Differences and Requirements for the new SFIAB

The new Science Fair in a Box (SFIAB) version 3 is a complete rewrite of the old SFIAB. This document highlights the major differences and between the new version (SFIAB 3) and the old version you are currently using (SFIAB 2). This rewrite was done for several reasons:

• The size of the code due to the number of fair-specific features (hundreds of them) made it challenging to add new features without inadvertently breaking existing ones. SFIAB 3 removes many of the little-used and unused features.
• The number of configuration options was daunting, hard to understand, and hard to maintain. SFIAB 3 removes many of the configuration options which simplifies and streamlines the entire system
• The underlying code and database architecture was hard to adapt to modern technology like mobile devices. SFIAB 3 has full mobile support, and uses a database layout that is faster. You'll notice the difference just loading the user list.
• CWSF concepts like challenges and unified judging of age categories were hard to fit in to the existing code. Supporting both the new challenge system and the old division system would make the code even more complex and unmaintainable. SFIAB 3 follows the CWSF model of a fair. Many fairs were already asking for challenge support.
• We actually want to help our regional fairs, rather than use all our free time to maintain SFIAB.

Essentially, to use the new SFIAB, you must model your fair like the Canada-Wide. Many fairs already do this.

You are free to continue using the old SFIAB if the new one doesn't fit into your fair model, we just won't be adding new features to it.

Detailed Feature Comparison, SFIAB 3 vs. SFIAB 2

General

• Full mobile and tablet support
• Cleaner and faster interface
• Fundraising system is removed
• Translation system is removed (no French translation of SFIAB available)
• Multiple fairs per SFIAB installation is removed
• Full judging support and score entry for CUSP judging (see below)
• Automatic award download from linked regional/national fairs, automatic winner and stats upload.
• Judge and Tour schedulers rewritten, about 100 times faster now. As such, the configurable effort settings are removed. Only high-effort is available.

Registration

• Only open registration is supported. Password-protected and school-specific registration is not supported
  • Registration may now be opened for a single user (student, judge) after general registration closes
• Registration fee is per-student (or none). Per-project registration fee is not supported
• Support for multiple users on a single email address
• Project numbers are only assigned after the signature form is received
• Required/optional information fields are no longer configurable
• Configurable registration-fee items are not supported
• Students must register separately and one must invite the other to a project. The signature page/registration can then be completed as a pair.
• ISEF project divisions are used to match students with judges

Setup

• Age categories and challenges are configurable, but each age category must be judged together. Divisions are gone.
• Maximum 2 students per project, not configurable.
• Sub-categories and sub-divisions (sub-challenges) are all no longer supported

Schools

• School/Teacher login is not supported. It will be added again, but currently is unavailable

Judging

• The only supported judging system is two-round CUSP judging
  • This is not a requirement. Judges can register and the judge scheduler can assign them to teams and projects and generate forms for each judging team. But all the scoring/winner entry must be done manually after that.
• The only supported judge scoring system is 3*scientific + 2*originality 1*communication. Each of the three is scored using a number from 1-4, with low,medium,high for each number.
  • This is not a requirement, but this is how the judge forms are created (not configurable). No other form of electronic entry is available.
• Support added to generate judging score forms and time schedules for each judging team and project
• Support added for disqualified projects and projects unavailable in specific timeslots (the judge timeslot scheduler will assign judges appropriately)
• Automatic generation of second-round CUSP judging teams and projects to judge
• Judge score entry system to determine winners in each category