Capstone Connect

A comprehensive project management system designed to connect students with real-world capstone projects from industry partners. Initially built for Curtin University, with plans for multi-institutional customization.

🌟 Features

For Students

• Project Discovery: Browse approved capstone projects with advanced filtering by semester, type, and popularity
• Interest Management: Express interest in up to 5 projects with validation and tracking
• Favorites System: Save interesting projects for later review (up to 20 favorites)
• Interactive Dashboard: Track interest history, favorites, and application status
• Secure Authentication: Student-specific login with email validation

For Industry Partners (Clients)

• Project Submission: Create and submit detailed project proposals
• Status Tracking: Monitor project approval status (pending, approved, rejected)
• Student Interest Monitoring: View students who have expressed interest
• Project Management: Edit pending projects and resubmit rejected ones
• Organization Dashboard: Comprehensive overview of all submitted projects

For Administrators

• Project Approval Workflow: Review and approve/reject submitted projects
• User Management: Oversee student and client registrations
• Analytics & Reporting: Track system usage and project popularity
• Audit Logging: Complete audit trail of all system activities

🏗️ Architecture

Backend

• Node.js + Express.js: RESTful API server with comprehensive middleware
• SQLite Database: Lightweight, file-based database with full-text search
• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication for all user types
• Input Validation: Comprehensive validation using express-validator
• Security Middleware: Helmet, CORS, rate limiting, and XSS protection
• Logging System: File and database logging with error tracking

Frontend

• Vanilla JavaScript: No framework dependencies for maximum compatibility
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first CSS with modern layouts
• Real-time Updates: Dynamic UI updates without page refreshes
• Modal-based Interface: Clean, focused user interactions
• Progressive Enhancement: Works across all modern browsers

Database Schema

• Users: Students, clients, and administrators with role-based access
• Projects: Complete project lifecycle management
• Interests: Student-project relationship tracking
• Favorites: Personal project bookmarking system
• Analytics: Usage tracking and reporting data
• Audit Logs: Complete activity auditing

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm or yarn package manager

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/michael-borck/capstone-connect.git
   cd capstone-connect

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Set up the database

   npm run setup

4. Seed with sample data (optional)

   npm run seed

5. Start the development server

   npm start

6. Access the application

   • Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser
   • The application will be ready to use!

📁 Project Structure

capstone-connect/
├── config/
│   └── config.js              # Application configuration
├── database/
│   ├── schema.sql             # Database schema definitions
│   ├── seedData.js            # Sample data for development
│   └── db.js                  # Database connection and methods
├── middleware/
│   ├── auth.js                # Authentication middleware
│   ├── validation.js          # Input validation rules
│   ├── security.js            # Security middleware
│   ├── errorHandler.js        # Error handling
│   └── requestLogger.js       # Request logging
├── routes/
│   ├── auth.js                # Authentication endpoints
│   ├── projects.js            # Project management
│   ├── students.js            # Student-specific features
│   ├── clients.js             # Client dashboard and management
│   └── admin.js               # Administrative functions
├── public/
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── styles.css         # Application styles
│   ├── js/
│   │   ├── app.js             # Main application logic
│   │   ├── auth.js            # Authentication handling
│   │   ├── search.js          # Search functionality
│   │   ├── studentRegistration.js
│   │   └── clientRegistration.js
│   └── index.html             # Single-page application
├── utils/
│   └── logger.js              # Logging utilities
├── server.js                  # Express server setup
└── package.json               # Dependencies and scripts

🔧 Development

Available Scripts

• npm start - Start the production server
• npm run dev - Start development server with auto-reload
• npm run seed - Populate database with sample data
• npm run backup - Create database backup
• npm run export - Export data to JSON
• npm test - Run test suite (coming soon)

Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory:

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key
DB_PATH=./database/capstone.db
LOG_LEVEL=info

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register/student - Student registration
• POST /api/auth/register/client - Client registration
• POST /api/auth/login/student - Student login
• POST /api/auth/login/client - Client login
• POST /api/auth/login/admin - Admin login
• POST /api/auth/logout - Logout (all users)

Projects

• GET /api/projects - Get all approved projects
• GET /api/projects/:id - Get project details
• POST /api/projects - Create new project (clients)
• PUT /api/projects/:id - Update project
• DELETE /api/projects/:id - Delete project

Students

• POST /api/students/interests - Express interest in project
• DELETE /api/students/interests/:id - Withdraw interest
• GET /api/students/interests - Get student's interests
• POST /api/students/favorites - Add project to favorites
• GET /api/students/dashboard - Student dashboard data

Administration

• GET /api/projects/admin/pending - Get pending projects
• PATCH /api/projects/:id/status - Approve/reject projects
• GET /api/admin/logs - System logs
• GET /api/admin/analytics - Usage analytics

🔒 Security Features

• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication
• Password Hashing: bcrypt password hashing
• Rate Limiting: Protection against brute force attacks
• Input Validation: Comprehensive server-side validation
• XSS Protection: Content Security Policy and input sanitization
• CSRF Protection: Cross-site request forgery protection
• Audit Logging: Complete activity tracking
• Error Handling: Secure error responses

🎯 Current Status

Completed Features ✅

• ✅ Database setup and architecture
• ✅ Express.js server with comprehensive middleware
• ✅ Three-tier authentication system (students, clients, admins)
• ✅ Project CRUD operations with validation
• ✅ Client registration and project dashboard
• ✅ Student registration and login
• ✅ Project browsing with filters and popularity indicators
• ✅ Project detail modal with full information
• ✅ Favorites functionality for students
• ✅ Interest expression system with 5-project limit validation

In Progress 🚧

• 🚧 Student dashboard with interest history and favorites
• 🚧 Interest withdrawal functionality
• 🚧 Admin portal and management tools

Planned Features 📋

• 📋 Advanced search and analytics
• 📋 Email notifications
• 📋 File upload capabilities
• 📋 Multi-institutional configuration
• 📋 API documentation
• 📋 Comprehensive testing suite
• 📋 Docker containerization

🌍 Multi-Institutional Vision

While currently configured for Curtin University (with email validation specific to Curtin domains), the system is designed with multi-institutional deployment in mind. Future versions will include:

• Configurable Institution Settings: Easy setup for any university
• Custom Branding: Institution-specific logos and colors
• Flexible Email Domains: Support for multiple email domain validation
• Tenant Management: Multi-tenant architecture for hosting multiple institutions
• Custom Workflows: Institution-specific approval processes

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built for Curtin University's capstone program
• Designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry
• Inspired by the need for better student-industry collaboration

📞 Support

For support, please contact the development team or create an issue in the GitHub repository.

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Built with ❤️ for connecting students with real-world opportunities