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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pawtograder.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Assignments Overview

Programming assignments are the core of Pawtograder. Each assignment consists of a “handout” repository, and optionally, a “grader” repository. When an assignment is released, Pawtograder automatically creates a new private repository for each student based on that handout. Pawtograder automatically manages permissions for all of these repositories, allowing staff to view all of a course’s repositories, and ensuring students can only view their own repositories.

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GitHub Permissions

Pawtograder creates two GitHub teams for each class: a “staff” team and a “students” team. Staff are granted access to all class repositories, and students are only granted access to their own repositories. The “students” team can be used by instructors who want to create additional GitHub repositories that are only accessible to students (e.g. for distributing in-class exercises).

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Repository Permissions Audit

If repository permissions become out of sync, instructors can use the Fix Permissions button on the assignment’s repositories page to audit and correct all repository permissions:
  1. Navigate to the assignment’s Repositories page
  2. Click the Fix Permissions button
  3. The system will audit all repositories and enqueue permission syncs as needed
  4. View the summary showing synced repositories, skipped repositories, and any errors
This feature ensures all group members have correct access to their group repositories and removes access for students who have left groups.

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Repositories

Two repositories are automatically created for each assignment: a “handout” repository and a “grader” repository. These repositories must be configured by the staff before the assignment is released. A handout repository is a repository that contains the starter code for an assignment. It is used to provide students with the necessary files to complete the assignment. A grader repository is a repository that contains the code that will be used to grade the assignment. It is used to provide instructors with the necessary files to grade the assignment.

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Individual and Group Assignments

Assignments can be individual, group-optional, or group-required. Students can be assigned to groups by instructors, or can self-assign to groups. Instructors can reuse a set of groups from a prior assignment.

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Empty Submission Detection

Pawtograder automatically detects empty submissions to help identify students who may need assistance. When a submission contains no meaningful content, it is flagged for instructor review, making it easier to reach out to students who might be struggling with the assignment.

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Group Mentors

Instructors can assign mentors to student groups from the groups management page:
  1. Navigate to the assignment’s Groups page
  2. Use the Mentor dropdown for each group to assign a grader or instructor
  3. Mentors are displayed to students in their group details
  4. Use the “Assign to group mentors” bulk grading mode to automatically assign submissions to their group’s mentor
  5. Group mentor assignments are preserved when copying groups between assignments

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Due Date Exceptions

Instructors can set a class-wide number of late tokens, and configure assignments to allow students to use those tokens as desired. Each token can be exchanged for a 24-hour extension, but the extension must be requested before the student’s original due date. Instructors and graders can also manually grant extensions to students, and can view all extensions granted to a student. This is done in the assignment configuration under “Due Date Exceptions”.

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Extended Due Date Picker

When granting manual extensions, instructors can now choose the extended due date directly using a date picker, rather than entering extension hours and minutes. This makes it easier to set specific deadlines and reduces calculation errors when granting extensions. Instructors and graders can also manually grant extensions to students using a date picker to select the extended due date, and can view all extensions granted to a student. This is done in the assignment configuration under “Due Date Exceptions”.

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Assignment Dashboards

Pawtograder provides several dashboards to help instructors monitor and manage assignments:

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Assignment Dashboard

View a comprehensive overview of assignment progress, including submission statistics, grading status, and student performance metrics.

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Security Dashboard

Monitor assignment security with insights into potential academic integrity concerns, including:
  • Submission timing patterns
  • Repository access logs
  • Unusual activity indicators

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Test Insights Dashboard

Track student performance across test cases to identify:
  • Common failure patterns
  • Tests that students struggle with most
  • Overall test pass rates and trends
These dashboards help instructors identify areas where students need additional support and adjust course materials accordingly.

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Assignment Score Capping

Instructors can configure a maximum score cap for assignments. This feature allows you to:
  • Set a ceiling on the total points students can earn
  • Prevent extra credit from inflating scores beyond intended limits
  • Ensure consistent grading scales across assignments
  • Handle bonus points while maintaining grade boundaries
Score capping is configured in the assignment settings and applies automatically when calculating final scores.
  • Prevent extra credit from inflating grades beyond intended limits
  • Maintain consistent grading scales across assignments
Score capping is configured in the assignment settings and applies automatically when grades are calculated.