system:~/writeups$ open
DisClass
A Discord tool for University of Waterloo student verification, course coordination and temporary study rooms.
About the project
I started this project during my Spring 2020 study term at the University of Waterloo, when remote learning made it harder to stay connected. Students were already comfortable using Discord, so I built a Python service that added university verification and course tools to the platform they were choosing to use. The project is listed here as DisClass; its public repository is UWHelperBot.
The documented verification flow connects a Discord account to a WatID: a code is sent to the associated university email address, then entered in Discord to confirm access. Administrative commands support account association, roles and temporary guest access.
The design paired identity verification with practical study features: on-demand voice and text rooms, calendar dates, reminders and course information. In my January 2021 writeup, I reported that more than 5,000 students and several professors were using it. That is a historical adoption figure, not a current usage count. Deandre Baker, Keith Choa and Ryan Zhang also contributed to building and maintaining the project. The original writeup explains the problem, implementation and lessons from meeting students where they already communicated.
What it does
- University email verification
- Role and guest-access administration
- Course calendars and information
- Temporary study rooms