Choose the sources
Start with targeting guides for California Community Colleges, CSU, UC, or another institution. Review suggested official pages for catalogs, programs, admissions, transfer, policies, and student services before collecting them.
Education software by Tristin Hassell
Education Compass
Choose your institution. Keep a searchable reference collection on your computer. Prepare plans, forms, and teaching materials with the sources close at hand.
Your institution. Your reference collection.
The Education Compass desktop pilot lets you choose an institution and save a searchable collection of its public reference pages. Keep separate collections for different campuses, with links and retrieval dates for each source.
Search offline
Search saved text and ask reference questions against the selected collection. Results include source links. Institution-specific degree and transfer rules stay separate; a new archive does not create an official degree evaluation.
Keep and refresh your archive
Export or import a collection, keep earlier snapshots, and refresh selected sources when connected. Retrieval dates and collection gaps help you see what still needs checking. The pilot collects public text pages; PDF and sign-in pages need separate support.
These archive features are available in the desktop pilot. Earlier MJC Compass installers contain the MJC reference collection; they do not yet include the new institution archive tools.
Tools for teaching and student support
Counseling & student support
Find reference material, prepare education and transfer plans, work with forms, and locate student-support resources. Check official requirements with the institution.
Teaching & Canvas guidance
Prepare course plans, assignments, rubrics, and accessibility checklists. Use Canvas course-design guidance and keep drafts for review.
Documents & training
Organize local reference collections, prepare forms and resolutions, and export reviewed training presentations and drafts.
Canvas connection
A read-only Canvas connector is being prepared for the pilot: course lists, assignments and due dates, and announcement titles. Each user connects their own institution account when the institution permits access. Live account connections still require institution approval and setup.
Public institution archives and private Canvas records are separate. The connector does not submit assignments, change grades, or publish course content.
Offline tools and an optional local assistant
Keep working without internet
Once installed with its reference collection, the desktop tools search local material and prepare work without a cloud account. The MJC collection includes saved college references and planning resources.
Offline references have dates. Check current requirements, deadlines, and course availability before relying on them.
Guided work on your computer
An optional local assistant can help interpret questions, prepare drafts, and open relevant tools. With a local model installed, those conversations can stay on your computer.
You review and export the work. The app does not make institutional decisions or submit work to a campus system.
Opening official websites, refreshing public information, and connecting to campus services requires a connection. Live Canvas account access is not available yet; ask about the read-only pilot.
Desktop tools. Phone and tablet access.
| Device | How you use it |
|---|---|
| Mac | The MJC Compass desktop edition is packaged for Apple silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 13.5 or later. Ask for the evaluation edition that fits your machine. |
| Windows PC | A Windows x64 evaluation package is available. Device testing is part of the pilot. |
| Linux | The local browser edition can run from the source with a supported Node.js installation. Contact me about setup. |
| iPhone, iPad & Android | Use the browser interface connected to your desktop on an approved private network. A standalone Education Compass mobile store app is not available yet. |
The browser companion needs access to its desktop host. That connection can be local Wi-Fi without public internet; it is not a standalone offline phone installation.
Who it helps
Counselors and support staff
Bring references, planning worksheets, forms, and service information into the same working session.
Faculty
Prepare course materials, rubrics, training, and committee work, with drafts you can revise before use.
Students and community members
Explore saved resources and planning questions, then confirm requirements and decisions with the responsible office.
Try it with the work you already do.
I’m inviting educators, counselors, and support teams to test the tools and help shape institution-specific collections. Contact me about testing or licensing for your team.
Tell me your role, institution, devices, and the task you’d like to try. Please leave student records out of your first message.
Independent support.
Education Compass is an independent project by Tristin Hassell. The MJC Compass collection provides resources for Modesto Junior College and Yosemite Community College District. The app is not an official product of those institutions or Instructure.