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GitHub Classroom setup

Connect your school’s GitHub organization

Codington creates a private repository for each student from a GitHub template, gives the student access, and displays the result of GitHub Actions checks for students and teachers.

Open Admin settings

Workflow

From assignment template to visible checks

1

Connect the organization

A school admin connects the school’s GitHub organization from Codington Admin settings.

2

Publish an assignment

A teacher chooses a public GitHub template repository when configuring the assignment.

3

Create the student repository

Codington creates a private, school-owned repository from the template and invites the student.

4

Run checks and review

The student pushes code, GitHub Actions runs the starter tests, and Codington reads the result.

Requirements

Before you start

  • A GitHub organization owned or approved by the school.
  • A GitHub organization owner who can approve and install Codington Classroom.
  • A Codington school administrator who can open Admin settings.
  • A public GitHub starter repository marked as a template, with tests and a GitHub Actions workflow committed to it.

The public starter can belong to a teacher’s personal GitHub account or another organization. Student repositories are created inside the connected school organization and are private.

Installation

Install Codington Classroom

  1. 1Open Admin → Settings → Integrations in Codington.
  2. 2Select Install Codington Classroom.
  3. 3Choose the school’s GitHub organization and All repositories.
  4. 4Review the permissions and select Install.
  5. 5If GitHub shows Request instead, send the request to the organization owners. After an owner approves it, return to Codington and install again.
  6. 6Codington asks you to authorize your GitHub identity so it can verify that the installation is available to the school.

Security

What the GitHub App can access

Repository administration — read and writeCreate assignment repositories and manage student collaborator access.
Actions — readShow whether assignment checks are running, passing, or failing.
Code and metadata — readIdentify repositories, branches, commits, starter workflows, and push activity.
Organization members — readWork with GitHub identities and organization-owned repositories.

Codington currently requires All repositories so repositories created for future assignments are included. Organization owners can review the requested access before installing. Read GitHub’s installation guidance.

Assignments

Prepare the starter and assignment

Starter repository

Make the repository a GitHub template. Commit the starting application, tests, and a workflow under .github/workflows. Keep the starter public when it is hosted outside the connected organization.

Student access

Each student connects their own GitHub account in Codington. Starting the assignment creates one private repository in the school organization and adds that student as a collaborator.

Checks and review

After a push, GitHub Actions runs the tests. Codington shows repository detected, checks running, and checks passed or failed, with a link back to GitHub when investigation is needed.

Help

Common setup questions

Codington says “Waiting for approval”

A GitHub organization owner must approve and install the app. Codington records that the request was sent, but GitHub does not provide a live approval status. After approval, return to Admin settings and run the installation again.

GitHub only grants selected repositories

Codington currently requires access to all repositories because it must receive access to private assignment repositories that it creates later. Choose another organization if you cannot grant that access for the intended school organization.

The student cannot access the repository

The student must connect their personal GitHub account in Codington. If GitHub sends a repository invitation, the student must accept it before pushing code.

No checks appear

Confirm that the starter contains a workflow under .github/workflows and that GitHub Actions is enabled in the school organization. Codington reports the workflow result; GitHub runs the checks.

Ready to connect a test organization?

Use a school or test organization where an owner can install the app. Rehearse the complete teacher and student workflow before using it for a graded assignment.

Open Admin settings