Is the Constitution a Living Document

â€Å"Is the Constitution a living document? † Well the meaning of the living document is the provisions by which it may be altered in order to remain current, address unforeseen circumstances and make legal provisions for those accordingly. By being a â€Å"living† document, the Constitution has grown and expanded, and now ensures women and minorities the right to vote among many other things. Most justices agree that the writers of the Constitution prudently chose to write this document in general terms so that modern-day justices can still apply its precepts to a world with changing laws, attitudes, and conditions through successive generations.Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes first advanced the concept of a living Constitution in 1920 in his opinion on the case, Missouri VS Holland. A second, and more controversial, view of a living Constitution contends that when the elected legislative and administrative agents of the government fail to redress a wrong or solve a par ticular social problem, then the courts may act to remedy the situation through the process of judicial review. Our written Constitution, the document under glass in the National Archives, was adopted 220 years ago. It can be amended, but the amendment process is very difficult.The most important amendments were added to the Constitution almost a century and a half ago, in the wake of the Civil War, and since that time many of the amendments have dealt with relatively minor matters. The American Constitution is long-lived, has enduring qualities, and was intended for many decades. The living document was founded on enduring principles, and was based on the authority of a people who are sovereign has been attested to by many of its leaders. That it can be changed when, and if, the people ordain such change is a part of its own provisions. For these reasons, it can be said to be a â€Å"Living Constitution†. Is the Constitution a Living Document â€Å"Is the Constitution a living document? † Well the meaning of the living document is the provisions by which it may be altered in order to remain current, address unforeseen circumstances and make legal provisions for those accordingly. By being a â€Å"living† document, the Constitution has grown and expanded, and now ensures women and minorities the right to vote among many other things. Most justices agree that the writers of the Constitution prudently chose to write this document in general terms so that modern-day justices can still apply its precepts to a world with changing laws, attitudes, and conditions through successive generations.Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes first advanced the concept of a living Constitution in 1920 in his opinion on the case, Missouri VS Holland. A second, and more controversial, view of a living Constitution contends that when the elected legislative and administrative agents of the government fail to redress a wrong or solve a par ticular social problem, then the courts may act to remedy the situation through the process of judicial review. Our written Constitution, the document under glass in the National Archives, was adopted 220 years ago. It can be amended, but the amendment process is very difficult.The most important amendments were added to the Constitution almost a century and a half ago, in the wake of the Civil War, and since that time many of the amendments have dealt with relatively minor matters. The American Constitution is long-lived, has enduring qualities, and was intended for many decades. The living document was founded on enduring principles, and was based on the authority of a people who are sovereign has been attested to by many of its leaders. That it can be changed when, and if, the people ordain such change is a part of its own provisions. For these reasons, it can be said to be a â€Å"Living Constitution†.

Recounts Of The Birth Of Singapore Essay

Who / Year How it started When the reign ended Why he left Sejarah Melayu Seri Teri Buana, Prince of Palembang / 1299 Decided to stay after he saw the merlion and renamed Temasek as Singapura After 5 generations / 1396 Last king, Iskandar Shah betrayed by his official who opened the gates for invading Javanese forces Portuguese recounts Parameswara, Prince of Palembang / 1392 Fled Majapahit forces despatched to crush the rebellion he staged After 4 years / 1396  Assassinated host who welcomed him. Fled the ensuing Thai forces set to avenge for the dead ruler Accounts on the birth of Singapura Sejarah Melayu Portuguese accounts â€Å"Singapura as an auspicious location, a new city to be established† 1299: Seri Teri Buana leaves Palembang, arrives, discovered and renamed the place as Singapura Ends his reign after 48 years when he died, succeeded by his son Reign ended after 5 generations, in 1396 Singapura was powerful and able to challenge Majapahit, the major hegemon in the archipelago Why singapura had power? Second ruler of Singapura, son of Seri Teri Buana, married to daughter of Tamil ruler of Kalinga Singapura had standings among the indian kingdoms Reason for its end: 1396, Last king, Sultan Iskandar Shah was betrayed by one of his officials , to the invading Majapahit Iskandar Shah fled singapura, went to Melaka to set up a port-city â€Å"Singapura as a refuge† 1392: Parameswara arrives after fleeing an unsuccessful uprising against Majapahit in Palembang; he then kills his host, and takes over Singapura Reason for its end: 1396, Parameswara forced to flee from an invading Thai force sent to avenge the murder of its vassal Great civilizations of Asia: China, India and Middle East ïÆ'  Affected economic, social and political history of the coastal port-states of Melaka Straits region How did the port settlements along the Melaka Straits region function? (dependent on trade context) 1. Asian maritime trade involving exchange of goods between states in south china sea and indian ocean One main port in the Melaka straits emerges as the entrepot , the centrifugal point between the markets in these two major Asian economic regions The other ports in the Melaka straits subsumes themselves under this chief entrepot, acting as feeder ports, servicing the chief port’s economic needs, benefitting from the Asian trade directly 2. Trade context differed, no need for chief entrepot port -ports orientate their economic outlook towards key markets that were closest to them -ports on northern end of MS focused on India and Middle East -ports on southern end (incl sg) focused on the malay archipelago, mainland SEA and china Temasek: -collection centre -export gateway for products obtainable from immediate area (for South Johor and Riau Arcipelago) ïÆ'  Chinese ceramic and glassware imported by Temasek were similar, glass ware had similar compositions (Shows that Riau Archipelago was intimately linked to Temasek!) Singapura Region 1402 Singapura comes under Melaka Sultanate. Acts as the home base of the Orang Laut, warriors of the Melaka sultans Parameswara establishes Kingdom of Melaka 1511 Melaka falls to the Portuguese 1528 Last sultan of Melaka establishes Johor Sultanate up the Johor River 1530 Orang Laut chief defends Singapura against Portuguese attacks Series of Portuguese attacks on Johor Sultanate Year 14th Temasek Region China Before 990 Chinese ships banned from venturing abroad to trade 990 Ã¥ ®â€¹lifted ban though trade, however, still highly controlled: -ships had to register at the Guangzhou port before they could embark on a journey to SEA maritime market did not expand significantly trade continued to be facilitated by foreign ships (arab origin) ïÆ'  types of goods brought and volume of maritime trade could not be dictated by Chinese market 1079 Malayu at Jambi became premier emporium in the Melaka Straits 1087- 1090 From small volume, high value exotic goods to large volume, low value mundane goods SEA: important source of low value goods (rich in natural resources, geographical proximity) Chinese vessels permitted to go on overseas voyages as long as they have permits and their departure was officially registered by local administration 1127 Temasek one of many ports in the region that emerged to serve Chinese traders Srivijaya loses chief enterpot port position Expansion of maritime trade and growth of coastal cities under Soong Dynasty 1275 According to Daoyi Zhilue, Temasek specialised in hornbill, lakawood and cotton. (competitive advantage) Temasek served as a trading hub for a regional hinterland Jambi, capital of Srivijaya, sacked by invasion forces. Port-settlements mushroomed along Melaka Straits 1279 Yuan Dynasty encourages maritime trade 1299 Seri Teri Buana arrives -commanded a large retinue of boat people (Orang Laut) 1330s Wang Dayuan arrives in Temasek and records a Thai invasion that was thwarted by a Chinese mission 1368 Temasek ceded to Melaka in return for annual fixed payment of gold. Temasek’s existence as autonomous port-settlement came to an end Prince from Palembang secured sole rights to conduct trade with Ming court, Melaka became the key port of call Zhu Yuanzhang overthrows Yuan Dynasty and reinstates trade ban Fort Canning Hill Main settlement Area Where North Bank of the Singapore River Who inhabited Royal family, ruling family What is it used for Centre of ritual and political activities in Temasek Location of main settlements and economic activities of Temasek (e.g. trading) How did it looked like Artisan Quarters Lower east slope of hill is the artisan and servants quarters; high concentration of glass fragments, beads, ceramic moulds suggest glass- and jewellery-making Religious site Higher up east slope, lies remains of a building foundation of religious significance; non-perishable materials were used for the construction Royal abode On the northern slope near the summit of the hill was an impressive terrace site likely used to house the ruling family Restricted Space Royal garden and palace on the hill’s eastern and northern slope were inaccessible to commoners due to salt marches to the west and forest up north Boundaries / Defence The royal residency is likely to have a perimeter defence and there is likely to have spatial demarcation to mark out the functions of the spaces Archaeological findings in new Parliament House, Empress Place, Colombo Court Site, Singapore Cricket Club and St. Andrew’s Cathedral revealed: Earthenware Water containers and cooking pots were mostly made in Singapore. Coarse Stoneware Ceramics Storage jars and bottles were entirely imported from aboard. Most likely used to store foodstuff or other smaller ceramic pieces to be carried around Fine Stoneware and Porcelain Ceramics were product of kilns in Guangdong and Fujian. Yuan period blue and white porcelain were also recovered Metal Finds Copper coins minted during Song period with several minted in Yuan. No coins post-date Yuan. Yuan used paper currency extensively and in Ming, Singapore no longer autonomous port Evidence This form of religious architecture was fairly common throughout island Southeast Asia in the classical period Archaeologists unearthed rare and valuable Chinese ceramics; flexible gold armlets of Javanese-inspired designs near Fort Canning site Occurrence of iron and copper finds only at New Parliament House site suggests metal smelting and working concentrated there Large quantities of storage jar shards from Empress Place and Old Parliament House suggest unloading of trade goods off ships and location of storage facilities Higher concentration of copper coins at New Parliament House, Singapore Cricket club and St. Andrew’s Cathedral suggests trade conducted further inland, away from the harbour and warehouses Context: Straits of Melaka and Sunda Straits the only two channels connecting the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. Control of the waters around Singapore would have accorded control, security & economic benefits to the power that was able to project that strategic capability. Build-up: As early as 1620s, Ming had the detailed recorded navigational know-how through the Keppel Straits Portuguese also had the knowledge by early 16th Century Event Britain took over Dutch territories in Java & Melaka after Dutch loss to France in the war in Europe 1818 Raffles assigned to Sumartra as Lieutenant-Governor 28 Jan 1819 Raffles anchored off St John’s Island 6 Feb 1819 Treaty that gave British rights to set up a factory in exchange for money to Tengku Husain and Temenggong was signed June 1819 Raffles signed further agreements with Husain and Temenggong that regularise the administration of the settlement, limiting their influence on Singapore Oct 1822 1 June 1824 Crawfurd stopped all payments to Husain by alleging that agreements to pay Husain was not legitimate and Husain in return owed the East India Company money. In order to repay the debts, Crawfurd wanted Husain to sign a new treaty that gave up Husain’s power in the island 2 Aug 1824 New treaty signed Players leading to the establishment of colonial Singapore Maritime Network Up till 1923, Singapore was a trading port without a clearly defined hinterland that could only be reached by sea. The economic networks that sustained Singapore operated on an extended sea-lined foreland covering much of Indian Ocean and South China Sea. As a colonial port, Singapore’s trade was predominantly Asian. SEA accounted for a quarter, China 12%. Overland trade with SEA was insignificant, hence Singapore’s position between two oceans was more important than being on the southernmost tip of Asia. Late nineteenth century: Singapore gradually became a staple port from which Malayan commodities such as tin and rubber were processed and exported to the rest of the world Tin Demand for tin exploded in 1810 with the introduction of tin cans (also used in American Civil War for preserved food for troops) Tin mining mostly done by Malays prior to nineteenth century Chinese labourers began coming to Malaya after the founding of Pinang to work in tin mines since Malays were reluctant to increase production to meet the rising demand for tin In 1874, British signed the Pangkor Engagement with the Malay sultans to keep law and order through the establishment of a British resident (to protect their investments in the tin industry) Brought abt peace and stability, thus bringing more investments and more Chinese migration 1890, western tin-smelter built by Straits Trading company as a European investment Rubber Development of motor car industry in United States ïÆ'  led to establishing of rubber plantations in Malaya Ridley persistently promoted rubber as a cash crop Discovered how to tap rubber sap without damaging the tree in 1897 1908, despite protests by London agents, british firms in sg banded tgt to start rubber market in singapore 3 years later, Rubber Association handled sale of rubber; Singapore developed into an important international rubber market 1905 Shipping industry developed to serve the new port-city , Colonial government assumed control and development of the port to meet the increasing demand  Tanjong Pagar Dock Ordinance began converting into Singapore Harbour Board 1924 Road link between Malaya and Singapore opened, serving the tin, rubber and oil from the Northern hinterland Colonial Singapore experienced early industrialisation as a result of the raw materials that was coming from the North Proposed Defence / Motivations Results 1819 – 1827 Series of artillery batteries over the island with a major artillery fort on Pearl’s Hill Singapore was worth defending in view of Dutch threat – Britain in debt from administering expanding Indian empire, unable to fund the defences – Britain did not perceive the Dutch threat grave enough to improve defences 1843 Protect the entrance to Kallang River, New Harbour at Tanjong Pagar with series of artillery batteries and forts. In view of the opening up of China after the Opium War, Captain Best proposed to beef up defences in Singapore as part of a greater sea lane from Singapore to China. Series of Artillery batteries & forts VS Naval squadron from Bengal Local merchants wanted batteries but were not willing to pay for it / Bengal argued that naval squadron was more effective 1878 Advent of steam ships, Suez Canal and telegraph brought the Empire â€Å"closer†. Small conflicts no longer local and could escalate into wider conflicts Major McCullum propose strong naval fleet with secure chain of ports and coaling station as combat support Fortification of Singapore carried out among together with Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, etc. 1921 Far East Fleet to counter an emerging and hostile Japan, and also to protect interest in SEA and Australia Imperial Conference reviewed and decided with only the construction of a naval base and not a Far East Fleet Construction and fortification of Singapore started in 1923 and completed only in 1938 1945 – Britain came out of WWII severely weakened but still had an empire to govern. She wanted to de-colonize and bring colonies under the â€Å"Commonwealth† umbrella, maintaining a certain influence over them Saw Singapore as an important pivot to combat communism in the region Britain increased defence in Singapore to maintain her military presence in the region PAP’s English educated members and Indian politicians appealed to workers and unions while Lee Chin Siong’s Chinese roots appealed to the China-born voters who had yet to shed their Chinese chauvinism. As such, PAP won the election against Lim Yew Hock’s Labour Front Britain was unaware of LKY’s agenda behind LKY’s seemingly enigmatic choice of working with the communist despite PAP’s anti-communist ideology Reasons for Merger Worries of Merger PAP Economic: Create jobs for an increasing population In order to sustain declining economy, needed Malaya as a hinterland and Malaya’s consumer market to aid her weakening entrepot Without merger, Singapore unable to rival neighbouring countries’ low production cost and bigger market Politics: Have to fulfil their electoral promise of delivering independence to Singapore Independence could only be achieved through merger Financial  Singapore wanted to collect all tax revenue within the island and pay an agreed amount to the central government Malaya wanted all tax revenue to be  collected centrally and give Singapore what they needed Citizenship Singapore was not comfortable with the possibility of relegating to second class citizens in Malaysia; citizenship rights were not ironed out Malaya Prevent the defeated Malayan Communist Party from using Singapore as a springboard to mount a comeback Sweetener in Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo ïÆ' ¨ Although Borneo was unhappy, their complains were disregarded by Britain ïÆ' ¨Made North Borneo part of the merger deal to sweeten the deal for Malaya Chinese radicals in Singapore whose violent riots were well-documented Did not want to lose central control over Singapore after merger Britain Favoured merger to keep communism in the region in check Has vested interest in Singapore in their established military base, hence did not want Singapore to turn to communism 1954 – 1955 Number of Chinese riots and clashes including the Hock Lee Riots and Chinese students over the new National Service Ordinance 1959 PAP won election with help of Left-Wing radicals Lim Chin Siong and Feng Swee Suan Singapore granted self-governance by the British May 1961 Tunku announced contemplation to bring Singapore, Borneo, Brunei & Sarawak under the Malaysia Jul 1961 PAP loses second by-elections in Anson engineered by the Communist Aug 1961 13 PAP rebels formed the Barisan Sosialis which opposed merger Sep 1961 Broad agreements to the merger reached, working committees to be formed to iron out details of merger â€Å"before June 1963† Sep 1962 Singaporeans vote for merger in the National Referendum Feb 1963 Operation Coldstore arrests key left-wing and presumably pro-Communist leaders Jul 1963 Final negotiations in London in search of compromise in financial arrangements & a common market Sep 1963 New Federation of Malaysia with Singapore PAP wins elections in Singapore despite UMNO’s participation Nov 1964 First Malaysian Budget unveiled, DPM Goh calculated that Singapore’s taxpayers contributed to 39.8% of the budget even though it had 17% of the population of Malaysia Singapore saw tax on diesel oil and sugar Jul 1964 Malay-Chinese race riots, Syed Ja’afar Albar flamed LKY on different mediums Apr 1964 PAP registered as a Malaysian political party to run against UMNO led alliance and won one seat, threatening UMNO’s political position Feb 1965 Talks on disengaging Kuala Lumpar from Singapore was stopped by Britain May 1965 In the inaugural Malaysian Solidarity Convention, LKY challenged UMNO’s policies for solving Malay’s poverty; argued for a Malaysian Malaysia where race does not play a part Direct challenge to UMNO-led alliance that was split between racial lines Jun 1965 Goh Keng Swee and Tun Razak held secret talks on separation without Britain knowing Aug 1965 Separation After 1965 Resumed industrialisation, welcoming FDI in Singapore that was not possible under Malaysia Resumed Indonesian barter trade that was not possible due to Malaysia-Indonesian relations Trade in traditional produce – tin, rubber and rice – gave way to trade in petroleum, petroleum products, shipbuilding and services Bank of China kept institutions in existence 1967 Sing dollars came into existence Longue Duree Problems Respond / Results Lack of Sense of Belonging Singapore has been an immigration haven, population comprised of immigrants, descendants of immigrants who had been living and working within their respective ethnic groups Different groups of people with diverse language, historical and cultural background meant that they did not have a sense of belonging in Singapore People had no stake it Singapore Create a common identity, shared experience in WWII Espoused principles of Equality, Meritocracy, multiracialism and multiculturalism 1967, introduced NS, fostering sense of Nationhood Resettlement program offers cheap housing raising standard of living of Singaporeans tremendously, it also provided Singaporeans with a stake in the country Small town Defence Was very vulnerable fresh out of separation, threats from Indonesian Konfrontation, Malaysia, etc ïÆ' ¨ intended to rely on British military presence but they withdrew in 1971 Chinese country in a Malay region Deterrence is Singapore’s best form of defence ïÆ' ¨ poison shrimp – porcupine – dolphin 1971, ASEAN was established to serve the need for regional corporation in matters to foreign affairs Singapore befriended global powers like the US Powerful friends + Local defences Entrepot trade susceptible to global swings Singapore’s economy is one of a staple port that supported the primary economy of a large rural hinterland ïÆ' ¨ In 14th, served Riau and Borneo ïÆ' ¨ Early 20th, served Malaysia In 1965, Malaysia’s trade barriers, Indonesia’s Sukarno administration and China’s Cultural Revolution made it impossible for Singapore to rely on their traditional economic pillars Enterpot trade was VERY susceptible to global trends Manufacturing Embraced colonial past and opened up to West Import-substitution manufacturing for domestic market to manufacturing for Western market Education and training realigned to upgrade economic productivity Business-friendly labour laws passed Financial Sector Insurance, international banking corporations encouraged to establish Asian base in Singapore Shipping Improved port and shipping capabilities Results By 1975, Singapore was the world’s 3rd busiest port GDP increased tremendously in early independence

