Educational content aggregator with an open API

Abstract

The article presents a complete architecture and implementation of a web-based educational content aggregator system that collects, structures, and updates information from open sources via an open API. The relevance of the topic is due to the rapid growth in the number of online courses and learning platforms, which creates a need for tools for easy navigation and personalized access to educational resources. The paper substantiates technical and methodological approaches to the creation of such a system, including the implementation of a Python/Django-based backend, the use of the MariaDB database, web crawling modules, and the creation of a mobile application in Flutter. The proposed architecture involves a modular approach using interfaces for connecting to different platforms, which allows the system to scale and easily adapt to new sources. At the center of user interaction is an aggregator that analyzes the request, checks the availability of relevant data in the database, and, if necessary, launches procedures for collecting and updating information. Special attention is paid to the logic of parsers that can adapt to different web page structures, which ensures the solution's versatility. Multilevel functionality testing was conducted on the example of four educational platforms: Coursera, Alison, Sololearn, and Edx. The analysis covers processing speed, amount of processed data, parsing accuracy, and error tolerance. The results demonstrated stability of the system, especially when working with platforms with clearly structured content. The developed aggregator can be integrated into broader EdTech ecosystems, including the state level, and used to build personalized educational trajectories. The system is able to serve both formal and informal educational requests of users, promoting the spread of digital skills, openness of education and improving its quality.