House Points for Learning Factory

Overview

While the Learning Factory is a hub for creativity and innovation, it is not as well utilized by students at Penn State as it could be. This project aims to create an incentive system to encourage students to visit the Learning Factory and better utilize its facilities. Our team was tasked with creating a check-in system to allow students to record time spent at the facility, reward points to be redeemed for prizes, and assign students to Learning Factory house groups.

Objectives

Our objective was to create an efficient and secure incentive system where students can sign-in and -out the Learning Factory, record their hours, and gain points for attendance based on an algorithm we developed. Students will be able to exchange points for certain prizes offered by the Learning Factory.

This involves both software development operating remotely and hardware implementation locally at the Learning Factory. The full system includes a database, web application, card reader, Raspberry Pi, and monitor.

Approach

– Meet with Sponsor to layout basic functionality of product

– Reach out to Penn State IT contact to make sure our product can interface safely with the Penn State Network

– Layout basic structure for MVP and divide sections amongst the group

– Purchase Raspberry Pi kit, Card Reader, and Display to be installed at the Learning Factory

– Install Proper Raspbian on to Raspberry Pi to then configure for Learning Factory use

– Test functionality of card reader to see what output of a swipe gives

– Create GitHub Repository to allow for remote development of the web application

– Conduct check-ins with IT contact and Sponsor to make sure our product is satisfactory

– Set up local database to hold onto student accounts along with point values and check-in/check-out times

– Create a prototype of all components being connected remotely to show basic functionality

– Write documentation as to how to set up hardware, software, and database

– Configure documentation to allow for anyone in the future to adjust/add to the web application or databases

– Give prototype to IT to have it configured to the Penn State network

– Install final product at the Learning Factory

Outcomes

– A fully-functional web application that allows students to sign-in and -out, tracks their attendance, rewards them points, and assigns them to a house group

– A fully-functional admin version of the web application that allows approved Learning Factory staff members to adjust student point totals, exchange points for prizes, and add new prizes

– Documentation, not only for adjusting the web application, but also for installing the hardware at the Learning Factory once it is safe to do so

NOTE: Due to extenuating circumstances, we were unable to install our final product locally, but we have done extensive testing with our remote product, and it is now up and running on the Penn State network.