Managing Modules

Create assignments with flexible or fixed timing

Modules are the assignments or tasks within your session. Each module has its own timer, resources, and lifecycle. Students work on one module at a time.

Creating a Module

  1. Open your session from the dashboard
  2. Navigate to the Modules tab
  3. Click Add Module
  4. Fill in the module details and choose a timing mode

Module Fields

Name Display name shown to students (e.g., "Module A – Frontend Development")
Slug URL-friendly identifier. Must match the Git repository name students create
Day For multi-day events, which day this module belongs to

Timing Modes

Choose how the module timer works based on your needs:

Duration-Based Flexible

Set a time limit (e.g., 3 hours). Timer starts when you manually trigger it.

  • • You control when it starts
  • • Can pause for breaks
  • • Great for classroom labs
Example: 8-hour homework assignment — start Monday, students have until their timer runs out.
Fixed Schedule Strict

Set exact start and end times. Can auto-start at the scheduled time.

  • • Precise timing control
  • • Optional auto-start
  • • Great for exams
Example: Exam from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM — auto-starts with countdown, ends exactly at noon.
For fixed schedule mode, enable Auto start module and set a countdown (e.g., 10 seconds) so students see a countdown before the module begins.
Timezone: Module times use the session timezone configured in Session Settings → Advanced → Session timezone. The default is UTC. Make sure your timezone is set correctly before scheduling fixed-time modules.

Module States

Each module progresses through these states:

Planned Module is configured but not started
Ready Ready to start — shows Start button on dashboard
Countdown Pre-start countdown active (for auto-start modules)
Running Module is active — students can work and submit
Paused Timer paused (for breaks or technical issues)
Overtime Time exceeded — should be completed
Completed Module finished — no more changes allowed

Controlling Modules

From your dashboard, you can control each module:

  • Start — Begin the module timer (students see it immediately)
  • Pause — Temporarily stop the timer (for breaks, technical issues)
  • Resume — Continue a paused module
  • Complete — End the module regardless of remaining time
  • Lock — Freeze all student repositories for this module (for marking)
  • Reset — Reset module to planned state (careful!)

Module Lock

The Lock action freezes all student repositories for a specific module by transferring ownership to the system. This is different from Git Lock (which affects individual students).

When to Lock
  • • Before marking/grading begins
  • • To freeze final submissions
  • • When evaluation requires stable code
Unlock
  • • Restores module to running state
  • • Students can push changes again
  • • Use if grading needs to be extended
Module Lock affects all students for a specific module. To lock an individual student's Git access across all modules, use Git Lock instead.
All timer changes are broadcast in real-time. Students see updates instantly on their dashboards.

Module Descriptions

Each module has three description fields available in the edit form:

  • Description — shown to students, covering requirements and objectives
  • Marking Description — internal notes for judges (passwords, access details)
  • Amendments — changes or corrections to the original module requirements

Each field supports two editor modes, toggled per field via the Visual / Markdown switch in the toolbar:

Visual (WYSIWYG)
  • • Rich text editor with formatting toolbar
  • • Click buttons for headings, bold, italic, code, lists
  • • What you see is what you get
Markdown
  • • Write raw markdown syntax
  • • Supports headings, bold, italic, links, images, code blocks, tables, blockquotes, lists
  • • Live preview updates as you type
  • • Click ? for syntax reference
Your editor mode preference is saved per field in your browser — it will be remembered next time you edit.

Module Attachments

Attach files to modules that students can download when the module starts:

  • Task descriptions (PDF)
  • Design mockups and wireframes
  • Data files and sample databases
  • Images, icons, and other assets

Attachments only become visible when the module enters Running state.