Mapping traditional law school reading assignments to interactive digital resources is a tedious, time-consuming hurdle for faculty. When existing EdTech platforms don't quite fit a law school's specific workflow, librarians and technologists usually just have to make do. But by using "vibe coding," instructing AI to generate functional web applications through plain English, we can now build the exact tools we need ourselves. This session introduces the "Syllabus Modernizer," a custom-built, serverless web application designed to instantly cross-reference any law school syllabus with the extensive catalog of CALI lessons and eLangdell casebooks. By combining live LLM API calls for intelligent text analysis with a fast, browser-based semantic matching engine, this hybrid tool parses doctrinal concepts from reading assignments and automatically recommends targeted CALI materials, drastically reducing faculty friction in adopting interactive pedagogy.

Session Description & Learning Outcomes

Designed as a 45-minute interactive demonstration, this session will walk attendees through the entire lifecycle of vibe coding a functional, AI-powered EdTech app tailored for the legal academy. We will cover how to organize CALI data into a simple Google spreadsheet, how to prompt AI assistants (like Claude and Gemini) to generate a dynamic, interactive user interface, and how to wire lightweight API calls into the app to analyze complex syllabus text. Attendees will see a live deployment of a shareable tool built for institutional use without writing a single line of traditional code. Participants will walk away with the AI prompt examples and simple step-by-step workflows needed to build their own custom tools, transforming how their law schools use and share CALI resources.

Key Takeaways:
  1. Understand the concept of "vibe coding" and how to use plain-English AI tools to build custom, useful software.
  2. Learn how to turn raw information (like the CALI lesson catalog) into a simple Google Spreadsheet that powers an app.
  3. Leave with sample AI prompts and workflows needed to build and share your own version of the Syllabus Modernizer without writing any code.

Speaker