Pttls Level 3 Assessment 4 Free Essays

HABC LEVEL 3 PTLLS Assessment 4 By Andrew Townsend 28 December 2011 HABC LEVEL 3 PTLLS Assessment 4 Townsend 1 Explain the three main types of assessments used and fully explain how you conduct, or could conduct, an initial assessment of learners. The three main types of assessment are Initial, Formative and Summative Assessments. Each form of assessment is equally important each serving a differing purpose and each used in differing ways. We will write a custom essay sample on Pttls Level 3 Assessment 4 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Initial assessment is the means in which to gather information about the learners and to not only assess their ability to complete the course that they are taking part in, but to enable the teacher to plan the structure of the sessions required. It also assists the Teacher to decide the pace and pitch of the sessions as well as the choice of resources to use to gain the best out of the Learner. The method most commonly used is the Pre-course Application Form / Questionnaire. This enables the teacher to assess the learner’s standard of written English and understanding. It also enables them to asses previous academic experience, in terms of qualifications already attained and will also tell the teacher when the learner was last in an educational environment. The Application form / Questionnaire can also be backed up by a telephone call. This would enable the teacher to assess the learner’s spoken communication skills. The information collected during the initial assessment should allow the learner to: †¢Be placed on an appropriate pre-vocational or vocational learning programme which matches their skills, knowledge and abilities. Work towards a level of qualification which is appropriate to their level of skills, knowledge and ability. †¢Be placed in work in an appropriate occupational area, where this is relevant to the learning programme. †¢Have all their learning and support needs identified, to enable a comprehensive individual learning plan to be designed. (Department for Education and Employment Good Practice Series †˜Initial Assessment of Learning and Support Needs and Planning Learning to Meet Needs May 2001 p10). ‘The formative assessment is a continuous method of assessment that is conducted throughout the course of tuition. (Morley and Wordsworth. PTLLS made easier. Nov 2010 p92). As a session progresses, the teacher must be able to assess that the learners have understood what they have been taught at each stage. Without continual assessment there is no way of judging whether the learners are able to move on to the next stage. The assessments can be conducted using various means such as oral question and answers, multiple choice questions or group tasks or exercises. The assessments used will enable the teacher to make an informed decision whether or not to carry on, or to re-teach and confirm as required. Often the size of the group will govern the methods that the teacher adopts to carry out formative assessment. The use of question and answers often takes time, particularly if asking each and every learner either one or two questions. In this situation it would be easier and more productive to introduce multi-choice questioning in the form of a game. For example issue each learner with a set of cards labelled A, B C and D. When a question is asked each student can HABC LEVEL 3 PTLLS Assessment 4 Townsend 2 then respond accordingly with what they consider to be the correct answer. This enables the teacher to examine all students at the same time, as well as being able to correct, if necessary the learners that have given the wrong answer. In the practical scenario formative assessment enables the learner to practice what they have learned without the pressure of a formal examination and if errors are made, then they can be rectified during the session. If several of the learners are making the same error, it enables the teacher to re-teach as required. ‘A summative assessment is a final confirmation assessment that is conducted at the end of the session or course. This type of assessment assesses all aspects of the teaching and normally, for a theory session, takes the form of a written examination. ’ (Morley and Wordsworth. PTLLS made easier. Nov 2010 p93). This enables the teacher to ask questions about the entire course in a logical order and being a written examination, once it is marked, it can be graded then filed and stored as a record of the learners progression. When used following a practical session the formative assessment would take the form of the learner carrying out the newly taught skill from beginning to end, under examination conditions without interference from the teacher. I would use a pre-course application form in order to conduct an initial assessment of learners. A well thought out and written application form would enable me to gain vital information about the learner and plan the course of study to best utilise their potential. The application form would enable me to collect the following vital information about the learner: Career preferences and suitability. Qualifications and achievements. Aptitude and potential. Prior learning and experience. Basic skill needs. Key skill needs. Learning difficulties. Interests. Learning style. Job role. Personal effectiveness. Personal circumstances which may affect learning. (Department