Two One page orders for a discussion post - not a paper just to be Essay

Two One page orders for a discussion post - not a paper just to be done as a discussion board post - Essay Example have postulated theories of teaching methodologies that would influence the learning processes of the children. While Rousseau promoted the learning through interaction with the nature and experience, Pestalozzi asserted that children need activity based education so that they can come to their own conclusion, thus encouraging independent thoughts. Froebel, on the other hand, says that early education of children should take place in the home environment through educational games and object reality. Montessori’s educational process is the most popular teaching methodology that emphasizes learning ‘first the education of the senses, then the education of the intellect’ (Montessori, 1912). Indeed, the play-way methodology of Montessori education is the most widely acclaimed way of teaching young children the fundamental principles of interaction with living and non living organisms. Hence, Montessori education prepares young children to become responsible adults through application of knowledge gained through experience in their daily life. Education for all is the most relevant issue in the social fabric of society across the world. While it may be possible in under-developed countries and developing nations where there is rampant poverty, developed nations have progressed in the area by leaps and bound. The concept of ‘public school’ is most popular amongst the elite class that thrives on the class difference. It has especially become quite controversial in the contemporary times, when rapid globalization has brought in pluralistic society, comprising of people coming from different culture, race, color and nationality. Consequently, the academia across the world, especially the educational curriculum needs to undergo far-reaching transformation so that our children can effectively meet the needs of the changing times. Education serves as the most effective platform to introduce changes within the social fabric of

Worldart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Worldart - Research Paper Example The construction was completed in 80 AD under Titus, one year after the death of Vespasian (DuTemple). The building is elliptical in shape and the measure of the axis of the ellipse is 188 m and 156 m and a height of 48 meters makes it a huge building. The seating capacity of the Colosseum was very large even by present day standards (Kleiner). The 55,000 spectators could enter the building through 80 entrances distributed round the building. The building was primarily used for staging gladiator fights; other usages include display of animal hunts, public execution and dramas based on classical mythology. The various levels of seating in the Colosseum were reserved for people with different social stature with the senators occupying the lowest level seats with the best sight (Aicher). Almost all of the construction has been carried out with travertine stone without the use of mortar. The marble stones were carved near the quarry and were put in place by iron clamps. Colosseum is still an important tourist attraction today with thousands of visitors each year. The Colosseum is of enormous interest to architecture and history students due to its unique style of construction and the history associated with it. The study of various parts of Colosseum has revealed various astonishing facts about the culture of ancient Rome (Hopkins and Beard). The Arch of Titus is situated at the highest point of Sacra Via southeast of Forum Romanum (the Roman Forum). Domitian who succeeded his brother Titus constructed it to honor Titus’s conquest of Jerusalem. The construction was completed in 82 AD, shortly after the death of Titus. The arch is the oldest surviving arch of the Roman civilization. The arch is a large structure with a height of 15.4 m and width of 13.5 m. The depth of the arch, 4.75 m is also very large as compared to the arches of that time. The structure mostly consists of pentelic marble obtained from the mountains northeast of Athens. The inside

Human resource Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human resource - Case Study Example It is pretty obvious from the case itself that the company is facing problems in retaining the customer service representatives. According to the representatives some of the causes for high rate of attrition have been working on weekends, very little contact with the other departments, hesitance for cold calling, lack of remuneration for success, etc. Therefore in order to solve the problem of employee retention these problems need to be take care. Here are a few recommendations that may provide a way out. One of the major causes of retention has been working on weekends. Customers can need help or support at any point of time in the day, hence the customer care representatives need to be there for help even on weekends. However, the each of the customer care reps the may not have to work on each of the weekends. For example a customer service rep may work on two weekends in the month and may get rest on the other two. The reps should be given some extra remuneration for working on the weekends. Another root cause for attrition has been the lack of fact between the reps. and other members. Hence from time to time job rotation policy can be used. This can reduce the boredom as well as give the reps an opportunity to understand the way the other departments function. It can come in real handy while handling the customer queries. Another problem has been lack of recognition for the reps. hence there could be a token of appreciation for the best customer service rep. of the month. Also th ey reps should be provided some extra incentives for each sale they make. This can also minimize the problem of hesitance in cold calling. But that is not all it has been mentioned by the reps that most of time problems faced is something beyond the control, such as billing issues or late delivery. Hence the organization should make sure that the end product is being delivered to the customers in time,

SWOT Analysis of Bank of America Research Paper

SWOT Analysis of Bank of America - Research Paper Example In its mission statement, BoA has identified its responsibilities towards all its stakeholders which include the shareholders, the customers and the clients, its employees, the institutional investors, government, the community and the society in which it operates. BoA’s vision is to become the World’s finest financial service company. At the heart of BoA’s mission statement lays its core values and strategies which highlights how it intends to achieve its mission. BoA believes in doing the right thing for its stakeholders, work in teams while developing trust, focusing on achieving results and respecting each others differences and becoming leaders to build a better future. (Editors) 2. Identify the five (5) forces of competition and how it impacts the company. The first force of Porter’s five forces is threat of new entrants. Banking and financial services industry in general faces severe competition. Being a multinational bank operated worldwide, BoA fa ces tough competition. The potential of absolutely ‘new’ entrants in the banking sector is low as operating a bank is a highly regulated business which requires vast amount of investment. However already established banks worldwide can very easily enter regions and compete with each other which makes competition quite tough for BoA in many regions. (Schmidt. 2010; Henry. 2008) The second force to determine competition in the industry is competition form established rivals. In BoA’s case this seems to be high too as due to globalization in the financial institution the competition has become tougher within already established companies. All the US based and international institutions are trying to win the market share and strengthen their customer base. (Schmidt. 2010; Henry. 2008) The third Porter’s force is competition from substitutes. This seems to be reasonably low for the financial institutions as they offer services like wealth management, investment banking, insurance, loans, advisory etc that have no substitutes. (Schmidt. 2010; Henry. 2008) The power of customer and the power of supplier are the fourth and fifth forces of Porter’s model. The power of supplier seems to be weak in BoA’s case as there are no significant suppliers in the financial services sector. The power of customers is high as in most of the businesses due to increased globalization and competition the customers can now exercise greater influence on the pricing and need of new offers which can accelerate competition. However in an industry like financial services providers where the intervention of government and other regulators is high the companies are restricted to a certain level. (Schmidt. 2010; Henry. 2008) 3. Create a SWOT analysis for the company identifying the major strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. BoA’s presence world wide gives it a wider geographical coverage to avail opportunities. Its geographical spread e nables it to serve various markets, business segments and needs of customers all around the world. BoA deals in various products which is an additional strength that serves millions of customers all around the world through its strong network. Product diversification- offering services like retail banking, investment banking, cards, capital and wealth management along with continuous product development and keeping pace with latest technology and promoting learning and innovation have been major strengths of the company. Additionally it operates a very strong risk management

International Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

International Business Strategy - Essay Example Howard Schultz turned out to be the key success factors of the company. Such decision is discussed in this section. Product diversification to customer segment (Explanation Using Ansoff Model) Throughout the 90’s and the 00’s In order to target new customer segments Starbucks decided to go for product diversification. In 1994 Starbucks and PepsiCo entered in to a joint venture, which is now known as the North-American Coffee Partnership to sell product closely related to coffee in cans and bottles. Thus the Starbucks catered to a whole new customer segment. In 1998 the company allowed Kraft foods to become a licensed provider of the Starbucks ground coffees and whole bean across US. In this case Starbucks ensured product quality, while Kraft foods took care of promotion and distribution. In 2008 Starbucks struck a partnership with Apple iTunes and started providing pick of the week music card in the 7000 stores (Henry, 2008, p.131). The diversification strategy can be w ell explained by using the Ansoff Product grid matrix. The four key elements of the product matrix grid are market penetration, Market Development, Product Development and Diversification. Among these Starbucks went for diversification as the company launched new product in a new market. Here it may be added that although Starbucks provided new products, but the core product remained the same. Rather the company went for augmentation. This also meant that the company used concentric diversification instead of conglomerate diversification, because the company added new product s hat was similar in nature keeping the core product i.e. Coffee in mind. Store Expansion Strategy to achieve Market Expansion (Explanation Using Different Market Entry Modes and Strategic Actions) Even before becoming the President and CEO of the company Mr. Schultz had a vision to expand the business of the company. This was one of the key reasons for which Mr. Schultz bought the company. In the early 90†™s the company began the geographic market expansion strategy. The management of the company decided to work on a hub and spoke model to expand the market. In this case the major cities acted as a hub. It had specialist teams of professionals located in the hub. As a number of stores opened in the hub the company decided to open additional stores in the surrounding cities. The stores in the surrounding cities were monitored by the team of professional located in the hub cities. Due to such strategies very soon the company had a blanket of retail stores in the major as well as surrounding cities of the country (Wenderoth, 2009, p. 145). In the mid 90’s as a part of the expansion strategy the company got in to licensing agreements to cover those locations where the company may not able to have own outlets. The company entered into a licensing agreement with Marriot host international hotel operates in airport locations. Once the company had established a strong store network in United States the company decided to venture internationally. There were various options available in front of the company which

United Nations and Rwanda Genocide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

United Nations and Rwanda Genocide - Essay Example The UN organization was formed in 1945 after the World War II ended. It was formed to ensure that the world became a better place of living for everyone. In other words it was formed to avoid war, killings, injustice and promote peace in all areas of the world. It basically aimed to influence all the countries of the world through economic progress, social security and international law. Presently it has 192 Member states which have to follow the rules laid down by the UN in the general assembly along with 5 permanent states and 10 non permanent states in the Security Council. It also has an Economic and Social council which has 54 members and an international court of justice consisting of fifteen judges. It has a Trusteeship council and a secretariat which are discussed subsequently. The United Nations through its five bodies is helping to maintain international politics in such a way that the whole world remains in peace and harmony. It is basically acting as a judge of politics s o that countries do not fight or the populations of the countries do not suffer either financially or physically because of any threat. In order to develop a norm for all the countries international laws are laid down by the United Nations which have to be followed by all the member countries. These international laws are regulated by treaties between the UN and the countries. These treaties are broad as they consider many aspects of the society such as human rights, refugees and border restrictions (United Nations 2010). The question now arises as to if the United Nations has remained successful in achieving its objectives or not. This question can be viewed from several perspectives as some would view the role of United Nations to be limited to only the betterment of itself however some would view the UN to be an organization which is working for the betterment in the society. Rwanda Genocide is cited to be one of the failures by the United Nations organization which shows that th e UN has not been very successful in achieving its objectives. On the contrary many other successful scenarios of UN can also be analyzed all over the world which shows that they have regulated international politics in such a way that many wars have been avoided. An example of Indo Pak can be cited here which was stopped with the help of UN intervention. Rwanda Genocide is cited to be one of the failures by the United Nations organization which shows that the UN has not been very successful in achieving its objectives. The United Nations Security Council played an important role in the failure of the organization in the Rwanda genocide when it did not forward directives to the soldiers to bring an immediate ceasefire between the fighting groups of Hutus and Tutsis. The genocide occurred because of the complete failure of UN as the region of Rwanda had been suffering from trouble since 1918. The trouble began in 1918 when the Belgians took over Rwanda which comprised of two ethnic g roups namely Tutsis and Hutus. The Tutsis were less in number than the Hutus but still they were given the leading positions of the state by the Belgian forces. This was the step which created anger amongst the Hutus and they began to react. After Rwanda gained independence from Belgium the Hutus came with a strike on the Tutsis and exiled them from the region making their own president. The Tutsis then formed a militia known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). In 1991 the RPF launched an attack on the state of Rwanda killing many Hutus and this led to an organization of army by the state leading to massacres of the people living in the region who were mainly Tutsis. It was in 1993 that a pact was signed under the supervision of UN between the RPF and the state government of Rwanda. It was after this act that UN Security Council had to follow all the happenings of the region but it did not do so even though it was constantly reminded by the commander Romeo Dallaire (Dallaire 2004) . In 1993 an army

Will Tesla Motors Succeed In China (it is a research paper) Essay

Will Tesla Motors Succeed In China (it is a research paper) - Essay Example (Glancey, 2013) The early history of the motor vehicle can be put into several eras based on the means of engine propulsion. Recent eras are however grouped depending on trends in size, utility preference and exterior styling. The first steam-powered vehicle was developed in 1672 by Ferdinand Verbiest as a gift to the Chinese Emperor. It was however too small to carry around a driver but it still considered as the first steam powered automobile. Large enough steam powered vehicles that were able to carry a driver were developed much later on in the 18th Century (Glancey, 2013). Josef Bozek developed an oil-fired steam automobile in 1815. In 1838, Walter Hancock came up with a four-sitter steam phaeton. A Canadian named Henry Seth Taylor tested his four wheeled steam buggy in Quebec in 1867 (Eckermann, 2001). Anyos Jedilk developed a crude version of an electric car in 1828 by creating a small model car that was powered by a newly developed electric motor. An American named Thomas Davenport installed his direct current electric motor in a model motor vehicle that operated on an electrified track. These Electric cars were hugely popular towards the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century due to their comfort levels, and operational ease. However improvements of the internal combustion engines like the internal electric starter as well as a superior range when compared to the electrical engines greatly eroded their advantage. Mass production of these gasoline powered vehicles by Ford Motor company also greatly reduced their costs coupled with an improved petroleum infrastructure. (Glancey, 2013) The modern era here is used to refer to two the previous two decades and their improvements in motor vehicle designs and safety standards. There are key technical and design concepts that set apart antiques from modern motor vehicles. The modern car era has seen increased use of platform

Organizational Culture, Reengineering Services Process, and HR Organization Description Essay Example for Free

Organizational Culture, Reengineering Services Process, and HR Organization Description Essay Magneti Marelli Holding S. p. A. , a division of Fiat, is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and is an international manufacturer that designs, produces, and supplies high-tech automotive components. The primary product range is engine control systems for gasoline and diesel engines. Magneti Marelli is currently present in five continents and 18 countries (Fiat, 2010). To create a more consistent environment in the global process, World Class Manufacturing (WCM) has been implemented in all Fiat manufacturing companies. World Class Manufacturing is an international methodology for the organization of the manufacturing cycle to manage plants in accordance with the best standards. The application of WCM principles and methods resulted in logistics and quality and significant cost reductions. Fiat’s manufacturing structure has become increasingly efficient and flexible and has enabled the company to gain a competitive edge. Strategy Description For several years, the Fiat Group has been working to develop into a global manufacturing entity with the highest standards. The implementation of World Class Manufacturing addresses all aspects of the organization including environmental, health and safety, quality, maintenance, cost and logistic issues from the standpoint of continuous improvement. The entire process revolves around the methodical identification and decrease or elimination of waste through application of standardized techniques and tools and involves everyone in the company. WCM recognizes that employee involvement and empowerment are critical to attaining continuous improvement in all fundamentals of the manufacturing system. Organizational development occurs predominantly through employee involvement. World Class companies invest relatively more in their worker relationships and offer appreciably more training. For program achievement, Human Resources needs to be a business strategic partner and a key member of the management team overseeing and providing operational leadership (Entrepreneur, 1996). Strategy Application The key to developing and maintaining a workforce capable of supporting World Class Manufacturing is to cultivate an atmosphere of employee engagement and team building. Developing a skilled and flexible workforce creates value for external customers. To sustain a talented labor force, Human Resources initiatives involve recruitment and hiring; performance management; employee development and training; leadership development and training; team building; and safety and health programs (Scondanibbio, 2010). By recruiting and retaining top talent by identifying skill gaps and focus training as characterized by WCM, turnover and absenteeism rates are lowered and productivity and efficiency from workers increases. Training employees provides the chance to take ownership of their daily activities. Working in teams and cross-functional training increases efficiency and eliminates clutter and confusion on the plant floor. One section of World Class Manufacturing is People Development (Scondanibbio, 2010). HR provides team facilitation, leadership, and direction guidance in meeting instructional needs. The second activity in leading and managing change involves creating a vision that depicts the core values and purpose that guide the organization. It provides a worthwhile direction for designing, implementing, and assessing needed organizational changes. HR Professionals must sustain the change momentum through to completion by providing resources for change, developing new competencies and skills, and reinforcing new behaviors. Strategy Implications Organizational change involves moving from the known to the unknown which can impact worker competencies and coping abilities. Human Resources must prepare the workforce by meeting instructional needs. The second activity in leading and managing change involves creating readiness for change and overcoming resistance to change. This requires HR to be both the constant and supporter in the middle of the turmoil of change. The organization looks to HR to provide needed structures, processes and approaches to support change management and to ensure the efforts deliver results (Belilos, 1997). World Class Manufacturing has defined key principles that define the organization and inspires doing things better and improving quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction. It is important to understand exactly what waste is and where it exists. For each identified waste, a strategy is prepared so performance and quality are improved. The identical process is also applied to human errors and gap analysis. Specific training models are designed applicable to the need. As the phrase indicates, World Class Manufacturing enhances an organization to be a global leader in performance and quality. Human Resources should have a clear understanding of the value of metrics and continuous measurement as the key to achieving sustainable efficiency and effectiveness. Using these outcomes, HR will have a thorough focus on talent and performance management to establish an integrated workforce management system that is closely aligned to the business needs and brand.

