Video summary
In this introductory video for the CS125 course, instructor Jeff Challen warmly welcomes students to his home in Champaign, where he will be teaching remotely throughout the semester. He begins by giving a brief tour of his porch and inviting viewers inside to meet his family members, including his wife and their two pets: an older dog named Chooshoos who provides comfort during uncertain times, and a cat that is somewhat elusive on camera. Challen explains that while life at home has changed due to the pandemic, these moments have allowed him to spend more quality time with his loved ones, setting a personal and relatable tone for the upcoming term.
The core of the video focuses on Challen's new workspace setup within his living room, which he uses to teach computer science lessons both during the day and at night thanks to good natural lighting from the window. He shares that a sign originally hanging in their basement office space was rescued when offices closed due to health restrictions, symbolizing the shift toward remote learning and innovation caused by global events. Challen emphasizes that this semester presents unique challenges but also exciting opportunities for experimentation, promising that students will benefit from fresh content and special teaching methods developed under these new circumstances.
Looking ahead, he expresses great enthusiasm about starting their virtual journey together at 11 o'clock the following day with a live walkthrough of the first lesson, which will be posted overnight so students can begin working immediately. He feels honored to lead this class and is eager for the collaborative learning experience that lies ahead, highlighting how the course material has been crafted specifically to support student success despite current limitations. The video concludes with Challen reiterating his excitement about everything students are set to learn and expressing confidence in creating a fantastic semester filled with growth and discovery for everyone involved.
Read the full video transcript
hey everyone my name is jeff challen i'm
the instructor for cs125 this semester
and
i am really looking forward to this
semester and all of the fun that we're
going to have together and all that
you're going to learn
you're going to hear a lot from me this
semester in a variety of different video
formats but for this introduction i
thought i would you know take you home
which is where i'll be for the um
for the duration of the semester uh show
you around a little bit show you where i
do some of my work
um introduces to some of my housemates
um particularly the furry ones
and uh just you know say hi and say that
i'm really excited
to meet you soon so i'm on my porch my
wife and i have
uh you know locked into a really
beautiful spot here in
um in champaign uh just within walking
distance of downtown
obviously that used to be a little bit
more attractive than it is now um
but why don't we come out inside
all right chooch come on in i uh my wife
and i have
two absolutely lovely animals one of
whom is wandering off right now let's
see if i can get him in the distance
there he goes
it's my dog choo choo choo choo want to
come say hi oh there he is
hi hey yeah
no i don't have any food it's an old guy
but we've had him for a long time and
he's a great source of comfort in these
times he loves
having us around so much obviously dogs
have been doing really well with the
situation and he's no exception he's
getting up there in years so it's been a
real
blessing for us to be able to spend some
more time with him at this time in his
life
all right let me show you oh cat was
trying to get away
look at that we have a a cat as well
she's harder to get on camera i'll grab
her later um
this is my workspace this is uh where i
i work at home
i have a really nice you know nice light
out the window
set up here where where i you know
try to help you guys learn computer
science sometimes during the day like
this sometimes at night
this sign used to hang in our basement
office hours
space but when the pandemic started i
decided to
rescue it and it's been limited home
since then so
this semester's going to be i think
challenging for everybody
in some new and special ways but i'm
also really excited about this semester
because
we're trying some new things we're using
as an opportunity to innovate and
experiment
and i think you guys are going to be the
beneficiaries of that because the
content that we're putting together is
really quite special and something that
i think will really benefit you
so as much as i look forward to the days
that this sign will return to
its rightful home in the basement of
siebel i'm also really looking forward
to this semester and
the time that we get to spend together
the virtual interactions that we'll have
starting tomorrow and all that you guys
are going to learn i'm really honored
and privileged to be a part of that
i look forward to starting our journey
together tomorrow
at 11 o'clock when i'll lead the first
uh walk through of that day's lesson the
lesson will be posted
uh overnight available for you to begin
to work on
um welcome to cs125 really excited to
have you in class this semester and i'm
looking forward
to a fantastic semester together and i'm
really really excited about everything
that you're going to learn this semester