STEP / 01
Capture assignments with subject/context, due date, estimated effort and priority.
CASE STUDY / 03 · ACADEMIC WORKLOAD PLANNING
PACE / Make the workload realistic.
PACE (Planning Academic Capacity & Effort) is a student-focused workload planner. It uses task deadlines, estimated effort, priority and daily capacity to create a seven-day plan, then rebalances the schedule as work is completed.
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01 / Problem statement
Why it exists.
A task list records obligations but does not answer whether the work can fit in the time available. PACE makes capacity and workload pressure part of the planning problem, helping surface a useful next task.
02 / System path
Architecture at a glance.
- NODE / 01Capture
- NODE / 02Understand
- NODE / 03Allocate
- NODE / 04Act
- NODE / 05Recalculate
STEP / 02
Use declared daily study capacity and a seven-day horizon to allocate the work.
STEP / 03
Expose workload pressure and explain why a task is recommended.
STEP / 04
Recalculate the plan after changes instead of treating the schedule as static.
03 / Engineering decisions
Trade-offs are part of the system.
DECISION / 01
Multi-user architecture
Authentication and storage use Appwrite. The documented design attaches an authenticated user ID to task rows and applies row-level permissions to protect user data.
DECISION / 02
Explainable planning
The product emphasizes deadlines, effort, priority and capacity instead of hiding the schedule behind an unexplained recommendation.
DECISION / 03
Disclose the foundation
PACE evolved from SYNAPSE. Its competition-specific interface, authentication, database architecture and workflow are described as an evolution—not as an unrelated invention.
04 / Failure modes & limits
Where it can fail.
- The plan depends on reasonable estimates for task effort and available time.
- If a write is rate-limited or the network fails, the interface must not claim a task has been saved until the server confirms it.
- PACE was submitted to the CSC Back-to-School Hackathon; this records submission, not a claimed prize or finalist result.
05 / Source map
Where to inspect.
README.mdDocuments Appwrite TablesDB, user isolation, seven-day planning and the relationship to SYNAPSE.
The map identifies only paths confirmed by available project documentation. Follow the repository link for the full current tree.
06 / External evidence