for Education and Employment Good Practice Series ‘Initial Assessment of Learning and Support Needs and Planning Learning to Meet Needs May 2001 p39). Explain how you utilise assessment methods. Prior to any course of study I would send out a pre-course application form to all learners in order to gain as much information as possible to enable me to plan the course of study accordingly. The responses received would enable me to ensure that the learning was set at the right level for each learner to gain as much as possible from the learning and enable them to reach their individual learning goals. HABC LEVEL 3 PTLLS Assessment 4 Townsend 3 As the training progressed I would utilise formative assessment throughout the learning process. E. g. Having taught a practical element of the course, such as CPR, it is very important to make sure that the learner is able to carry out the procedures correctly. It enables me as the teacher to see whether the teaching method used is working or whether changes may be required. I would also employ formative assessment in the form of Questions and Answers or maybe even games to not only help me assess the effectiveness of the teaching, but to help me as the teacher to further embed learners functional skills. E. g. In First Aid there are several basic formulae/ratios that require to be learnt to enable the learner to carry out life saving procedures, such as 30:2 (the number of compressions to rescue breaths required to successfully carry out CPR. These various formulae also lend themselves very well to the use of multiple-choice questions. At the conclusion of a three day First Aid at work course a formal summative assessment is compulsory in the form of multiple-choice examination papers and practical examinations. This allows the learner to prove that they have reached the standard required, which in turn enables them to be certificated as qualified in First Aid. Summative assessment also enables the teacher/training organisation to keep records of the learners’ achievements for further reference, particularly if the learner wishes to progress further. Explain the importance and the requirement of keeping records, including those relating to assessment. Record keeping forms a crucial part of teaching; the majority of records that would be kept are summative assessments. These are often paper examinations, or audio/ video recordings. Other forms of records that are required to be kept are teaching logs, application forms and funding documentation. Records can either be paper-based or data-based; both forms require an adequate storage facility that is secure and monitored. There are several reasons why records need to be kept, such as a requirement from a college, OFQUAL or an awarding organisation, such as HSE. Records show standardisation, meeting of criteria and form a vital part of the audit chain. OFQUAL, colleges and awarding organisations employ quality assurance officers to check training provider’s records. There is normally a stipulation that they are kept for three years. The other benefit of record keeping is that you have something to reference should a past learner enquire about a previous course of tuition. They may have lost their certificate and require a duplicate copy for their records. (Morley and Wordsworth. PTLLS made easier. Nov 2010 p97). How to cite Pttls Level 3 Assessment 4, Papers

Ethical Considerations in the Research of Applied Linguistics free essay sample

However, once the human subjects being investigated, there will possibly raise potential risks and discomforts from the procedure of the research, for instance, the disclosure of privacy could be damaging to a person. A qualified researcher must place a premium on ethical considerations when doing the research planing , even if it appears to be of minimally risky to the subjects. In this paper, I tend to discuss on some prominent ethical issues concerned by the literatures of research methodology and to address some of them with a combination of the recommended solutions from the literatures and my own reflections after reading those texts. After all, as it is difficult to transact all of the ethical issues in all circumstances, to highlight some ethical dilemmas and make the tricky points noticeable to the researchers seems to be worth doing. And hopefully, every researcher of applied linguistics finds a balance point between the ethical considerations and their willingnesses of producing optimum researches. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Considerations in the Research of Applied Linguistics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Anyway, whether ethically conducting the research or not also involves in the criteria for evaluating the quality of a research. 2. Researchers value As the German sociologist Weber (1946) indicated, all research is contaminated to some extent by the value of the researcher (cited in Silverman, 2004: 257). How researchers carry out their researches therefore highly depends on the value they hold. For example, generally qualitative researchers favour rich and detailed data for exploring their questions in depth, whereas quantitative researchers place an emphasis on the objectivity and generalizability of the research and the descriptive work is not seen as valuable as statistics. To conclude an ethical point of view into the content of value, on one hand, it is the researchers consideration of protecting the rights and privacy of human participants, on the other hand it is the researchers interest and responsibility to their researches. Sometimes, certain dilemma rises from the conflict of both side. Silverman (2004) notes that both qualitative researcher and quantitative researcher are impinged by such dilemma of willing to fully inform the participants with the details of the research but not contaminating the quality of their research by letting the participants know too much about the research questions. In this sense, the researchers have to ponder over some dilemmas emerged in the course of conducting their researches and to clarify the value to themselves about how to use the sample, adopting a particular method and doing what kind of research. In Cohen et al. s (2000:63) words: What is the poper balance between the interest of science and the thoughtful, humane treatment of people who, innocently, provide the data? (cited in Dornyei, 2007:65) If we can provide a precisely constructed value frame as the answer to the following questions: How much percentage should the ethical considerations take in researchers value frame and to what extent would it effect the research procedure and the results, there would have been an overall guideline for all the researcher to follow which offers them an explicit instruction on dealing with any ethical issues by a fixed principle. However, it is unlikely that even a very well-built ethical guideline could always be a proper one across various s ituations. The interpretation of the term may vary a bit across different literatures but without excluding the main elements of sufficient information, voluntary participation, and comprehensible information. These interconnected elements going with relevant ethical considerations are discussed in detail subsequently. 3. 1 Issues related to sufficient information The issues related to sufficient information can be broken down into the following three aspects: 1. the interpretations to sufficiency; 2. the conflict between preventing the research from contamination and avoiding deception; 3. he inability of some researchers to provide full information to participants. These aspects are to be elaborated via discussing the following questions. 3. 1. 1 How sufficient should it be and which elements should be included? There are different interpretations of the term sufficient information from different institutions, as what Dornyei (2007) notes: There is quite a bit of controversy about how informe d the consent should be that is, how much information do we need to share with the respondents before asking them to participate. (p69) According to Mackey and Gass (2005)s Checklist for Obtaining Informed Consent, the core elements involved in the paradigm of sufficient information are: †¢ The procedures and purpose of the research; †¢ The potential risks and benefits of the research; †¢ The method of the research or the treatment to the subjects; †¢ The contact information of the researcher; †¢ The steps to be taken for ensuring confidentiality and anonymity. Although these elements are basic requirements for obtaining informed consent, there seem to be several salient dilemmas embedded in each part. First of all, it is always contradictory to provide the participants with the details of the research. Generally, researchers are advised to give the information sufficient enough to the potential participants, but in doing so, some of them are likely to withdraw from the study because of certain discomfortable details. Dornyei (2007) indicates that certain information could either create a bias to participate or make the respondents want to run away. For this reason, some researchers may be reluctant to reveal too much information of the nature of the study. In order to recruit a target group of favorable subjects and raise their enthusiasm to the study, the researchers may tend to hide certain information which is adverse to recruitment and stress those that the respondents may be interested in. In Brymans (2001) words: It is extremely difficult to present prospective participant with absolutely all the information that might be required to make a informed decision about that involvement. In fact, relatively minor transgressions probably pervade most social research(p481). What we need do for best dealing with this issue is to achieve a trade-off and concern the minimal level of informedness found in the literature vary. (Dornyei, 2007:69) And we have to admit a primary principle that the information related to potential risks and possible influences should never be covert to the respondents. Second, sometimes it is quite problematic in informing participants the potential risks or harms. As far as I see, according to certain types of r esearches and the methods they adopt, the researchers might not able to prevent or repair some emerging risks or harms which are actually inevitable. Bouma (1993) argues that because of the intimately interactive feature of the qualitative research, there is a great likelihood that the research will effect those been studied. The participants opinions may have unconsciously been shaped through a research. Although we could not tell the changes are negative or positive, there do present certain risks. To think of some experimental studies in applied linguistics, the participants under any particular treatments will certainly be