Inspiration
In a world where quality educational resources are either behind paywalls or buried in cluttered forums, we wanted to create a platform that democratizes access to high-quality, student-generated academic notes. The inspiration for CampusNotes came from real classroom struggles — late-night cramming, scattered PDFs, and unverified content — all of which motivated us to build something smarter, fairer, and more reliable.
We also saw the growing potential of AI, decentralized storage (IPFS), and token-based economies. Combining them, we envisioned a platform that rewards students not only for learning but also for sharing quality content.
What it does
CampusNotes is an AI-verified note marketplace that empowers students to:
- 📤 Upload notes (PDF, Word, PPT)
- 🤖 Get them analyzed by Gemini AI for quality, accuracy, and usefulness
- 🎯 Earn CNX Tokens for sharing valuable notes
- 🔒 Store and access notes securely via IPFS
- 🔎 Ask contextual questions about notes using AI
- 🧠 Generate summaries and flashcards from content
- 🔄 Track purchases, downloads, and analysis history
- 🧾 Buy high-quality, peer-reviewed notes using tokens > ⚠️ Important Note: > Due to limitations of the free-tier hosting on Render, the backend may experience slower response times. > Additionally, although email functionality (e.g., welcome emails, password resets) is fully implemented, you may not receive emails immediately or at all during testing. However, the email sending logic is properly integrated and will function reliably on a production-grade server.
How we built it
Tech Stack:
- Frontend: React + TailwindCSS + React Router
- Backend: Node.js + Express.js + MongoDB
- AI Integration: Google Gemini API
- File Storage: IPFS via Pinata SDK
- Authentication: JWT-based login & signup
- Token Economy: Custom CNX Token (logic simulated via MongoDB)
- File Parsing:
pdf2json,mammoth,textract
Architecture Highlights:
- Notes are first analyzed by AI and assigned a quality score (1–10)
- Notes scoring 8 or above are eligible for upload
- AI-generated summary, flashcards, and Q&A features improve note value
- Notes are pinned to IPFS with accessible CID URLs
- A credit system governs purchases and analysis access, ensuring fair use
Challenges we ran into
- AI Evaluation Format: Parsing Gemini’s natural language output into structured data (summary, score, etc.) was tricky.
- IPFS Integration: Managing uploads, streaming files, and validating file hashes post-analysis was complex.
- Security: Ensuring that only verified users could access files they purchased required layered auth and role checks.
- Daily Limits & Purchase Logic: Implementing logic for daily free analyses and purchased analysis packs without overcharging.
- Text Extraction: Extracting reliable text from PDFs and PPTs (especially handwritten content) had accuracy limitations.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Built a full-stack decentralized edtech platform from scratch
- Integrated real-time AI analysis and feedback loop for note uploads
- Successfully gated content behind IPFS + access permissions
- Designed a token-based incentive system that promotes quality contributions
- Created a meaningful student-to-student learning ecosystem
What we learned
- How to build robust, token-driven ecosystems with real incentives
- The nuances of working with multimodal AI models (Gemini) for document parsing and analysis
- Using Zod for schema-based input validation to handle edge cases gracefully
- How to securely integrate third-party services like Pinata and Gmail for IPFS & email notifications
- React state management for dynamic feedback loops (analysis → upload → purchase)
What's next for CampusNotes
- Premium subscriptions for unlimited AI features and bulk uploads
- Note rating & reviews from buyers
- Gamification: Leaderboards, badges, and weekly top contributors
- ChatGPT-powered tutoring interface using uploaded notes
- Mobile app using React Native for better accessibility
- Blockchain smart contracts for token logic and transparent payments
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