Learning is never easy―and even more so for youth and children with curious minds. The pandemic has exacerbated this issue by making the already scarce learning resources even more inaccessible.

While this is an arduous task, we have a solution.

Introducing WikiLearn! WikiLearn is not simply an encyclopedia: it contains the most vast range of topics, but provides the most easy and accessible learning experience for everyone. We deliver the knowledge Wikipedia provides, but in a straight-forward, concise, and engaging manner. WikiLearn is truly the innovative solution for an accessible, interesting, and exciting learning experience; it is truly a game changer.

WikiLearn is a full-stack web application with a variety of functionalities. The clean and beautiful user interface allows learners to inquire about everything―literally everything, from McMaster University to quantum mechanics, and from agriculture to calculus). The application will then take the learner through a wild journey, simplifying and summarizing large Wikipedia articles into an easily digestible format, allowing for quick and productive learning.

First of all, the WikiLearn gives students precise definitions of challenging terms they are struggling to understand, with smart media retrieved from the Internet. A series of relevant, top-tier YouTube videos will fade to the user interface, allowing learners to delve deeper into subjects that interest them. What truly sets WikiLearn apart is the simplification and summarization of complex articles. By developing a method to quantify the complexity of a given word, we ensure that difficult words are identified and explained in a straight-forward way. Even more than that, WikiLearn features an Explore page that is updated with new articles daily, encouraging young learners to discover their interests in a diverse range of topics. As we integrated all of these different sources together, we centralized a utopia for learning.

The powerful functionalities and easy-to-use user interface will surely provide a uniquely engaging experience for all learners.

The demonstration and all the design brainstorming work were completed in Figma. Then, we worked in two subdivision teams: the frontend team and the backend team.

The frontend team used React, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Tailwind, Bootstrap, and creating APIs that communicate with the backend. We also utilized our impeccable design skills to take the user interface to another level.

The backend team worked with Python, Flask, YouTube APIs, Wikipedia APIs, and language APIs, and investigated different packages and libraries (including scraping on some websites and fiddling with some finicky statistical models). We also spent hours debugging to make sure the frontend was clear of obstacles.

And yes, as much as our project helps others learn, we also learned lots of new technologies and new approaches :))

“WikiLearn, the result of cutting-edge technology, a group of Waterloo students, and a bunch of APIs.”

We encountered some issues with linking backend and frontend, as well as with linking to APIs, but we managed to overcome most of these issues! (other honourable mentions include the sleep deprivation we endured)

We’re proud of everyone on this team for their dedication, perseverance, and willingness to quickly learn new skills <3

We learnt to use and incorporate multiple APIs together, developed a formula to analyze word complexity, and collaborated together to create an amazing full-stack, multi-purpose website.

WikiLearn’s next steps include implementing AI-generated cartoon storylines into Wikipedia content to further increase the accessibility of knowledge for young learners. In order to target our audience of young students, our goal is to gamify education and provide incentives to learn, while simplifying daunting subjects.