effected. For example, in the researches conducted in a classroom setting, the researcher wants to inquire the effectiveness between two instructional models, it is predictable that one group of students would obtain less achievements due to their special treatment or no treatment. Gass (2010) argues that if we have reason to believe a treatment is beneficial, then we have to provide that treatment to those participant who did not receive that treatment after the data has been collected. However, later she points out that to make the students return for a second round is not logistically possible. Furthermore, It is tricky to inform such risks or harms for the reason that they are often invisible to the participants and what are noticeable to the researchers may be hard to interpret for the reason that in many researches the participants are actually a group of innocent people whereas the researchers are the ones who have an overall knowledge on the area they are investigating at. Seliger and Shohamy (1989) note: Frequently, for control purpose, subjects are not aware of their participation in a study, or if aware do not know the exact nature of the experiments. (p196) They suggest the participants be given that information once the study is completed. In this sense, the participants have the rights the know the theories underlying the research and it is ethical to inform them with the final result and also let them know how it comes out. . Third, it is difficult to balance the amount f benefits from a study and the sacrifice the participant made. In most researches of applied linguistics there are some benefits to the participants in return, which is a part of the respondents concerns for making their decisions of participation. Apart from the ethical issues mentioned before that the researchers might highlight or even exaggerate the beneficial points to some extent in order to attract respondents to take part in their researches, we should also notice that n ot all the researchers could find such a balance point in their researches. After all, a specific research is designed within the interest and bias of the researcher but not of the participants. Dornyei (2007) suggests the researchers take their responsibility to make cost-benefit balance as equitable as possible. In fact, it is much easier said than done. The participants always cost more than take something back in return. Not many researches can match participants interest and some may have nothing to do with their needs. As a point noticed by Holliday (2010), People will very likely have far more important things to do and think about than taking part in your research project It may be unfair to expect that the people in the research setting should understand or be interested in the research project(p105). So the people participating in researches are more like making sacrifices while they donate their time and energy on every stage of a research including understanding those information provided by the researcher in order to have informed consents. Moreover, sometimes even the researchers think doing something would be good for the participants, they could not guarantee that. 3. 1. 2 Is withholding information necessary or deceptive? In second language research there is a so called observers paradox, that is, the aim of linguistic research in the community must be to find out how people talk when they are not being systematically observed; yet we can only obtain these data by systematic observation. (Labov, 1972:209) In other words, the participants might change their usual behaviour because they know they are being studied. Hollidays (2010) words upgrade that paradox to some extent: What people are prepared to say or how they are prepared to appear in front f a researcher may have as much to do with their perceptions of the researcher as with the questions the researcher is asking. They may be researching you as much you are researching them. (p105) It seems that the research is contaminated merely by the fact that you are perceived as a researcher. In this sense, while covert observation will easily encounter ethical accusation, withholding information and even deception for leading their thoughts to the other ways seems necessary and desirable. However, the widespread condemnation of the violations of inform consent can not be easily ignored. Even if the researcher promise to reveal all the hidden information after data collection, it still has certain possibility that some withholding details discomfort the participants in the end. To cope with this issue, apart from meeting the conditions of acceptable withholding information (see Mackey Gass, 2005:30), the researchers had better arrange a survey or interview after the disclosing the information which was withheld. If any negative feedbacks from the participants arise, elimination of the data elicited from certain participants and a sincere apology are required. . 1. 