SFU MSE Course Navigator - Project Design Blueprint

Goal: Build an updated planner for the Simon Fraser University Mechatronic Systems Engineering (MSE) program with modern UX, accurate prerequisite flow, and long-term maintainability.

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High-Level Overview

• 3 Primary User Types
• 6 Core Page Templates
• 6 MVP Feature Pillars
• 6 Core Data Models
• 3 Release Phases

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Design Targets

Area	Must Keep	Improve	Avoid
Curriculum Coverage	Official SFU curriculum alignment	Separate pages for pre-Fall 2024 and post-Fall 2024	Mixing requirements from different curriculum eras
Curriculum Grid	Term-by-term visual map	Faster drag/drop, touch support, responsive columns	Dense layout that breaks on small screens
Course Details	Hover or click details panel	Prereq tree + reverse dependencies + offering confidence	Hidden prerequisite rationale
Customization	Elective slot selection	Constraint-aware suggestions and validation warnings	Manual trial-and-error only
Persistence	Import/export plans	Versioned schema + migration support + auto-save	Brittle storage format
Student Workflow	Quick what-if planning	Milestones (co-op, transfer credit, repeats) and conflict checker	No guidance when plan is invalid
Cross-Faculty Equivalencies	Show recognized substitutes clearly	Clickable equivalency map across faculties and departments	Students manually searching external calendars

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Navigation Model

1. Landing Selector: Choose curriculum era (Pre-2024, Post-2024, Double Degree).
2. Plan Selector: Choose 4-year or 5-year recommended path.
3. Variant Selector: If 5-year selected, switch between Option A, Option B, and Option C.
4. In-page Planner: Drag/drop with live prerequisite and graduation requirement validation.

Shared layout: Top controls, term grid, right details panel, bottom validation rail.

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Site/Page Architecture

Page	Curriculum Era	Plan Type	Special Controls
Post-2024 4-Year	Post-Fall 2024	Recommended 4-year	Curriculum-year lock + term filter
Post-2024 5-Year	Post-Fall 2024	Recommended 5-year	5-year option switcher (A/B/C)
Pre-2024 4-Year	Pre-Fall 2024	Recommended 4-year	Legacy prerequisite rule set
Pre-2024 5-Year	Pre-Fall 2024	Recommended 5-year	Legacy plan switcher + migration notice
MSE + Business Double Degree	Separate track	Combined degree map	Faculty ownership tags + extra credit progress
Custom Planner	User-selected base	What-if scenarios	Start from any template page

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Feature Set

Feature	V0	V1+	Notes
Drag/drop planning	Yes	Batch move + keyboard controls	Must support desktop and touch
Prereq validation	Hard/soft rule engine	Explainable conflict traces	Show exactly why course placement fails
Elective handling	Template slots + chooser	Recommendation ranking	Handle technical + complementary electives
Persistence	Local autosave + file import/export	Optional cloud sync	Keep data portable
Term offerings	Static expected term flags	Historical probability model	Display confidence and recency
Multi-page curriculum	Pre/Post + 4-yr/5-yr + Double Degree	Diff view between versions	Keeps requirements unambiguous
Course equivalency	SFU-equivalent courses from other faculties	Suggested alternatives by term/seat history	Mark source (calendar/advising)

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Equivalency UX (New Core Feature)

1. On course click, details panel shows an "Equivalent Courses" section.
2. Equivalents grouped by faculty and department (e.g., ENSC, MATH, PHYS, BUS).
3. Each equivalent shows substitution scope: full replacement, partial credit, or elective-only.
4. Planner validates if selected equivalent satisfies prereqs and graduation rules.
5. Optional toggle on grid: highlight all courses that have approved cross-faculty equivalents.

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Data Model

Entity	Key Fields	Purpose
Course	id, code, title, units, prereqExpr, coreqExpr, offeredTerms	Source of truth for rule checks and display
CurriculumTrack	trackId, era(pre/post), planLength(4/5), requiredCourses, electiveRules	Represents each official curriculum page template
PlanVariant	variantId(A/B/C), coopPattern, termOverrides	Stores 5-year option-specific structures
Plan	planId, terms[], chosenElectives, overrides, version	User's schedule state and edits
ValidationIssue	issueType, severity, affectedCourses, explanation	Drives warnings and guidance panel
ProgramProfile	programId, name, owningFaculty, graduationRules	Handles standard MSE vs MSE+Business
CourseEquivalency	sourceCourseId, equivalentCourseId, faculty, type, provenance	Maps approved cross-faculty substitutions

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Implementation Plan

• Phase 1: Baseline grid UI, course catalog, drag/drop, side panel details.
• Phase 2: Prerequisite engine, elective slot logic, import/export compatibility.
• Phase 3: Touch responsiveness, accessibility, performance tuning, QA fixtures.

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Quality Checklist

• Accessibility: Keyboard navigation, focus states, ARIA labels, contrast checks.
• Reliability: Deterministic validation engine with regression fixtures.
• Performance: Virtualized grid rendering for large custom plans.
• Transparency: Every warning includes remediation steps.