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This site is used to track the code of an open-source web platform used by university students to run educational programs for middle and high school students. The code was originally used just at http://esp.mit.edu, but it has since spread to run many other sites including http://splashchicago.learningu.org and http://www.stanfordesp.org.
We are releasing the the source code under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPLv3).
The code is based on Django, a library for the Python language. It has a number of other dependencies, documented on the install page.
We've been selected for Google Summer of Code 2011! (Well, I guess that was news a while ago, but it probably ought to get posted anyway...) Feel free to take a look at our GSoC Ideas page, at http://wiki.learningu.org/GSOC_Ideas. We have two students, Jordan and Vishal (mentored by Adam and Michael, respectively); both will be committing to branches in this Git repository, so feel free to take a look at what they're doing.
This is the home for the development of the ESP website, used now at [http://esp.mit.edu] and on numerous sites run by [http://www.learningu.org Learning Unlimited]. Please feel free to browse around and see how we're doing.
Because we're a small team, we're not really using Trac any longer to manage tickets or milestones. (This might change as our team grows, which is why we're still maintaining this site.) Instead, we mostly use mailing lists and the Learning Unlimited wiki. If you'd like to join in the development, drop us an e-mail and we'll give you access to the wiki and/or add you to our mailing lists.
If you are having an issue using the web site (i.e. you need help from us), please feel free to email us at web-team at learningu.org. However, if you know (by us telling you or common sense) that you are asking us to modify the code, please add it to the wiki (below).
First, the wiki is not used for support, only for fixing defects of the web site (enhancements, fixing bugs, etc). That being said, please look through the entries already on the todo page. Chances are, we've already got what you're asking for on our list. If you can't find any entry that sounds like what you want, you can either create an account on the Wiki and add your item (you'll have to wait for account approval, but we'll grant it if you're part of any LU chapter) or please e-mail us and we will add it or fix it right away.
Awesome! E-mail web-team at learningu.org, or join us in our Jabber chat, lu-web@conference.jabber.org.
If you want to get a better idea of what projects you might do, a nice sampling is our Google Summer of Code Ideas Page. If you want to get a better idea of what we do, you can take a look at Learning Unlimited's home page or you can take a look at this material that we give to college students interested in starting a Splash.
We are all former student leaders, mostly at the MIT Educational Studies Program. Up until now all developers have been MIT students, but that is likely to change soon as we bring in more new developers. The list of people who have contributed include:
- Jason Alonso (MIT '04, G)
- Andrew Geng* (MIT '11)
- Mike Axiak* (MIT '09)
- Catharine Havasi (MIT '03, Brandeis G)
- Mike Price* (MIT '08)
- Adam Seering* (MIT '09)
- Nelson Elhage (MIT '09)
- Yuri Lin (MIT '11)
- David Benjamin (MIT '12)
- Reuben Aronson (MIT '12)
- Alex Dehnert* (MIT '12)
- Tony Valderrama (MIT '11)
- Jordan Moldow* (MIT '14)
- Ruth Byers* (MIT '13)
- Vishal Dugar* (BITS Pilani '12)
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- They are still contributing
Since chapters across the country have been relying more and more on our web site, the problem domain associated with the code has become extremely specialized. As such, we feel it could do a great amount of good in helping any other group that wants to run somethingkindoflikeESP. For that reason, we are making this code run as well as we can, and trying to learn from our mistakes over the years. It has served the organization well (albeit with many bugs) for nearly five years now.
This site would not be complete without mentioning Django, which is the framework we use to power this application. This code will make much more sense in the context of that wonderful project.
There is an evolving guide on how to install this code. If you're trying to install and set it up, drop us a note; we'll help you get it going.
Here are some instructions on how to use the site once it's been installed. They're still being developed but have become quite extensive.