Proposal #17: GAKU Engine

[Kagetsuki]

GAKU Engine is an Open Source School Management System built on Rails. We're still in the process of implementing base features, but we're hoping to have a stable release before Summer. There are a few big features we think RGSoC participants could handle. We're located in Okazaki in Aichi, Japan and have plenty of space in our office and are used to handling and teaching interns.

Some of the topics that could be handled by a RGSoC participant include (but are not limited to):

1. Scheduling and events complete with Calendar. For teachers and students a calendar view displaying when course lessons are scheduled, exams are held, assignments are due and other events. If attendance can be tied in to this it will be even better (eg: and instructor or staff member clicks on a date or a course lesson and can fill out who was absent and why).
2. Integration with external Badge systems such as Mozilla Backpack. Part of the the new feature set GAKU Engine brings to School Management is badges, but we do not yet have anything implemented that actually tires in badges from external services There are quite a few services that offer badges - being able to tie into at least the Open ones such as Mozilla Backpack would be excellent.
3. Student UI/UX. We do not yet have a student oriented interface or views but much of the underlying ground work has been implemented. Ideally students should be able to log in to a GAKU Engine installation and check their grades, check their schedules, get syllabus details and have access to files and extra info instructors have left attached to syllabuses, lessons, or assignment or exam details.
4. Assignment submission. This assumes 3 has been implemented, but if it has been then having a system to submit some assignments right through GAKU Engine would be excellent.
5. Release implementation of phase-based Admissions extension. We've already developed a working mockup during our pilot so this would likely be a nice task to approach for someone who has some Rails experience and wants to dive right in. Basically it's an extension for GAKU that makes it so admissions can be carried out through multiple phases, EG: "Application", "Exam", "Interview". Each phase has multiple states, such as "Pass", "Fail", "Ascent", "Exempt" for an "Exam" phase. Students progress through phases, and if they fail a phase they do not progress to the next one - if they pass all phases or meet some conditions in a particular phase they are automatically enrolled with a status of "Admitted". Most of the base methods and data needed to implement this system are already included, only a few simple models and controllers and views would need to be implemented and there are samples for all of this from the pilot.

[runlevel5]

@Kagetsuki :+1: love to see this awesome project here!

To all candidates, GAKU team consists of very nice and supportive members and the project itself is very meaningful. So if you are up to game changing project, I highly recommend you apply right now. I am happy to be your mentor

[tamacodechi]

My partner @InkCubes and I are interested in this project but we were wondering if it's only available exclusively to teams in Japan. Thank you!

[Kagetsuki]

@Althaire Nope, you can be anywhere. Half our team isn't in Japan as it is, it's just we have office space here for if a Rails Girl happened to want to physically be with us.

[prhone]

My friend and I are interested in this project. Can we join? ^_^

[Kagetsuki]

@prhone At this point I certainly think we have room.

[prhone]

@Kagetsuki, sorry but i haven't said that we are from Poznań (Poland). You wrote that paricipants can be anywhere. If we can still take part in this project, we will be happy :) We have a place and coaches who will help us in rails. If you want to be our mentor too that would be great!

[Kagetsuki]

@prhone absolutely. And you are very close in timezone to a big part of our team (Bulgaria).

[kalkov]

Will love to see you in contributors list :sunny: