Online Lecture Scheduling Module

A comprehensive MERN stack application for managing lecture scheduling with role-based access control for admins and instructors. The system prevents scheduling conflicts by ensuring no instructor has two lectures on the same date.

🎯 Features

Admin Panel

• Instructor Management: View list of all registered instructors
• Course Management: Add courses with details (Name, Level, Description, Image)
• Lecture Management: Add multiple lectures/batches to courses and assign to instructors
• Conflict Prevention: Automatic validation ensures no instructor is assigned multiple lectures on the same date
• Course Deletion: Remove courses and all associated lectures

Instructor Panel

• My Lectures Dashboard: View all assigned lectures
• Lecture Details: See course information, dates, times, and descriptions
• Schedule Overview: Get a clear view of your teaching schedule

System Features

• User Authentication: JWT-based authentication with role-based access control
• Conflict Detection: Backend validation prevents scheduling conflicts
• Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile devices
• Real-time Feedback: Clear error messages and validation feedback

🚀 Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 18 + Vite
• Backend: Node.js + Express
• Database: MongoDB
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• Styling: CSS3 with responsive design

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• MongoDB (running locally or remote connection string)
• npm or yarn

🔧 Installation

1. Backend Setup

cd server
npm install

Create a .env file in the server directory:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/lecture-scheduling
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here
PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development

Start the backend server:

npm run dev

The backend will run on http://localhost:5000

2. Frontend Setup

cd client
npm install

Start the frontend development server:

npm run dev

The frontend will run on http://localhost:3000

🔐 Demo Credentials

For testing the admin functionality:

Email: admin@example.com
Password: admin123
Role: Admin

To create an instructor account:

1. Click "Register" on the login page
2. Fill in the details
3. Select "Instructor" as the role

📚 API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register a new user
• POST /api/auth/login - Login user
• GET /api/auth/profile - Get current user profile
• GET /api/auth/instructors - Get all instructors (Protected)

Courses

• GET /api/courses - Get all courses (Protected)
• POST /api/courses - Create a new course (Protected, Admin only)
• GET /api/courses/:id - Get course by ID (Protected)
• PUT /api/courses/:id - Update course (Protected, Admin only)
• DELETE /api/courses/:id - Delete course (Protected, Admin only)

Lectures

• GET /api/lectures - Get all lectures (Protected)
• POST /api/lectures - Add new lecture (Protected, Admin only)
• GET /api/lectures/course/:courseId - Get lectures by course (Protected)
• GET /api/lectures/instructor/my-lectures - Get my lectures (Protected)
• PUT /api/lectures/:id - Update lecture (Protected, Admin only)
• DELETE /api/lectures/:id - Delete lecture (Protected, Admin only)
• GET /api/lectures/availability/check - Check instructor availability (Protected, Admin only)

🔒 Conflict Prevention Logic

The system implements a sophisticated conflict detection mechanism:

1. Date-based Check: When assigning a lecture to an instructor on a specific date, the system checks if the instructor already has any lecture scheduled that day.

2. Time-based Check: If needed, the system can validate time slot conflicts to prevent overlapping lectures.

3. Real-time Validation: The frontend provides immediate feedback when a conflict is detected.

4. Backend Enforcement: All validations are also performed on the backend to ensure data integrity.

📁 Project Structure

├── server/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── models/
│   │   │   ├── User.js
│   │   │   ├── Course.js
│   │   │   └── Lecture.js
│   │   ├── controllers/
│   │   │   ├── authController.js
│   │   │   ├── courseController.js
│   │   │   └── lectureController.js
│   │   ├── routes/
│   │   │   ├── authRoutes.js
│   │   │   ├── courseRoutes.js
│   │   │   └── lectureRoutes.js
│   │   ├── middleware/
│   │   │   └── auth.js
│   │   ├── utils/
│   │   │   └── scheduleValidator.js
│   │   └── server.js
│   ├── package.json
│   └── .env
│
├── client/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── Navbar.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Navbar.css
│   │   │   └── ProtectedRoute.jsx
│   │   ├── context/
│   │   │   └── AuthContext.jsx
│   │   ├── pages/
│   │   │   ├── LoginPage.jsx
│   │   │   ├── RegisterPage.jsx
│   │   │   ├── AdminDashboard.jsx
│   │   │   ├── CoursesPage.jsx
│   │   │   ├── InstructorDashboard.jsx
│   │   │   └── *.css files
│   │   ├── services/
│   │   │   └── api.js
│   │   ├── App.jsx
│   │   ├── main.jsx
│   │   ├── index.css
│   │   └── App.css
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── vite.config.js
│   └── package.json

🧪 Testing the Application

1. Register Users

• Register an admin account
• Register instructor accounts

2. Test Admin Features

• Login as admin
• Create courses with different levels
• Add instructors to the system
• Add lectures to courses with different dates
• Try to assign the same instructor multiple lectures on the same date (should fail)

3. Test Instructor Features

• Login as instructor
• View all assigned lectures
• Verify schedule information

4. Test Conflict Prevention

• Try to assign a lecture to an instructor who already has a lecture on that date
• System should display an error message
• The conflict check happens both in frontend and backend

🎨 UI Components

Admin Dashboard

• Displays list of all instructors
• Shows instructor details and join dates

Courses Page

• Course management interface
• Add new courses form
• Add lectures to courses modal
• Course cards with actions
• Instructor selection dropdown

Instructor Dashboard

• Table view of assigned lectures
• Displays course name, level, lecture title, date, time
• Sortable by date

🔄 Data Flow

1. User Registration/Login

   • User submits credentials
   • Backend validates and creates JWT token
   • Token stored in localStorage
   • Frontend redirects based on user role

2. Adding Lecture

   • Admin selects course and instructor
   • Admin chooses date and time
   • Frontend checks availability
   • Backend performs conflict validation
   • Lecture created or error returned

3. Viewing Schedule

   • Instructor views dashboard
   • Frontend fetches assigned lectures
   • Backend returns filtered lectures for logged-in instructor
   • UI displays formatted schedule

⚠️ Important Notes

• Database: Ensure MongoDB is running before starting the backend
• Environment Variables: Update the .env file with your actual MongoDB connection string
• JWT Secret: Change the JWT_SECRET in production
• CORS: The frontend makes requests to the backend API with proper CORS configuration

🐛 Troubleshooting

MongoDB Connection Error

Ensure MongoDB is running:
- Local: `mongod` command
- Remote: Update MONGODB_URI in .env

Port Already in Use

Backend: npm run dev will use port 5000
Frontend: npm run dev will use port 3000
If ports are busy, update vite.config.js or use PORT=xxxx

CORS Issues

The vite.config.js includes proxy configuration to handle CORS
If issues persist, check the baseURL in client/src/services/api.js

📝 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

👨‍💻 Future Enhancements

• Email notifications for lecture assignments
• Lecture recordings management
• Student enrollment system
• Payment integration for courses
• Video conferencing integration
• Advanced analytics and reporting
• Mobile app version
• Dark mode support

🤝 Support

For issues or questions, please create an issue in the repository.