Writing / GitHub · education · community · AI
GitHub Fest UTP: Teaching Beyond the Push Command
Lessons from a hybrid Git and GitHub event that reached students across multiple regions.
The first workshop room reached capacity, but students from other regions still wanted to join. We opened an online stream and turned the event into a hybrid experience, allowing the sessions to travel beyond the host campus.
A room that became a stream
The Git and GitHub workshop ran longer than planned because students had questions about repositories, collaboration workflows, and the reasoning behind the commands they already used. Instead of rushing, I chose to help people work through those questions and complete the challenge.
We eventually moved to a second laboratory. The transition was smooth, and the additional time helped participants leave with more than a basic “push code” mental model.
One recurring message from attendees was that Git is treated as an expected skill, even when nobody has taught it properly. That gap is exactly where practical community education can help.
The AI adoption gap
Many attendees studied software engineering, systems engineering, networking, or computer science, yet few were familiar with GitHub Copilot or the broader AI development ecosystem. ChatGPT was common, but tools such as Claude, Gemini, Cursor, and agentic workflows were mostly new.
I had planned a deeper Copilot CLI session covering agents, MCP, hooks, and skills. In the room, those concepts needed foundations first.
Changing the Copilot CLI session
I changed the session into an introduction. The goal became showing what the workflow could make possible without overwhelming people with its entire architecture.
That adjustment preserved the message I cared about most: AI tools should accelerate learning and judgment, not replace them. A sophisticated demo is not useful when its prerequisites remain invisible.
An empty Campus Expert seat
The host university did not yet have a GitHub Campus Expert. Students asked about the application process, requirements, and what being part of the program looks like. That curiosity is an encouraging first step toward a new local developer community.