SyntaxStar

The Project

The desktop program management system SyntaxStar aims to assist users, predominantly writers and students, in enhancing the quality of their writing. The learning disruptions that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic stunted students’ progress, leading to those making fewer academic gains than they did the year before. Due to the lack of developmental writing, many middle and high school students are facing the challenges of persistently struggling with language arts. Given this, high-achieving secondary school students are expected to thrive in response to the more challenging standards whereas students with reading difficulties will no doubt experience considerable challenges. Ineffective and monotonous word choices can make written content less engaging, less effective in conveying thoughts, and can even misconstrue ideas. A substantial portion of eighth graders struggle with reading to the point where they can’t grasp essential concepts or make basic inferences from text, which often leads to a challenging pathway in higher education. Many community college entrants need remedial courses, yet a small percentage complete a degree in eight years, highlighting the gap between those who read at a college level and those who do not. Text comprehension is a key factor in this issue. Writing competency is vital for not only academic success but also for professional development and achievement across various fields. There are long-term implications with writing and reading difficulties, potentially limiting career opportunities and contributing to behavioral issues. Developing strong analytical and argumentative writing skills is imperative for all students, inside and outside the classroom, starting from the secondary level and transitioning into higher education and beyond. Writing has always been and will always continue to be a fundamental communication skill, and the desire to avoid repetition, improve clarity, and make the content more engaging is what propels this app forward.

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Team Comments

SyntaxStar addresses challenges students face in developing writing skills, especially after COVID-19 disruptions. We provide a comprehensive tool to enhance writing quality for students, writers, and anyone looking to improve.

Creating an accurate algorithm to identify and suggest improvements for writing issues posed a challenge. We tackled this by conducting thorough research, consulting experts, and iteratively refining the algorithm based on testing until achieving desired accuracy and effectiveness.

Given more time, we would enhance SyntaxStar by incorporating additional features such as advanced grammar checking and plagiarism detection. Additionally, we would prioritize implementing user feedback to further improve the user experience and overall effectiveness of the tool.