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Assignment 3: Git Collaboration

Purpose

This assignment checks that you can make a small, reviewable change using Git. You will create a branch, make a documentation-only edit, inspect the diff, open a pull request, and connect the workflow to M0 group repository readiness.

Learning Objectives

  • Make meaningful commits with clear messages.
  • Read a diff before committing.
  • Use .gitignore to keep generated or sensitive files out of version control.
  • Create a branch and open a pull request.
  • Document a limited change so collaborators can review it.

Inputs

  • Week 4 page: weeks/week04-git-collaboration/index.qmd
  • M0 connection: milestones/m0-group-formation/README.md
  • Submission folder: assignments/assignment03-git/submission/

Tasks

  1. Create the folder assignments/assignment03-git/submission/.
  2. Create a new branch with a short name such as docs/git-audit-note.
  3. Make one documentation-only edit in your repository. Good choices include clarifying a README sentence, adding a path note, or improving a caption.
  4. Inspect the diff and confirm the change is limited to documentation or text.
  5. Check .gitignore and add a safe pattern if a generated or temporary file is being tracked.
  6. Commit with a message that explains the change.
  7. Push the branch and open a pull request.
  8. If a pull request cannot be opened, do not stop: take a screenshot of your branch and diff, and write a short explanation instead. Both go in pull-request-evidence.md.
  9. In the pull request description, explain what changed and how you verified the scope.
  10. Add a short note on whether your group repository is ready for M0: members, access, communication plan, and Codespaces access.

AI-Use Expectations

AI may help summarize a diff or draft a pull request description. You must verify the diff yourself and make sure the pull request does not include unrelated file changes. Include an AI-use sentence in git-audit-note.md.

Save the evidence as you work: copy the AI prompt or output you used into git-audit-note.md (for example: “I used AI to summarize the diff; I re-read the diff myself and confirmed the summary is accurate.”), and paste the pull request link plus one explanatory line into pull-request-evidence.md (for example: “PR link: … — a documentation-only edit to one README sentence.”). Fuller worked examples of both files are on the Week 4 AI Auditing page.

Reproducibility Requirements

  • All changes must be visible in Git history.
  • The pull request must show a focused diff.
  • .gitignore must not hide source files needed to reproduce the work.
  • Evidence files must use relative paths or GitHub URLs.

What To Submit

Place all submission files in:

assignments/assignment03-git/submission/

Submit these files:

  • pull-request-evidence.md [required]: pull request URL, branch name, and final commit hash. If a pull request cannot be opened, include screenshot filenames and a written explanation.
  • documentation-change.md [required]: the before/after text or a link to the changed documentation file.
  • git-audit-note.md [required]: diff summary, .gitignore check, AI-use sentence, and M0 readiness note.

Submission Route

Submit your GitHub repository link on Canvas after committing and syncing the required files.

Grading Checklist

Complete:

  • Branch was created for the work.
  • Documentation-only change is focused and reviewable.
  • Diff was inspected and summarized.
  • Commit message is clear.
  • Pull request evidence or equivalent text evidence is included.
  • .gitignore was checked.
  • M0 readiness note names repository access and team communication status.

Incomplete:

  • Work was committed directly without evidence of a branch or review step.
  • Diff includes unrelated changes.
  • Pull request evidence is missing.
  • .gitignore check is absent.
  • M0 readiness note is missing.
  • Work is not synced to GitHub.

Definition of Done

You are done when the Canvas submission links to a synced repository with pull request evidence, a documentation change summary, and a Git audit note in the Assignment 3 submission folder.