We believe that everybody should have an equal chance of getting the right educational resources regardless of their financial status. Throughout our research phase, we have found and visualized extensive data on a geographic map heavily depicting the lack of educational resources in different districts within the USA, heavily emphasizing that more needs to be done for these communities in terms of education.
Branch serves as a gateway that allows students from less privileged communities to connect with university-level tutors from around the world. Tutors and students can create their own unique profile. In the student dashboard, they can enter their school district and view an info-graphic comparing the district funding with respect to the average required funding. The website also displays a colour coded map of the U.S. based on funding differentials.
We had a Python backend which utilized numerous libraries including but not limited to Pandas, Matplotlib, Flask and Plotly. We used Next.js for our frontend deployment, as well as Auth0 to authenticate user login.
We overcame many hurdles during these 24 hours. Notably, getting the geographic map we developed on backend to display on our frontend was a huge challenge. We went through many iterations of debugging but came out on top because of our persistence and dedication.
We are proud of the good outcomes and implications that could arise from people using this software, allowing less privileged people to have a chance at getting better education.
We learned that connecting frontend and backend is a challenging task that requires a lot of coordination between teammates. Debugging requires a lot of meticulous effort and we often have to think outside of the box.
Extend further into communities across Canada and across the rest of the world. Enable a tutor-student matching system based on location. Verify tutor identities via their university email (send a confirmation link).