The Advantages Of Studying Abroad Education Essay

The Advantages Of Studying Abroad Education Essay The development of the society is going towards a globalised world where the social, cultural and traditional differences between people are becoming less distinguishable. One of the key factors which has largely influenced in the development of peoples way of understanding and analysing social and cultural values is education which has taken an important place in the new century. Education is an essential foundation for personal, social and economic success in a globalised economy (OECD 2008). International studies are becoming the new trend of young people as a way to expend their education beyond their traditional education style and their everyday world (Spiering and Ericson 2006). Johnson and Mulholland (2006) consider international education as an opportunity to increase the awareness of the people about the culture of the world which can contribute in creating individuals with a broader understanding of issues concerning todays society rather than limiting them in the scope of home educational system. In this point of view, studying abroad students gain the opportunity to learn more about world affairs and increase their acceptance of other countries regardless of the differences in culture or language. Moreover studying in a foreign directly benefits in learning a new language. Pellegrino (1997) argues that study abroad is one of the most effective ways of becoming proficient in a new language. Students who chose to spend a certain amount of time in a country the language they are willing to learn is spoken, have the opportunity to interact with native speakers a fact which would directly influence in the improvement of their linguistic and sociolinguistic skills to achieve real communicative goals, and to experience the tangible and visible manifestations of the culture of the country (Pellegrino 1997). Individuals who have studied abroad in foreign language often demonstrate cognitive development, creative thinking which surpass the abilities of individuals who have educational experiences of their home country only (Kinginger 2007). One of the reasons why studying abroad is becoming more important nowadays considering the effects of globalization, is the international job market. Qiang (2003) observes that there is a significant increase in the number of recruitments regarding the international workforce due to globalization process which has caused the education system, especially higher education, not to be strictly viewed in the national context. Mpinganjira (2009) analyses that the need of being competitive in the international job market has influenced many students to look to opportunities to enhance their career prospects through acquiring high quality education with qualifications that are recognised worldwide. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to analyse the advantages of studying abroad from the students point of view and to propose some new ways of thinking for students when evaluating the possibility of studying in a foreign country. The hypothesis to be studied is: students in the Southern and Eastern Europe think that high quality of studies can only be achieved through studying in a Western country. In addition the primary and secondary research will attempt to identify some of the factors that influence in the choice of students regarding their studies. Some of the major objectives of this study are: The guiding factors for young people toward choosing a university abroad rather than going in a local university How important is the financial situation in deciding to study in a foreign university What role plays the learning a new language in deciding in which university to go Identify the opinion of students about the influence that a period of studies would have in their personal life and future career MATERIALS AND METHODS The research process was divided into two major parts which contributed in the collection and analyze of the data. The first part included secondary data collection from different sources related to the subject of research. Some of this sources are used in the paper in order to explain different facts regarding to the topic. The second part consisted of primary data collection through a survey which was designed in accordance to the characteristics of the population it was intended for (see Appendices Survey). The survey was distributed to young people (high school and college students) in Korca, Albania by e-mail. It resulted in 25 respondents out of 50 actually delivered or 50% response rate. In order to increase the number of respondents the survey was redistributed to students in Perrotis College completing the intended number of respondents, 50. After the data were collected Microsoft Excel was used in order to organize the data in tables. Afterwards the data were imported to JMP 8 statistical software where the data were analyzed using tables, charts and other statistical analyses figures. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Characteristics of the population From the analyse of the data using JMP 8 the characteristics of the population were identified. Table 1 contains the full characteristics of the population and the responses retrieved from the survey. No. of partecipants Gender Factors in deciding where to study Would you go to study abroad Why foreign university Advantages of foreign universities Western Universities offer quality 16 male Quality Quality More opportunities personal experience yes 17 male Quality Quality More opportunities quality of studies yes 18 male Quality Quality Excellent experience quality of studies most likely 19 male Quality Quality Couldnt study in my country Language proficiency yes 20 male Quality Quality Couldnt study in my country Language proficiency yes 21 male Quality Quality Couldnt study in my country personal experience yes 22 male Quality Quality Excellent experience quality of studies yes 23 male Quality Quality Excellent experience quality of studies yes 24 male Quality Quality Excellent experience quality of studies yes 25 male Quality Quality Excellent experience multicultural experience most likely 26 male Quality Quality More opportunities multicultural experience yes 27 male Quality Quality More opportunities personal experience most likely 28 male Quality Quality More opportunities multicultural experience most likely 29 male Quality Quality More opportunities quality of studies yes 30 male Cost Cost Excellent experience Language proficiency yes 31 male Cost Cost Excellent experience multicultural experience yes 32 female Location Location Excellent experience personal experience yes 33 female Location Location More opportunities quality of studies most likely 34 female Quality Quality More opportunities quality of studies yes 35 female Quality Quality Excellent experience quality of studies yes 36 female Quality Quality More opportunities multicultural experience yes 37 female Location Location Couldnt study in my country personal experience yes 38 female Quality Quality Excellent experience Language proficiency yes 39 female Quality Quality More opportunities multicultural experience most likely 40 female Cost Cost More opportunities multicultural experience most likely Distributions Age Age of Respondents Figure 1 Frequencies Level Count Prob 17 18 9 0.18000 18 20 11 0.22000 20 22 22 0.44000 22 24 5 0.10000 above 24 3 0.06000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 5 Levels Figure 1 illustrates the age characteristics of the sample involved in the survey. As it is shown the majority of the respondents belonged in the age group of 20 22 years old which corresponds to the first year of college for many countries. Gender Distribution of the sample by Gender Figure 2 Frequencies Level Count Prob female 19 0.38000 male 31 0.62000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 2 Levels From figure 2 gender characteristics can be understood. The research has been directed to 50 individuals where 62 % or 31 of the respondents were males while 38% or 19 respondents belonged to female gender. Factors in deciding where to study Important factors which influence the students when choosing where to study. Figure 3 Frequencies Level Count Prob Cost 11 0.22000 Location 3 0.06000 Quality 36 0.72000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 3 Levels The above figure summarises some of the most important factors which influence the young people by the most when making a decision about the university they are going to be attending. As shown the most important factor in students opinion, is the quality of studies that a university offers or the fame of the university. Would you go to study abroad The students willingness to study abroad Figure 4 Frequencies Level Count Prob I dont know 22 0.44000 No 2 0.04000 Yes 26 0.52000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 3 Levels When asked about their willingness to continue their studies in a foreign university 52% of the students answered that they would chose a university outside their home country for their studies while, 44% of them answered that their choice would depend on the characteristic of the universities they would go in their country. This part of the questioned sample would go for studies abroad only if the universities in their country would not offer the preferred characteristics for the students. Only 4% of the students answered that they are not considering at all the possibility of studying in a foreign country. Why foreign university Reasons for choosing a foreign university Figure 5 Frequencies Level Count Prob Couldns study in my country 11 0.22000 Exellent experience 18 0.36000 More opportunities 21 0.42000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 3 Levels The majority of the students think that foreign universities offer more opportunities for their future career, therefore, they would go to study abroad. The other part of the students consider studying abroad as an excellent experience in their lives. On the other hand, the minority of the questioned students would go in a foreign university only if they wouldnt be able to study in their preferred university in their countries. Advantages of foreign universities Advantages of studying abroad Figure 6 Frequencies Level Count Prob Linguage proficiency 5 0.10000 multicultural experience 18 0.36000 personal experience 11 0.22000 quality of studies 16 0.32000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 4 Levels Regarding to the advantages that the foreign universities offer compared with studying experiences in the home countries, students are approximately equally divided regarding to what they think are the advantages of studying abroad. 36% of the students consider the multicultural aspect of the studies as the most important factor on studying in a foreign university while 32% emphasise the quality of studies in other countries as the main aspect. Also the possibility of personal experiences and opportunity to know yourself better are very important in students evaluation for a university. While the opportunity of learning a new language proficiently is less important. Financial implications of studies Students opinion about the impact of costs associated with studying abroad Figure 7 Frequencies Level Count Prob Agree 14 0.28000 Dissagree 1 0.02000 Dont know 8 0.16000 Strongly agree 27 0.54000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 4 Levels The biggest part of the students strongly agreed that the cost of studying in a foreign university plays an important role in deciding to go for studies abroad or not. Western Universities offer quality Do western universities offer better quality? Figure 8 Frequencies Level Count Prob most likely 12 0.24000 yes 38 0.76000 Total 50 1.00000 N Missing 0 2 Levels When asked if they think that universities in the Western Europe offer a better quality compared with universities in their own countries, the majority of students, 76% agreed that the universities in the west offer more opportunities for a high quality of studies, while, 24% of them answered that they were not sure on this statement. There were no students to disagree. Contingency Analysis of Western Universities offer quality By Home Country Mosaic Plot Contingency Table Home Country By Western Universities offer quality Count Total % Col % Row % most likely yes Albania 6 12.00 50.00 19.35 25 50.00 65.79 80.65 31 62.00 Bulgaria 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 2 4.00 5.26 100.00 2 4.00 FYROM 3 6.00 25.00 50.00 3 6.00 7.89 50.00 6 12.00 Greece 1 2.00 8.33 12.50 7 14.00 18.42 87.50 8 16.00 Moldova 1 2.00 8.33 50.00 1 2.00 2.63 50.00 2 4.00 Turkey 1 2.00 8.33 100.00 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 1 2.00 12 24.00 38 76.00 50 Tests N DF -LogLike RSquare (U) 50 5 3.7635068 0.1366 Test ChiSquare Prob>ChiSq Likelihood Ratio 7.527 0.1843 Pearson 7.710 0.1730 Discussion In the table above can be observed that the model constraint by the hypothesis has a log-likelyhood of 3.763 while the ChiSquare has a non significant p-value of 0.1843. The hypothesis risen in the beginning that Student from Eastern and Southern Europe think that high quality of studies can only be achieved through studying in a Western country is supported by the values given form the contingency analysis. Therefore the hypothesis is accepted. CONCLUSION

Comparing and contrasting Not My Best Side and Warning Not my Best and

Comparing and contrasting Not My Best Side and Warning Not my Best and Warning are about stereotypes and how these poems go against that. In not my best side the stereotype is that the three characters are meant to go with their roles, good the knight... Comparing and contrasting Not My Best Side and Warning Not my Best and Warning are about stereotypes and how these poems go against that. In not my best side the stereotype is that the three characters are meant to go with their roles, good the knight, bad the dragon and helpless the princess but don’t. In Warning the old woman is going to go against society by wearing clothes, which do not go, and buying items, which are useless. Not my best side is about Uccellos painting of St George and the Dragon the poet tried to put words to the people in it. The narrative of this poem is it goes through all the people in the poem starting with the dragon then the princess then the knight. First the Dragon says how the artist did not let him pose properly and how he could not draw anything apart from triangles as if he were mocking the artist. Then he starts to mock his conqueror and his horse by saying it has a deformed neck and square hoofs. Then starts to insult his victim by Saying she is â€Å"Unattractive as to be inedible† which means he would never eat something that ugly. After that he is a bit sarcastic by saying â€Å"I would have liked more blood to show they where taking me seriously† this means that he would have took more damage than that do kill him. The princess is saying she is not sure if she wants to be rescued. She had grown to like the dragon and even found him sexy. She says â€Å"He was so nicely physical, with his claws and lovely green skin, a... ...to be old and the poet is warning people that this is going to happen, so you better get used to it. It’s also about what society expects her. The form of the two poems is they have no rhyme scene and no metre. This is because the two poems are going against society so they are emphasising this. The question you should ask is do I want what society expects? Most of the time the answer will be yes but these poems have gone against that. Not my best side and warning are in 1st person talking about him or her. Also warning has varying line length, irregular, unstructured and varying line length. It has all these thing because again it is going against society. Not my best side and Warning both are about stereotypes and facing reality of life that everyone will grow old, or the reality of facing life alone. They all try and help prevent this from happening.

Shakespeare In Love :: essays research papers

Shakespeare in Love is a fictional story about the writing of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes, is in the middle of what could be a disastrous writer's block. His idea for the play, which should be completed, is a pirate comedy entitled Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. But Will is stuck, his shrink asks him how long it has been since he has been with a woman and advises him that that is what he needs. Auditions are held since the players' troup is out on tour. All the not so actors are pitiful. Except for Thomas Kent, the alias given by Viola, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Women at this time are not allowed on stage in public. After Shakespeare shows interest, this character runs away to her estate where a party is being held. He follows Thomas into this party to later find love at first sight in Viola. Thomas once again shows up to receive her part in the play as Romeo. While Will and Thomas are talking, Shakespeare pours his heart out, telling about this wonderfully beautiful woman, Thomas's cousin. Somehow, they end up kissing. Now that Will has this woman, his writers block is cured, he goes on to write Romeo and Juliet through his true-life actions in his affair with Viola. At the end of the movie they put on the play through all the hardships, in the company of Queen Elizabeth. I greatly enjoyed this movie, even though it is not a typical movie of my preference. The truth is that I would have never gone to see this movie if extra credit was not given. I was delighted to see an extremely entertaining movie. I was also amazed at all the references that I would not have not caught if it weren't for English Literature and history covered this year and by reading Romeo and Juliet two years ago. Freshmen year, while reading the play, I repeatedly caught myself thinking, "I don't understand a thing they are saying.

Example of Cause and Effect Essay

VERTIGO Vertigo is a feeling of dizziness. Person with vertigo often feel that their body or the things around them are moving or spinning when they are standing. It can be caused by a problem with the balance mechanisms of the inner ear, a problem with the nerves that connect the brain to the middle ear, or a problem with brain cause a head injury. The most frequent cause of vertigo is there is a problem with the balance mechanisms of the inner ear.When the virus or bacterical infected the inflammation of the labyrinth (a system of canals and cavities within the inner ear which gives us our sense of balance), such as common cold or flu virus that spread to the labyrinth, or when the crystal of vestibular labyrinth, inside the ear, become dislodged and move in to the one of semicircular canal, it will make the patient suddenly get the feeling of vertigo. A problem with the nerves that connect the brain to the middle ear is also the cause of vertigo.When a person gets vestibular neuri tis (inflammation of the vestibular – the nerve running to the vestibule), it will destroy the collaboration between the semicircular canals and the brain work to control the body balance and he will get the feeling of vertigo. The other cause of vertigo is there is a problem with brain caused a head injury. Some people who get a head injury, because of an accident or a strong earth quake, most of them suddenly feel that all the things around them moving or spinning.The sudden sensation can occur many times a day. It occurs because the head injury destroys the balance nerve in their brain. Many things can cause vertigo (a dizziness feeling that makes people feel that their body or their surrounding are moving or spinning). But the three most frequent causes of vertigo are a problem with the balance mechanisms of the inner ear, a problem with the nerves that connect the brain to the middle ear, or a problem with brain cause a head injury.

