# Paddock Setup Flow — Proposed
## Full Flow
```mermaid
flowchart TD
START([Student drops syllabus]) --> EXTRACT[Text extraction]
EXTRACT --> DETECT{Auto-detect format}
DETECT -->|"high confidence"| PARSE_OK[LLM parse with detected format]
DETECT -->|"low confidence / ambiguous"| PARSE_GUESS[LLM parse with best guess]
PARSE_OK --> STREAM[Stream modules to client]
PARSE_GUESS --> STREAM
STREAM --> EVAL{Evaluate parse quality}
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
%% BRANCH A: Dated syllabus (best case)
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
EVAL -->|"Dated: real dates found,\n≥6 milestones,\nmeeting days derivable"| DATED_CONFIRM
DATED_CONFIRM["Show modules with weeks\n─────────────────\nMeeting days: pre-filled ✓\nTitle: shown in header\n─────────────────\n[Looks right]"]
DATED_CONFIRM --> CREATE_WS
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
%% BRANCH B: Numbered syllabus
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
EVAL -->|"Numbered: week labels found,\n≥6 milestones,\nmeeting days maybe detected"| NUMBERED_CONFIRM
NUMBERED_CONFIRM["Show modules with week numbers\n─────────────────\nMeeting days: pre-filled or ASK\nTitle: shown in header\n─────────────────\n[Looks right]"]
NUMBERED_CONFIRM --> CREATE_WS
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
%% BRANCH C: Topic-based syllabus (hard case)
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
EVAL -->|"Topic-based: topics only,\nno temporal structure"| TOPIC_ASK
TOPIC_ASK["Show discovered topics (no weeks)\n─────────────────\nWe found N topics in your syllabus.\nTo build your weekly plan, we need:\n─────────────────\nMeeting days: REQUIRED\nSemester weeks: REQUIRED\n(or derive from term dates)\n─────────────────\n[Build my plan]"]
TOPIC_ASK --> SYNTHESIZE["Synthesize week plan:\n- Distribute N topics across W weeks\n- Account for meeting frequency\n- Group related topics\n- Insert reading weeks if needed"]
SYNTHESIZE --> TOPIC_VALIDATE["Show synthesized week plan\n─────────────────\nWeek 1 (Mon 1/13): Negligence\nWeek 2 (Mon 1/20): Strict Liability\nWeek 3 (Mon 1/27): Products Liability\n...\n─────────────────\n[Looks right] [Adjust plan]"]
TOPIC_VALIDATE -->|"Looks right"| CREATE_WS
TOPIC_VALIDATE -->|"Adjust plan"| TOPIC_EDIT["Manual week editor\n(drag topics, split/merge weeks)"]
TOPIC_EDIT --> CREATE_WS
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
%% BRANCH D: Parse failure / bad result
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
EVAL -->|"<4 milestones or\ngarbled results"| BAD_PARSE
BAD_PARSE["Hmm, we had trouble reading this.\n─────────────────\nIs your syllabus a:\n○ Dated schedule (Jan 15: Topic)\n○ Week-by-week list (Week 1: Topic)\n○ Topic outline (just topics)\n─────────────────\n[Try again with this hint] [Upload different file]"]
BAD_PARSE -->|"Try again"| REPARSE[Re-parse with explicit format hint]
REPARSE --> STREAM
BAD_PARSE -->|"Upload different file"| START
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
%% COMMON: Workspace creation + enrichment
%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════
CREATE_WS[["Create workspace\n+ start enrichment"]] --> REDIRECT
REDIRECT{Where to send student?}
REDIRECT -->|"Option A"| COURSE_PAGE["→ /paddock/courseId\nCourse workspace with\nweek plan visible,\nscenarios filling in"]
REDIRECT -->|"Option B"| FORMING_DESK["→ /dashboard\nCourseFormingDesk with\npulsing stage indicators"]
%% Styling
classDef ask fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#f59e0b,color:#78350f
classDef good fill:#d1fae5,stroke:#10b981,color:#064e3b
classDef bad fill:#fee2e2,stroke:#ef4444,color:#7f1d1d
classDef action fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#1e3a5a
classDef synthesize fill:#ede9fe,stroke:#8b5cf6,color:#3b0764
class DATED_CONFIRM,NUMBERED_CONFIRM,TOPIC_ASK,TOPIC_VALIDATE ask
class CREATE_WS,COURSE_PAGE good
class BAD_PARSE bad
class REPARSE,SYNTHESIZE,TOPIC_EDIT action
```
## The Topic-Based Problem (zoomed in)
```mermaid
flowchart LR
subgraph "What the syllabus gives us"
T1[Negligence]
T2[Strict Liability]
T3[Products Liability]
T4[Vicarious Liability]
T5[Damages]
T6[Defenses]
T7[Causation]
T8[Duty]
T9[Emotional Distress]
T10[Economic Torts]
T11[Review]
end
subgraph "What we need to build"
W1["Week 1 (Mon 1/13):
Negligence"]
W2["Week 2 (Mon 1/20):
Strict Liability"]
W3["Week 3 (Mon 1/27):
Products Liability +
Vicarious Liability"]
W4["Week 4 (Mon 2/3):
Damages"]
Wdots["..."]
W14["Week 14 (Mon 4/14):
Review"]
end
T1 --> W1
T2 --> W2
T3 --> W3
T4 --> W3
T5 --> W4
T11 --> W14
```
## Missing inputs for topic-based syllabi
| Input | Source | Confidence | Required for |
|-------|--------|-----------|-------------|
| **Topics list** | Parsed from syllabus | High | Module titles |
| **Topic count** | Parsed | High | Week distribution |
| **Meeting days** | NOT in syllabus | None — must ask | Calendar mapping, meetings/week |
| **Semester length** | Maybe from term label | Medium | Total weeks to fill |
| **Semester start** | Maybe from term label | Low | Calendar date mapping |
| **Topics per week** | NOT in syllabus | None — must infer | Distribution algorithm |
| **Topic grouping** | NOT in syllabus | None — LLM can infer | Combining related topics |
| **Reading/exam weeks** | Sometimes in syllabus | Low | Gaps in schedule |
## Key questions for the topic-based flow
1. **When to ask meeting days?**
- Current: on confirm form (too late, already parsed)
- Proposed: immediately after streaming, before plan synthesis
- Alternative: before parse begins (student knows the answer, parse could use it)
2. **How to determine semester length?**
- From term label ("Fall 2026" → ~15 weeks Aug-Dec)
- From institution defaults (most law schools: 14-15 weeks)
- Ask the student: "How many weeks is your semester?"
- Infer from topic count + meeting frequency
3. **How to distribute topics across weeks?**
- Equal distribution (11 topics / 14 weeks → some weeks have 1, some 0)
- LLM grouping (ask LLM to cluster related topics into week-sized units)
- Let student drag/arrange after initial proposal
4. **What's the validation step?**
- Must show the synthesized plan before committing
- Student needs to see "Week 3: Products Liability + Vicarious Liability"
- Need an adjustment mechanism (not just "looks right / doesn't")
5. **What if the syllabus is PARTIALLY temporal?**
- "Weeks 1-3: Torts fundamentals; Topics after midterm: TBD"
- Hybrid: some weeks mapped, some topics floating
- This is probably the most common "messy" case