Panel: Synergistic Perspectives on Collaborative Learning with Version Control Tools

Version control systems are widely used in industry and form a staple of modern software development, and this panel addresses the benefits and difficulties of introducing version control in education. Version control systems such as Git, and software development platforms such as GitHub, Bitbucket and GitLab are industry standards for which there is an increasing appeal within education. In general, students and teachers are motivated to use these tools in the classroom to increase graduates’ competitiveness in the job market. Although highly desirable, the adoption of version control is hindered by a steep learning curve for both teachers and students, a lack of resources tailored to specific instructional and learning needs, as well as inadequate integration and alignment with the learning outcomes in the program curricula. The panel will analyze these challenges, solicit feedback from the audience’s experience with version control tools, and facilitate discussions around promising strategies that could benefit student learning and graduates’ professional competencies expected in the workplace.