3 Whether all the researchers are able to provide the participants with sufficient information? Though the principle of inform consent requires the researches to provide as much imformation as possible, actually this is not always easy for all the researchers to do so. Manson (1996,166-7) reveals a way in which certain ethical issues impinge on the qualitative researchers: The changing directions of intere st and access during a qualitative study mean that new and expected ethical dilemmas are likely to arise during the course of your research. cited in Silverman, 2004: 257) Mansons argument reflects that fully informed consent may be not available in qualitative research due to its emergent nature. In qualitative researches, according to Dornyei (2007): no aspect of the research design is tightly prefigured and a study is kept open and fluid, the researchers can respond in a flexible way to new details or openings that may emerge during the process of the investigation(p37) but meanwhile it raises the complexity for dealing with ethical issues. Once certain details are changed or even a new question emerges during the fieldwork, those changed or new points should be informed to the participants and the consents in a second round is required. However, as the consents have already been granted, I believe some researchers will practically omit this step and continue processing their research. Anyway, as most researches are dynamic and contextual, even not a qualitative one, certain new or unpredicted ethical issues would very likely emerge in the course of research. Moreover, if the researcher is collecting data from the participants, especially he/she makes a record, the respondents have the rights to know how these data will be used after the research. At the initiation of a research, the researcher probably has no idea about the future use of the data, but what if a respondent would have decided not to participate due to the concern of the data use? Silverman (2004) points out that initial consent in some cases is not enough, it is necessary to obtain further consents to how the data might be used. My suggestion is to offer the possible future treatments of the data as much as possible at the beginning of the research and to add a further consent if it is necessary. 3. 2 Issues on protecting confidentiality When doing research using human subjects, ensuring the safety of the participants is always at the first place. It means that before the research is commenced, the researchers should make precautions to any risks, discomforts or harms that would happen after adopting certain methods, asking sensitive questions or using certain approaches of data collection. Especially in the researches based on school settings, except for the case I mentioned before that experimenting on students threatens their educational achievements, the confidentiality of data also constitutes an equivalently significant ethical consideration. As Macky Gass (2005) noted, such ethical consideration should be more seriously taken in classroom based researches, because in the reports the participants are more easily to be identified which leads to certain ramifications that might be detrimental to either teachers or students. The researchers could draw on certain approaches to address the issues on anonymity, such as changing names of the subjects or coding them by numbers which are mentioned in most research methodology books. But whatever they do, the anonymity of subjects is difficult to be guaranteed. Dornyei (2007) presents the dilemma of anonymity as following: A basic dilemma in educational research concerns the fact that although ideally our participants should remain anonymous, we often need to identify the respondents to be able to match their performance on various instruments or tasks. p65) Brooks-Lewis (2009), for example, carried out a classroom-based research which discuss second language learners perceptions to a native speaker teacher using their first language in the English class. The original data consisting of the individuals words and performance in the classes are presented in her research paper, which may easliy expose ones identity, and even those data from the learners diaries wo uld create a clue for identifying a particular individual. As Duff and Early (1996) said: In reports of school-based research, prominent individuals or focal subjects tend to be more vulnerable than others(p21, cited in Macky Gass, 2005: 28). Anther concern falls on doing researches in sensitive situations. Because of the special nature of the participants (eg. refugees, patients), the confidentiality of data and full anonymity should be ensured by providing the means for protecting the confidentiality and anonymity detailed into every step. In the researches in classroom settings or those concern sensitive area, any disclosure of participants identity would result in certain harms. Macky Gass (2005) advise researchers to even volunteer to check with the participants before using any potentially identifying information in transcripts, data, reports, papers or presentations, even when numbers are assigned in stead of names(p29). In addition, raising issues about ensuring confidentiality and anonymity are most likely related to how the information is recorded and how the records are maintained. The researchers therefore need carefully select their research methods with an understanding of the characters of the target subjects, such as considering which way of recording data would be riskless and more acceptable to the respondents: audio, video, or just observation. And they also need to inform the respondents with further treatments of the data, such as whether they will delete the data after research; if they have to keep these data, where to store and who can access to it, etc. 3. 