GitHub Classroom Benefits
Table of contents
Advantages
- GitHub Classroom is an easy introduction to Git and GitHub for students. It eliminates the cognitive load of learning how to clone, branch, merge, or push to repositories.
- As students progress in their CS classes, they will already be familiar with Git. It will not be intimidating because they will already have experience with it.
- Developers need solid Git/GitHub skills to get a job.
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Read how and why Professor Dan Wallach of Rice University uses GitHub Classroom.
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All code, instructions, and test cases are logically grouped together into assignment repositories maintained centrally in a single organization by course mentors.
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Student repositories automatically execute test cases and linting when their assignments are submitted. Bots embedded in the assignment give invaluable feedback to the student immediately, helping them fix any errors.
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Instructor sees their entire class’s pass/fail status on each programming assignment in one central location.
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Instructors do not need to download student programs, or run any tests on their own local machines, etc. (I love it)
- An online IDE (repl.it) can be automatically connected to assignments, allowing students to complete their assignments with a push of a button, even if they cannot install software on their machines.
- Once the student opens their repo in repl.it, their minute-by-minute action is recorded for instructor review. You can see if they simply cut & paste code, or just check their incremental development over point in time.
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GitHub and GitHub Classroom are free. Verified students and teachers can receive upgrades to a PRO account.
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Instructors only need to share the “assignment invitation URL” generated by the GitHub assignment onto their canvas assignment page.
- 2020 GitHub Education Classroom Report
Videos
Examples
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Canvas Assignment
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Instructor Interface
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Instructor Class Interface
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Instructor Assignment Interface
