Active Study

A way to study while you're busy! Simply text a number and begin receiving practice problems, using active recall to make sure you ace your next exam.

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Inspiration

Inspired by the "text for wifi" concept, we wanted to merge science-based learning with ultimate convenience. We observed that busy students often struggle to find time to study. Our solution leverages SMS to deliver bite-sized, active recall prompts tailored to specific subjects, making study sessions accessible anytime, anywhere.

What it does

  • Effortless Study: Simply text 346-550-7810 a statement (e.g., “I have a math exam in a week”) to kickstart your personalized study plan. And visit your dashboard (please prefix your phone number with "+1" in the web app)
  • Subject & Topic Selection: Users can choose a subject and narrow it down to a specific topic for focused revision.
  • AI-Generated Content: Utilizes ChatGPT (OpenAI API) to create and evaluate questions, ensuring material is engaging and effective.
  • Timed Reminders: Schedules and sends study prompts at specific intervals, so learning fits seamlessly into your busy schedule.

How we built it

  • Tech Stack: Built with Node.js and TypeScript, using SQLite (hosted on Turso) and Drizzle for database management.
  • APIs: Integrates Twilio for SMS messaging and OpenAI for generating study questions and evaluating answers.
  • Flow: Incoming SMS messages are parsed, triggering ChatGPT to generate questions. Cron jobs then schedule these active recall prompts and send them out at preset intervals.

Challenges we ran into

  • Messaging Flow: Designing a lean messaging system was challenging—we initially tried to manage recall history via SMS without a database.
  • Database Connectivity: Our first attempt with MongoDB encountered network issues, so we pivoted to using SQLite on Turso for its simplicity and reliability.
  • Cron Job Multiplicity: Occasionally, cron jobs sent duplicate messages due to multiple server instances. We plan to resolve this by implementing a Redis-based locking mechanism to ensure singular execution.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud to showcase how seamless and powerful AI-driven active recall can be—delivering engaging, science-based study prompts directly via text, making effective studying accessible at your fingertips.

What we learned

  • Integrating cron jobs in a multi-instance environment can be tricky—scheduling and avoiding duplicate sends requires careful management.
  • Building a lean, SMS-triggered study system is challenging but extremely rewarding when it simplifies the study process for busy students.

What's next for Active Study

  • Polish & Optimize: Refine our messaging flow and user interface.
  • Flow Enhancements: Implement a locking mechanism (e.g., via Redis) to ensure perfect scheduling.
  • Feature Expansion: Broaden subject coverage and incorporate additional interactive learning elements based on user feedback.

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