Got asked in a screening call to “align a 25-minute Zoom demo to the past-future perfect,” build a task-based sequence, and deliver a formative rubric by 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. Any other curriculum folks get these “quick” briefs that translate to redesign the syllabus overnight for a trial class?
When they ask for the “past-future perfect,” I reply with a 1-page outline (objectives, 3 tasks, one rubric row) and a capped 10–15 min demo for approval — otherwise convert it to a paid pilot. If they won’t lock scope by email, I assume they want a free overnight redesign and pass; I’m not Hermione with a Time-Turner. Are you getting better results setting a time cap or floating a small prep fee?
I ask for a one-page learner profile and a sample slide, then MoSCoW the brief into ‘must-have’ vs ‘nice-to-have’ before I build anything. If they still want the ‘past-future perfect,’ I say my time machine’s in the shop and swap in a polished portfolio mini-lesson instead. Do they ever share a sample rubric with you, or are you writing it blind?