Essential Tips for New Computer Science Students

How to Free Up Disk Space on Your System when Docker complains about "No Space Left on Device".

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to bring a project from GitHub (or any remote repository) onto your own computer using the git clone <url> command.

We’ll walk through where to find the repository URL on GitHub, how to copy it, and how to run the command in your terminal.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to manage branches in Git — a key part of collaborating on any project.

We’ll cover the difference between viewing existing branches with git branch and creating a new branch with git checkout -b branch_name.

You’ll see how switching to a new branch allows you to work on features or fixes without affecting the main codebase.

We’ll also go over branch naming conventions used in professional teams

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create and switch to a new branch using the modern git switch -c new_branch command. This is a clearer and safer alternative to the older git checkout -b command, and it’s available in Git versions 2.23 and above.

We’ll also use the git --version command to check which version of Git you have installed, so you know whether git switch is available on your system. If you’re running Git 2.23 or later, you’ll be able to take advantage of this modern workflow.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how to check your Git version, and how to confidently create new branches using the git switch -c command.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to switch between branches in Git, and how to push your local branch to the remote repository on GitHub. We’ll use the git push -u origin branch_name command for the first push, and break down what the -u flag and the origin keyword mean.

You’ll also see how to use git remote -v to verify your remotes and confirm that your local project is correctly connected to GitHub. By the end of this lesson, you’ll understand how to move between branches, push your changes to the remote repo, and set up tracking so future pushes and pulls are much simpler.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to clean up branches you no longer need by deleting them locally with the git branch -d branch_name command.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to remove a branch not just from your computer, but from the remote repository on GitHub as well. While git branch -d branch_name only deletes the local copy, the remote branch still exists until you explicitly remove it.

We’ll use the git push origin --delete branch_name command to delete a branch from GitHub, and explain how this syntax works.

In this lesson, you’ll learn the difference between staging and committing in Git, and how the git add command is used to prepare changes for your next commit. We’ll cover two common variations:

• git add file_name → stage a specific file.

• git add . → stage all new and modified files in the current directory.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to save your staged changes into the Git history using the git commit -m "message"command. We’ll explain what a commit is — a snapshot of your project at a specific point in time — and why commit messages are so important for keeping your project history clear and organized.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to send your local commits to the remote repository on GitHub using the git pushcommand. Once you’ve staged your changes and created a commit, git push uploads that commit so your teammates (and GitHub) can see it.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create a Pull Request (PR) on GitHub. We’ll start by explaining what a Pull Request really is: a formal way of asking your teammates to review your code before it’s merged into the main branch. It’s called a “pull request” because you are requesting that someone pull your branch into the main project.

We’ll then walk through the process of opening a PR in GitHub, filling out the PR template, and following the project’s naming conventions.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to review a teammate’s Pull Request by checking out their branch locally. We’ll use the git switch branch_name command to move into your teammate’s branch and test their changes on your own machine.

Sometimes, the branch doesn’t exist locally yet. In that case, we’ll run git fetch --all to download all remote branches so you can access your teammate’s work. After fetching, you’ll be able to switch to their branch and run or review the code.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to make sure you’re reviewing the most up-to-date version of your teammate’s branch. Sometimes when you switch to their branch locally, you’ll notice that it doesn’t include their latest commits yet. To fix this, we’ll use the git pull command to download the newest code from GitHub into your local copy of their branch.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to set up a new Jira software development project using the Scrum framework. We’ll walk through project creation, explain the Scrum template, and show how to add teammates to the project with the right access roles so everyone can collaborate effectively.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create a new story in Jira using the industry-standard format: “As a [role], I want [goal], so that [benefit].” We’ll also add clear acceptance criteria so the story is testable and everyone on the team knows when it is considered “done.”

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create a new story in Jira using the industry-standard format: “As a [role], I want [goal], so that [benefit].” We’ll also add clear acceptance criteria so the story is testable and everyone on the team knows when it is considered “done.”

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to change the issue type in Jira and choose between a Story, Task, or Bug. We’ll break down what each type means: Stories capture user-facing features, Tasks cover technical or background work, and Bugs represent problems that need fixing.

In this lesson, you’ll learn what an Epic is and how it serves as a container for related stories, tasks, and bugs.

In this lesson, you’ll learn what an Epic is and how it serves as a container for related stories, tasks, and bugs. We’ll create an Epic in Jira and assign each story to its appropriate Epic, keeping the project organized around larger goals and features.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to assign stories, tasks, and bugs to specific team members in Jira. We’ll see how assignments help clarify ownership, ensure accountability, and make it clear who is responsible for each piece of work.

In this lesson, you’ll learn what a Sprint is in Agile project management and how it helps teams work in focused, time-boxed iterations. We’ll assign stories to it so the team has a clear plan of work for the sprint period.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to set a clear sprint goal in Jira and what it represents — a focused objective that guides the team during the sprint. We’ll also define the sprint duration, explaining how sprint length impacts planning and delivery in Agile projects.

In this lesson, you’ll explore the Jira board and learn how to move tasks through different workflow stages — from To Do, to In Progress, to In Code Review, and finally to Done. This visual workflow makes it easy to track progress, spot bottlenecks, and keep the team aligned during the sprint.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to estimate work in Jira using Story Points (relative effort/complexity) and Time Estimates (hours or days). We’ll add both types of estimates to stories and tasks, then go into the project settings to see how you can switch between Story Points or Time Estimates as the default method for your project.