Learn-It

Learn-It is an AI tutor bot that reads study materials and answers questions in real time. Available 24/7, it offers students instant, reliable help without the cost of traditional tutoring.

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Inspiration

The idea for Learn-It came from our shared struggles with studying for exams. Tutors are expensive and not always available, and self-studying can lead to more confusion without guidance. We wanted to solve this by creating an AI platform that makes personalized learning accessible anytime, anywhere. Through research, we found that active recall, like taking quizzes and practice exams, is one of the best ways to learn. Learn-It allows users to transcribe lectures and generate custom quizzes from that material, giving students a better, more efficient way to study.

What it does

Learn-It is an AI tutor bot that allows users to upload lecture videos, commonly provided by professors. The AI transcribes the video, processes the content, and generates quizzes based on the lecture material. The quizzes help students actively recall and engage with the material, improving their understanding. Users can save their progress, ensuring they can pick up where they left off when they return.

How we built it

We built Learn-It using a combination of modern technologies that required integration of complex systems. We utilized: MongoDB for storing user data. Node.js and Express.js for the backend, handling file uploads, processing user data, and managing API requests. React.js for a responsive frontend that allows users to easily interact with the platform. Picovoice for lecture transcription, which processes video content quickly and accurately. OpenAI’s ChatGPT API to generate quizzes that align with the uploaded lecture material.

The integration of these systems required advanced asynchronous data management, as the platform processes video transcription and quiz generation simultaneously. Creating meaningful quiz questions involved designing a feedback loop between lecture transcription and the AI, ensuring that quizzes generated are contextually relevant and valuable for students.

Challenges we ran into

One of the most significant challenges we faced was the school's Wi-Fi blocking MongoDB Atlas, which hindered our ability to access our database. We had to adjust our approach to continue working on the project.

Additionally, integrating the AI quiz generation presented difficulties. Ensuring that the AI-generated quizzes were both relevant and challenging required tuning and testing. We also had to manage large file uploads (lecture videos) while making sure that real-time transcription did not overwhelm the system. This required creative solutions to balance the computational load and manage file storage efficiently within the limited hackathon timeframe.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re especially proud of implementing user account functionality. Users can create accounts, save their progress, and return to their quizzes whenever they need. This feature adds a level of personalization that enhances the learning experience. Also, successfully integrating the AI quiz generator to create context-aware questions was a huge win. Despite the technical challenges and time constraints, we were able to build a fully functional product that can actually benefit students.

What we learned

For all of us, this was our first hackathon—and for some, our first time coding! We quickly learned that coding involves more than just writing lines of code; it’s about problem-solving, understanding different technologies, and collaborating effectively. We experienced the satisfaction of turning our ideas into a working product. Thanks to the support of our amazing team, we were able to overcome challenges and create something impactful. This hackathon has been an incredible learning experience, one that will help us grow in our future endeavors.

What's next for Learn-It

Moving forward, we plan to enhance the platform by refining the user interface to make it more intuitive and visually appealing. We also aim to improve the AI’s ability to generate more complex quizzes and provide real-time feedback when a user answers a question incorrectly. Additionally, we want to expand file support beyond just video uploads to include PDFs and other document types. These improvements will make Learn-It an even more powerful tool for students, and we’re excited to continue using it for our own studies as well.

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