diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b47c17b23c7dc80d23f2b5618790ae3e508e6599..60bf7a3ff64dd1aeee7da8c917ea78c7c52e6f17 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
 
 /examples/src/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/AnalystReports/
 /examples/src/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/build/
-/examples/src/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/lib/Networked_Graphics_MV3500_examples.jar
+/examples/src/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/lib/
 
 # unable to fix, retained as .zip
 /assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2022MayJune/homework2/Royer/build/
@@ -68,8 +68,14 @@
 /assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2022MayJune/projects/Royer/TwoCranesBerth/nbproject/private/
 /assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2022MayJune/projects/Royer/TwoCranesBerth/nbproject/build-impl.xml~
 /assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2022MayJune/projects/Royer/TwoCranesBerth/pduLog/
+/assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2024JulySeptember/projects/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/build/
+/assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2024JulySeptember/projects/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/viskitProject.xml
+/assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2024JulySeptember/projects/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/AnalystReports/
+/assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2024JulySeptember/projects/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/lib/
 
 /viskit/MyViskitProjects/DefaultProject/build/
 /viskit/MyViskitProjects/DefaultProject/AnalystReports/
 /viskit/logs
-/viskit/pduLog/
\ No newline at end of file
+/viskit/pduLog/
+/viskit/MyViskitProjects/DefaultProject/viskitProject.xml
+/examples/src/ViskitOpenDis7Examples/viskitProject.xml
diff --git a/build.properties b/build.properties
index 401b692d7ddf7a3e39105df0dbb812841263aeee..1c360d102cf30959677715485482467391e9aeb0 100644
--- a/build.properties
+++ b/build.properties
@@ -34,3 +34,5 @@ c_gui.xml=${viskit.dir}/configuration/c_gui.xml
 proj.xml=${viskit.dir}/configuration/viskitProject.xml
 
 splash.image=${viskit.dir}/configuration/ViskitSplash2.png
+
+2024.cohort.assign.viskit.ex.proj.dir=assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2024JulySeptember/projects/ViskitOpenDis7Examples
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index b82952b56e3e16e7e467eb93e260c09fe30d2450..24e8b4fa725e6dde6779c2b318df17915f8cb5e6 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
         <property name="run.args" value="${mac.run.args}"/>
     </target>
     <target name="initializeAll" depends="platformInitialize,initWin,initUnix,initMac"/>
-    
+
     <target name="set.classpath" depends="initializeAll">
         <path id="runtime.classpath">
             <fileset dir="${viskit.lib.dir}">
@@ -329,6 +329,8 @@ POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
         <copy todir="${dot.viskit.dir}" file="${c_app.xml}" verbose="true"/>
         <copy todir="${dot.viskit.dir}" file="${c_gui.xml}" verbose="true"/>
         <copy todir="examples/src/ViskitOpenDis7Examples" file="${proj.xml}" overwrite="true"/>
+        <copy todir="viskit/MyViskitProjects/DefaultProject" file="${proj.xml}" overwrite="true"/>
+        <copy todir="${2024.cohort.assign.viskit.ex.proj.dir}" file="${proj.xml}" overwrite="true"/>
     </target>
 
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/viskit/configuration/c_app.xml b/viskit/configuration/c_app.xml
index 8e0a01435f326eba946a8155cba7309ea5e846ef..c8fe4c72e2e2047703905578e2de5be5eb060ad8 100644
--- a/viskit/configuration/c_app.xml
+++ b/viskit/configuration/c_app.xml
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
         </mainframe>
         <projecthome>
             <!-- These two attributes MUST always be at least zero-length Strings -->
-            <!-- A default project path and name (DefaultProject) are included 
+            <!-- A default project path and name (DefaultProject) are included
                  in this template for convenience -->
-            <path dir="../examples/src"/>
+            <path dir="../assignments/src/MV3500Cohort2024JulySeptember/projects"/>
             <name value="ViskitOpenDis7Examples"/>
         </projecthome>
         <tabs>