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If in Doubt, Try Three: Developing Better Version Control Commit Behaviour with First Year Students

Authors:

Richard GlasseyAuthors Info & Claims

SIGCSE 2022: Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education - Volume 1

Pages 362 - 368

https://doi.org/10.1145/3478431.3499371

Published: 22 February 2022 Publication History

Abstract

Developing good version control skills is important for students to master. This work focuses on helping students integrate good commit behaviour using a scaffolding process that happens with their regular assignments. A test group of students (n=30) was required to make a minimum of three commits in the first week. In the second week, students were trained to write better commit messages and worked together on a commit plan. In the final week, students worked alone on their commit plan. Commit behaviour was analysed for assignments occurring before, during and after the process. Results showed that students improved their commit behaviour in terms of number of commits, starting earlier with their assignments and writing more meaningful commit messages when compared to the rest of their cohort and the previous year's cohort (m=350). Qualitative results showed that students were mostly positive towards developing better commit behaviour and felt that the extra effort to think in commits delivered proportionally more benefits for their work.

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Cited By

Izu CMirolo CBörstler JConnamacher HCrosby RGlassey RHaldeman GKiljunen OKumar ALiu DLuxton-Reilly AMatsumoto SCarneiro de Oliveira ERussell SShah AMonga MLonati VBarendsen ESheard JPaterson J(2025)Introducing Code Quality at CS1 Level: Examples and Activities2024 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education10.1145/3689187.3709615(339-377)Online publication date: 22-Jan-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689187.3709615
Marmorstein R(2023)Thinking Inside the Box: Using Containers To Encourage Commit DisciplineJournal of Computing Sciences in Colleges10.5555/3636988.363701039:3(110-118)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3636988.3637010
Ma ILopes C(2023)Improving the Quality of Commit Messages in Students’ Projects2023 IEEE/ACM 5th International Workshop on Software Engineering Education for the Next Generation (SEENG)10.1109/SEENG59157.2023.00005(1-4)Online publication date: May-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/SEENG59157.2023.00005

Index Terms

If in Doubt, Try Three: Developing Better Version Control Commit Behaviour with First Year Students
1. Applied computing
  1. Education

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cover image ACM Conferences

SIGCSE 2022: Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education - Volume 1

February 2022

1049 pages

ISBN:9781450390705

DOI:10.1145/3478431

General Chairs:
Larry Merkle
Air Force Institute of Technology, USA
,
Maureen Doyle
Northern Kentucky University, USA
,
Program Chairs:
Judithe Sheard
Monash University, Australia
,
Leen-Kiat Soh
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
,
Brian Dorn
University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA

Copyright © 2022 ACM.

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Published: 22 February 2022

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Cited By

Izu CMirolo CBörstler JConnamacher HCrosby RGlassey RHaldeman GKiljunen OKumar ALiu DLuxton-Reilly AMatsumoto SCarneiro de Oliveira ERussell SShah AMonga MLonati VBarendsen ESheard JPaterson J(2025)Introducing Code Quality at CS1 Level: Examples and Activities2024 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education10.1145/3689187.3709615(339-377)Online publication date: 22-Jan-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689187.3709615
Marmorstein R(2023)Thinking Inside the Box: Using Containers To Encourage Commit DisciplineJournal of Computing Sciences in Colleges10.5555/3636988.363701039:3(110-118)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3636988.3637010
Ma ILopes C(2023)Improving the Quality of Commit Messages in Students’ Projects2023 IEEE/ACM 5th International Workshop on Software Engineering Education for the Next Generation (SEENG)10.1109/SEENG59157.2023.00005(1-4)Online publication date: May-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/SEENG59157.2023.00005

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