MathTex

A new innovative approach to accessible learning

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Inspiration

For this project we were inspired by a prevalent problem that thousands of students across the united states face. We wanted to find an innovative solution to this problem in order to make a difference. One of the biggest problems in the U.S. today is that schools are severely underfunded. The century foundation states that over 66% of school districts in the U.S. face a major fundraising gap. Students are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain quality practice resources without paying a substantial fee.

What it does

Our solution is MathTex, an easy to use application that utilizes a variety of technologies including python, latex, bootstrap and flask to generate customized and automated workbooks. With the click of a button, students in grades 1, 2, 4, 5, and 9 can have instant access to an unlimited number of free math workbooks covering the main concepts in each grade. The code has been designed to ensure that each problem is unique, so that students get as much out of our workbooks as possible. The books can also be customized to the student's needs, allowing them to focus specifically on topics they may struggle with.

How we built it

We began by developing python functions that generated the main problems and solutions in each grade level. From there we split up tasks with some team members focusing on user interface and others focusing on stringing latex into the functions to create the workbooks. Within two days we had successfully created a program utilizing flask, latex, python, and perl capable of generating complete workbooks containing several topic worksheets and their answer keys. We had also completed a basic user interface using bootstrap, jinja, flask, jquery, html, css, javascript, and ajax that allowed users to customize and download free workbooks.

Challenges we ran into

The primary issues we had involved the time crunch and the learning curve involved with using flexbox (front end development). We faced several issues with our version control system making it difficult to collaborate on code, causing us to constantly have to rework and fix problems that otherwise would not have come up. There were also issues with getting latex to compile successfully on our computers.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The program is able to successfully generate pdfs including beautifully formatted mathematical expressions. We were able to create a successful product within the short timeframe we had. This experience taught us many valuable lessons in teamwork, technics, and time management. Five of our workbooks have also been successfully published on Amazon.

What we learned

We have learned an incredible amount about shipping a product on time as well as using team members' strength's to their full potential based on their technical experience. We learned how to use new languages and frameworks such as latex, python, strawberry perl, and jinja. Overall, this experience was invaluable and we have learned a tremendous amount.

What's next for MathTex

We had very limited time to design this project, so we did not spend as much time on the user interface as we would have liked. More time could've given us the opportunity to make the platform more visually appealing. As a next step, we would like to switch from running on localhost to professional hosting services such as AWS or heroku. Finally, we could have improved the appeal of our workbooks to younger audiences by adding graphics and more color.

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