Why Use Version Control

Title	Why Use Version Control
Overview	This is a hands-on game that demonstrates the value of version control
Prerequisites	None - this should be a good introduction to the topic before any technical work
Learning Objectives	After successfully completing this activity, the learner should be able to: Describe what version control does. Describe at least three scenarios in which version control is useful.
Process Skills Practiced

Background

• Good (short) introductory article on what version control is and why you need it: http://ericsink.com/vcbe/html/intro.html
• This article http://betterexplained.com/articles/a-visual-guide-to-version-control/ goes into more depth about "why" version control, as well as going through some "how"

I've written this learning activity because understanding the *concepts* behind version control -- and understanding the reasons why you would want to use it -- can be useful even if a student never goes beyond the web interface of Github.

Directions

What should the student do?

Deliverables:

What will the student hand in?

Notes for Instructors

Assessment

• How will the activity be graded?
• How will learning will be measured?
• Include sample assessment questions/rubrics.

Criteria	Level 1 (fail)	Level 2 (pass)	Level 3 (good)	Level 4 (exceptional)
The purpose of the project
Why the project is open source

Comments

• What should the instructor know before using this activity?
• What are some likely difficulties that an instructor may encounter using this activity?

Suggestions for Open Source Community:

Suggestions for an open source community member who is working in conjunction with the instructor.