Alpha One Labs Education Platform

A modern, feature-rich education platform built with Django and Tailwind CSS that enables seamless learning experiences through course creation, peer connections, study groups, and interactive forums.

Project Overview

Alpha One Labs is an education platform designed to facilitate both learning and teaching. The platform provides a comprehensive environment where educators can create and manage courses, while students can learn, collaborate, and engage with peers. With features like study groups, peer connections, and discussion forums, we aim to create a collaborative learning environment that goes beyond traditional online education.

Features

For Students

• 📚 Course enrollment and management
• 👥 Peer-to-peer connections and messaging
• 📝 Study group creation and participation
• 💬 Interactive discussion forums
• 📊 Progress tracking and analytics
• 🌟 Submit links and receive grades with feedback
• 🌙 Dark mode support
• 📱 Responsive design for all devices

For Teachers

• 📝 Course creation and management
• 📊 Student progress monitoring
• 📈 Analytics dashboard
• 📣 Marketing tools for course promotion
• 💯 Grade submitted links and provide feedback
• 💰 Payment integration with Stripe
• 📧 Email marketing capabilities
• 🔔 Automated notifications

Technical Features

• 🔒 Secure authentication system
• 🌐 Internationalization support
• 🚀 Performance optimized
• 📦 Modular architecture
• ⚡ Real-time updates
• 🔍 Search functionality
• 🎨 Customizable UI
• 🏆 "Get a Grade" system with academic grading scale

Tech Stack

Backend

• Python 3.10+
• Django 5.x
• Redis (channels + caching)
• MySQL (production) / SQLite (development optional)

Frontend

• Tailwind CSS
• Alpine.js
• Font Awesome icons
• JavaScript (Vanilla)

Infrastructure

• Docker support
• Nginx
• Uvicorn (ASGI)
• Django Channels (WebSockets)
• SendGrid for emails (graceful fallback)
• Stripe for payments

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• pip or poetry for package management
• Git

Local Development Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/alphaonelabs/alphaonelabs-education-website.git
   cd alphaonelabs-education-website
   

2. Set up virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
   

3. Install dependencies (Poetry is the single source of truth):

   # Ensure Poetry installed (once)
   pip install --upgrade pip
   pip install poetry==1.8.3
   
   # Install project deps into local venv (recommended)
   poetry install
   
   # Activate virtualenv (Poetry 1.8 auto-detects)
   poetry shell  # or just use: poetry run <command>
   

4. Set up environment variables:

   cp .env.sample .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration
   

5. Run migrations:

   python manage.py migrate
   

6. Create a superuser:

   python manage.py createsuperuser
   

7. Create test data:

   python manage.py create_test_data
   

8. Run the development server:

   python manage.py runserver
   

9. Visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser.

Docker Setup

1. Build the Docker image:

   docker build -t education-website .
   

2. Run the Docker container:

   docker run -d -p 8000:8000 education-website
   

3. Visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser.

Admin Credentials:

• Email: [email protected]
• Password: adminpassword

Environment Variables Configuration

Copy .env.sample to .env and configure the variables.

Development Guidelines

Code Style

• Follow PEP 8 guidelines for Python code.
• Use Black for code formatting.
• Use isort for import sorting.
• Follow Django's coding style guide.
• Use ESLint for JavaScript code.

Git Workflow

1. Create a new branch for each feature/bugfix.
2. Follow conventional commits for commit messages.
3. Submit pull requests for review.
4. Ensure all tests pass before merging.

Testing

• Write unit tests for new features.

• Run tests before committing:

  python manage.py test
  

Pre-commit Hooks (Important)

We use pre-commit to enforce formatting (black, isort), linting (flake8, djlint), etc.

poetry run pre-commit install
poetry run pre-commit run --hook-stage commit
poetry run pre-commit run --all-files

Documentation

• Document all new features and API endpoints
• Update README.md when adding major features
• Use docstrings for Python functions and classes
• Comment complex logic

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details on how to submit pull requests, report issues, and contribute to the project.

Support

If you encounter any issues or need support, please:

1. Search existing Issues
2. Create a new issue if your problem persists
3. Join us on Slack https://join.slack.com/t/alphaonelabs/shared_invite/zt-7dvtocfr-1dYWOL0XZwEEPUeWXxrB1A

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to all contributors who have helped shape this project
• Built with ❤️ by the Alpha One Labs team