Academic Command Center 🎓

Problem Statement: Create a tool that solves a real specific problem for a UW Madison student.

The Problem

Every semester at UW Madison, students juggle 4-6 courses, each with its own syllabus format, deadline structure, and Canvas page. Between discussion sections, office hours, project deadlines, and exams - keeping track of everything becomes overwhelming. Students waste hours manually entering dates into calendars, miss assignment deadlines buried in 20-page syllabi, and scramble when multiple deadlines cluster during midterms week.

This tool solves that problem.

What It Does

Upload your UW Madison syllabi once, get your entire semester organized automatically:

• ✅ Smart Calendar - All classes, assignments, exams, and office hours auto-added to Google Calendar
• 📁 Auto-Organized Drive - Clean folder structure for every course with tagged materials
• 📋 Task Breakdown - Complex projects split into actionable subtasks with timelines
• ⚠️ Conflict Detection - Warns when multiple deadlines cluster in the same week
• 📊 Workload Visualization - See your busy vs. light weeks at a glance
• 📱 SMS Reminders - Text notifications for upcoming deadlines (because you actually read texts)

Why UW Madison Students Need This

Real Pain Points Addressed:

1. Syllabus Chaos: Every professor uses a different format - some use Canvas, others email PDFs, some post Word docs. This tool handles them all.

2. Hidden Deadlines: That discussion post due Sunday at 11:59pm? The extra credit opportunity mentioned on page 18? We find everything.

3. Time Management: With 15-week semesters, study blocks for midterms, and finals scheduled 3+ weeks out, you need smart planning.

4. Multiple Platforms: Canvas, Piazza, Google Classroom, email attachments - materials are everywhere. We centralize it.

5. Group Projects: Coordinate with classmates when everyone's schedules are different.

Features

Intelligent Parsing

• Extracts assignments, due dates, exam schedules, grading weights
• Handles PDFs, Word docs, images, and text files
• Supports multiple syllabus formats (even handwritten notes!)
• Recognizes UW Madison-specific patterns (Canvas links, SOAR references, campus locations)

Calendar Integration

• Creates color-coded events for each course
• Multi-tier reminders (1 week, 3 days, 1 day before)
• Automatic study time blocking based on your free hours
• Updates automatically when professors change deadlines
• Integrates with UW Madison academic calendar (holidays, breaks, exam periods)

File Organization

• Auto-generates organized folder structure in Google Drive
• Sorts materials by course, week, and type
• Links relevant files to calendar events
• Tags by course number (e.g., CS 300, MATH 340, ECON 101)

Smart Notifications

• SMS alerts for high-priority deadlines
• Customizable notification preferences
• "Heavy week" warnings when workload spikes
• Finals week countdown and study schedule suggestions

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React/Next.js
• Backend: Node.js/Express
• AI: Claude API (Anthropic) - for intelligent syllabus parsing
• Integrations:
  • Google Calendar API
  • Google Drive API
  • Twilio SMS API
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Auth: Google OAuth 2.0

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Google Cloud account (for Calendar/Drive APIs)
• Anthropic API key
• Twilio account (for SMS)

Installation

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/academic-command-center.git
cd academic-command-center

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Set up environment variables
cp .env.example .env

# Add your API keys to .env

Environment Variables

# Anthropic
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here

# Google APIs
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:3000/auth/callback

# Twilio
TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID=your_sid
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_token
TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER=+1234567890

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/academic_command_center

Run the App

# Development mode
npm run dev

# Open http://localhost:3000

Usage

1. Initial Setup

1. Sign in with Google to connect Calendar and Drive
2. Enter your phone number for SMS reminders
3. Upload all syllabi for the current semester (download from Canvas or email)

2. Review & Confirm

• AI shows extracted assignments, dates, and grading breakdowns
• Verify accuracy and make any corrections
• Click "Generate Structure" to create calendar events and folders

3. Daily Use

• Check your dashboard each morning for priorities
• Receive text reminders for upcoming deadlines
• Upload new materials as courses progress
• System automatically updates when schedules change

Project Structure

academic-command-center/
├── frontend/
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── FileUpload.jsx
│   │   ├── Dashboard.jsx
│   │   ├── CalendarView.jsx
│   │   └── TaskList.jsx
│   ├── pages/
│   │   ├── index.jsx
│   │   ├── setup.jsx
│   │   └── auth/callback.jsx
│   └── styles/
├── backend/
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── upload.js
│   │   ├── calendar.js
│   │   ├── drive.js
│   │   └── sms.js
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── claudeParser.js
│   │   ├── googleCalendar.js
│   │   ├── googleDrive.js
│   │   └── twilioSMS.js
│   └── server.js
├── database/
│   └── schema.sql
└── README.md

API Endpoints

Upload & Parse

POST /api/upload
- Accepts: multipart/form-data (PDF, DOCX, images)
- Returns: Parsed course data (assignments, dates, weights)

Calendar

POST /api/calendar/create
- Creates Google Calendar events from parsed data

GET /api/calendar/conflicts
- Returns detected scheduling conflicts

Drive

POST /api/drive/organize
- Creates folder structure and organizes files

Notifications

POST /api/sms/schedule
- Schedules SMS reminders for deadlines

PUT /api/sms/preferences
- Updates user notification preferences

UW Madison-Specific Features

• Campus Integration: Recognizes UW Madison building names and locations (Van Vleck, Bascom, Memorial Union, etc.)
• Academic Calendar Sync: Pre-loaded with UW Madison semester dates, holidays, and exam periods
• Canvas Integration: Direct parsing of Canvas-formatted syllabi and assignment pages
• Credit Load Management: Tracks your credit hours and suggests optimal study time allocation
• Resource Links: Auto-links to UW writing center, tutoring resources, and academic advising

Roadmap

• Core syllabus parsing with Claude AI
• Google Calendar integration
• SMS notifications
• Canvas LMS direct integration (auto-sync with your courses)
• Mobile app (iOS/Android)
• Group project coordination features
• AI study buddy for exam prep
• Grade tracking and GPA projections
• McBurney Disability Resource Center accommodation tracking
• Notion/OneNote integration
• Integration with SOAR course registration
• Campus event discovery (lectures, career fairs, org meetings)

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md first.

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details

Acknowledgments

• Uses Anthropic's Claude API for syllabus parsing
• Inspired by the chaos of managing multiple course syllabi at UW Madison
• Special thanks to frustrated students everywhere who just want to focus on learning

Support

Questions? Issues? Open a GitHub issue or reach out at support@academiccommandcenter.com

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Built for UW Madison students, by UW Madison students. Stop drowning in syllabi. Start crushing your semester. 🚀

On, Wisconsin! 🦡