3 Issues related to comprehensible information The principle of giving comprehensible information suggests the responsibility of the researcher to fully explain the information in terms of meaningful to the participants. In the research of applied linguistics, the second language learners and children are frequently investigated. For the former group, as the subjects especially those beginners are not competent enough in the literacy of the second language, the researchers are advised to translate the texts to the respondents own languages. For the latter group of subjects who are too young to make a decision, the researcher should obtain consent from their proper proxy. Dornyei (2007) consider that the permission can be granted by the childrens teacher for the reason that they are usually aware of the significance of legal matters. I have to point out that it is fine if the teacher has no relationship with the researcher, however if some relationship is out there (eg. They work for the same institution, they are friends or acquaintances , even the teacher has a dual identity of teacher and researcher), the consents are invalid. In addition to second language learners and children, Starfield (2010) reminds the researchers of considering a circumstance in which the participant are not literature in any language, which makes us further ponder on the question of whether we could obtain oral consents. 3. 4. Ethical issues in voluntary participation Voluntary participation requires that the subjects not to be coerced into participating the study. However, sometimes something has interfered them making a decision even if it seems that the participants take part in the research of their freewill. As the notion of voluntary participation is firmly related to the requirement of informed consent, first of all, violation of informed consent would certainly interfere the principle of voluntary participation, for example, as I mentioned before, an uninformed consent in which there is an overstated benefit for participating the research. Besides, as far as I see, at least another two factors interfere he notion of voluntary participation. 3. 4. 1 The relationships To improve the the recruitment rate and encourage a better cooperation , the researcher might tend to build a good relationships with the participants whenever doing recruitment or collecting data from them. Although recruiting the individuals or groups who is interested and affected by the research topic contribute to handling some ethical issues in an easier way, what if t he researchers intentionally do someting in order to induce respondents to make consents? One principle for ethical consideration in the Statement on Experimentation (1992) prepared by NHMRC of Australia states: Volunteers may be paid for inconvenience and time spent, but such payment should not be so large as to be an inducement to participant. (cited in Bouma, 1996: 196) Bouma (1996) argues that although it is rarely an issue in social research, other than undue payment, the researcher cannot coerce compliance by offering any enticing rewards for participation, such as giving the students who have participated in the study extra scores in final test. In addition, the close relationship of researcher and participants itself raises an ethical issue. Once establishing a intimate relationship with the researcher, it is no doubt that what the participants should do would be more than that with their previous relationship. Because the researcher has won a favorable impression from the participants and become their friend. Whether genuine or not, that friendship requires the participants obligation of helping the researcher to a larger extent which would not have been achieved if there is not such a relationship. Even if the friendship is authentic, because of its nature built on the research in which the embedded attempt would never be pure, such relationship can only be there out of the research but not the reason for requiring the participants to contribute more. Cassell (1978) points out that it is unethical for researchers to form relationships with participants, act as friends, and then leave the situation when the research project concludes. (cited in Tisdale, 2004: 27) Thus, the researcher should not ask participants to take part in the research and to meet any requirements merely by the fact that they regard he/she as a friend. Dornyei (2007) poses some relevant ethical questions: if it is ethical flirting with participants and how to end a research project without leaving the participants feeling that they were merely used(p65). Furthermore, Duff (2007) points out that seeking informed consent from the researchers current students is coercive as they are in a dependent relationship with the researcher. Sometimes the students have no choice but to participate in their teachers research. It raises an ethical issue in which the power unbalance in the relationship between teacher and students plays a role. 3. 4. 