EduConnect – Online Learning Platform

May 18 / Ervin Denaj

Overview

What is EduConnect is a comprehensive web-based learning management system (LMS) developed as a capstone project for a web development course. The platform is designed to simulate a real-world educational environment, enabling seamless interaction between students and instructors in both synchronous and asynchronous learning contexts.
The primary goal of EduConnect is to create a user-friendly and scalable solution where:

Students can easily register, search for relevant courses, enroll, and access learning resources including video lectures, PDFs, quizzes, and discussion forums. They can monitor their progress through personalized dashboards, receive updates about new materials, and interact with instructors and peers.

Instructors are empowered with tools to manage their courses effectively. They can create structured content modules, upload teaching materials, manage enrolled students, respond to comments, and track engagement metrics.

The application features a modern and responsive design, ensuring full compatibility across desktops, tablets, and smartphones. It mirrors common functionalities found in industry-standard LMS platforms like Moodle or Coursera but is custom-built to showcase core full-stack development competencies including API design, database modeling, and component-based architecture.

This project was an opportunity to apply the full range of web development skills acquired during the course, with a strong emphasis on usability, clean code practices, and performance optimization. It also integrates real-world tools and workflows such as Git version control, deployment pipelines, and UI prototyping tools like Figma.

Technologies Used

EduConnect was built using a modern full-stack approach. The frontend was developed with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and React.js (with Hooks), styled using Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS. The backend uses Node.js with Express.js, implementing RESTful APIs and JWT for authentication. MongoDB serves as the database, managed through Mongoose ORM. The project was version-controlled with Git and hosted on GitHub, designed in Figma, and deployed via Netlify (frontend) and Render or Heroku (backend).

Core Features

  • User Authentication: Secure registration and login system for students and instructors using JWT.
  • Responsive UI: Mobile-first design ensuring accessibility across devices.
  • Course Management: Instructors can create, edit, and delete courses and upload resources.
  • Student Dashboard: Track enrolled courses, progress, and receive notifications.
  • Search and Filter: Browse available courses by category, difficulty level, or keyword.
  • Comments Section: Students can leave questions or feedback on course pages.

Key Challenges & Solutions

  • Challenge: Implementing role-based access for instructors and students.
  • Solution: Used middleware in Express.js to restrict routes based on user role.
  • Challenge: Designing a clean, intuitive user interface.
  • Solution: Conducted peer feedback sessions and used Figma to prototype before implementation.

Learning Outcomes

  • Mastered the full MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js).
  • Learned how to deploy and maintain a web application using cloud platforms.
  • Gained practical experience in API design, database modeling, and version control.

Live Demo & Coding
💻 Live Website (Demo)
📂 GitHub Repository


Ervin Denaj - Full Stack Web Developer Student
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