ReStrive

Inspiration

ReStride grew out of my experience preparing for a CPA Foundation exam. I had a 500-page PDF to study, but turning it into a plan I could actually follow felt like a challenge of its own.

Like many students, I balance study with friendships, relationships and commitments that change without warning. Deciding what to prioritise takes energy. Some days, even writing a to-do list feels like another task, and I end up studying at midnight. Once I fall behind, starting again feels harder than starting in the first place.

I wanted a way to see one useful next step and adjust my plan when life changes. That idea became ReStride: a way to help students find their study stride again.

What it does

ReStride turns coursework into manageable next steps. Students can organise courses and projects, upload learning materials, and create source-linked study notes, quizzes and flashcards. They can connect topics to study tasks, set goals and deadlines, and track their practice.

When a study session is missed, ReStride revises the plan around the time the student actually has. It shows what still fits, what moves and what may need a decision. For assignments, it offers prompts that guide the student’s process and understanding rather than writing the work for them.

How we built it

We built ReStride as a browser-based prototype with HTML, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. PDF.js extracts text from uploaded materials, which we use to create editable, source-linked study drafts and practice questions.

A deterministic planning engine divides work into sessions of up to 50 minutes and schedules them against deadlines and available time. After an interruption, it recalculates the plan and makes any work that does not fit visible. Students can choose to defer steps they have marked optional; required work is never silently removed.

The app stores data on the student’s device and supports backups and calendar exports. We test the planning and learning logic with Node’s test runner and build the app as a static site for GitHub Pages.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest design challenge was bringing materials, practice, tasks and planning into one place without making the app feel overwhelming. Someone who is already behind needs to know where to begin, not navigate another complicated system.

We focused on making the next action clear and keeping planning decisions understandable. The recovery flow was especially challenging: it needed to be encouraging while being honest when there was more work than time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We built a working path from course material to practice, then from study tasks to a revised plan after an interruption. We’re especially proud that the planner shows its trade-offs. It does not quietly overfill a day or remove required work to make a schedule look achievable.

Hackathon time limited how far we could take every feature, but the prototype lets us demonstrate and test the core idea.

What we learned

We learned that having study materials is only part of the problem. Students also need help deciding where to begin and how to return when a plan falls apart.

Building ReStride pushed us to treat progress carefully. Finishing a task is different from understanding a topic, and a useful study tool should support learning without simply supplying answers.

What's next for ReStride

Next, we want to test ReStride with students using their own coursework. We’ll watch where setup feels difficult, whether the revised plans make sense, and whether students can act on the suggested next step.

That feedback will guide improvements to material extraction, study estimates and the planning workflow. We also want to make calendar availability easier to keep current, so a plan can adapt with less manual work.