Co-curriculum Management Software for Southeast Asia's #1 Private University
We designed and developed SHINE, a web application that automatically tracks student activity, leaderboard scores, and makes activity management a breeze.
Work
Design, Development
Time
6 Months
Team
5 Members
Stack
PHP, Laravel
Category
Education Management
Areas of Improvement
System Design
UI and UX
Activity Management
Points System
Rewards System
Partner Support
About the Project
Gamified Co-curriculum Powered by a Robust Points Matrix
Our teams set out to build a web platform with an intuitive UI/UX design to make the platform more engaging for students. We chose Laravel for development to ensure speed, and scalability.
New Features
Automated Points Matrix
Leaderboards
Student Reflections
Digital Badges
Activity Management
Development Methodology
Testing Methods
User Acceptance Testing
Performance Testing
Stress Testing
QA Testing
Problems Solved
Taylor’s University wanted a smart system that eliminates the need to manually calculate points, gamify the student experience, and allow external partners to organize activities for their students.
Manual Points Tracking
No Partner Support
Student Activity Portfolio
Limited Reporting
Building a Complex Points Matrix
With five levels of relational data types that are mapped with each other, this was the most complex points system we’ve ever built.
Since no frameworks/libraries supported such complexity, we used various Laravel libraries to create this system.
Generating and Managing eCertificates
Generating and Managing eCertificatesWe used PDF generation libraries to map real-time student data with multiple certificate templates, and make them instantly available for download to students on their achievement boards.
We also added access control for these certificates so only authorized people can see these certificates.
Integrating Google Analytics
We used the Google Analytics API for a system-wide integration to collect data like page views, unique users, number of clicks, etc. The data collected by GA is also fed into the reporting features.
Dynamic Data Visualisations for Reporting
We used Laravel graph libraries to build a dynamic data visualization feature. The challenge was to add dynamic filters, such as date range, to the visualizations while keeping them real-time. We implemented this feature without making it feel slow.
How We Made this Project a Success
Building a Platform with Laravel
After choosing Laravel as the preferred framework for this project, we were tasked with making multiple features like document generation, automatic points calculation, student portfolio management, etc. work together.
We designed and develop the platform from the ground up, while using multiple Laravel libraries together.
Standardised Processes
We combined Agile and Waterfall methodologies to build SHINE. Our process started by creating accurate user requirements which were approved by the client. This was followed by a design and prototyping phase before we moved to development, data migration, and testing.
Each phase of the development lifecycle was extensively documented and shared with the client.
Assuring Quality through Testing
To guarantee a defect-free system and validate the imported data while accommodating activity surges, we implemented multiple testing techniques.
Additionally, we facilitated guided testing sessions to conduct self-testing on the new system.
One of a kind, and highly complex in nature, this feature is based on a custom-made points matrix that assigns, calculates, tracks, and showcases student points on leaderboards.
It calculates points according to the level of activity a student participates in.
This feature enables students to search, sign up, and track on-campus and off-campus activities.
While staff members can track overall student performance, points, and other activity data.
We integrated SHINE with the university’s CMS which made extracting data super convenient.
Secondly, their staff didn’t have to manually calculate points anymore, and now they could share data between different department seamlessly.
Staff members, and admin can view and generate custom reports based on available data sets.
Reports can include the following data
List of partner activities
Partner involvement
Student reflection reports
Reflection markers
Student status in award programmes
Overall activity reports
Overall activity reports
Market Relevance
Leader in Multi-disciplinary Learning
A top choice for students, researchers, and academicians, Taylor’s University offers multi-disciplinary education, has been a leader in providing high quality learning since 1969, and currently educates over 22,000 students.
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