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Course 111 · Digital course 18

Collaborate on Projects with Git

Build a fictional repair-cafe notice while practicing the way teams record and combine changes.

Before you start

Install free Git and a text editor on a computer.

See everything you’ll need

Practice materials and a worked example · Free download. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

A local repository with a readable change history, two merged contributions, a resolved practice conflict, and an evidence-based review note.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload practice filesStart with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from Missing Semester introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
Missing SemesterLecture 6: Version Control (git) (2020)YouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners age 14+ who meet the stated prerequisites.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Install free Git and a text editor on a computer.
  • Know how to save a text file and open a terminal; no GitHub account required.
  • Reading and core practice include the three checks. Initial software setup and optional video viewing take extra time.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

A local repository with a readable change history, two merged contributions, a resolved practice conflict, and an evidence-based review note.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • Base and clarification commits.
  • Review note grounded in an actual diff.
  • Merged independent title contribution.
  • Resolved hours conflict using the approved policy.
  • Final files, history evidence and recovery note.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • History records meaningful changes.
  • Final notice matches all four required lines.
  • Conflict resolution retains unrelated content.
  • Review and recovery claims are accurate.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Save coherent changes

Review staged content and give each snapshot a clear reason.

02

Resolve meaning

A merge conflict is a decision about content, not a contest between branches.

03

Report evidence

State exactly what was checked and what remains untested.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Commit
A saved snapshot with metadata and a message.
Index
The staged content proposed for the next commit.
Branch
A movable name pointing to a line of history.
Diff
A comparison showing changed content.
Merge
Combining two lines of project history.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Create a local project history

    Create a repository and identify its first snapshot.

  2. 2
    28 min

    Stage one coherent change

    Use diffs to separate saved, staged and working content.

  3. 3
    24 min

    Explain a change before review

    Write a review note grounded in an actual diff.

  4. 4
    36 min

    Merge independent contributions

    Use a branch to develop an isolated change and merge it.

  5. 5
    46 min

    Resolve a schedule conflict with a stated decision

    Resolve a deliberate same-line conflict using a supplied policy.

  6. 6
    31 min

    Hand off a reviewable repository

    Package a project with a truthful review and recovery plan.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
ZIP · practice files

Collaborate on Projects with Git practice files

Start with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

MIT Missing Semester: Version Control (Git)
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Opened and inspected on 2026-09-12: Snapshots, staging, branch histories and collaboration.

Access: Free public web page; no paid enrollment required.

Reuse: CC BY-NC-SA; optional link only, no adapted prose or source exercises.

Pro Git: Recording Changes
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Opened and inspected on 2026-09-12: Tracked, staged and modified states.

Access: Free public web page; no paid enrollment required.

Reuse: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 book; link only.

Pro Git: Basic Branching and Merging
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Opened and inspected on 2026-09-12: Branch creation and resolving conflicting edits.

Access: Free public web page; no paid enrollment required.

Reuse: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 book; link only.

Lecture 6: Version Control (git) (2020)
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Metadata retrieved and inspected on 2026-09-12: exact title and channel confirmed through YouTube oEmbed. Playback and full video content were not tested. Optional overview; the written lesson and supplied practice stand alone.

Access: Free public web page; no paid enrollment required.

Reuse: Link or provider embed only; do not copy video, audio or transcript.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one