Elegit: Git Learning Tool for Students (Abstract Only)

Abstract

Version control systems are crucial tools for computer scientists, and the need for students to be fluent in them is well-recognized. However, Git and other version control systems (VCSs) are difficult to learn and use. Elegit is a new Git client that we created to help students learn how Git works while using it. Our approach is different from other GUI Git clients in that our key goals are not only to help students successfully use Git, but equally importantly to help students learn about how Git works in its own native way. We preserve standard Git terminology wherever possible, and place a high priority on not modifying the standard Git model. Simultaneously, we strive to make Elegit easy for beginners to use. This demo provides a brief tutorial on using Elegit, discussion on the process of designing the tool to do this, evaluation of the effectiveness of the tool, and improvements made based on this evaluation and our own learning of Git while developing the application. Information about Elegit can be found at http://elegit.org. This work is supported by a SIGCSE Special Projects Grant, and by Carleton College.