CodeCoach AI

An Open Source AP Computer Science Tutoring Assistant

CodeCoach AI is an accessible, curriculum-aligned tutoring assistant designed specifically for Minnesota high school students taking Advanced Placement Computer Science courses (AP CS A and AP CS Principles). This open-source project aims to provide 24/7 support for students learning computer science concepts, with strict alignment to College Board curriculum standards.

🎯 Project Goals

• Provide equitable access to high-quality CS tutoring for all Minnesota students
• Support after-hours learning when teachers aren't available
• Ensure strict alignment with official AP CS curriculum standards
• Create an accessible platform that works for all students, including those with disabilities
• Offer a transparent, open-source solution that students can study, modify, and learn from

✨ Features

Curriculum Alignment

• AP CS A: Complete coverage of Java programming concepts, classes, inheritance, and algorithms
• AP CS Principles: Coverage of computing concepts, algorithms, data, internet, and programming
• College Board Approved: Uses only official curriculum materials and standards

Educational Design

• Structured Responses: Clear, organized explanations with headers and sections
• Code Examples: Practical Java code samples that demonstrate concepts
• Practice Exercises: Suggested activities to reinforce learning
• Common Mistakes: Guidance on errors to avoid

Accessibility Features

• Screen Reader Compatible: ARIA labels and semantic HTML
• Keyboard Navigation: Full functionality without a mouse
• Visual Adjustments: Dark mode and adjustable text size
• Clear Typography: High-contrast, readable text

Teacher Tools

• Admin Dashboard: Monitor student usage and questions
• Curriculum Management: Upload and organize teaching materials
• Usage Analytics: Track most common questions and topics
• Data Retention Controls: Manage student data in compliance with school policies

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/ndweir/apCS-agentic-ai.git
   cd apCS-agentic-ai

2. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the application

   python app.py

4. Access the web interface Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:5001

5. Access the admin panel (for teachers) Navigate to http://localhost:5001/admin

🧠 How It Works

Architecture Overview

CodeCoach AI uses a Flask-based web application with the following components:

1. Web Interface: HTML/CSS/JavaScript frontend for student interactions
2. Flask Backend: Python-based server handling requests and responses
3. Curriculum Database: JSON-based storage of AP CS content
4. Search Algorithm: Natural language processing to match questions with curriculum
5. Admin Dashboard: Teacher interface for monitoring and management

Directory Structure

codecaoch-ai/
├── app.py                 # Main application file
├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
├── curriculum/            # Curriculum content
│   ├── ap_cs_a/          # AP Computer Science A materials
│   └── ap_cs_principles/  # AP Computer Science Principles materials
├── templates/             # HTML templates
│   ├── index.html         # Student interface
│   └── admin.html         # Teacher interface
└── codecoach.db           # SQLite database for conversation logs

Adding Curriculum Content

Teachers can add curriculum content in JSON format through the admin interface. Each curriculum file follows this structure:

{
  "title": "Unit Title",
  "description": "Unit description",
  "topics": {
    "topic_id": {
      "title": "Topic Title",
      "keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2"],
      "content": "Detailed content with markdown formatting..."
    }
  }
}

🔒 Privacy & Security

• Data Retention: Conversations are stored with automatic expiration (default: 365 days)
• IP Logging: For teacher identification of student sessions only
• No Personal Data: No student accounts or personal information required
• Automatic Purging: Expired data is automatically removed
• Access Controls: Admin interface restricted to teachers

🧪 For Students: Learning From The Code

This project isn't just a tool to use - it's also a learning opportunity! Here are some ways students can learn from this codebase:

Python Web Development

• Study how Flask routes work in app.py
• Learn about HTML templates and Jinja2 in the templates/ directory
• Understand HTTP requests and responses in the chat functionality

Database Management

• Examine the SQLite database implementation
• Learn about data models and schema design
• Study the data retention and privacy mechanisms

Search Algorithms

• Review the question-matching algorithm in search_curriculum() function
• Learn about keyword extraction and topic matching
• Understand how to improve search results with scoring mechanisms

Accessibility

• Study the WCAG-compliant HTML structure
• Learn about screen reader compatibility
• Understand how dark mode and text sizing are implemented

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from students, teachers, and developers! Here's how you can help:

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

Ideas for Student Contributions

• Add new curriculum content
• Improve the search algorithm
• Enhance accessibility features
• Create new UI themes
• Add support for additional programming languages

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License -- that means it's open source and the nobody can change that

🙏 Acknowledgments

• College Board for AP Computer Science curriculum materials
• Minnesota high school CS teachers for curriculum guidance
• Flask and Bootstrap teams for the web framework and UI components

📞 Contact

For questions or feedback, please open an issue on this repository!