How Custom GPT Helped Make LMS (Brightspace) Course Design More Accessible
Tim Mousel on transforming dense assignments into accessible, mobile-friendly learning experiences in minutes
Having taught in higher education since 1993, Tim Mousel is a full-time faculty member in the Kinesiology department at LSC-Online, serves as the Department Chair of Chemistry, Kinesiology, and Physics, and co-chair of the AI Task Force. In this interview, Mousel discusses how AI is being used in PHED 1164 - Introduction to Physical Fitness & Wellness.
Source note: This is an edited interview adapted from a narrated video submitted to OpenAI. Watch the associated video in OpenAI Academy.
Intro
When Tim Mousel looked at the typical online assignment page, he saw a wall of text—hard to scan, easy to miss, and ultimately a barrier to student success. Drawing on decades of teaching, software development, and AI leadership, Tim decided to tackle this challenge head-on. In this interview, he reveals how he built a custom GPT workflow that instantly transforms raw, messy LMS assignments into clear, accessible, and visually engaging pages—no coding required. The result: students spend less time decoding instructions and more time learning.
The Interview
Q: Tim, what problem were you trying to solve in your online courses?
Mousel: Most LMS assignments are just blocks of text. Students have to dig through dense paragraphs, and it’s easy to miss key details. That means they’re spending their energy trying to decode the page instead of actually engaging with the content or completing the work. I wanted to remove that friction and create an environment where the design supports the learning task—so students can focus on what matters.
Q: How did you approach solving this?
Mousel: I built a custom GPT that takes the raw HTML from any LMS assignment and redesigns it. The tool preserves all the content and functionality but makes the page accessible, mobile-friendly, and easy to follow. I mapped proven learning design patterns to the LMS system, so things like learning objectives are always at the top, headings work with screen readers, and visual cues help lower cognitive load.
Q: Can you walk us through your workflow?
Mousel: Absolutely. I start by opening the assignment in D2L (Brightspace) and clicking the icon to view the HTML source code. I copy all that HTML, bring it over to my custom GPT in ChatGPT-5, paste it in, and submit. The GPT compares my HTML to the requirements in the prompt, rewrites it to match all the accessibility and design standards, and gives me the improved code. I just paste that back into the LMS and hit save.
Q: What specific design and accessibility standards did you build into your prompt?
Mousel: I enforce WCAG 2.2 AAA accessibility standards—the highest level currently available—to future-proof the content. The prompt specifies mobile-first design, inline CSS only (since that’s what the LMS supports), and absolutely no JavaScript or reliance on themes. I also provide the GPT with sample layouts for different content types—learning objectives, assignment overviews, concept cards—so each section is visually distinct and easy to navigate.
Q: Why is assigning a role to the GPT so important in your process?
Mousel: Assigning a role is crucial for quality output. There was a study in March 2025 showing that ChatGPT 4.5 passed the Turing test, and the key was detailed role assignment. In my prompt, I define the AI’s mission, the critical requirements, and step-by-step instructions. This ensures the GPT knows exactly what to do—analyzing the content, auditing for improvements, and applying the right enhancements.
Q: How did you handle branding and customization?
Mousel: I pulled the official Lone Star College colors from the marketing branding guide and included those hex values in the prompt, so the output matches our institutional look and feel. Anyone could swap in their own school’s colors for easy customization.
Q: What was the impact—how much time did this save, and what did you notice about student engagement?
Mousel: I redesigned my entire course in less than 20 minutes. The difference was immediate: pages went from dense and overwhelming to clear, organized, and inviting. Students can find what they need, understand expectations, and get started faster. I’ve seen a noticeable boost in student success rates and engagement.
Q: What advice do you have for other instructors who want to try this?
Mousel: Just copy your assignment’s HTML, run it through the accessibility GPT, and paste the output back into your LMS. See how it changes the student experience. Your LMS page is the learning environment—when the design supports the task, students succeed. This is a simple, repeatable way to make that happen.
What Stands Out
Core idea: Tim’s method leverages a custom GPT to instantly transform dense, inaccessible LMS assignments into visually clear, accessible, and mobile-friendly pages—no technical expertise required.
Classroom design: By mapping learning design patterns directly into the prompt and enforcing accessibility standards, Tim ensures every assignment page is structured for clarity, usability, and institutional branding.
Student impact: Students benefit from reduced cognitive load, clearer expectations, and easier navigation, leading to improved engagement and measurable gains in success rates.
Transferable lesson: A thoughtfully crafted AI workflow can empower any educator to rapidly elevate their course design, making high-quality, accessible learning the default rather than the exception.
Bio
Having taught in higher education since 1993, Tim Mousel is a full-time faculty member in the Kinesiology department at LSC-Online, an AI Faculty Fellow, Chair of the LSC-Online AI Council, and Chair of the System-Wide AI Task Force.
An award-winning educator, Tim has been honored with the 2022 Lone Star College-Online Faculty Excellence Award, the 2023 NISOD Excellence Award, and the 2023 & 2025 Master Presenter - International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence from the University of Texas.
Tim’s passion for programming led him to develop two commercial educational AI tools released before the advent of ChatGPT, including PocketAI.Online and eFit.Software. Tim is also a business owner, having founded Evolve AI Institute LLC.