2 Power unbalance According to Bouma (1996), in some cases, the researcher may be in a more powerful position than the subjects, such as teacher to student, parent to child, employer to employee, etc. In these cases, power, sometimes invisible, imposes on the action of the individuals. If you are in a position of power over someone else, even if you havent actually forced anyone to do something, the power out there is forcing them to act as what they think that you wish them to do. Macky Gass (2005) point out: Undue influence may be exercised, even unwittingly, where persons of authority urge or suggest a particular course of action (p34). We have to note that while a teacher is asking or persuading his/her students to participate in a research, the consent of the student can be involuntary as they are in the weak side of power. As a critical ethnographer, in her critiques of teachers, Sleeter (1998) plays the role of adversary to the powerful in order to advocate for children. In this sense, we probably have to reconsider the question that who is the most proper proxy for making additional consents for the children subjects. As Trochim (2006) noted, in order to meet the principle of voluntary participation without any coercion, we need to pay more attention on where researchers had previously relied on captive audiences for their subjects such as prisons, universities. Bouma (1996) suggests that the research should be abandoned when a free consent can not be obtained. As a result, when reviewing a research proposal, we should not only examine the relationships between investigator and subjects but also look into the power relations between the subjects and the people who are doing the recruitment. Conclusions In the research of applied linguistics, like other social inquires, the major ethical considerations center around the principle of conformed consent, assurance of harmlessness, confidentiality, and voluntary participation. Nowadays ethical issues are of great concern and clear ethical standards and principles have been developed by various organizations and institutions, nevertheless, no set of standard can anticipate every ethical circumstance. The researcher might take these considerations in the context of his/her own research. Thus, there might be no specific solution but a fairly general answer to the questions raised around ethics, that is, to try to clarify ones intentions before getting started and to predict the potential ethical issues by gaining a relatively full understanding of the subjects. Anyway, from my point of view, the ethical consideration should always be set to the fore of any other respects of the research.

Speech 1100 Essays - Education, Money, Finance, Debt, Student Debt

Speech 1100 Persuasive speech Tuition fee is simply too high Attention getter: 12 pesos per credit hour 1,000 pesos per semester that's how much I paid for my education when I was in the Philippines. To break that down that's 20 U.S dollars. 20$ per semester! Can you imagine? You might not fully understand the depth of numbers that I am saying but you're about to. I might have an extreme example here, but we all pay way too much for our education. After all, almost all of you agree with me according to my survey last November 9 2015. its a problem that has a huge impact to all of us. Simply because we're here and we have to pay for being here. CREDIBILTY: Personally I have a fear of getting to the point of borrowing money for my education simply because I can't afford it, that's why I decided to join the military next year, to get a subsidize tuition. and that is why I am interested of doing this topic. Thesis: tuition cost is too high and we only define ways to deal with that, and allow our self to not be in debt when we graduate from college. External preview: now today I'm going to give you couple reasons why tuition fee is as high as it is, the cause and the solution that will help students obtain an education without going into extreme debt. S.P: now let's go to the main problem. PROBLEM: Tuition cost is simply too high. According to our COD website under tuition and aids updated last 2015, author unknown, for resident people within the district pays $151 per credit hour, that's $4,557 per year but that's not all because we still have to pay for our books. Now our tuition fee is not bad compared to private colleges and well known universities like UIC. According to UIC undergraduate admission website under all other colleges/programs, author unknown, last updated 2015: tuition fee itself cost $14,816 per year this include mandatory fees, mandatory assessment and obligation fee. But that's not all on campus room and board cost 10,882 per year and books and supplies cost around 1,400 per year. UIC students are paying around 27,098 per year. Now, how do we pay our tuition cost? It's a combination of multiple things. You can either have a parent that will pay for it, you can either have a job, you may be eligible for financial aid, you might be granted a scholarship, and the most important form of payment is student loans. Actually money.cnn.com published an article in (New York) lastSeptember 10, 2014 author Blake Ellis. entitled more than 40 million of Americans now have student loans debt. Just the title of the article is mind boggling. Due to increasing tuition cost each year 40 million of American is now in debt, that's up from 29 million consumers in 2008, according to credit bureau Experian. 