There is now a browser extension for students enrolled in the Clark College Web Development program. The extension provides useful links and resources.
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store. The extension also works in Microsoft Edge and Brave browsers.
Here’s the GitHub repo for those who want to see how it was built.
During my Q5 Tenure Meeting last week at Clark College, the committee brought up this comment left by a student answering the question that meant a lot to them, “Does the instructor show equal respect for all regardless of ethnicity, gender, beliefs, age, disability, or class? Briefly explain.”: “Mr. Elgort is hands down the best instructor I have had the pleasure of learning from. He is hardworking, honorable, and deserving of the utmost respect; which he naturally gives to each and every one of the students in his class. As a person of color I have never been treated, nor have I perceived him to treat anyone else, any different for any reason. He should be the standard that every instructor at Clark is held to.”
I wanted to let you know that I will not be teaching at Clark College for the spring quarter. The events surrounding the college President and Board of Trustees twice denying my applications for early tenure have gravely affected my health. Their decision will impact the vibrant Web Development program I have built and nurtured over 9+ years. I teach almost half of the courses in the program. Hopefully, the college can find instructors to fill in for me, especially those who plan to graduate in June.
I’m incredibly thankful to my Tenure Review Committee for recognizing my teaching and professional accomplishments. They are the ones who recommended me for early tenure during the first minute of my first ever tenure meeting.
Thank you all for your support of my career at the college.
Cross-posted on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bruceelgort/posts/10161699632298858
A student recently shared this Google Chrome extension that makes the Canvas Learning Management System appear in “dark mode”.
Dark mode for Canvas. Staying up late doing homework? Reduce your eye strain and keep your circadian rhythm with this Dark mode for canvas! Canvas dark mode should work for your school, if it does not, contact me and I can update the plugin to include your school's URL! Currently, dark mode for canvas works on any "instructure.com/*" domain.
Hey there!
I just learned that the embedded Paqnopto video player that’s used in Canvas at Clark College allows you to search for transcribed text.
Stick with me here…
First off, take one of your class or meeting recordings and embed it into a page in Canvas. Once you have it embedded, view the page. Now you are ready to see the magic.
You should see something that looks like this. Click where the arrow is pointing at the bottom of the image.
After you click on the ^, a window will open. Click on the 🔎 icon.
Now you can type in the text to search for. All matches will then be displayed. Click on one of the results.
You will then be brought to that spot in the video recording where those words were spoken.
To return to the list of search results, click on the ^.
That’s it! Pretty cool. I had no idea that this feature was available.
Please share it with your students.
One of the things that I have wanted to do for a while was to have a clickable closed caption file for my students. This page can then be placed into the Canvas learning management system and the video recording from Zoom.
The site I developed is for use with Panopto. Future versions of the site will include support for other video platforms.
Here’s the link to the site: https://bit.ly/captions2html
If you use and like it, please drop me an email or leave a comment.
Students evaluate every academic quarter a tenure candidate at Clark College through anonymous surveys. My Dean also sends out an email to tenured faculty to solicit feedback. I’m thankful for both the student and faculty evaluation feedback that I receive. Typically 95% of my students elect to provide feedback. As for faculty, I had 4 of them provide feedback this quarter.
At my last tenure meeting, I asked, “what about feedback from other people at the college and within the community/world at large.” The committee stated that there was nothing wrong in soliciting it and including it in your “tenure binder.”
Given this, I put together a Google Form that I would ask you to complete. You should only submit feedback if my work at Clark College has impacted you, a family member, friend, relative, or whatever in some way.
Here’s the link to the form: https://lnkd.in/gWtUC-yZ
Thank you for taking the time to fill out the form.
This post is not one I ever intended to write, but here goes. I’ve shared a lot about my personal and professional celebrations and challenges I’ve come across and overcome with you. Well, this post is about a professional challenge.
A year ago, when I started my tenure track appointment at Clark College, my Tenure Review Committee suggested that I consider pursuing the option for early Tenure. Early Tenure is part of our union’s contract. I was humbled to hear that my committee recognized my abilities and suggested this option. The committee and I both agreed to go through at least one year of the three-year process.
In June, my committee wrote the college’s Board of Trustees, transmitting their endorsement, my nine years of documented work at the college, and a completed Tenure Achievement Plan.
In early September, I heard back from the Board of Trustees, letting me know that they did not and would not consider my application to grant early Tenure.
Note that within the union contracts language, the Board does not have to consider applications for early Tenure. They can “pass” and not even have to consider it. This decision by the Board decided to in my case. None of my work in the Tenure Binder (portfolio) was reviewed.
I’m disappointed. Back to the tenure “process,” I go where my Tenure Review Committee and the Board of Trustees determine whether or not I’m a good fit to teach there.
Next summer, I will be back at Portland State University, teaching the Harvard Computer Science 50 course to graduate students. Also, my alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology, located in Hoboken, New Jersey, has reached out to see if I would be interested in teaching Python to their graduate students; remotely of course.
Bruce Elgort 