BugHouse

Posted on by Steven McDermott

Team Name

Team BugHouse

Timeline

Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

Students

  • Aniv Surana – Computer Science
  • Araohat Kokate – Computer Science
  • Athrva Arora – Computer Science
  • Inshaad Merchant – Computer Science
  • Milan Singh – Computer Science
  • Prakhyat Chaube – Computer Science

Sponsor

Dr. Marika Apostolova

Abstract

The CSE Student Success Center Mobile Application enhances how students at UTA’s Computer Science and Engineering department access academic support. It streamlines scheduling, attendance, and reporting for tutoring sessions through a responsive Android app. By simplifying the tutoring experience for students, tutors, and administrators, the platform aims to improve student success outcomes and engagement with academic resources.

Background

Students in Computer Science often struggle with complex coursework that demands timely and personalized academic assistance. Traditional support methods—like manual booking or walk-ins—are inefficient and prone to delays. The Student Success Center Mobile App addresses this issue by offering a centralized, mobile-friendly solution for scheduling, session tracking, feedback collection, and reporting. It eliminates inefficiencies, enhances accessibility, and provides a structured framework to help students stay on track with their academic goals.

Project Requirements

  • Role-based user authentication (Student, Tutors, Admins)
  • Session booking and scheduling system
  • Attendance tracking using ID cards
  • Feedback and rating system for each session
  • Customizable report generation for admins
  • Admin control over user roles and schedules
  • Scalable system to support concurrent users
  • Compliance with data security and privacy standards

Design Constraints

  • Scalability: The system must support high concurrency during peak academic periods without performance degradation.
  • Interoperability: The application must work seamlessly with existing university systems such as ID scanning and authentication services.
  • Offline Support: Core functions like viewing tutor availability and session history should be accessible in low-connectivity scenarios.
  • Data Integrity: All user actions, especially attendance and booking, must ensure consistency and accuracy even during network failures.
  • Deployment Compliance: The mobile app must meet all Google Play Store requirements to be eligible for publishing.
  • Version Management: New features must remain backward compatible with previous Android versions down to 7.0 to ensure inclusivity.

Engineering Standards

  • WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines): Ensures inclusive access to the application through support for screen readers, color contrast standards, and alternative navigation.
  • ISO/IEC 27001: Guides the secure handling of user data such as email, session records, and notification details, reinforcing privacy and security.
  • ISO/IEC 25010 (Software Product Quality Model): Maintains high software quality in terms of functionality, reliability, and maintainability.
  • ISO/IEC 25012 (Data Quality Model): Ensures that all generated reports are accurate, complete, and relevant for administrative use.
  • ISO/IEC 24760: Supports secure identity and role management for multi-level access control across user types.
  • ISO/IEC 27017: Reinforces security for cloud-based services ensuring scalability without compromising privacy.
  • ISO/IEC 19778: Maintains performance standards for mobile architectures, enabling reliable real-time scheduling and tracking.
  • ISO 9241-210: Guides ergonomic user interface design for intuitive app navigation and interaction.
  • ISO 9241-110: Focuses on user interface principles such as consistency, feedback, and error prevention.
  • RFC 3339: Standard for date and time formats across internet-based systems, ensuring reliable timestamping.
  • IEEE 829: Provides structure for software testing documentation, especially for validating report outputs.
  • NIST SP 800-63B: Applied to user authentication and lifecycle management, including token-based identity verification.
  • OAuth 2.0 & MD5 Hashing: Used for secure authentication, storing access tokens in hashed format for added security.
  • Google Play Compliance: Ensures the mobile application meets publishing and security policies for deployment on the Play Store.
  • DRY Principle (Don’t Repeat Yourself): Promotes clean, maintainable code for long-term support and efficient debugging.

System Overview

The system follows a six-layered architecture for modularity and scalability:

  1. User Authentication Layer: Manages login, access tokens, and session handling.
  2. Schedule Management Layer (Admin): Handles profiles, session history, and scheduling.
  3. User Management Layer (Admin): Manages user roles, schedules, and validations.
  4. Session Management Layer: Enables availability tracking, booking, and notifications.
  5. Attendance Tracking Layer: Validates attendance through ID-based check-ins.
  6. Report Generation Layer (Admin): Produces customizable reports for performance analysis.

Each subsystem communicates via well-defined interfaces and ensures data
integrity throughout.

Results

The CSE Student Success Center Mobile App has reached a strong functional milestone, with core features such as student-tutor session booking, calendar views, and attendance tracking fully implemented and operational on the Android frontend. The app was tested across multiple screen sizes and devices to ensure consistent performance and accessibility.

While backend integration for the admin module is still in progress, key components—including user authentication, tutor scheduling, and session management—are already connected and working as expected. The administrative dashboard and reporting features are actively being developed and nearing completion. Internal testing and user feedback have confirmed the app’s intuitive interface and its potential to streamline academic support services within the department.

Future Work

  • Complete remaining backend work on admin module
  • Expand support for iOS
  • Add AI-driven tutor recommendations based on performance and subject expertise
  • Integrate with university’s official student management systems
  • Include a real-time feedback dashboard for tutors and admins

Project Files

Project Charter
System Requirements Specification
Architectural Design Specification
Detailed Design Specification
Poster

References

  1. Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) Documentation
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/msal-overview
  2. Azure AD – Microsoft Authentication Library for Android
    https://github.com/AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-android
  3. Retrofit Library – Square Inc.
    https://github.com/square/retrofit
  4. PostgreSQL Documentation
    https://www.postgresql.org/docs/
  5. Express.js API Guide
    http://express.js/
  6. UTA Student Success Center Guidelines

Steven McDermott

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