Student Activity Analysis Skill

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when the user:

• Asks to "update the student activity analysis"
• Asks "how are students doing?" or "check student progress"
• Mentions checking class activity, lab submissions, or project work
• Wants to see who has completed labs or is actively contributing
• Needs to verify student participation or identify at-risk students

Overview

This skill automates the analysis of student git activity in a software engineering course. It reads from a canonical student roster (OFFICIAL_STUDENT_ROSTER.json), queries git history, checks file systems, and generates a comprehensive markdown report (STUDENT_ACTIVITY_ANALYSIS.md).

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 0: Sync with Main Branch (CRITICAL)

Always start by syncing with the main branch to ensure you're analyzing the latest activity:

bash
1git fetch origin main
2git merge origin main -m "Sync with main before analysis"

⚠️ Why this is critical: Without syncing, you may miss up to 76% of student activity that exists on the main branch but not on your current branch.

Step 1: Collect Activity Data

Run the data collection script:

bash
1python3 .claude/skills/student-activity-analysis/collect_data.py

This script will:

• Read OFFICIAL_STUDENT_ROSTER.json
• Query git logs for each student (handling multiple usernames)
• Check lab01 completion (intro.py files)
• Check lab03 folders
• Analyze project folder activity
• Generate STUDENT_ACTIVITY_DATA.json

Step 2: Generate Report

Run the report generation script:

bash
1python3 .claude/skills/student-activity-analysis/generate_report.py

This script will:

• Read STUDENT_ACTIVITY_DATA.json
• Generate formatted markdown tables
• Calculate statistics
• Write to STUDENT_ACTIVITY_ANALYSIS.md

Step 3: Review and Commit

Review the generated report and commit if everything looks good:

bash
1git add STUDENT_ACTIVITY_ANALYSIS.md STUDENT_ACTIVITY_DATA.json
2git commit -m "Update student activity analysis - $(date +%Y-%m-%d)"
3git push -u origin <branch-name>

Handling Edge Cases

The real world is messy. Students don't always follow instructions perfectly. This skill is designed to handle common inconsistencies:

Edge Case 1: Multiple GitHub Usernames

Problem: A student may have multiple GitHub usernames or commit under different names.

Example from roster:

json
1"github_username": "jcuzic/Zlicone"

Solution: Split on "/" and query git with all usernames:

bash
1git log --all --author="jcuzic\|Zlicone" --oneline | wc -l

Edge Case 2: Name Variations and Diacritics

Problem: Student names in folders may not match roster exactly due to diacritics or spelling.

Roster: "Stipe Ćubelić" Folder: students/lab03/scubelic/

Solution: Use fuzzy matching when checking for folders:

• Convert names to lowercase
• Remove diacritics (ć→c, š→s, ž→z)
• Check for partial matches

Edge Case 3: Lab Submissions in Wrong Location

Problem: Student may create intro.py in the wrong directory.

Expected: students/<github_username>/intro.py Actual: students/intro.py or students/lab01/<name>/intro.py

Solution: Search entire students/ directory:

bash
1find students/ -name "intro.py" -type f

Then manually verify which file belongs to which student.

Edge Case 4: Stale or Orphaned Project Folders

Problem: Project folders exist but no students in roster claim them.

Examples:

• projects/garderoba/ (no team registered)
• projects/climate-analyzers-asmith-bjohnson/ (demo data?)

Solution:

• List all projects in report
• Mark unmatched folders as "Unknown Team"
• Show commit count to help identify ownership

Edge Case 5: Team Lead with No Commits

Problem: Student is listed as project lead but has 0 commits in project folder.

Possible reasons:

• Commits under different username
• Work done in different branch
• Administrative lead (not technical)

Solution:

• Mark as "Lead Only - Verify" status
• Manually review git log for project folder
• Check if commits exist under alternative username

Validation and Error Handling

Before finalizing the report, validate:

1. Student count matches: Number of students in report = Number in roster
2. No missing projects: All project folders are accounted for
3. Date ranges make sense: First commit < Last commit
4. Status classifications are consistent:
   • "Very Active" = 15+ commits
   • "Active" = 5-14 commits
   • "Low Activity" = 2-4 commits
   • "Minimal Activity" = 1 commit
   • "No Git Activity" = 0 commits

If validation fails:

• Report the discrepancy
• Show which students/projects are problematic
• Ask user if manual review is needed

Output Format

The generated STUDENT_ACTIVITY_ANALYSIS.md should include:

1. Overview Statistics

   • Total students (from roster)
   • Students with activity
   • Activity percentage

2. Student Activity Table

   • ALL students (even those with 0 commits)
   • Sorted by activity level (most active first)
   • Columns: Name, GitHub, Commits, Status, Lab01, Lab03, Project Role
   • NO email addresses (kept in JSON only)

3. Project Teams Table

   • ALL project folders
   • Columns: Project, Total Commits, Team Lead, Status
   • Include "Unknown" projects

4. Recommendations

   • Students needing attention (0 commits)
   • Positive highlights (very active students)

Testing the Skill

To test this skill manually:

1. Create a test branch
2. Invoke the skill
3. Verify output contains all 52 students
4. Check that statistics add up correctly
5. Manually verify a few commit counts with git log

Troubleshooting

Q: Script says "OFFICIAL_STUDENT_ROSTER.json not found" A: Make sure you're in the repository root directory /home/user/2025-intro-swe/

Q: Git log shows no commits for a student I know has commits A: Check if they have multiple GitHub usernames. Update roster with "username1/username2" format.

Q: Student has intro.py but script doesn't detect it A: Check the file path. Script searches entire students/ directory but may need manual verification.

Q: Project folder exists but not in any team's project_folder field A: This is an orphaned project. Script will mark it as "Unknown Team" - may need manual investigation.

Files Managed by This Skill

• OFFICIAL_STUDENT_ROSTER.json (READ ONLY - never modified by scripts)
• STUDENT_ACTIVITY_DATA.json (Generated by collect_data.py)
• STUDENT_ACTIVITY_ANALYSIS.md (Generated by generate_report.py)

Key Lessons Learned

1. Always sync with main first - Missing this step caused 76% of activity to be missed initially
2. Include ALL enrolled students - Even those with 0 activity need to be in the report
3. Separate static from dynamic data - Roster is manual, activity data is automated
4. Handle real-world messiness - Students use multiple usernames, misspell names, put files in wrong places
5. Make it deterministic - Same git state should produce same report every time