FoxFaltas

Inspiration

We noticed that CETYS University organizes numerous academic events that provide valuable learning experiences for students, yet these events often overlap with regular class schedules. The current process for justifying student absences is slow, manual, and highly error-prone, requiring coordinators to review schedules, contact professors, and process large lists of participants. We wanted to eliminate that inefficiency and create a streamlined, automated solution that benefits students, faculty, and academic leadership.

What it does

FoxFaltas automatically generates and manages justification requests for students attending academic events. The system identifies affected classes based on each student's official schedule, notifies only the relevant professors, and centralizes all requests in one platform. It also includes an approval workflow for the Dean and provides coordinators with a fast, effortless, and accurate way to track submissions and statuses.

How we built it

We built FoxFaltas as a responsive web application using modern web technologies. Frontend: built with a clean, user-friendly interface for coordinators, the Dean, and secretarial staff.

Backend: developed with Node.js, implementing API routes and secure role-based access control.

Database: powered by MongoDB, allowing flexible, scalable storage of schedules, requests, and user data.

Logic engine: automatically cross-references student IDs, event times, and class schedules to detect affected classes instantly.

Challenges we ran into

Managing inconsistent or outdated student schedule data.
Ensuring accurate class detection for overlapping schedules or group variations.
Designing role-based permissions that remain secure while keeping the interface simple.
Coordinating the approval workflow so the Dean can review requests efficiently.
Sending only the necessary information to each professor without overwhelming them with full event lists.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Automating a workflow that previously required hours of manual verification.
Reducing errors by relying on structured, validated data instead of hand-processed lists.
Creating a system that benefits every stakeholder: coordinators, professors, students, and academic leadership.
Building a clean and intuitive interface that users can adopt with minimal training.
Ensuring faster communication and better transparency across the academic process.

What we learned

The importance of designing systems that adapt to real institutional workflows.
How critical accurate and centralized data is for automation.
That even simple tools can make a huge impact when solving repetitive administrative tasks.
How to balance usability with strong access controls across different academic roles.
That communication between technical and academic teams is key to successful implementation.

What's next for FoxFaltas

Create a mobile app.
Adding automated email or notification services for professors and students.
Implementing mobile-friendly features and push notifications.
Expanding the workflow to support different types of academic permissions or institutional documents.