Portfolio Project by Katie Harshman
A comprehensive Learning Management System showcasing modern Django development, database design, and production deployment skills.
🔗 Live Demo: https://lms-python-demo.onrender.com
My Portfolio: https://katieharshman.com
Experience the full admin interface with read-only access:
Username: PortfolioDemo
Password: ViewOnly123
Try the Student Portal:
- Username:
demo_employee - Password:
training123 - Access: Student Portal Login
Click anywhere, explore all features - the interface works perfectly but no data is modified for demonstration safety!
This LMS Platform demonstrates professional Django development skills through a complete academic management system. Built with modern web technologies and deployed to production, it showcases complex database relationships, role-based authentication, beautiful UI design, and real-world business logic implementation.
- Beautiful Landing Page - Modern design with animations and glassmorphism effects
- Custom Admin Dashboard - Real-time statistics, quick actions, and responsive cards
- Styled Admin Interface - Professional forms, tables, and navigation
- Mobile-Responsive Design - Works seamlessly across all devices
- Role-Based Access Control - Students, Instructors, and Administrators with appropriate permissions
- Demo User System - Safe portfolio exploration without data modification
- Secure Password Management - Django's built-in authentication with custom extensions
- Production Security - Environment variables, secure deployment practices
- Course Structure - Hierarchical organization: Courses → Modules → Assignments
- User Management - Complete lifecycle from registration to role assignment
- Enrollment System - Student-course relationships with grade tracking
- Assignment Workflow - Creation, submission, grading, and feedback loop
- Grade Tracking - Individual assignment grades with course-level aggregation
- Database Design - Complex relationships with data integrity constraints
- Django Admin Customization - Custom admin site with real-time data integration
- Template Architecture - Clean inheritance structure with reusable components
- Static File Management - Organized CSS/JS with production optimization
- Management Commands - Automated setup and demo data generation
- Live Production Site - Deployed on Render with PostgreSQL database
- Automated Deployment - GitHub integration with automatic builds
- Environment Management - Secure configuration for development and production
- Static File Serving - WhiteNoise integration for efficient asset delivery
- Backend: Django 5.2.2 with PostgreSQL
- Frontend: HTML5, Modern CSS3, Vanilla JavaScript
- Deployment: Render Platform with automated GitHub integration
- Database: PostgreSQL (production), SQLite (development)
- Server: Gunicorn WSGI server
- Static Files: WhiteNoise for production serving
The system implements a comprehensive academic data model with proper relationships:
Users (Django Auth) ←→ UserProfile (roles)
↓
Course → Module → Assignment → Submission
↓ ↓
Enrollment ←→ Student Student
- Courses contain multiple Modules (organized learning content)
- Modules contain multiple Assignments (tasks and assessments)
- Students enroll in Courses (many-to-many via Enrollments table)
- Assignments receive Submissions from students (one-to-many)
- Submissions include grades and instructor feedback
- Advanced Models - Complex relationships, custom fields, data validation
- Custom Admin Interface - Tailored admin experience with real-time data
- Authentication System - Role-based permissions and user management
- Template System - Inheritance, custom tags, and reusable components
- URL Routing - Clean URLs with permission-based access control
- Schema Design - Normalized database with appropriate relationships
- Data Integrity - Constraints, validation, and error handling
- Query Optimization - Efficient database access patterns
- Migration Management - Version-controlled schema changes
- Responsive Design - Mobile-first approach with modern CSS
- User Interface Design - Intuitive navigation and beautiful forms
- Animation & Interactivity - Smooth transitions and engaging elements
- Accessibility - Semantic HTML and keyboard navigation support
- Deployment Pipeline - Automated builds and deployments
- Environment Configuration - Secure secrets management
- Database Management - Production PostgreSQL setup
- Performance Optimization - Static file compression and caching
- Visit https://lms-python-demo.onrender.com
- Click "Admin" or go to
/admin/ - Login with:
PortfolioDemo/ViewOnly123 - Explore all features safely!
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/pie1011/lms-python.git
cd lms-python
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Environment setup
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings
# Database setup
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py setup_production # Creates sample data
python manage.py create_demo_user # Creates demo account
# Run development server
python manage.py runserver- Real-time Statistics: Live user counts, course metrics, submission tracking
- Quick Actions: Direct links to create courses, users, and enrollments
- Beautiful Cards: Modern design with hover effects and meaningful data
- Responsive Layout: Works perfectly on desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Hierarchical Structure: Courses contain modules, modules contain assignments
- Role-Based Access: Instructors see only their courses, students see enrollments
- Rich Content: Full-featured forms with date/time pickers and validation
- File Upload Ready: Architecture prepared for assignment file submissions
- Intuitive Navigation: Clean sidebar with logical organization
- Professional Forms: Beautiful styling with proper validation feedback
- Search & Filtering: Find courses, users, and assignments quickly
- Demo Mode: Safe exploration for portfolio viewers
This LMS Platform demonstrates:
- Educational Technology - Addresses real-world needs in academic institutions
- Scalable Architecture - Designed to handle growth from small schools to universities
- User-Centered Design - Intuitive interfaces that reduce training time
- Data-Driven Insights - Analytics foundation for educational improvement
- Production-Ready Code - Follows Django best practices and security guidelines
- Maintainable Architecture - Clean separation of concerns and documented codebase
- Performance Considerations - Optimized queries and efficient asset delivery
- Security Implementation - Proper authentication, authorization, and data protection
- Student Dashboard - Course enrollment, assignment submission, grade viewing
- Instructor Interface - Course management, grading tools, student progress tracking
- File Upload System - Assignment submissions and course materials
- Grade Calculations - Automated GPA tracking and weighted assignments
- Calendar Integration - Due date tracking and scheduling tools
- Email Notifications - Alerts for assignments, grades, and announcements
- Analytics Dashboard - Course performance metrics and reporting tools
- API Development - RESTful API for mobile app integration
- Advanced Permissions - Fine-grained access control and approval workflows
- Performance Optimization - Caching, pagination, and query optimization
- Testing Suite - Comprehensive unit and integration tests
This Learning Management System was built as a portfolio project to demonstrate full-stack Django development capabilities. It showcases:
- Real-world application development - Practical business logic and user workflows
- Modern web development practices - Responsive design, clean code, documentation
- Production deployment skills - Live site with proper DevOps practices
- Problem-solving ability - Complex database relationships and user experience design
The project emphasizes clean, maintainable code and demonstrates the ability to build production-ready applications that solve real business problems.
- Live Demo: https://lms-python-demo.onrender.com
- Demo Credentials:
PortfolioDemo/ViewOnly123 - GitHub Repository: https://github.com/pie1011/lms-python-demo
- Developer Portfolio: https://katieharshman.com
Built with ❤️ by Katie Harshman
Demonstrating modern Django development with beautiful design, production deployment, and thoughtful user experience.