MyMDC.NextStop

Miami Dade College serves thousands of students every semester. Since the 2021 Covid shutdown, enrollment, graduation, and continuing-education participation have shifted. To strengthen student engagement and keep momentum toward graduation, we are introducing a new AI-powered interactive conversational bot. A companion, a strategist, and a clean interface for exploring career paths as students register for classes or search for options that match their interests.

Right now, gathering accurate academic information takes effort. Details are scattered across documents and websites, and even with a dedicated staff, the process can feel confusing. We’ve lived that confusion ourselves. That experience sparked the idea for MyMDC.NextStop , an intelligent academic advisor that clears the fog and turns scattered information into a straightforward, personalized plan.

MyMDC.NextStop offers a conversational, AI-driven advising experience. Students can ask questions like “What courses do I need for Computer Science?” or “Where can I transfer after my associate degree?” and receive immediate, accurate guidance. The system identifies core MDC courses such as MAC1105 College Algebra, COP1000 Introduction to Programming, and CGS1540 Database Concepts, while also recommending advanced classes like CDA3100 Computer Organization and COP3530 Data Structures for students preparing to transfer. It suggests universities such as FIU and UF, as well as other institutions covered by MDC’s articulation agreements, and provides GPA, prerequisite, and next-step guidance such as scheduling an appointment with an advisor, attending workshops, or exploring scholarships through MDC Works and the Idea Center.

We built MyMDC.NextStop as a full-stack web application. The frontend uses React, TypeScript, and Vite to deliver a clean, intuitive chat interface. The backend, developed in Python with Flask, connects student queries to the Google Gemini 2.0 model via the OpenRouter API. To personalize responses, we used PyPDF2 to extract real curriculum data from MDC program PDFs. A dynamic progress tracker updates in real time as students interact with the chatbot, visually showing progress toward degree completion.

Building the system wasn’t easy. Parsing curriculum PDFs was difficult because program documents vary in structure. Integrating the Gemini API through OpenRouter under strict hackathon time pressure introduced reliability issues. Designing an interface that stays simple while presenting complex academic data required careful planning and iteration.

Through this work, we learned how to integrate AI into a full-stack application, manage asynchronous data flow, and organize academic information so it stays accurate and readable. We also saw how critical user-centered design is , tools must match the real needs of students, not just the assumptions of developers.

Looking ahead, we plan to expand MyMDC.NextStop to cover all MDC programs and transfer pathways, add student authentication to save progress, and connect the platform with advising and MDC Works scheduling tools. Our vision is a 24/7 digital advising assistant that empowers every student at Miami Dade College to navigate their academic journey with clarity, confidence, and direction.