Family Systems and Healthy Development Essay

Healthy development is generally understood as the progressive physical, emotional, cognitive and social maturation that takes place in a person’s life from conception onwards into adulthood. This process is further influenced by a continuous whirlwind of biological and environmental factors. Of the numerous environmental factors that an individual encounters over the course of the life span, it is clear to see family systems play a significant role and can be extremely impactful on the developmental process. To gain a better understanding of the impact of family on healthy development, it is worthwhile to consider the various family structures that exist in our culture. The portrait of the family in today’s society is no longer rigidly defined by marriage, which is characterized by a two parent household with children; rather there are increasing numbers of single parents, teen parents, divorced parents and same-sex couple parents. â€Å"Sometimes we forget the great variety of forms, not only of the families living amongst us, but also those presented in scripture. There are single person families like Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. There are families experiencing difficulties like Joseph and his brothers, or broken families seeking new life like Naomi and Ruth† (Way, 2003). Of the various forms that the family structure can take, one consistent factor that is crucial for the facilitation of healthy development is family stability. Parental mental competence, stable-loving caregivers, positive or negative parenting are all factors that contribute to the establishment of the stability of the family unit. The home environment is arguably one of the most important facets of an individual’s childhood growth and development. When there is structure and stability children tend to thrive and are more self-aware and assertive, versus when there is little to no stability the opposite effect can be expected to occur. â€Å"When disruptions in the stability of the family environment occur, youths’ ability to develop adequate   self-control skills may be compromised, leading to both internalizing and externalizing problems (Malatras & Israel, 2013). Though there are notable differences in the childrearing practices around the world there are marked similarities that exist in the context of determining a healthy family unit. It is helpful to consider socioeconomic status, parental contributions and involvement, sibling relationships, family history and cultural norms when trying to determine the overall health of a family system. Factors such as warmth, emotional availability, routine activities such as predictable bed or mealtime activities, religious observances and communication are of considerable importance when evaluating the health of a family system in the Western culture. However in other cultures such as the Caribbean there is less emphasis placed on the feelings of warmth and emotional connections and more on discipline, control and behavior management. Children in the Caribbean are expected to perform adult responsibilities at a much earlier age than their American counterparts. For example in a study conducted on child health in Jamaica â€Å"at the age of four or five, children of both sexes begin doing household chores such as sweeping, mopping, floor polishing, and caring for younger children† (Sargent & Harris, 1992). Children are also expected to complete tasks such as cooking and laundry as early as the age of seven. Within the constraints of cultural norms, one can say that a healthy family system is one in which the developing child can thrive physically and emotionally and is on track to becoming a functional member of that society. In the same way that a healthy family system can assist an individual in becoming self-sufficient and aware; there are negative impacts that can occur when there are breakdowns in the foundation of the family. For example in families where psychological maltreatment takes place, the effects can be detrimental to the child who as a result may suffer from low self-esteem, lying, misbehavior, and underachievement in school. The impact of abuse on brain development is also profound and has been linked to a reduction in the size of the amygdala and hippocampus later on in adulthood. It is also noted that the fear, terror and stress associated with abuse may also produce permanent changes due to the overstimulation of the limbic system (Feldman, 2014). In conclusion, one can clearly see the vast significance that the role of  family plays in the physical, spiritual, social and cognitive development of an individual. The family unit is the training ground for life in the world at large and its impact can be either positive or negative. However there are several other factors at work in determining how an individual will handle their life regardless of the cards that they are dealt. For instance a child who grows up in a home where he has been the victim of psychological maltreatment may still have a chance at being a fully functional and contributing member of society due to his resilience and ability to traverse difficult circumstances. Likewise some children who are given all the tools for success, emotional stability and great family environment may still make bad decisions later on in life. The research is unprecedented in its support that healthy family systems, regardless of cultural norms facilitate the production of health y independent adults who are able to thrive in the society of their upbringing. References Feldman, R. S. (2014). Development across the life span (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Malatras, J. W. and Israel, A. C. (2013), The Influence of Family Stability on Self-Control and Adjustment. J. Clin. Psychol., 69: 661–670. doi: 10.1002/jclp.21935. Sargent, C., & Harris, M. (1992). Gender ideology, childrearing, and child health in Jamaica. American Ethnologist, 19(3), 523-537. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/645199. Way, P. (2003). Family systems. The Clergy Journal, 80(1), 14-15. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230514795?accountid=12085.

Fast Food and the Risk of Childhood Obesity Essay

The fast food industry promotes childhood obesity by manipulating the young mind, putting them at risk for health complications such as hypertension and diabetes. The super-sizing of America is been a frequently talked about subject lately. Especially since it is seem to have negative effects on the health of children and adults alike through massive consumption of fast food. Health providers and other authority figures are now concerned about children’s obesity rates shown during the past 3-4 decades. They have now drawn a close connection between fast food and obesity and identified a childhood obesity epidemic with increased negative health factors. According to the American journal of public health, 2005 September issue, fast food retail sales in the United States have increased 900% from $16. 1 billion in 1975 to a projected $153. 1 billion in 2004, during the past 3 decades. The numbers of fast food restaurants targeting child and adolescent customers are found to be clustered around schools. With the addicting flavors and affordability of fast food has contributed to adjusting the young minds gradually to grab the quick lunch without second thought. Apart from the many types of fast food offered inside the school cafeteria, Studies have shown the fast food restaurant outlets are multiplying around the school grounds and neighborhood. The American Journal of Public Health estimated that there are 3 to 4 times as many fast-food restaurants within 1. km from schools than would be expected if the restaurants were located around the city in a way unrelated to schools. They also reveals that the median distance between any school to the nearest fast food restaurant is only 0. 5km, which means, there is only a walk of little more than 5 mints for any kid to grab that delicious treat. Some schools in the nation have already begun the fight against the fast food epidemic, although they’re a much less percentage of the whole. The marketing strategies used by fast food brand s mostly target children and adolescents. In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser describes the history of child marketing explaining the concept of ‘kid kustomers’ McDonalds was the first fast food chain to direct their marketing towards kids. Schlosser explains how McDonalds took on the certain strategy from Disney, who by the time had understood the way to success is approaching the kids and who intern will attract a third party to the equation. They understood that the best way to make sales with adults was to lure the children who would keep whining until they got what they want. The ast food industry does not stop until it would possibly attract every single kid kustomer possible. Beginning with famous cartoon characters, the fast food industry started giving away free toys to children as compliment. They promoted unique collections of the current child attractions of super heroes and other toys such as stuffed animals and army troops. The constant advertising of such collector’s editions, scra tch and wins, party hosting ides with fun activities and also, the building of personal play grounds with structures was and still is a major attraction strategy used by the fast food industry. They know how to manipulate a young mind in to thinking that love and care is about giving you food that tastes so good, and giving away free toys. The sole problem is not in just the types of fast food that is served in fast food restaurants-which are obviously fatty, oily and high in sugar content-but also in the portions. The portion size was drastically increased over the past couple of decades, bringing the once ‘Large’ size portion as the now ‘small’ size and having 5 categories as small, medium, large, supersize and combo meals in the ascending order. The trick is, every time you go for the next bigger portion, the customers are made believe that they get more for less price, in turn making the sale a worthwhile exchange. Since it is all about the visual of it, the customers tend to over look that whether it is more for less, it is all too much than what anybody needs to consume per meal. Fast food tastes best when they are fresh out of the restaurant. No matter how big the portion is, fast food can be hardly eaten as leftovers. So children have gradually trained their stomachs-adults likewise-to hold fattier, oily, sugary foods that come in super sizes. The initial issue seemed to be just being overweight and obese, as these children who consume more fatty foods than necessary grew up to be a fat generation of adults. But now, the fast food monster has grown bigger and wilder that it brings children critical health issues at much younger ages. Children in the United States are currently considered to be facing an obesity epidemic. Overweight and obese children are diagnosed with a number of health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, Hypertension, Cholesterol and Lipid abnormalities, Hyperinsulinemia and obstructive Sleep Apnea. In her book, Underage and Overweight, Frances M. Berg, a licensed nutritionist and adjunct professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine stated that during the 1990s, cases of diagnostic diabetes for all ages rose 33% nationwide. She also explains by 2004 diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and is the main contributor to health problems like heart disease, stroke, blindness, high blood pressure, kidney disease and amputation which occurs with increased frequency in overweight children and adolescents. Although many fast food restaurant businesses argue that they do not serve unhealthy food to their customers, the fact remains that since the rise of fast food restaurants, the obesity epidemic has only grown alarmingly. And as mentioned before, the portion size has massively increased, contributing to this epidemic every step of the way. This is now not just a concern of individual willpower but also a fight to save the nation as a whole. Studies show that children can be brain washed to believe in anything with little incentives. With the fast food industry being the top manipulators of children’s mind, they keep stuffing themselves with the mouth watering hamburgers, fries and shakes. Apart from these critical health problems, obesity brings in other issues to a child’s life. David Ludwig, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School has dedicated his life to researching and contributing to overweight reduction in children. He is the director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children’s Hospital Boston, one of the largest clinics for overweight children and their parents. In his book, Ending the Food Fight, Lundwig explains the Vicious Cycle of poor diet and inactive life style which fosters many other negative factors in between. He lays out a great picture of poor diet that resembles over eating, that lowers metabolism, resulting in sluggishness and low motivation leading to an inactive lifestyle. Once this life style is acquired, the amount of calories stored in the body increases, causes fatigue and boredom, results in low self esteem that succumbs to temptation for ‘comfort food’ which contributes again to the poor diet that started out the cycle. He also explains in detail how obesity due to high-glycemic food intake-the type of food available at fast food restaurants-result in complications in a child in his/her Brain, Heart and blood vessels, lungs, digestive tract, hormones and also mental health. Obesity is also a key factor in most children’s self esteem and performance levels. Dr. Sylvia Rimm, a Child Psychologist and clinical professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine describes in detail the contribution of Obesity in depression and quality of life of children. She mentions â€Å"In a nationally representative survey conducted in 1996-1998, researchers reported that more than 60% of kids ate 5 servings of food fruits and vegetables a day. Unfortunately these results were based on a broad range of vegetables that included potatoes. † In illuminating potatoes from the vegetable group, Sylvia states, â€Å"children who consumed five servings of fruits and vegetables a day dropped to 30%. † This means the consumption of fast food is quite often as the most popular method of potato intake is through fries and fries are often not consumed by itself. The 30% that actually dropped was consuming 5 portions of potatoes a day. Rimm shows a wide range of analysis and research done on over weight/obese children on Self Description of Intelligence, Self-Description of Grades in School, Self-perception of Intelligence, self-deception of work ethic, Self-description of Athletic etc, of all which with ought a failure represented the obese and overweight children in the more negative side of the chart. When childhood innocence takes a turn in emotional fields like this, it is high time that there is even greater attention be given to the issue of fast food that make unhealthy little human beings who are not only physically but also emotionally malfunctioning. To bring back attention to the facts and analysis made on the fast food industry and childhood obesity; obesity is currently exposing an unfortunate epidemic in children who consume the wrong types of food, in wrong amounts. The fast food industry promotes sales by manipulating the children’s mind with toys and other prize promotions, luring them in the friendly caring restaurants. Children not only get to have happy meals, but they get rewarded with toys and more importantly critical health issues such as diabetes, hypertension and other heart and mental illnesses. The emotional lives of young children which is critical to having healthy physical and mental conditions in future is also subjected to being obese/overweight resulted in too much unsuitable food intake. Being from a South Asian country, I myself have faced the discomfort of fast food addiction as I grew up. I preferred less activity and ate out more times a week than necessary and ended up with low self esteem during my high school years. I was bullied; I did not have guys who were at all interested in me or even good grades. I am just one person who went through this painful process of growing up with too much ‘tasty food. ’ But I know there are many more who are entangled in the same web. It is not easy to wake up one day and say to yourself, I’m not going to be discouraged. We need help. And if as a whole world people need to stand up for the root of the problem, fast food, then isn’t it worth the try?

