The Challenge

Post-secondary data is constantly evolving - programs open and close admission cycles each semester, some institutions operate on traditional semesters while community colleges have 3-4 week terms with frequent class additions. Students struggle to track these rapid changes.

Transfer pathways are complex and underutilized - students don't know they can ladder from diplomas to baccalaureate degrees or pathway from colleges into universities. These articulation agreements exist but are buried in institutional silos.

Students need personalized guidance that considers their unique situation - whether they're fresh graduates looking to continue their education, or professionals seeking to upskill through micro-credentials and certificate programs.

Institutions lack a unified way to communicate their evolving offerings - program statuses (open, closed, waitlisted), new partnerships between post-secondaries, and changing admission requirements are scattered across different websites and PDFs.

The Solution

Built a data ingestion pipeline that processes program information from multiple Alberta post-secondary institutions, capturing semester-by-semester updates, admission cycles, and program status changes (open/closed/waitlisted) as they evolve throughout the academic year.

Integrated transfer agreement data to map out credential laddering opportunities - showing students clear pathways from certificates to diplomas to degrees, including partnerships between institutions that enable seamless transitions.

Developed an AI-powered recommendation engine that considers each student's academic background, career interests, and constraints to suggest personalized education pathways, highlighting transfer opportunities they might otherwise miss.

Created real-time program availability tracking that alerts students when programs open for admission or when new sections are added, particularly important for institutions with frequent 3-4 week enrollment cycles.

Implemented automated data refresh mechanisms that keep program information current without manual intervention, solving the challenge of constantly evolving course offerings across different institutional calendars.

Designed an intuitive interface where students can explore "what-if" scenarios - seeing how completing a diploma at one college could lead to a bachelor's degree at a university, with clear timelines and costs at each step.