Getting Started with GitHub and Classroom 50

We will use GitHub and Classroom 50 to distribute programming projects and create repositories for your work.

You should already have a GitHub account and should have submitted your GitHub username to your instructor.

1. Accept the Kenyon-CS Organization Invitation

After your instructor adds you to the course, GitHub will invite you to join the Kenyon-CS organization.

  1. Sign in to the correct GitHub account.
  2. Check your email for an invitation from GitHub.
  3. Click the link in the message and accept the invitation to join Kenyon-CS.

You can also check for the invitation directly at:

https://github.com/settings/organizations

You must accept this invitation before your course will appear in Classroom 50.

If you do not see an invitation, confirm that:

  • You are signed in using the same GitHub username you submitted to your instructor.
  • Your GitHub account has a verified email address.
  • You entered your GitHub username correctly on the course form.

Contact your instructor if you still cannot find the invitation.

2. Sign In to Classroom 50

After accepting the Kenyon-CS invitation:

  1. Go to https://classroom50.org.
  2. Select Sign in with GitHub.
  3. Authorize Classroom 50 to use your GitHub account.
  4. If GitHub asks about organization access, allow access to Kenyon-CS.

After signing in, you should see Kenyon-CS on the Classroom 50 Organizations page with a Student label.

Open Kenyon-CS to see your course.

Do not select Set up an organization. Students do not need to create or configure an organization.

If the course does not appear immediately, sign out of Classroom 50, sign back in, and refresh the page.

3. Accept an Assignment

Your instructor will provide a Classroom 50 link for each assignment.

When an assignment becomes available:

  1. Open the assignment link.
  2. Confirm that you are signed in using the correct GitHub account.
  3. Select Accept assignment.
  4. Wait while Classroom 50 creates your repository.
  5. Open the newly created repository on GitHub.

For an individual assignment, Classroom 50 creates a private repository specifically for you. Its name will include the course, assignment, and your GitHub username.

Do not create your own repository for the assignment. Use the repository created by Classroom 50.

4. Clone the Repository

Once the repository has been created, clone it to your computer using your normal Git workflow.

From a terminal, the basic command is:

git clone REPOSITORY-URL

Replace REPOSITORY-URL with the URL shown on the GitHub repository page.

You may also clone the repository using Visual Studio Code or GitHub Desktop.

After cloning, open the cloned folder—not the ZIP file or a different copy—in your programming environment.

5. Save and Push Your Work

As you work, commit and push your changes regularly:

git add .
git commit -m "Describe the work completed"
git push

Pushing your work stores it in your private assignment repository on GitHub.

Do not wait until the deadline to make your first push. Push an early version to confirm that your repository access is working.

This course does not use Classroom 50 autograding. Follow your instructor’s directions about when the assignment is considered complete and whether anything additional must be submitted through the course website.

6. Group Assignments

Some assignments may be identified as Group assignments.

For a group assignment:

  1. Only one member of the group should accept the assignment initially.
  2. Classroom 50 will create one shared repository for the group.
  3. The student who accepted the assignment should open it in Classroom 50.
  4. Use Manage collaborators to add the other group members.

Do not have every group member independently accept the same group assignment, because that may create multiple repositories.

Everyone added to the group must already:

  • Be a member of the Kenyon-CS organization
  • Be enrolled in the Classroom 50 course
  • Have accepted the GitHub organization invitation

Troubleshooting

I cannot see Kenyon-CS in Classroom 50

Confirm that you accepted the GitHub invitation at:

https://github.com/settings/organizations

Then sign out of Classroom 50 and sign back in.

Classroom 50 says “No Classroom 50 organizations yet”

You probably have not accepted the Kenyon-CS organization invitation, or you are signed in using a different GitHub account.

Do not click Set up an organization.

I submitted the wrong GitHub username

Contact your instructor. Do not create another GitHub account unless instructed to do so.

My assignment repository was not created

Make sure that:

  • You accepted the Kenyon-CS organization invitation.
  • You are signed in using the correct GitHub account.
  • You are enrolled in the course.
  • You opened the assignment link provided by your instructor.

Git asks for a password when I push

GitHub no longer accepts your normal account password for Git operations. Use an approved GitHub authentication method, such as an SSH key, GitHub Desktop, Visual Studio Code’s GitHub sign-in, or the GitHub CLI.

I accidentally created multiple copies of the project

Stop working until you identify the repository created by Classroom 50. Your instructor will expect your work in that repository.

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