Adult Learner Assessment

Adult Learner Assessment Theresa Ann Hayden, M. A. , Ed. S. Classroom Assessment in Education Dr. Kelli Ligeikis Capella University June 15, 2011 Adult Learner Assessment Classroom assessment is critical to the measurement of student achievement. As stated in Angelo and Cross, (1993): Classroom assessment helps individual college teachers obtain useful feedback on what, how much, and how well their students are learning†¦ [the purpose] is to produce the highest possible quality of student learning†¦to help student learn more effectively and efficiently than they could on their own (p. ). Student learning is the overall goal of education; the student may be a child, an adult, an informal learner, or a formal learner; regardless of which type of learner he or she is, the goal is to learn new concepts, topics, and subjects. The mastery of that subject matter is the charge of both the teacher and the student. In identifying three concepts pertinent to classroom assessments for adult learners, â€Å"assessment procedures can be used for measuring entry performance (placement assessment), monitoring learning progress (formative and diagnostic assessment), or measuring end-of-instruction achievement (summative assessment)† (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009, p. 14). This translates to the classroom as pre-test, or preview (to writing skills, for example); on-the-spot identification of â€Å"opportunities for improvement,† feedback and post-testing, whether it’s verbal, written, or another assessment. Classroom assessment is typically, one of the last steps performed in the education of adult learners. However, assessment of a student’s abilities before, during, and after teaching can also be performed. First, the teacher plans and prepares instructional objectives which are in line with the learning institution, state, and local objectives. These objectives must also be: Guided by what the students are expected to learn†¦ [while] the instructional objectives are also in harmony with the assessment produced†¦ [these] should also be stated in terms of the student performance to be demonstrated†¦ [and] those observable skills such as speaking, or a product such as a written paper†¦and typically a rubric, scale, or a checklist of some type is used (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009, pp. 43 – 44). Teacher Effectiveness According to â€Å"Effective Classroom Instruction† (2004): Effective classroom instruction refers to the application of the ‘teacher effectiveness’ variables, that is, those variables that have been demonstrated to bear the strongest relation to student achievement. These variables include time on task, content coverage, pacing, scope and sequence, questioning, feedback, and praise. Systematic application of these elements has been demonstrated to increase academic achievement. Behavioral outcomes are the initial objectives in place before any of the instruction takes place. In addition, the characteristics of classroom assessment include that it is â€Å"learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and rooted in good-teaching practice† (Angelo and Cross, 1993, pp. 4 – 6). In layperson’s language, the typical activities of a teacher and where they fit into the characteristics of student-achievement learning include: Teachers will use various techniques and tools to facilitate the learning of the students which is learner-centered. The teacher will impart knowledge and the student will obtain knowledge is teacher directed. The opportunity for both teachers and adult students to meet in an environment conducive to learning with a common goal of ‘knowledge’; the teacher to impart knowledge and the student to obtain knowledge is mutually beneficial. Using internal and external feedback to modify lessons is formative and ongoing. The assessment on the part of the teacher comes from goal-setting at the beginning of the quarter, semester, etc. ith regard to the quantity and quality of concept and skill knowledge required for the students to learn is context-specific. Teachers will use various techniques and tools (altering these to the ‘microculture’ of the classroom) to facilitate the learning of the students is rooted in good-teaching practice (Angelo and Cross, 1993, pp. 4 – 6). While it may seem obvious, teacher effectiveness is tantamount to meeting and exceeding planning, execut ing, and analyzing for improvement instructional objectives, assessment instruments, and measuring performance objectives. When the adult student finds that all of this is relevant to his or her personal and academic objectives, and there are instructional objectives which are interconnected to the personal and academic goals of the student, then there is student achievement and teacher effectiveness. This is illustrated where a diagnosis of sorts occurs by the teacher—this may be a pre-assessment; then the teaching begins; then the teacher may assess the situation by obtaining results from the assessment tool; and whatever adjustments or modifications are needed are determined and then put into place; and they the teacher assesses the learning again. See Appendix, p. 1). This is the visual flow of a teacher’s â€Å"work-in-progress† of diagnosing, teaching, and assessing results, and then modifying teaching, and then teaching, assessing, and modifying, and so on. Type and Purpose of the Assessment The type of assessment to be used is a multiple-choice question, true-false question, and short-essay exam. The purpose of the exam will be to determine whether the students have mastered the concepts of ethical theories; this will aid them in making quick decisions in a work environment or in an ethical dilemma. Context and Learning Situation The class being taught is Ethics which has several different ethical theories available through the textbook Ethics: Theory and Practice textbook. The applications of the different ethical theories and their tenets are applied to different relevant scenarios. The students will participate in class discussion and give their opinions freely in an open-environment. The goal here is to keep the students’ interest in the subject of ethics, as a whole, by using different circumstances, where the student might have to make split-second ethical decisions in the work environment. This shows the adult learner applicability and immediate relevance. Student Demographics The student demographics include the educational program of Criminal Justice with the adult students and are the following: 1. Ranging in age from 18 to 50 years and beyond. 2. The gender of the group is 55% male and 45% female 3. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree; an Associate’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice. 4. The academic attainment before entering college of all students includes either a G. E. D. certificate or a high school diploma. 5. Some students have completed prior college coursework; some have other associate’s degrees. . The adult students in this assessment are European-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, African-American, and Mixed Ethnicities. 7. The students come from Lower Class, Working Class, and Lower Class backgrounds. Hypothetical Learner Subject Taught The subject being taught in this scenario is Ethics, and the students are expected to develop sound ethical reasoning and judgment through the study of practical applications of ethical theories. Topics studied include ethics as it relates to criminal justice, health care and nursing, society, and the environment. Emphasis is on practical applications of ethical principles and analytic methods. In particular, the students are exposed to different scenarios involving reason and judgment in the context of the degree-seeking program. Learner Outcomes The adult learners are expected to learn the following at the completion of the Ethics class: 1. Apply the Consequentialist (Teleological) ethical theories to different scenarios presented as if a proponent of consequentialism. 2. Apply the Nonconsequentialist (Deontological) ethical theories to different scenarios presented as if a proponent of nonconsequentialism. . Discuss the origins of Virtue Ethics, and explain which cultures might be more predisposed to use this type of ethics due to its origin. 4. Solve ethical problems using Absolutism and Relativism 5. Describe and explain the difference between Determinism and Free Will 6. Perform critical thinking in ethical dilemmas using both Reward and Punishment. Adult Learner Assessment Instruments A ny type of assessment should always be congruent with the instructional objectives, as well as the content taught to those instructional objectives (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). To assess students properly, the students must be made aware of the instructional objectives, first, at the beginning of the term, while covering the material in the syllabus, and then throughout the term, at the opening of each class meeting. This way, the students are kept â€Å"on track† as to what is expected of them to learn, and the daily instructional objectives are in alignment with the overall learning objectives. College and university policies should come into play regardless of the type of assessment (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009), but the assessment instrument can be tailored depending on the type of material which is being measured. There are different types of skills which can be evaluated in any one college subject. The assessment used in this scenario is at the conclusion of this course will be cumulative, and will assess all of the concepts using criterion-referenced assessment, which asks the question, â€Å"Did the student learn the concepts? † and then also using norm-referenced assessment, which checks for, â€Å"How did the student fair when compared to other students’ performance? † The Adult Learning Scenario The assessment used to ascertain the adult learners ranging in ages from eighteen to fifty plus, with dominant demographics of 75% Hispanic, and 15% European, and 10% African American, will be a Final Project, culminating the quarter’s learning in an Ethics course in an associate’s degree program in Criminal Justice. In addition, of the 75% Hispanic students, at least half of them are working as English as a second language learners. This course runs twelve weeks and will cover ten main ethical theories and each of their sub-theories. The Special Needs Student Overall, the adult learner has many challenges in â€Å"going back to school,† the ESL student has even more challenges. The foundation for education and the mindset of all students is aptly stated as: Many students today assume that it is the teacher's job to educate them, tell them what they need to know or give them the answers. Moreover, because they have been taught to be passive learners, they think that their job is to listen without resistance and to try to learn as best as they can, and, in some cases, verbatim what they are taught. Many students, in fact, accept everything they read as factual information (Baitlinger, 2005, p. 1). Adult Learners in the Southwest region of the United States, whose first language is typically Spanish, and English is their second language, are in good company. Often times, classrooms of adult learners are filled with several different students of many ethnicities and cultures. This is one of the beauties of living in the Southwest; there are typically Spanish speaking people who are the majority of bilingual speakers in cities such as Vista, which is a suburb of San Diego, California, where the Ethics class is located. In this particular classroom of thirty-two, about 24 (75% of the class) will speak Spanish fluently; some will speak English fluently, but there is also a large population who have been in the United States for only a few years, and there are challenges as an adult when it is tempting to stay in the native language with friends, but whose assignments and assessments are all either spoken, written, or lectured in English. These following are some of the challenges that both teacher and student face when the student is English as a Second Language (ESL) learner. As far as the educating of these adult learners whose English language is still in the practice stage, there are many students who are very open and willing to learn the new culture, the new language, and the new academia. However, there are challenges that face many who are not so approachable due to emotional issues such as embarrassment, shame, or resistance, which can even turn into stubbornness. The Teaching Strategies The administrator will use the following teaching strategies throughout the course: 1. Lecture 2. Board work 3. Demonstration 4. Classroom exercises 5. Class discussion 6. Textbook exercises 7. Practice quiz questions 8. Case studies and reading assignments 9. Guest speakers 10. Group and pair work 11. Verbal presentations 12. Pencil and paper examinations In addition, all students will be required to demonstrate proper use and application of the computer and the different software required, and the materials located in the Learning Resource Center throughout the course. The Teaching Strategies for Special Needs Students The teaching strategies for the special needs students which are comprised of 75% of this class’ population will include not only accommodation for the ESL student in the teaching stage, but also in the assessment stage. This will be accommodations for the assessment will be covered later in the paper. Many lessons may need to be repeated; the teacher may need to work tenaciously side-by-side at the desk with the ESL student until he/she understands the material; the teacher may exercise unlimited patience; and also need to use metaphors or analogies in order to find other avenues of reaching the student. Professors can be challenged to their limit when grading an ESL adult student’s written paper. Many times, there are words which are used which are not words at all in forming sentences. For example, a student who has only heard the word â€Å"limelight† in observing his non-ESL counterparts, may mistake it for the word â€Å"live light. † This type of error can perplex a professor who is unsure of what the student is trying to convey. It isn’t serious, but the point is, in order to build an assessment, the teacher must first teach, and the student must first have lots of practice and drill with reinforcement by the teacher. Another challenge for ESL adult learners is learning how to conjugate verbs; many bilingual and multilingual adults have experienced this. For example, if an adult learner, who spoke English first, and he or she were attempting to learn Spanish, the result is the same with conjugation of verbs. If a child grows up with correction by his mother or father when he says, â€Å"I ‘goed’ to the store,† with the parent saying, â€Å"No, Honey, you say, ‘I went to the store,† then this child has at least twenty years of practice. This is another challenge when grading any type college papers; many ESL adult learners will use substantially incorrect verb tenses. In addition to these challenges, most ESL learners do not have the immense vocabulary in English that many lifelong English speakers do; of course, this is the same for the inverse relationship and any other languages where the learner speaks a different first language and is learning another language. The estimated recognition vocabularies of fluent readers range from 10,000 to 100,000 words (Johnson and Steele, 1996 cite Nagy and Herman, 1987, p. 48); English or Composition teachers understand that reading, writing, and speaking are all related. In fact, students build a vocabulary by doing all of the above. Because reading is fundamental to all education and it follows that being able to write and speak the language; ESL students know this because their challenges â€Å"snowball into one another. † The Course Outcomes The course outcomes whic h align directly with the instructional objectives in each unit are what the student is expected to perform to upon completion of the course. The students should be able to: 1. nvestigate the importance of sound ethical judgment and reasoning for responsible living; 2. analyze significant case studies using key ethical concepts; 3. debate significant ethical issues using respectful, clear, and incisive argumentation; 4. explain, defend, and assess personal ethical perspectives on issues of significance in their own lives; 5. discuss application of course knowledge in professional settings in the criminal justice arena. The Course Outline The course outcomes will be achieved by the following outline of topics: 1. Unit One: Introduction to Ethics and Morality . Unit Two: Consequentialist and Non-Consequentialist Theories of Morality 3. Unit Three: Virtue Ethics, Absolutism, and Relativism 4. Unit Four: Freedom, Determinism, Rewards, and Punishments 5. Unit Five: Setting Up a Moral Sys tem 6. Unit Six: Ethical Applications: Dishonesty 7. Unit Seven: Ethical Applications: Personal Relationships, Business, and the Media 8. Unit Eight: Ethical Applications: Abortion and Bioethics 9. Unit Nine: Ethical Applications: Life and Death 10. Unit Ten: Ethical Applications: Environmental Ethics and Course Reflection The Assessment Instrument The actual student assessment handout (See Appendix, p. 2) that is developed by the educator is a Final Project, which is written in a research paper format; this paper should incorporate each of the ten main ethical theories, as well as each sub-theory which belongs under the main ethical theory presented. The theories, along with their sub-theories, are covered, as well as the students must show that they can apply each theory to a real-life criminal justice situation, albeit hypothetical, but realistic to a situation they might find themselves in as a law enforcement officer. Directions for the Students The student must use and reference the text book, Ethics: Theory and Practice, 10th edition, by Thiroux and Krasemann. The expected deliverables must be in American Psychological Association (APA) formatted paper; it must be between ten to twelve pages in length; it must have a cover page; a references page; there must be no less than twenty resources used, with at least three print books (including the textbook), and at least two peer-reviewed journal articles; and lastly, there must be fifteen in-text citations. In addition, the paper must be in Arial, 12 point font, double-spaced, and written in third-person perspective; there must be a thesis statement at the beginning of the paper, and to categorize the topics, there must be bold and centered sub-headings. The Page minimum and Resource minimum are non-negotiable; if the project does not meet these particular criteria, then the paper will not be graded. This project is worth 30% of the student’s overall course grade. The content must include each of the ethical theories, including the sub-theory; and each should be first outlined with a definition of the theory or sub-theory, and at least three examples of how this theory can be applied. Following the definition and basic application of the theory, the student will produce an ethical dilemma in a complex scenario which might occur in the life of a law enforcement officer, where each of the theories are applied as though the student is taking on the role of the decision-maker exercising ethical judgment as a Consequentialist, Determinist, etc. Essentially, the students are putting themselves in the place of each type of ethical theorist. The student must perform this decision-making for each theory and sub-theory; these theories are shown in the following paragraph. The Ethical Theories The theories with their sub-theories are as follows as cited in Thiroux and Krasemann, (2008): 1. Consequentialism (Teleological) a. Psychological Egoism b. Ethical Egoism c. Utilitarianism d. Care Ethics 2. Nonconsequentialism (Deontological) a. Act Nonconsequentialism b. Rule Nonconsequentialism 3. Virtue Ethics a. Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics b. Confucius’ Ethics . Absolutism 5. Relativism 6. Freedom and Free Will 7. Fatalism 8. Determinism a. Hard Determinism b. Soft Determinism 9. Reward 10. Punishment Directions for Special Needs Students The special needs student who is an English as a second language learner will have the same expectations for tangible deliverables as any other student. However, there will be some a ccommodations made. The ESL student will more time to complete the final project paper due to a slower reading-comprehension speed; these students are bright, they just have a special need, and if more time is necessary, then that is also possible. For example, if it is warranted, the special needs student will be given the final project specifications â€Å"cut sheet† up to two class periods sooner than the other students. This is so that the teacher has time to explain verbally each of the instructions in a more step-by-step fashion. If a teacher has a student who is truly struggling, then it is possible for that student to be assigned additional practice assignments so that he or she can practice the concepts. Another accommodation might be to assign daily dictionary readings by the student (along with their own language dictionary), so that the student’s vocabulary increases, and he or she practices reading. This also works with children’s books; assign the student stories to read out loud to the teacher after class; this will enable the student to practice his or her â€Å"American accent† and will help acculturate the student to the English-speaking, reading, writing environment. Prior to the final project assignment, the teacher can take the ESL student aside to check for understanding of the directions. The teacher can also read the final project specifications to the student with an English-Spanish interpreter so that any challenging words are truly understood. In addition, the teacher can show samples of quality papers to the ESL students so that they understand the format and comprehensiveness of the assignment given them. Lastly, the ESL adult student still needs lots of encouragement. While a teacher insists on keeping this fair amongst all students in the class, it doesn’t hurt to encourage these ESL students in the hall, in private, and in front of his or her peers. Direction for Assessment Administrator Since the assessment will be administered by the educator, the direction that she will follow includes: 1) checking for each component required of the students as outlined in the directions to the students, 2) verifying the adherence to the APA format standards using The Official Pocket Style Guide From the American Psychological Association 6th ed. Concise Rules of APA Style, in every aspect of the paper 3) confirming that the students used all of the ethical theories and sub-theories as outlined in the directions to students, by comparing to those in the textbook, Ethics: Theory and Practice, by Thiroux and Krasemann, 2009, to those that the student outlined in the paper, 4) Making certain that the definitions and applications for each theory is, in fac t, correct, and 5) attesting that the scenario produced and the ethical decisions made are aligned with those made by each of the ethical theories and sub-theories. Assessment Items Linked to Learning Objectives The assessment items linked to the learning objectives are in table-format and illustrate each assessment item in the final project assigned and its link to the learning objectives or course outcomes outlined above. (See Appendix, p. 3 – 4) Assessment Consistent with Learning Environment The assessment chosen, the final project which is written as a comprehensive paper by the student is aligned with the course outcomes, as well as the course outline of units covered. In addition, the adult learners’ environment, whether it be in a face-to-face classroom or an online course is conducive to a comprehensive written paper, as this is the medium for showing definition, application, and creativity in producing scenarios, in which the concepts learned can be used in immediate, relevant, and real-world situations. This is directly in line with Angelo and Cross (1993) states, â€Å"Creative thinking is the ability to interweave the familiar with the new in unexpected and stimulating ways† (p. 81). It is also consistent with Knowles’ assumptions of adult learners where: An adult accumulates a growing reservoir of experience which is a rich resource for learning†¦the readiness of an adult to learn is closely related to the developmental tasks of his or her special role†¦adults need to know why they need to learn something (Knowles, 1984; 1980; 1968, as cited in Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner, 2007). In fact, a final project in the form of a written paper is the best format to use the adult learners’ life while utilizing a performance instrument that is closely related to his or her special role. Above all, adults will find that the instrument is relevant to something they need to learn for their upcoming professions in criminal justice. Interpretation of Results Interpretation of a course assessment is the last step after administering a classroom assessment technique; it is the step that the teacher is most interested in after providing the instruction; adequate opportunities for practice and drill of concepts; planning and implementing procedures which are equitable to all; formulating the criteria for constant observation and timely and detailed one-to-one student coaching; and the analysis of each student’s improvement or the necessity for review; and then the assessment tool is administered (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). Only then can the interpretation of the assessment be articulated. â€Å"In the interpretation step, the teacher seeks answers to the ‘why’ questions of the students’ [incorrect] responses† (Angelo and Cross, 1993, p. 54). Because interpretation is the â€Å"goal† of all teaching by teachers, and the learning by students, then it is crucial that the foundation of the teaching, the tasks and tools used, and the learning objectives are all synchronized with the assessment tool, and the interpretation of the results should align with the learning objectives. As outlined in Gronlund and Waugh (2009), assessment is an integral part of the teaching-learning-assessment process. Assessment Development and Use For the Ethics class presented, the assessment tool used is a research paper which offers the culmination of the entire course. This type of assessment is a criterion-referenced instrument due to the nature of the course subject, and â€Å"criterion-referenced interpretation is especially important for instructional uses of assessment results† (Gronlund and Waugh, p. 27). This assessment will suggest results which correlates to each individual student’s learning of the ethical concepts; the application of said concepts to invented scenarios; the application to realistic criminal justice events; the proper use of the American Psychological Association (APA) format; and the students’ research, organization, paragraph construction, and mechanics skills in using written communication. This final paper is a hybrid between the supply-response [assessments] which are higher in realism†¦ [and] can measure the ability to originate, integrate, and express ideas†¦ and] the summative assessment†¦ [which] checks the extent to which the students have achieved the intended outcomes of the course instruction†¦ [and] performance assessments using extended response which includes a high degree of realism (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009, pp. 9 – 10; 27). The supply-response speaks to the format of the final paper which is written using research, but the students must also integrate their own ideas. The summative portion is the overall assimilation of ideas and concepts to the made-up scenarios, and lastly, the performance assessment illustrates the knowledge and skills necessary to perform on-the-job in a criminal justice capacity. The assessment will gauge not only the students’ understanding of the concepts presented, but will also measure the ability of the student to develop everyday scenarios, and ultimately, devise realistic events in which the different concepts can be applied. This may ensure ethical stability on the part of student-then-officer while enhancing his or her decision-making ability when faced with ethical dilemmas where the law and ethics may overlap, run parallel, or do neither in some cases. In addition, the student would be assessed on his or her written communications skills which include formatting the paper in its entirety in the APA format. The other skills which would come into play include research, organization, paragraph construction, and the overall mechanics of the paper. The quality of the content and the application of the concepts and principles would be weighted more heavily at 75% of the total assessment, with the APA format, paragraph construction, and mechanics would be weighted less at 25%. Assessment Interpretation and Grading According to Gronlund and Waugh (2009), â€Å"criterion-referenced interpretation is facilitated by assessment tasks that provide a detailed description of student performance†¦in performance-assessment this means performance tasks that make clear what the student can and cannot do† (p. 5). Since the students have been given the final project subject, the directions for completing the final project in paper-form, the expectations for deliverables, the grading rubric, and the assignments and tasks throughout the course have been tailored to learn the concepts and application necessary, then there should be no issues with what the criterion are for performing in a superb manner. Although a grading rubric is considered an assessment tool used to grade using subjectivity, it can have a set of criteria and specific metrics which link it to students’ learning objectives, which in this case, measure the student’s performance using a final project in research paper format. Because assessment is an ongoing process with a student in a degree-seeking program, the rubric is aimed at accurate and fair assessment for all students, by fostering understanding, and indicating the way to proceed with subsequent learning, re-learning, and teaching and re-teaching. This is the integration of performance and feedback which occurs prior to each assessment, and during the course of the class term, so that by the time the student is nearing the end of the quarter term, he or she should be able to articulate the items presented in the rubric using the final project directions adhering to the expectations for deliverables. According to Flash (2009), when students are apprised of grading criteria from the start, they can be more involved in the process of working toward success. According to Mansilla, Duraisingh, Wolfe, and Haynes, 2009: Rubrics are generally thought to promote more consistent grading and to develop self-evaluation skills in students as they monitor their performance relative to the rubric. However, rubrics are not without their critics who are concerned that rubrics can never truly capture the complexity of written work. If rubrics are to be useful, they must capture all the actual objectives of an assignment (p. ). In this case, the rubric (See Appendix, p. 5 – 6) is given to the students at the third week of the quarter term; the directions are explained in detail with opportunity for questions answered, with the actual objectives outlined in the rubric along with final project specifications. As mentioned previously, this rubric, along with the final project specifications, is given to the student at the third week of the quarter. Conclusion In summarizing adult learner assessment, first, it is recognized that the adult learner is motivated differently than other learners. Therefore, the teacher who teaches adult learners must be aware of not only the learner’s diversity and culture, but also his or her motivators. Then, the teacher must identify the initial abilities of his or her class; align the course objectives along with the teaching activities; verify that the teaching is aligned with the assessment instruments; then, analyze the results. After completion of this â€Å"cycle,† the educator can them adjust or modify the teacher, or the re-teaching, in this case; and then the â€Å"cycle† starts all over again. In summarizing assessment procedures, an assessment, in and of itself, is the procedure which measures the entire student learning during a course, and the teacher’s teaching, facilitating, observing, and coaching, it is the interpretation of those performance results which are invaluable. As long as the educator plans for assessment during the planning of the learning, then it probable that the assessment will gauge student learning, and will meet the instructional objectives (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). In this case, the final project is one of the best assessment tools when measuring students’ cumulative learning, this is as long as several mini-assessments are given throughout the quarter, and adjustments are made to teaching, if the students do not understand the material. In addition, an verall assessment is done on the student’s writing skills, as well as his or her attention to the proper writing format. However, it is possible that the â€Å"assessment often generates more questions than it answers,† (Angelo and Cross, 1993, p. 54) and it is incumbent upon the educator to answer these questions of â€Å"why†¦the students respond the way they [do]† (p. 54), during all of the previous assessments administered throughout the quarte r term, so that there are few to none, by the time the final project is due. Lastly, in reflecting how the process of interpreting assessments will impact teaching, it is important to note that in teaching, â€Å"the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,† meaning, in this case, that without analyzing the end product of learning; then it is difficult to choose an assessment tool and the types of results that can occur; which makes it nearly impossible to understand how to assess students after teaching has occurred; it will be fruitless to set initial learning objectives; if it is not understood what it is the educators would like to teach the students; and to diagnose when they build the student pre-assessments. Each section is bound to the other in seamless alignment, with the opportunity for improvement at each juncture; it is in this way that goals and classroom assessment drive everything in education, and in learning, in general. In teaching, there can be no greater impact than to learn that each of these components is critical to the goal of facilitating the obtainment of knowledge, and it is a bright insight to teachers of all philosophies, experiences, and tenure. References American Psychological Association. (2010). The official pocket style guide from the American Psychological Association: Concise rules of APA style (6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Angelo, T. A. , ; Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers (2nd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Baitlinger, K. (2005). Engaging adult learners in writing/ESL Classroom. College Quarterly, 8(1),1. Create Rubrics for your Project-Based Learning Activities. (2000 – 2008). Rubistar. Retrieved from http://rubistar. 4teachers. org/index. php? screen=NewRubric;module=Rubistar Effective Classroom Instruction. (2004). Encyclopedia of applied psychology. Retrieved from http://www. redoreference. com. library. capella. edu/entry/estappliedpsyc/effective_classroom_instruction Flash, P. (2009). Grading writing: Recommended grading strategies. Retrieved from http://writing. umn. edu/tww/responding_grading/grading_writing. html Gronlund, N. E. , ; Waugh, C. K. (2009). Assessment of student achievement (9th ed. ) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Johnson, D. , ; Steele, V. (1996, February). So many words, so little time: Helping college ESL learners. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 39, 5; ProQuest Education Journals. . 348. Mansilla, V. , Duraisingh, E. , Wolfe, C. R. , ; Haynes, C. (2009). Targeted assessment rubric: An empirically grounded rubric for interdisciplinary writing. Journal of Higher Education. 80(3), 334-353. Merri am, S. , Caffarella, R. , ; Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed. ). