Merge dev branch into master - Instructor rating fix and database improvements

[Copilot]

This PR merges the latest development changes from the dev branch into master, incorporating several important fixes and improvements that are ready for production deployment.

Key Changes

🐛 Bug Fix: Missing Instructor Average Rating (#1125)

• Fixed: Instructor rating attribute was missing in the browse view, causing rating information to not display properly
• Solution: Added instructor.rating = instructor.average_rating_for_course(course) in tcf_website/views/browse.py
• Impact: Users can now see instructor ratings when browsing courses

🗄️ Database Infrastructure Improvements

• Upgraded: PostgreSQL support to version 17.5 for improved performance and security
• Enhanced: Database reset scripts with better error handling and reliability
• Added: New dedicated scripts for database operations:
  • scripts/local_dump.sh - Local database backup functionality
  • scripts/prod_dump.sh - Production database backup via EC2 SSH
• Removed: Legacy scripts/dump.sh (replaced by the new specialized scripts)

⚙️ Configuration Updates

• Updated: .env.example with additional environment variables and clearer documentation
• Enhanced: .gitignore with new entries for better development experience
• Improved: docker-compose.yml configuration

Files Changed

• tcf_website/views/browse.py - Instructor rating fix
• scripts/ - Database management script improvements
• .env.example - Environment configuration updates
• .gitignore - Additional ignore patterns
• docker-compose.yml - Configuration improvements

Testing

• ✅ Code formatting verified with Black
• ✅ All changed files maintain existing code style
• ✅ Merge completed without conflicts
• ✅ Database scripts have executable permissions

Deployment Notes

This merge brings the master branch up to date with the latest stable development changes. The instructor rating fix addresses a user-facing issue, while the database improvements enhance developer experience and system reliability.

Commits included:

• 811a6bab - Merge pull request Bug: Missing average rating from course instructor card #1125 (instructor rating fix)
• 367a7ab8 - fix(browse): give instructors rating attribute for their average rating for a course
• c8c0ccda - fix: update prod db dump script via EC2 ssh
• 28d3053f - fix: update local db reset scripts and upgrade to postgres 17.5

This pull request was created as a result of the following prompt from Copilot chat.

Merge the 'dev' branch into the 'master' branch to ensure that the latest changes in development are incorporated into the main branch.

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