ClassConnect

Plan

• Define key user stories

• Define MVP scope

• Create mocks for the MVP - very simple one page app. ------> ended up not being so simple...

• Define a simple databse schema

• Look into the hashing algorithm for student IDs

• Set up the react app

• Define the states and functionality

• Breakdown tasks

• V1

  • create file uploader component - no need to create - already have one

  • create input form component

  • create a hidden success screen

  • [IP ] figure out where the file gets uploaded to google cloud no longer needed as we are not storing files any more.

  • need to implement a backend: Python with Flask - as it's lightweight and minimalistic. I dont' think I will see super high traffic with this app.

  • [IP] how to implement the logic of parsing the uploaded csv info

  • set up Heroku SQL with created tables

  • logic to send data to SQL

  • create qureies for matching + update

  • NOTE: Not only look up the course in this term, but connect you with students of next term as well. I think this is not rly a V5 but it's something very easy that MVP should be able to do.

• V2

  • add the logic for getting the stats bar component

• V3

  • add privacy note pop up

• V4

  • Add styling to everything...

• Constraints: - [ ] File has to be xlsx - [ ] User has to have at least 1 way of contact info - [ ] The file has to match the current format (can make it less generic i guess)

• Define test flows - this should have been done first. Honestly. MY BAD.
  - [ ] testflow1: missing information in the form - [ ] testflow2: excel format updated due to workday updates so processing logic breaks - [ ] testflow3: wrong excel file - [ ] testflow4: user update their file after iniital upload - [ ] testflow5: user update their contact info - [ ] testflow6: user upload a different student's schedule - [ ] testflow7:

• Carry out the test flows

• Invite beta testers

• Iterate based on feedback

• Clean up readme file...

key user stories

• As a new BCS student, I want to be able to find folks in my cohorts, who are in the same course as well as the same lecture, lab and discussion sections as me so that I can connect with them and form study groups, or pair up as lab / porject partners.
• Students should be able to upload their course schedule and get notified of other students who are in their course, as well as who share the same lecture, lab and discussion sections.
• Students should be able to share their contact information if they wish to be contacted by other users.

MVP scope

• There's a button to upload a schedule.
• The data base work and update student schedule correctly.
• There's a status bar to show how many people have uploaded their schedules, and list of courses and number of people in each course.
• There's a blurb that talk about the purpose of app and how it works (aka people get email at 5pm daily of updates).
• MVP Note! It is posisble the email update feature will be hard to implement...if it's hard...we could forgo this and just display information on the app... and we could display a message to the user to check back the next day if they don't see any matches.
  • Or send email to users when 'five' more folks have uploaded their schedules./ when the database has new matches for a given users / Users get an email with new matches

Database Schema:

Student Table

COLUMN	DATA TYPE	NOTES
first_name	VARCHAR	first name of the student
last_name	VARCHAR	first name of the student
hashed_student_id	VARCHAR	unique hashed student id for security and for identification usage
email	VARCHAR	required
phone_number	VARCHAR	optional
whatsapp	VARCHAR	optional
discord_handle	VARCHAR	optional
facebook name	VARCHAR	optional
instagram_handle	VARCHAR	optional

CourseSection Table

COLUMN	DATA TYPE	NOTES
course_code	VARCHAR	Course ID (e.g. 'CPSC_V 121')
course_name	VARCHAR	Course Name (e.g. 'Models of Computation')
section_ID	VARCHAR	section ID ('101')
(course_code, section_ID)	VARCHAR	Composite primary key
instruction_format	VARCHAR	Lab or tutorial or lecture
meeting_patterns	VARCHAR	Meeting times (e.g., "MWF 9:00-10:00")
Delivery_Mode	VARCHAR	In-person, online, etc.
start_date	DATE	course start date
end_date	DATE	course end date

Enrollment Table

COLUMN	DATA TYPE	NOTES
enrollment_id	VARCHAR	Composite key of student_id, course_id, section_id, course_start_date. One stuent can only enroll in a course once in the same term, but could enroll in the same course twice in different terms.
hashed_student_id	VARCHAR	unique hashed id of the student id for security
registeration_status	VARCHAR	registered or waitlisted
course_code	VARCHAR	Course code
section_code	VARCHAR	'L1D'
enrollment_date	DATE	when this was added to the database

Notes on the data processing flow:

• User fills out the form and uploads the file.
• The frontend sends a POST request to the backend, containing the form data (firstName, lastName, etc.) and the file.
• The backend processes the file to extract the student ID and course information, generates the hashedID, and return a success msg / error to the front end.
• Why? Seperation of concenrs... Security... file never stays on the frontend

Notes for future

• Try ORM python libraries