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Thiroux, J. P. , ; Krasemann, K. W. (2008). Ethics: Theory and practice (10th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ————————————————- Top of FormBottom of Form| Adult Learner Assessment Running head: ADULT LEARNER ASSESSMENT Adult Learner Assessment Enter Student Name Here Capella University August 26, 2012 ED7712 Classroom Assessment in Education All students are familiar with assessments. They have been assessed on various levels all through primary and secondary school, and if they attended school afterward they've experienced assessments in postsecondary school as well. Why do we do assessments? Assessments are necessary – they not only tell the instructor how well the students are doing but they also tell the instructor how well they are teaching. But there is much more to assessments than that.Assessments can be â€Å"an excellent instructional method to provide understanding of what adults are learning, how they are thinking, what their progress is, and which learning problems to address† (Wlodkowski, 2008). This paper will demonstrate this. The purpose of this research paper is to demonstrate an assessment of the adult learning of students who are enrolled in IS100 – Introduction to Databases, a course at Two Rivers Community College. This course covers topics that include basic concepts of relational database systems, database architectures, data storage, and data mining.This course utilizes problem-based learning. Problem-based learning is an education strategy that uses problem-solving for optimal learning and is particularly useful in environments such as information technology. The benefits are twofold: students not only acquire knowledge but they also develop problem-solving skills necessary for real world application (Williams, Iglesias & Barak, 2008). Therefore the best type of assessment for this course will include a problem-based learning assessment.The learners are students who have been allowed to enroll in this course for one of three reasons: (1) it is a required course for the Information Systems major, (2) it is a being taken as an elective for another major, or (3) they are undecided on which majo r they want to pursue and want to learn more about this aspect of information systems career path. The majority of the students who attend this course are predominately post-adolescent white males who range in ages from 18 to 23 years old and are in their first year at the community college.These students typically complete their associates degree here prior to continuing their education to obtain a bachelor's degree in either Computer Science, Information Systems Management, or Industrial Technology. However, in recent years there have been an increasing number of adult learners who are of mixed nationalities, range between 28 to 35 years old, and are returning to the community college environment due to job loss or a change in career path. These individuals have chosen the community college environment because of the short duration of time to complete a degree as compared to the traditional four year university.Three Learning Outcomes The overall learning objective of this course is for students to demonstrate a fundamental understanding of database systems. To ensure this, students will be assessed on the following three learning outcomes throughout the course: 1. Unit 1: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the theory, history, and evolution of the relational database. 2. Unit 2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of good relational database design. 3. Unit 3: Students will demonstrate basic knowledge of data mining and storage.Adult Learner Assessment The assessment described here will be on assessing students learning after the first unit is covered. The first unit of instruction is designated for an overall view of databases. Topics include relational database theory, the history and evolution of databases, types of database models, database query languages, and an overview of databases in use today. It is imperative that students have a good understanding of this information before moving on the next unit, therefore an assessment of this understanding needs to be evaluated.The two most widely used types of test items are selection-type items and supply-type items. The use of selection-type items will gauge how well the students can recognize or recall facts whereas the supply-type items will measure the more complex learning outcomes (Waugh & Gronlund, 2013). Items from both of these will be used to design the assessment to get a true measurement of students learning after unit 1. The assessment is listed in Appendix A. Accommodating Learners With Special NeedsIn accordance to the Americans with Disability Act and the policies of Two Rivers Community College, learners with special needs will have reasonable accommodations given during assessment taking. Reasonable and appropriate support services that may be needed for this course could include, but are not limited to: interpreters, questions and answer choices read out loud to the student, and extra testing time. Accommodations will be evalua ted on a case-by-case basis and every means will be done to ensure the student has a fair chance to take the assessment.The instructor will also seek guidance from The Alliance for Access to Computing Careers (aka AccessComputing). This organization partners with postsecondary institutions to increase participation of people with disabilities to computing fields. This organization can provides optimal strategies for instructors to accommodate a student with special needs. Specific to assessment taking, they recommend:  ·Alternative, quiet testing locations and distraction free rooms.  ·Alternative formats of the assessments, if needed.  ·Extended test-taking time. Reading or scribe services. All of these recommendations are already available at the school. Directions for the Assessment Administrator and the Adult Learner The way in which an assessment is administered to students is especially important for good assessment outcomes. Assessment administrators play a key role in this occurring. The main role of an assessment administrator for this course includes 1) to give clear instructions to the students and 2) to prevent cheating. The following directions will be provided to the assessment administrator.The instructions for the students will be written on the test itself:  ·Administrator: Prior to the class starting, ensure equal distance is between each student seat. Ensure there are no pieces of paper laying in or around the desks. When all the students have arrived, separate each student with a desk between them, if possible. Tell the students why they are there and the purpose of the test. Explain how the test is laid out (10 multiple choice questions, 10 true-false questions, and 3 short answer questions) and how much time they have to complete it (50 minutes).Breaks will not be given unless extenuating circumstances would dictate otherwise. Once the student has completed the test, they are to bring the test to you and place the test face down o n the desk. The student will gather their things and quietly leave the room. Interpretation of the Results of the Assessment Assessments provide the instructor with a relative ranking of students and a description of the learning tasks a student can and cannot perform (Waugh & Gronlund, 2013). These two items have more to do with the interpretation of the assessment results. Criterion-referenced vs.Norm-referenced The first item is centered around an interpretation method called norm-referenced assessment whereas the second one is centered around criterion-referenced assessment. The basic difference between the two is what the results are compared to. When an instructor is using norm-referenced assessment interpretation, they are comparing each student's performances with the other students in the class whereas when an instructor is using criterion-referenced interpretation, they are comparing each student's performance with a predefined set of criteria (Waugh & Gronlund, 2013).Each type of interpretation serves a specific purpose. If an instructor wants to use the interpretation of assessments for instructional decision-making, they would use the criterion-referenced approach whereas if they wanted to measure the psychometric different between students, they would use the norm-referenced approach. For the purpose of this paper, the criterion-referenced approach will be used to interpret the results of the assessments in this course. This will ensure the students have a clear guide to their learning objectives competency.Grading For the students, assessment is about grades. Grades tell the student to what extent they are meeting the instructional objectives. However grading is just as important to the instructor. There are three guiding principles that instructors use to determine their grading system for a course: 1. choose the best reference (standard) for the basis of grading, 2. choose the best way to combine the various assessment results, 3. choose the m ost effective and fair grading system (Waugh & Grunlund, 2013).Similar to the assessment interpretation types noted above, when choosing the best grading standard, instructors have a choice between grading the student's performance against predetermined standard (absolute grading) or against their fellow peer's performance (relative grading). The most common way is to use the absolute grading approach by assigning letter grades based on a 100 point system. This will be the approach used in this course. In choosing the most effective and fair grading system, there are a number of things an instructor can do to enlist the confidence of their students.First and foremost, the instructor should be upfront from the beginning with the students about their expectations of them, explain how the students will be graded, and explain the grading rubrics for the course. Lastly, the instructor should be sure to not grade based upon subjective components such as learning ability, the amount of imp rovement a student has achieved, or lack of or improved effort. In determine the best way to combine the various assessments, each graded item must be assessed. For this course, the students will have grades for four unit tests and one problem-based course paper.Each unit assessment will count for 15% of their grade and the course paper will count for 40% of their grade. No weighted scores will be used. The best way to grade the student's course paper was to develop a scoring rubric. For the problem-based course paper, students are given a completed database to study. Utilizing the Classroom Assessment Technique called Problem Recognition Tasks (Angelo & Cross, 1993), they students are to 1. determine if it meets the definition of a relational database, 2. elect and explain one relational database theory about their database (i. e. the relational model, dependency, normalization), 3. determine what database programming language was used to create it, 4. discuss database design model , and 5. explain one technique they'd use to extract data from it. The scoring rubric and letter grades for the course paper is below. Criteria|2 points|1 point|0 points| Determine if the database meets the definition of a relational database and provides supporting research to explain their reasoning for the decision. Correctly determines if the database meets the definition of a relational database and provides supporting research to explain their reasoning the decision. |Correctly determines if the database meets the definition of a relational database and but doesn’t provide supporting research to explain their reasoning the decision. |Doesn't correctly determines if the database meets the definition of a relational database. | Thoroughly explains one relational database theory about their database. |Fully explains one relational database theory about their database. Somewhat explains one relational database theory about their database. |Doesn't explain one relational dat abase theory about their database. | Correctly identifies the programming language use to create the database and thoroughly explains the programming language with supporting documentation. |Correctly identifies the programming language used to create the database and thoroughly explains the programming language with supporting documentation. |Correctly identifies the programming language used to create the database and but doesn't thoroughly explain the programming language with supporting documentation. Doesn't correctly identify the programming language used to create the database. | Correctly identifies the database design model used to create the database and thoroughly explains the model with supporting documentation. |Correctly identifies the database design model used to create the database and thoroughly explains the model with supporting documentation. |Correctly identifies the database design model used to create the database but doesn't thoroughly explain the model with supporting documentation. |Doesn't correctly identify the database design model used to create the database. Thoroughly explains what technique they'd use to extract data out of it. |Thoroughly explains what technique they'd use to extract data out of it. |Somewhat explains what technique they'd use to extract data out of it. |Doesn't explain a technique they'd use to extract data out of it. | Course Paper Letter Grades| 9-10 pts = A|7-8 pts = B|5-6 pts = C|3-4 pts = D|0-2 pts = F| A series of steps were taken to arrive at the scoring rubric. First, the intended learning outcomes were evaluated and used to construct the items needed to be graded on.Second, the focus of the assessment was determined by determining where the emphasis should be placed. It was determined that it should be focused on a process of examining a database for certain attributes. Third, it had to be determined if this would take the form of a paper-and-pen test or a practical exam. It was determined it would b e best to be a paper-and-pen test due to the time constraints of such a task. Forth, the performance situation was determine to be a identification test because the students need to be able to do this in a real world setting.Lastly, the method of observation chosen is the scoring rubric because they will provide the instructor with an objective scoring guideline, and they will give the students a clear guideline of what is expected of their final paper. (Waugh & Gronlund, 2013). In conclusion, the goal of this paper was to demonstrate assessment in an information technology course at a community college. The overall goal of instructing is to provide the highest possible quality of learning. Assessments, in forms of varying degrees, can be utilized to ensure this is happening.Specifically, the problem solving assessment described here will be a driving force in directing students' efforts toward critical thinking and real world applications. Appendix A IS100 – Introduction to Databases Unit 1 Assessment Name: ______________________________________ Date: ____________________ Assessment Instructions: This test is being given to assess your understanding of the theory, history, and evolution of the relational database. The Assessment Administrator will monitor your progress during the est to ensure students are completing their own work and not sharing their responses with others. Multiple Choice Directions: For each of the following multiple-choice questions, please select the best answer for each question and circle the letter to the left of the answer you have chosen as the most appropriate response. | | Question 1: Which of the following databases was an early implementation of the relational model developed by E. F. Codd ? A. IDMS B. DB2 C. dBase-II D. R:base Question 2: An online commercial site such as Amazon. om is an example of a(n): A. single-user database B. multiuser database C. e-commerce database D. data mining database Question 3: Which of th e following was the first to implement true relational algebra in a database? A. IDMS B. dBase-II C. Oracle D. R:base Question 4: The acronym SQL stands for: A. Structured Query Language B. Sequential Query Language C. Structured Question Language D. Sequential Question Language Question 5: The following are functions of a relational database except: A. creating and processing forms B. creating databases C. rocessing data D. administrating databases Question 6: Which of the following databases implemented the CODASYL DBTG model? A. IDMS B. dBase-II C. DB2 D. R:base Question 7: All the following are database models except: A. Spreadsheet Model B. Relational Model C. Hierarchical Model D. Object-Oriented Model | | Question 8: Today's banking systems use this type of database: A. Analytic database B. Operational database C. Network database D. Hierarchical database Question 9: The term Relational Database Management System (RDMS) was coined during the: A. 1950sB. 1960s C. 1970s D. 1980 s Question 10: All of the following are popular database query languages except: A. SQL B. OQL C. XML D. MySQL True-False Directions: For each of the following true-false questions, indicate a True response by circling the T next to the question and a False response by circling the F next to the question being answered. Question 1: A database is called â€Å"self describing† because it contains a description of itself. T F Question 2: One of the reasons why OODBMS is no longer used for today's businesses is because OOP is obsolete. T FQuestion 3: In an enterprise database system, users interact with database applications, which directly access the database data. T F Question 4: Microsoft Access is a database management system. T F Question 5: Prior to 1970, all data was stored in separate files, which were mostly stored on reels of magnetic tape. T F Question 6: SQL is an internationally recognized standard language that is understood by all database management system product s worldwide. T F Question 7: Databases that contain historical and summarized information are usually called data warehouses. T FQuestion 8: As legacy file-based systems and applications become candidates for reengineering, the trend is overwhelmingly in favor of replacing file-based systems and applications with database systems and applications. T F Question 9: A central focus of database theory is on understanding the complexity and power of query languages and their connection to logic. T F Question 10: The Object Oriented database model is best described by organizing data into a tree-like structure, implying a single upward link in each record to describe the nesting, and a sort field to keep the records in a particular order in each same-level list.T F Short Answer Directions: For each question, hand write your answer below each question. If additional paper is needed, please ask the Assessment Administrator. 1. Briefly explain three of the twelve rules of E. F. Cobb's relati onal database theory. 2. Briefly explain the three views (schema) of a DBMS. 3. List two advantages and two disadvantages of using a DBMS. References AccessComputing. The Alliance for Access to Computing Careers. Retrieved September 9, 2012 from http://www. washington. edu/accesscomputing. Angelo, T. A. , & Cross, K. P. (1993).Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (2nd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Waugh, C. K. , & Gronlund, N. E. (2013). Assessment of student achievement (10th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Williams, P. J. , Iglesias, J. & Barak, M. (2008). Problem based learning: Application to technology education in three countries. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 18( 4), 319 – 335. Wlodkowski, R. J. (2008). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A comprehensive guide for teaching all adults (3rd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.