Lecture Creation Workflow

Create a beautiful, pedagogically excellent Beamer lecture deck.

This is a collaborative, iterative process. The instructor drives the vision; Claude is a thinking partner.

CONSTRAINTS (Non-Negotiable)

• Read the knowledge base FIRST — notation registry, narrative arc, applications database

• Every new symbol MUST be checked against the notation registry

• Motivation before formalism — no exceptions

• Worked example within 2 slides of every definition

• Max 2 colored boxes per slide

• No \pause or overlay commands (check project rules)

• Transition slides at major conceptual pivots

• Thread at least 1 running empirical application throughout

• All citations verified against the bibliography

• Work in batches of 5-10 slides — share for feedback, don't bulk-dump

WORKFLOW

Phase 0: Intake & Context

• Read knowledge base and creation guide

• Inventory provided materials (papers, slides, code)

• Read previous lecture's structure and ending

• State pedagogical goal, get user confirmation

Phase 1: Paper Analysis (When Papers Provided)

• Split into chunks, extract key ideas

• Map paper notation → course notation

• Identify slide-worthy content

• Present summary for approval

Phase 2: Structure Proposal

• Propose outline (5-Act or 3-Part template)

• List TikZ diagrams and R figures needed

• List new notation to introduce

• GATE: User approves before Phase 3

Phase 3: Draft Slides (Iterative)

• Work in batches of 5-10 slides

• Check notation, apply creation patterns

• Quality checks during drafting

Phase 4: Figures & Code

• R scripts following conventions

• TikZ diagrams in Beamer source (single source of truth)

• Save RDS for future Quarto integration

Phase 5: Polish & Compile

• Full 3-pass compilation

• Run Devil's Advocate

• Run Substance Review (if domain reviewer configured)

• Update knowledge base with new notation

Post-Creation Checklist

[ ] Lecture compiles without errors [ ] No overfull hbox > 10pt [ ] All citations resolve [ ] Every definition has motivation + worked example [ ] Max 2 colored boxes per slide [ ] 2-3 Socratic questions embedded [ ] Transition slides between sections [ ] At least 1 running application threaded throughout [ ] New notation added to knowledge base [ ] Session log updated [ ] Devil's Advocate run