Data Structure and Algorithm Programming Projects

Overview

  • Learning outcomes

    • Practice DSA concepts

    • Learn end-to-end project development

    • Learn essential tools and workflows

  • Account setup

    • GitHub account

    • Join the course GitHub organization

    • Login to Classroom 50 web frontend

  • Development workflow

    • Accept the assignment to create a private repository

    • Clone the assignment repository locally

    • Implement incrementally

    • Test locally

    • Commit and push to GitHub

GitHub Account and Organization

  • GitHub Account Setup

    • Option A (New to GitHub):

      1. Register a new account at github.com/signup.

      2. Use your official university email (@uwf.edu).

    • Option B (Existing GitHub Account):

      1. Log into your existing GitHub account.

      2. Go to Settings → Emails.

      3. Add and verify your university email (@uwf.edu).

  • Join the course GitHub organization

    1. Accept the invitation from email to join the course GitHub organization.

    2. If you do not see an invitation, contact your instructor.

Organization Membership Is Not Assignment Acceptance

  • Accepting the GitHub organization invitation only gives your account access to the course organization. It does not accept an assignment or create your assignment repository.

  • Do not search the organization for the template repository. Do not fork, clone, or edit the template repository; work there is not your submission.

  • After accepting the organization invitation:

    1. Return to the assignment link provided in Canvas or on the course website.

    2. Sign in to the UWF Classroom 50 portal with your PAT.

    3. Verify the course and assignment shown, then select your exact roster name.

    4. Accept the assignment and wait for Classroom 50 to create your private repository.

    5. Open and clone the repository link displayed for you. Work only in that repository.

Classroom 50 Web Frontend

  • Required login method: GitHub Classic Personal Access Token (PAT)

  • Open the UWF portal at https://uwf-dsa-teaching.github.io

    • Do not use the public classroom50.org site.

    • Do not select the standard Sign in with GitHub button. It will fail on the self-hosted portal.

  • Select Other sign-in methods -> Use a personal access token and paste your PAT.

  • Generate the PAT from your GitHub account:

    • Use the Pre-configured PAT URL to generate a token with the required scopes

    • Change the expiration to the end of the semester or later.

    • Copy the token immediately; GitHub displays it only once.

    • Treat the PAT like a password. Never share or commit it.

  • You should be able to see your course organization listed there. Open it to see your assignments.

Development Workflow: Cloning

  1. Clone the assignment repository once, then work in that local directory:

    git clone REPOSITORY-URL
cd ASSIGNMENT-DIRECTORY

    Experienced GitHub CLI users may use gh repo clone instead. See the GitHub CLI guide for the commands and prerequisites.

Development Workflow: Implementing

The normal development loop:

  1. Read the assignment instructions and inspect the starter code.

  2. Implement one small change at a time.

  3. Build and test locally using make commands.

  4. Check git status and review your diff.

  5. Commit meaningful checkpoints.

  6. Optionally, push your commits to GitHub (avoid pushing every minor change to save shared autograding quota).

git add .
git commit -m "Implement the requested feature"
git push origin main

Submission and Check Feedback

  • Every grading items has a corresponding automated check with make targets. Run the checks locally to see the immediate feedback.

  • A push to the assignment repository is the submission event. Push before the deadline and do not wait for the last few minutes.

  • Open the repository’s Actions tab to inspect automated grading processes.

  • Find grading results in the repository’s Releases display. The Classroom 50 web frontend is useful for staff monitoring, but students normally work from the assignment repository after accepting it.

  • Fix the problem locally, commit again, and push again.

  • The instructor may use the repository, commit history, and automated test results when grading.

Good repository habits

  • Keep the repository organized and submit only the requested files.

  • Commit frequently with messages that describe the change so you always have recent backup of your updates.

  • Never commit generated binaries, passwords, API keys, or other secrets.

  • Ask for help by sharing the repository URL and the relevant error output; do not send a screenshot when copyable text is available.

  • Push to the server on milestones such as passed one or all tests.

    • Do not push on every minor updates to avoid wasting shared autograding quota

Troubleshooting

  • The assignment repository was not created: return to the assignment link, verify that you are signed in to the correct GitHub account, and make sure any organization invitation has been accepted.

  • Permission denied when cloning or pushing: verify the remote URL and your GitHub authentication. SSH and HTTPS are both supported, but they require different authentication setup.

  • Checks are still running: wait for the GitHub Actions workflow to finish, then refresh the Actions or checks page.

  • macOS memory checks fail: valgrind is unavailable locally. Use GitHub Codespaces (Code -> Codespaces -> Create codespace on main) for make test-mem.

  • A check failed: open the failed job, read the first relevant error, fix it locally, and push a new commit.

  • The site or repository is unavailable: preserve your local commits and contact the instructor with the assignment name, repository URL, and error message.

Grading Process

  • Automated checks provide fast feedback on correctness and basic project requirements.

  • Passing all automated checks does not necessarily guarantee full credit, as there are subjective grading items that require human evaluation.

  • The instructor may also evaluate design, readability, documentation, memory management, and commit history.

  • Read the assignment rubric before submitting and test edge cases yourself.