriate file format.

Follow k2f to instantiate the syllabus from the blueprint, apply roles from design intent, verify, and export the shareable syllabus (typically PDF).