Tuition Centre Project

1. Web based Application

This will serve as the backbone for content management, reporting, student management
& app management.

2. Server Management
I suggest utilizing a cloud based server such as Amazon EC2 which provides a Windows
Data Centre Edition with VPN access

3. Database Application
There is a requirement to management student progress, location progress, content
revision, app revision for the web based application. I suggest using PHP & SQL Server

4. App Management
Students joining this centre will get a free iPAD with the App installed. The iPAD is not
locked, which means that the student can use it for their personal use. However when the
tablet is brought into the tuition centre, this will connect automatically to wi-fi and content is
synced. We do not want content sync. when iPAD is connected through wi-fi from students
home network.

So to achive the above task, we need to VPN connect established between Server & iPAD
which will do the following:
a. Allows iPAD content to sync between APP & Web Application
b. Provides security and encryption (SSL)

Features;

The app will work more like a container for the content delivery i.e. the app will be a shell
with no real content residing in the iPAD (more info in content section). However App will
have some basic features, and also we should have a private store to allow users to
download the app which is required on a new revision of app or accidental download of the
app. This can also be done via a link if possible

When student brings iPAD to a tuition centre, it is synced to the web application. The sync
does the following:
a. Add new content in the iPAD
b. Erase old content in iPAD

Since the content is updated for a week, an App will be able to display content in off-line
mode.

5. Content Management
Content is now available in PDF, we will need more a dynamic/animatic way of displaying
content. Contents are delivered for Grades 1 to 8. Content for Grade1, 2,3 will be more
graphical and cartoonish while content for Grade4-8 will be more academic nature.

We also discussed about creating a content using a teacher from India.

Content will be following:

1. PDF
2, Dynamic/Animated
3. Audio files

Contents will be accessed using a stylus and free hand drawing

Content Delivery:
Each time when a student visits the centre, they are in the centre for 30 mins. During this
time, a teacher in the centre pushes the content for that following week. This push will be
automated from the web application. Teacher simply makes the activity possible. When
the push is done, the following takes place:

1. The previous weeks evaluation, homework and worksheet (what ever is given as
deliverable) is synced back to the web application, which is recorded into the students
record. Then they are erased from the tablet

If this is a evaluation, any objective type questions are automatically evaluated by the web
application, but any free hand, fill-in-the blank questions will be evaluated by a human. We
need a separate portal to retrieve this. Also we need an option to download this as PDF for
evaluator to retrieve.

2. Next weeks content is pushed into the iPAD. The sync. is done from head office. We
can also do this automated, without having a teacher do this. Or we can do this such that a
teacher simply "activates" the push. We should also a have process to validate the sync
on each device.

3. In certain cases the test or content will be delivered in paper format, in which case the
teacher will scan the document and upload against the student file

6. Infrastructure Model
Each site will have a standalone model with a high speed internet (DSL/Cable) with
dedicated IP address. This IP address will only be able to connect via VPN to the web
application.
There will be a Wi-Fi connection possible with the ability to connect up to 50 devices
simultaneously. One laptop & printer will be connected in this site which can be used for
the following:

1. Ability to push content to iPAD

2. Any printout if required

7. Company Website
Client needs a corporate website. Its not clear if it should be a CMS or static website.
But client needs to provide portal access to student's parents to access reports of their
student progress. So one way this portal will be accessing data from the web based
application. Ability to export report to PDF will be required.

Content Delivery & Creation Method:

Content Creation which is a separate process is tied along with the delivery and app
functionality.

The method of content creation is dependable based on the delivery of the content and
related app functionality.

Content Delivery:

Content Delivery Mechanism -

The content is delivered as worksheets, there are:
 There are 4 strands per subject, each strand have multiple items/topics to cover
 There are 200 worksheets per grade per subject – math or English in year (covering
all 4 strands)
 In a class room there will be students of various grades attending – so content
needs to be sync based on the students grade & level of attendance (this is a non-
cohort classroom)
 Student attends the tuition centre for 30 min a week per subject
 Student’s tablets during this attendance (only) are sync with 10 worksheets out of
which 2 are attended on premise and remaining are home works
 Student’s tablets are not allowed to communicate with the server when they are off
the premises
 Once they are back in the premise, the content in the tablet’s (remaining 8
worksheets and any pending work) are sync back to the server. Contents are
cleared from the tablet and the device is ready for new content push. At this time
the following check is made:
o If student does not attend 90% of the home work/in class content (if the
student did not complete at the centre) then no new content is pushed until
this is complete.
 This can be done at the premise on the same day
 Or student can go back home, complete it and then return for sync
o If student has remaining 10% incomplete content/worksheet in tablet (which
accounts to 1 worksheet out of 10) then:
 worksheet and its results are sync back to server
 tablet is wiped clean of its content
 new content is pushed
 The above process is followed each time when a student attends the centre for the
following:
o Students are not hoarding the content
o Students are not over burden with work
o For data security
o There should only be 1 set of work sheet (if completion is below 90%)

Content Delivery Format

Content format for delivery is something that needs to be discussed with the software
developer and see what works best in regards to:
 Low bandwidth and data transfer overhead
 Affordable for iPad
 Dynamic content creation/edit & updates
 Which utilises the following features for students:
o Images
o Audio
o Annotating capability to circle, select, highlight, underline, check, draw,
write, type
o Stylus
 o Virtual Keyboard
o White/Black space for free hand writing/drawing
 Using an worksheet editor which translates the content to acceptable format as
mentioned above.
 Few ideas that were discussed were XML, HTML5, PDF for Question and Answers
to be done dynamically

Worksheet Editor

Content editor should be designed to support the format for data transfer to ipad. Editor
should have the following features:

 Creating a model/animation list for various answer types check, radio button,
highlight, draw etc.. so it would work like this:
o In an editor, an instructor types the question and attaches images/audio file.
o There is a 2nd section to this editor, where he will type the answer and then
select which animation this answer will be applied to
o Except freehand writing/keyboard entry every other answer should be
validated automatically without a human interference.
o If this is a manual validation then there should be section which allows to
select this and assign who is going to validate (like a username, set through
a global settings)
 Allow for numbering of the worksheet and questions within worksheet
 Allow for auto sort of worksheet and questions number sequencing if an edit needs
to be made (like inserting a new question in a worksheet between 3 and 4 so
remaining questions will be automatically re-numbered.
 If a work sheet previously published (also sync) needs to be edited , then this can
be done through an editor, however the changes such as a correction/typo or new
question entry should be displayed in the tablet through an icon against the
question & worksheet which represents an update.
 An instructor would ideally do the following in an editor:
o Creates a worksheet item, which will be in a draft copy.
o Selects a work week it’s going to be applied for, so that it automatically falls
into the rest of the batch
o Selects the Subject, Grade, Strand, Item & Work week it’s going to be
applied for
o Creates a short description for the worksheet
o Creates questions 1 – 10 & corresponding answers
o Applies the animation effect against each question/answer
o Preview mechanism to see how the worksheet would look, feel & work
o Push the worksheet into a sandbox/test environment for testing
o Test complete date is entered
o Worksheet is published which enters the worksheet into remaining batch for
sync

Content Creation
Contents for English and Math are created inside the worksheet editor. The editor then
translates the content to tablet format for students.