A GitHub survey conducted with a combined 8,000 college professors and students has concluded in order to weigh in on whether experience-based or traditional computer science teaching methods proves to work best. In the study, Github measured the predicted learning outcomes from classes that utilized GitHub in their learning experience and those that did not.
GitHub Learning Outcomes Survey 2018 found:
- Students felt more prepared to take part in the developer community: 31% of students who used GitHub in the classroom and 14% of students who didn’t use GitHub in the classroom felt their course prepared them for being a part of the developer community “very much”.
- Students felt more prepared for creating a portfolio of their work: 30% of students who used GitHub in the classroom and 15% of students who didn’t use GitHub in the classroom felt their course prepared them for developing a portfolio of their own work “very much”.
- Students felt they learned more about project management: 25% of students who used GitHub in the classroom and 12% of students who didn’t use GitHub in the classroom felt they had learned “very much” about project management.
- Students felt they learned more about popular industry tools: 29% of students who used GitHub in the classroom and 14% of students who didn’t use GitHub in the classroom felt they had learned “very much” about popular industry tools. Students felt more prepared for future internships or careers: 33% of students who used GitHub in the classroom and 19% of students who didn’t use GitHub in the classroom felt their course prepared them for future internships or careers “very much”.
- Students felt they learned more about teamwork and collaboration: 32% of students who used GitHub in the classroom and 17% of students who didn’t use GitHub in the classroom felt they had learned “very much” about teamwork and collaboration.
In summary, GitHub says that the results show that experience-based learning creates "significantly positive learning outcomes for students: using GitHub in their classes gave students a larger sense of belonging to the developer community, and a desire to work beyond the classroom. For educators, the use of GitHub in the classroom also improved classroom communication: 68% of students who received teacher feedback via GitHub saying their teacher strongly understood their needs as a student."