Hello,
When they are working in the screen design level, they are able to import one another’s’ screens. To do this:
The designer is going to have the sharer click “Share” in the top left corner, and then email that link to their partner. The partner will then go to their screens drop down menu (where they create a new screen) and click “import screen” where they can paste the link. This will trigger App Lab to try to pull the screens and assets from the other student’s project.
Two things to keep in mind: First, these screens do not auto update! If student A makes a change after student B has uploaded, student B will not see the changes on their end without importing the screens again. Second, if students have the same ID for some items as their partner, they will not be able to import the partner’s code - there will be a conflict and an error. This is a good time to stress smart naming conventions so students don’t run in to this issue.
When I have students design screens, I usually have them draw out their plan together, and then pair program (share a zoom window) to create a single screen with the colors, fonts, etc that they want to both use. They import the screen in to all group members’ pages, and use this as a template for the remainder of the screens so the theme is consistent. After that I don’t bother having them share screens again until they have all completed their portions to avoid the issue of updating. Inevitably a group or two has to… but it avoids a lot of logistical hassle.
When students get to programming, I will have them keep a shared google doc that they paste code (copied from App Lab in the top mode) that they both update at the end of the class. As long as they’re communicating and compartmentalizing who is doing what, they don’t have problems copying their partners code in to their work as well. Again it’s important to have good naming conventions and good communication between group members to make sure they’re accounting for all aspects of the project.
Good luck!