A practical workflow for choosing sources, checking extracted content and building a focused course.
A folder full of PDFs is a starting point, but it does not tell you what to study next. Before adding everything to a project, write down one question your course should help you answer. “Understand the French Revolution” is broad. “Explain why the monarchy fell in 1792” gives you a clearer boundary.
Choose sources with a job to do
Start with an overview and one or two sources that add useful detail. Give each source a purpose: a timeline, an explanation, a worked example or a different interpretation. Two documents repeating the same introduction may add less than one careful case study.
Check the title, author and context yourself. A generated course cannot turn a weak source into a reliable one. If two sources disagree, keep a note of that disagreement instead of treating the combined material as settled fact.
Add first, prepare second
Adding a YouTube link records the source information. Preparation is the step that retrieves and extracts the available content. Use the preparation report to check what was actually recovered. A title in your source list is not proof that a complete transcript was available.
Previously prepared, unchanged sources can be reused. If you add another document, you should review the new material rather than start your source collection from scratch. Planning also runs preparation when it is needed.
Read the plan before starting a session
Check the summary and each module against your original question. Look for a sensible order: definitions before arguments, mechanisms before exceptions, examples after the ideas they illustrate.
If a module is vague, return to the sources. A missing explanation may require a better document, not a more elaborate prompt. Keep the course narrow enough that you can explain what finishing it would mean.
Make the first session small
Choose one module and a short session. Afterward, write down what you could explain without help and what still needs attention. Use that distinction to choose your next session.
Ready to try the workflow? Open your projects, or browse public courses to see how other courses are structured.