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Comprehensive analysis for accessibility, required content, student belonging, and quality

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Four Types of Feedback
Required Syllabus Components

Based on UWM syllabus guidelines and best practices from Quality Matters and the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U).

Basic Course Info
  • Instructor Name & Contact
  • Office Hours
  • Course Title & Credits
  • Meeting Times & Location
Welcome Statement
  • Welcome to students
Course Overview
  • Course Objectives
  • Student Learning Outcomes
  • Assessment
  • Prerequisites
  • Course Modality and Format
  • Course Materials
  • Time Investment
Assignments & Grading
  • Assignment and Grading Policies
  • Grading Scheme
  • Grading Scale
Policies
  • Course Policies
  • Department Policies
  • University Policies
Resources
  • Student resources and support services
Important Dates
  • Key dates and deadlines
Instructor Statement of Support
  • Statement showing care for student success
Calendar
  • Course schedule/calendar
Research-Based Analysis

Based on the Student Experience Project, our AI analyzes your syllabus for messaging that impacts student success, especially for historically marginalized groups.

The 6 Core Questions We Analyze:
  1. Growth Mindset: Does the syllabus communicate that students can grow their abilities through effort, strategies, and help-seeking? (vs. fixed ability beliefs)
  2. Normalizing Challenge: Does it acknowledge that being challenged is normal and not a sign of inability or not belonging?
  3. Instructor Care: Does the syllabus communicate that the instructor and teaching team genuinely care about students' success?
  4. Valuing Diversity: Does it signal that diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and identities are valued in the classroom?
  5. Normalizing Student Challenges: Does it acknowledge common challenges (financial strain, mental health, caregiving) and connect students with resources?
  6. Normalizing Academic Support: Does it present tutoring, office hours, and other resources as standard tools for success (not remedial)?

What You'll Get: For each question, you'll receive an assessment, evidence from your syllabus, suggestions for improvement, and ready-to-use text you can copy-paste directly into your syllabus.

This analysis uses AI to examine your syllabus across five key areas:

  1. Undefined Course Terminology: Identifies technical terms, jargon, or acronyms that students (especially first-time students) may not understand.
  2. Tone and Inclusivity Issues: Flags punitive language, deficit-based framing, or policies that assume all students have the same resources or circumstances.
  3. Potentially Confusing Policies: Highlights policies that may create barriers for students with disabilities, conflict with accessibility guidance, or are vague/ambiguous.
  4. Inconsistent Formatting: Detects inconsistencies in dates, headings, assignment names, or other repeated elements that may confuse students.
  5. Heading Structure Issues: Identifies fake headings (styled text instead of semantic headings), non-descriptive headings, and inconsistent heading usage.

What You'll Get: For each area, you'll receive specific examples from your syllabus, explanations of potential issues, and concrete recommendations for improvement.

Why Syllabus Accessibility Matters

A syllabus is often the first document students encounter and serves as a contract, roadmap, and accessibility gateway. Inaccessible syllabi disproportionately affect students with disabilities, international students, first-generation students, and neurodivergent learners.

Our checks are based on established standards from leading organizations:

Document Accessibility Standards:
  • WCAG 2.1/2.2 - International accessibility guidelines (W3C/WAI)
  • Section 508 - U.S. federal accessibility requirements
  • ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act compliance
Educational Best Practices:
  • UDL - Universal Design for Learning (CAST)
  • Quality Matters - Course design standards
  • AEM Center - Accessible Educational Materials
Font Usage Learn how
  • Small font sizes (below 11pt)
  • Decorative or inaccessible fonts
  • Inconsistent font families

Quick fix: Select text → Home tab → Font size dropdown → Choose 11pt or larger. Use Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.

Table Structure Video
  • Empty table rows or columns
  • Tables used for layout instead of data
  • Missing table headers
  • Missing scope declarations
  • Missing table captions
  • Merged cells affecting reading order
  • Incorrect numeric alignment
  • Confusing table reading order
  • Embedded images in tables

What's a table header? The top row that labels each column (e.g., "Date", "Topic", "Assignment"). To set: Click in table → Table Design tab → Check "Header Row".

Color & Contrast Contrast checker
  • Low color contrast
  • Color used as sole indicator of meaning
  • Text over colored backgrounds
  • Color-coded tables without text labels

Quick fix: Use dark text on light backgrounds. If using color to show meaning (e.g., red = late), also add text labels.

Links Learn how
  • Non-descriptive link text ("click here")
  • Long URLs in text

Quick fix: Instead of "click here", use descriptive text like "view the grading rubric". Right-click link → Edit Hyperlink → Change "Text to display".

Text Formatting Using styles
  • Pseudo-tables (manual alignment with tabs/spaces)
  • Underlined non-link text
  • Insufficient line spacing
  • Full text justification
  • Large blocks of ALL CAPS text
  • Excessive bold, italic, or underline
  • Inconsistent formatting

Quick fix: Use left alignment (not justified). For emphasis, use bold instead of ALL CAPS or underline.

Images & Alt Text Video
  • Missing alt text
  • Questionable decorative image marking
  • Images containing text or schedules
  • AI-powered alt text quality analysis
  • Logos with insufficient descriptions

What's alt text? A brief description of an image for screen readers. Right-click image → "View Alt Text" → Type description (e.g., "UWM logo" or "Chart showing enrollment trends").

Document Properties Full guide
  • Missing document title
  • Missing language setting
  • Multiple languages without proper tagging

Quick fix: File → Info → Properties → Add Title. For language: Review tab → Language → Set Proofing Language.

Content Quality
  • Copied content with broken formatting
  • Footnotes instead of inline explanations
  • Visual indicators without text equivalents
  • Math expressions without accessible markup

Quick fix: When pasting, use "Paste Special" → "Keep Text Only" to avoid formatting issues.

Missing Sections
Content verification

Language & Tone
Belonging analysis

Clarity & Quality
Student-friendly

Accessibility
37+ automated checks