Inspiration We were inspired by the challenges students face when juggling multiple majors and minors at Penn State. Navigating degree requirements, course prerequisites, and scheduling conflicts can make it difficult for students to stay on track and graduate on time. We wanted to create a tool that simplifies this process by offering a personalized academic plan that helps students graduate within their desired timeframe.
What it does CourseCrafter PSU is a comprehensive academic planning tool designed specifically for students pursuing multiple majors and minors. It allows students to input their degree programs, preferred graduation timeframe, and course preferences, and then generates an optimized, conflict-free academic plan. It ensures that all degree requirements are met while providing flexibility and clarity, even for the most complex academic schedules.
How we built it We built CourseCrafter PSU using:
Node.js and Express for the backend to process data and handle user inputs. MongoDB for managing course data and academic requirements for each major and minor. NLP techniques (Using Python) to parse and analyze course requirements from academic catalogs. A React-based front-end that provides an intuitive interface, allowing students to easily input their academic details and generate a personalized graduation plan. Python for data analysis, data scraping and data manipulation. Tailwind CSS for styling.
Challenges we ran into We faced challenges in handling overlapping course requirements for students pursuing multiple majors and minors. Creating an algorithm that could balance these requirements with the desired graduation timeline—while avoiding schedule conflicts—was complex. Additionally, ensuring that the tool could scale and support various combinations of degree programs took significant effort.
Accomplishments that we're proud of We’re proud of creating a tool that simplifies one of the most stressful parts of university life: planning how to graduate on time, especially for students pursuing multiple programs. Our system provides clear, actionable academic plans that help students stay organized and confident about their progress.
What we learned Throughout this project, we learned a great deal about optimizing algorithms for scheduling, working with complex academic data, and enhancing user experience for students with varied academic goals. We also developed our skills in backend architecture, ensuring our tool is both scalable and efficient.
What's next for CourseCrafter PSU Looking ahead, we plan to expand the functionality by:
Adding real-time notifications about course availability and registration deadlines. Offering integration with Penn State’s LionPath for seamless course registration. Allowing students to explore alternative academic plans, such as taking summer classes or balancing their workload more efficiently. Expanding to support graduate programs and interdisciplinary studies.
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