# SmartCourse Advisor: Merging AI, Data, and Student Voices

# Introduction

Choosing the right university courses is a decision that can significantly shape a student’s academic journey, yet the process is often fragmented and overwhelming. Students typically rely on scattered sources such as informal reviews, outdated course guides, or trial-and-error when planning their degree.

This challenge becomes even more relevant in the context of institutional change, such as the University of Adelaide merger, where navigating course options can become even more complex.

To address this, we built SmartCourse Advisor during a hackathon under the theme “Merger”. The goal was to unify student feedback, official course data, and AI-driven insights into a single, intuitive platform. By leveraging technologies like Node.js, Express.js, SQL databases, and AI tools such as Pickaxe, we created a system that empowers students to make smarter, faster, and more informed course decisions.

# Core Features

# AI-Powered Course Advisor

At the heart of the platform is an intelligent chatbot that recommends courses based on:

  • Academic history and current enrolments
  • Interests and career direction
  • Workload preferences and balance

This transforms course planning from a manual process into a personalized, conversational experience.

# Peer Ratings & Reviews

Students can contribute quick, meaningful feedback using tags like:

  • “Great lecturer”
  • “Heavy workload”

This crowdsourced layer adds real-world insight that traditional course planners often lack.

# My Courses Tracker

A dedicated space for students to:

  • Input completed and current courses
  • Avoid prerequisite conflicts or duplication
  • Receive more accurate AI recommendations

This ensures suggestions are context-aware and academically relevant.

# Course Explorer

Each course includes a rich profile with:

  • Descriptions and prerequisites
  • Workload expectations
  • Syllabus details
  • Student ratings

By consolidating this information, the platform eliminates the need to navigate multiple systems.

# Saved Plan & Comparison

Students can shortlist courses and compare them side by side, enabling:

  • Better decision-making
  • Clearer academic planning

# System Architecture

SmartCourse Advisor was designed for rapid prototyping without compromising functionality, making it well-suited for a hackathon environment.

# Frontend

The frontend was initially prototyped using Replit and refined with Figma to create a clean, student-friendly interface.

Key considerations included:

  • Simple navigation for complex academic data
  • Clear presentation of course details
  • Seamless interaction with the AI advisor

# Backend

The backend was built using:

  • Node.js for server-side execution
  • Express.js for API routing and logic

It handles:

  • User data and course tracking
  • Integration of reviews and ratings
  • Communication with the AI advisor

# Database

An SQL database hosted on Hostinger was used to:

  • Store course data
  • Manage user inputs and reviews
  • Support real-time recommendations

# Data Integration

One of the most technically interesting aspects was reverse-engineering the University of Adelaide Course Planner API to seed the platform with real course data.

This allowed the system to operate with authentic academic context, significantly improving the quality of recommendations.

# AI Integration

The AI advisor was built using Pickaxe, enabling:

  • Conversational course recommendations
  • Context-aware suggestions based on user input
  • A balance between natural dialogue and structured academic logic

Additionally, tools like ChatGPT were used during development to refine features and improve the user experience.

# Pictures

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# Closing Thoughts

SmartCourse Advisor demonstrates how powerful it can be to merge data, AI, and human insight into a single experience.

In just 48 hours, we built a working prototype that:

  • Integrates real university data
  • Provides personalized AI recommendations
  • Prioritizes a student-first design

Beyond the technical implementation, this project reinforced the importance of designing systems around real user workflows—in this case, how students actually explore, compare, and choose their courses.

As universities continue to evolve, tools like SmartCourse Advisor highlight the potential of technology to make complex decisions simpler, smarter, and more accessible.