GitHub's learning platform GitHub Classroom will now work with popular student platforms including Canvas, Google Classroom, and Moodle, opening up more possibilities for time-poor teachers.
GitHub says that approximately 20,000 teachers use GitHub classroom to distribute assignments, monitor student progress, and to give feedback.
Most high schools and universities today use at least one learning management system (LMS) for the management, documentation, and delivery of education materials. By bringing GitHub Classroom together with other LMS platforms, teachers and students will be able to benefit from better quality computer science education.
"Teachers have asked us to help make their workflows more efficient using the tools they require, which is why we're excited to announce the new integration with the learning management systems (LMS) you already use," says GitHub's Nathaniel Woodthorpe.
"This integration allows you to sync your list of students from your LMS with GitHub Classroom—all without the need for manual copying. Even better, you can make changes to this list throughout the semester. This means less time spent making GitHub Classroom work with your existing tools, and more time spent being an amazing educator.
GitHub is working on additional integrations with the likes of Blackboard, which is not currently supported. Woodthorpe says the company is working to integrate with Blackboard in the near future.
"Organisations are struggling with access to tech skills," says GitHub's APAC vice president Sam Hunt, who speaks about the Australian tech skills gap.
"The Government opening up funding to bring in skilled tech resources from overseas is a clear indication we're lagging behind on ensuring we're preparing the next generation for the work opportunities in our market. It is important we continue to invest and support education in this region to ensure we become a hub for innovation.
"We've been working with a number of education bodies in the region. Educators realise that staying connected to the community in technology is a more effective way to prepare students than trying to build a curriculum that keeps up with the pace at which this industry moves.
According to GitHub, the integration of GitHub Classrooms will help education organisations by:
• Enabling the automatic sync of student rosters from the LMS platform to GitHub Classroom, including any changes made during the semester;
• Reducing the manual labour required of teachers using multiple platforms;
• Increasing the ease-of-use of GitHub in the classroom.
GitHub Classroom is open source. Interested participants can watch development, make feature requests, or implement changes from GitHub's repository.
