paperlab_curriculum_prerequisite_graph

PaperLab Curriculum Prerequisite Graph

When to Use

USE WHEN: reviewing a whole technical book for curriculum flow, especially when chapters are written by multiple passes or imported from course material.

Pair with:

• paperlab_student_readability for chapter-level learner friction,
• paperlab_book_knowledge_graph for graph output and visualization,
• paperlab_learning_objective_matrix for objective-level coverage.

Concept States

Track each concept in these states:

State	Meaning
introduced	concept is explained for the first time
practiced	concept appears in worked examples or exercises
reinforced	concept is reused with reminder context
assessed	concept appears in exercises, exams, or projects
assumed	concept is used without explanation

Workflow

1. Extract concepts from headings, objectives, summaries, glossary entries, equations, figure captions, and exercises.
2. Normalize synonyms and acronyms.
3. Identify the first introduction, first use, first computation, and first assessment for each concept.
4. Create prerequisite edges from prerequisite concept to dependent concept.
5. Flag:
   • use before introduction,
   • assessment before worked example,
   • missing bridge paragraph,
   • duplicate first explanations,
   • glossary terms not used in chapters.

Output Schema

{
  "book": "book-slug",
  "concepts": [
    {
      "id": "hydrate_margin",
      "label": "hydrate margin",
      "introduced_in": "ch10#section",
      "first_used_in": "ch08#section",
      "state": "assumed",
      "issue": "used-before-introduction"
    }
  ],
  "edges": [
    {"from": "phase_envelope", "to": "hydrate_margin", "type": "prerequisite"}
  ]
}

Pass Criteria

• Core concepts are introduced before calculation or assessment.
• Glossary and acronym entries match chapter usage.
• Capstone cases reference earlier theory instead of re-teaching it at length.
• Bridge paragraphs or cross-references exist for necessary jumps.