Project ALDA

CAPP 30122: Computer Science with Applications-2

The University of Chicago | Winter 2017

About this repository:

This repository contains the final course project for CAPP 30122.

About all sub-directories:

• AldaCourse: contains all individual components of Project ALDA listed below together with a Django interface.

• CourseCrawler: contains all scripts necessary to scrape course informations.

• CourseEvaluation: contains all scripts necessary to scrap course evalations.

• NLTK: contains python scripts used to select the top 6 positive and negative words from each evaluation comments.

• ScheduleVisualization: contains python scripts and template.xlms file used to create all possible combinations of non-conflict courses schedules based on user input.

• Project_Info: contains project description files and the presentation slides.

Required Packages:

• Selenium (v3.3.1)
• Openpyxl (v2.4.5)
• Django (v1.10.6)
• PhantomJS (v2.1.1)

How to install all required packages on Ubuntu (super eazy):

1. Fire up a terminal, and go to the directory you want to store AldaCourse.

2. In the directory of your choice, run this command to clone the git epository:
   git clone https://github.com/dpzhang/Project_ALDA.git

3. After cloning the git repo, you will find a new local sub-directory called Project_ALDA.

4. In the home directory of Project_ALDA, type in sh alda_install.sh.

   • After typing in this bash command, you might be asked to input the password of your machine.
   • After inputting your password, Linux would start to install all required packages so as to ensure AldaCourse could run successfully and smoothly in your machine.
   • Friendly Reminder: you only need to install once, and it might take about 30s to 1min to finish all required installations. (patience is a virtue:sunglasses:)

How to launch AldaCourse on Ubuntu:

1. Go to the home directory of AldaCourse in your machine and type in sh alda_prep.sh.

   • If you are a first-time user and just finished installing all packages following the tutorial above, you can actually just stay in the same terminal window and input the command sh alda_prep.sh.
   • Notice: after typing in sh alda_prep.sh, you will find the current terminal you are using could no longer input other bash command.

2. Open a new terminal in the same directory, and type in sh alda_init.sh. It would automatically launch your default web browser and you will see our amazing interface, powered by Django.

How to use our program:

I. Schedule Builder

• Once you have successfully see our beautiful interface, the first thing you want to do, of course, is to input 3 different classes you want to take in the next quarter here at UChicago!

• After putting in 3 different courses, click on the "Search" button below. It will show you a table of course information, including

  • Course Control Numbers (CCN) -- you can also click on it to see the course description
  • Section numbers
  • Course Name
  • Undergrad/Grad section
  • Day/Time
  • Instructor Name(s)
  • Location
  • Lec/SEM

• Notice: you might be seeing a course of the same section number occur twice in the list. This is because that particular course would have both undergraduate and graduate in the same lecture.

• In the very first column of the course table, you are able to check the empty boxes to indicate which courses you would like to take (If you are a greedy person, you can also check all boxes that are available). Based on the combination of courses you select, AldaCourse can intelligently generate all feasible and non-conflicted course schedules that best staisfy your demand.

• After checking the boxes and indicating your course selection, click on the "Download Schedules" button below. There would be two possible outcomes:

  1. You will see a message called "Your courses schedules are generated and have already been downloaded to your AldaCourse directory". The generated course schedules could be found in ./Project_Alda/AldaCourse/aldacourse/schedule#.xlsx. The output course schedule are all in .xlsx spreadsheet format and the number of generated spreadsheets will soley depend on the combination of courses you select.
  2. If you see a message like "There's conflict in your course selection. We couldn't generate schedule.", it means based on your course selection, there is no feasible schedules available. So... think about other course options.

II. Course Evaluation

• If you want to know the evaluation of the instructor of a particular course that you want to take, just simply click on the instructor name in the table.

• In case a class is taught by multiple professors, AldaCourse would bring you to a page to select the instructor you are interested in.

• After checking the box before the name of one instructor, click on "Instructor Evaluation" button. You will then see the evaluation of that insturctor in a clean, consistent, organized and systematic format.

III. Open-spot Reminder

• In case a popular class that you want to take is already full and no more empty seat available at the time, no worries, AldaCourse is made to resolve this issue right for you.

• Check the box of that popular course that is currently full, and input your email address in the "Email Address Option" below the table.

• Finally, click the "Get Notification" button.

  • Warning: our interface would generate a "Timeout Exception" warning message under poor internet environments. We suggest to shut down the current AldaCourse server and re-launch AldaCourse.

• Congratualations, now you will be one of the first persons to receive an email of notification knowing when that popular course will have an empty seat.

  • Disclaimer: this AldaCourse function does not guarantee you will be able to get the course you want. Some other factors, such as how often you check your emails or how fast you can type and click on your laptop, are extraordinarily crucial. So... Good luck!

Contributors

Alice Mee Seon Chung Alicechung

Luxi Luke Han magicahan

Dongping Gabriel Zhang dpzhang

Ningyin Ariel Xu sixisxu

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Matthew Wachs and Dr. Amitabh Chaudhary for your teaching, guidance, and support throughout the quarter.