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My GSoC'24 Journey with "The Oppia Foundation"

   

My GSoC'24 Journey with "The Oppia Foundation"

Contents:

  1. About me
  2. Why Oppia?
  3. My GSoC Journey
  4. Project details
  5. Conclusion

1. About me:

Hi everyone! I'm Akash Paloju, a second-year CSE undergraduate from India, and I'm excited to share my journey through Google Summer of Code (GSoC) with you all. 

2. Why Oppia?:



Growing up, I faced significant financial challenges that made me deeply appreciate the value of education. This experience motivated me to develop intelligent solutions to help students like myself, including creating a free mock test platform. When I discovered Oppia, I was immediately drawn to its mission, which closely aligns with my own ideals of making quality education accessible to all.

My journey with Oppia has been transformative, not only in terms of technical growth but also in personal development. I've had the opportunity to collaborate with a global community of like-minded developers, which has enhanced my communication, interpersonal, and technical skills, as well as my technical writing abilities. The active and supportive community at Oppia has been a constant source of guidance and encouragement, making it an ideal platform for both learning (for children) and contributing (for developers).

Initially, Oppia’s codebase seemed daunting, but the onboarding process was impressively smooth, thanks to the unwavering support of my mentor and the entire Oppia community. From setting up my local environment to finding my first issue to work on, I felt guided every step of the way. The wealth of resources available on Oppia’s wiki page also played a crucial role in helping me familiarize myself with the codebase.

Since December 2023, I’ve been contributing to Oppia, with a particular focus on the LaCE project. What has kept me committed to Oppia is the supportive community, where everyone is eager to assist without judgment, fostering an environment of mutual growth and improvement.

My desire to undertake a GSoC project with Oppia stemmed from a wish to enhance the learning experience for many and to enjoy a joyful, collaborative experience with a supportive community. I’m excited to continue contributing to Oppia even after GSoC, as this journey has only just begun.

3. My GSoC Journey:

My experience with Oppia during GSoC was a thrilling rollercoaster ride. The initial thrill of being chosen quickly turned into a combination of excitement and nervousness. I doubted my capability to take on such a huge project, but I was committed to putting forth my best effort.

GSoC involved much more than programming. It was an experience that involved personal and technical development. Every day brought fresh challenges, which I welcomed as chances to expand my knowledge and develop. Oppia's extensive codebase was simultaneously intimidating and invigorating, requiring ongoing adjustments.

I realized that development involves more than just coding - it also includes systems understanding, design, and documentation. I gained an understanding of the significance of technical plans and user flow maps in developing efficient software, from crafting them to mapping them out.

Overcoming obstacles was a consistent topic. Encountering new technologies and challenging issues, I pushed through with determination and guidance from my mentors to conquer every hurdle. This experience showed me that by being committed and having a mindset focused on personal growth, I could surpass my wildest expectations.

Looking back on my time in GSoC, I am thankful for the chance to make a contribution to Oppia. I have matured greatly as a developer, team player, and troubleshooter. The knowledge gained and abilities developed will definitely influence my future pursuits.

4. Project details:

a)Tech Stack:

 Angular, Python, Puppeteer, Material-UI, Google Analytics

b)Description:

Oppia's current Volunteer, Parent-Teacher, and About pages lacked the engagement and clarity needed to effectively convert visitors into active users. My project aimed to revamp these pages, focusing on creating informative and engaging content and design that aligns with the needs of our target audience, as identified through initial user research.

c)Milestones and pull requests merged: 

Milestone 1 :

M1.1 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20333
This PR adds acceptance tests for all possible user-flows of volunteers, partners, donors, parent/teachers as per the website state before redesigns. 

M1.2 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20480
This PR adds info about Oppia Foundation, timeline, impact sections on the About page


M1.3 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20457
This PR adds CTA section on the About page
M1.4 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20479
This PR adds features, platform sections on the About page
Desktop view
Tablet view
M1.5:
 a) https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20520
 b) https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20565
These PRs deprecates About Foundation page and adds new navbar.
M1.6 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20542
This PR adds partnerships, hero sections on the About page

M1.7 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20586
This PR fixes all the bugs found in the M1 PM demo and M1 feature testing.

Milestone 2 :

M2.1 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20667
This PR redesigns volunteer page
One of the sections on the Volunteer page
M2.2 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20710
This PR redesigns Parent-Teacher page.

M2.3 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20742
This PR adds site analytics for all the events planned.
M2.4 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20827
This PR fixes all the bugs found in the M2 PM demo and M2 feature testing.
M2.5 - https://github.com/oppia/oppia/pull/20864
This PR updates the acceptance tests for all possible user-flows of volunteers, partners, donors, parent/teachers as per the website state after redesigns.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, GSoC has been a rewarding and transformative journey. I’m deeply grateful to the Oppia team, my mentors, and the GSoC program for this incredible opportunity. This experience has not only sharpened my technical skills but has also pushed me to think critically about how we can create better user experiences for people all over the world.

As I look ahead, I’m excited to continue contributing to open source and applying the skills I’ve acquired to new challenges. This journey has further solidified my passion for working on impactful projects that aim to make a difference in the world, and I eagerly anticipate future opportunities to contribute meaningfully.


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