Project Overview
Goal: Transform Blackboard’s static grade interface into a student-centric dashboard that clarifies weighted grading, enables predictive planning, and fosters academic accountability.
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Key Questions Driving the Redesign:
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“How do I know which assignments impact my grade the most?” → Students needed visual weightage breakdowns.
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“Can I simulate outcomes to reach my target grade?” → Lack of predictive tools caused anxiety.
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“Where do I start improving?” → No personalized feedback or resource links.
Project Process
1. Discover: Uncovering Systemic Gaps
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Research Methods:
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Feasibility Analysis: Technical, economic, and organizational risks (e.g., data migration, user resistance).
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User Interviews: 10+ students shared frustrations:
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“I spend hours calculating grades manually—Blackboard doesn’t show the math.”
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“I need to know exactly what score I need to get an A.”
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Competitive Audit: Benchmarked Canvas, Coursera, and Moodle for data visualization best practices.
Key Insights:
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85% of students misunderstood weightage impacts.
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70% wanted dynamic tools for grade simulation.
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Faculty needed alignment with UMBC’s academic policies.
2. Define: Prioritizing Academic Needs
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Core Problems Identified:
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Static Data Display: Grades lacked visual hierarchy or weightage context.
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No Predictive Tools: Students couldn’t simulate outcomes or set goals.
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Cognitive Overload: Cluttered UI buried critical insights (e.g., deadlines).
How Might We (HMW):
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HMW visualize weighted grades to clarify their impact?
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HMW empower students to simulate and achieve target grades?
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HMW reduce cognitive load while surfacing actionable insights?
3. Develop: Solutions Grounded in Analysis
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Redesign Highlights:
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Feasibility-Driven Architecture:
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Technical: Data flow diagrams (DFDs) mapped grade processing and user interactions.
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Economic: Cost-benefit analysis prioritized high-impact features (e.g., What-If Calculator).
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Organizational: Stakeholder workshops aligned the design with UMBC’s academic workflows.
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System Modeling:
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Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERD): Defined relationships between students, courses, and assessments.
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Data Flow Diagrams (DFD): Visualized how grades flow from instructors to students.
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UI/UX Solutions:
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Weighted Grade Visualization: Interactive pie/bar charts with toggleable categories.
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What-If Calculator:
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Exploration Mode: Sliders to simulate grades for upcoming tasks.
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Target Mode: Set goals (e.g., “A”) to see minimum scores needed.
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AI Recommendations: Static cards with study tips and resource links (e.g., 📚 Lecture Slides).
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Prototyping:
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Lo-Fi Wireframes: Validated navigation and layout with classmates.
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Hi-Fi Figma Prototype: Embedded interactive charts and sliders.
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4. Deliver: Launching an Academic Companion
Outcomes:
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Dynamic Grade Breakdown: Students could toggle weightage categories (e.g., Projects vs. Exams).
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Predictive Empowerment: What-If Calculator reduced manual calculations by 75% (simulated testing).
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Streamlined Feedback: AI recommendations linked directly to UMBC’s library and online resources
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Before & After:
Original Issue Redesign Solution
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Static grade tables Interactive pie/bar charts
Manual grade calculations Real-time What-If Calculator
Hidden assignment impacts Weightage labels and tooltips
Generic feedback Personalized AI recommendations
Future Vision
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Predictive Analytics: AI-driven grade predictions based on historical performance.
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Instructor Collaboration: Professors add feedback annotations (e.g., “Improve citations”).
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Accessibility Hub: Dark mode, text-to-speech, and dyslexia-friendly fonts.
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Key Takeaways
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“Transparency reduces anxiety.” Visualizing weightage and simulating grades empowered students.
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“Data needs context.” Feasibility analysis ensured technical and organizational alignment.
Documentation
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1. Link to System Proposal & Feasibility Analysis
2. Link to DFD/ERD Diagrams