18 percent of this people expect to take their debt to the grave. According to an article posted in US News last 2014,author uknown, The average amount ofstudent loan debtagain crept up for the Class of 2013, and is approaching $30,000, according to a new report from the Institute for College Access and Success. Can you see the Irony here? According to a statistic in the website business insider posted July 13,2015. Author uknown, United State is ranked 7 riches country in the world, yet people in it is dying out of debt. S.P: now I believe that its not okay, but before we change something about that, we have to know How the Government is Making Your College Tuition More Expensive CAUSE: According to an article titled "how the government is making your college tuition more expensive" author Ben Harris, posted august 22, 2014. Found In informationstation.com "Even with mounting tuition costs, college applicants still line up to compete for a seat in a university classroom. This relentless demand for higher education is primarily explained by the promise of higher wages: A college degree can help graduates secure a better job and a bigger paycheck. But because most universities can only enroll a limited number of students, the demand for a college education is much higher than the

Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing

Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing By Colin Any freelance writer starting out these days could be forgiven for thinking all that’s required is a laptop with Internet access, and a telephone. But there’s more to think of; hidden extras which will be needed somewhere along the line if a serious attempt is to be made. Here’s a list of the most important things every freelance writer should consider when first starting out. Word Processor This is perhaps so obvious, that some might say it ranks as extreme stupidity to even mention it. However, you will definitely, without question, need a word processor of some description. Fiction writers can get away with a dedicated word processor to work on, but if you are serious about making your way in the freelance writing business, you really need a PC or laptop that can connect to the Internet. So much business is done over the Internet these days, that not only is it the future, the future’s been here for a while. Internet Access You’ll need Internet access for several reasons: Research: the first port of call for many freelancers when undertaking research is the Internet but it shouldn’t be the only one. A good freelancer will use the Internet as a foundation to build on, before talking to people, visiting libraries, and cross-checking with sources. Email: call it a curse, call it the greatest innovation in communication since two cups and a piece of string, email is here to stay. You’ll need it for applying for jobs, sending queries, receiving queries, sending in submissions in fact, just about everything. Staying current: being able to read newspapers, magazines, journals, industry reports, articles, forums, or just to see what your peers are doing, can all be done over the Internet. Advertise: whether through blogs, websites, or portals, your services can be advertised effectively over the Internet, but only if you can access it and respond quickly. Restock: being able to order supplies for your home business over the Internet can save you time, money, and a lot of hassle. Website Should you have one? Why do you need one? Will it do any good? To answer all of these questions think about it this way: if you don’t have one, will you be able to compete successfully with everyone else who does? A website is relatively inexpensive to set up and maintain, and although they may seem a distraction when first setting out, having a website speaks volumes for the level of seriousness a writer has of himself. It is also a great tool for supporting your pitches, and allowing your clients, potential or otherwise, to get to know you. Printer Despite what I said earlier concerning email and the future of electronic communication, there will always be a place in the world for paper. Some writers use their printer for printing work to proofread, but the main use as a freelance writer is for business correspondence, and invoices. If you have a modern PC or laptop, but have a small working environment, it might be a good investment to go for a wireless printer so you can hide it away, and then access it only when you need to. Dedicated Area Having a regular place to work has been known to increase productivity and allow for better creativity. It needn’t be a dedicated office with desk and chair, or kitted out with all the latest mod-cons, it could be the corner of a living room, at the end of the bed, or on the kitchen table. Wherever you choose, it should be comfortable and conducive to producing quality work. As you move forward with your career, you will likely find that an office becomes more desirable. Finding a suitable area with more professional amenities will become more important as you grow. Telephone and Fax Most freelance writers have a telephone. It’s kind of assumed. Some use their home phone, some have a dedicated line installed into a home office, others use their mobile, and a few have branched out with Internet technology such as Skype. Fax, however, is often neglected as being old fashioned and therefore not required. Not so. It’s a good idea to have a fax connection because many businesses still rely heavily on it to do business. The beauty is that you don’t need a bulky machine sitting near you to receive faxes any longer, as a simple piece of software and an Internet connection is all you need. CD/DVD Writer Invaluable for backing up everything concerned with the running of your home-based freelance writing business. This can include everything from PC data and applications, to article ideas and company accounts. You might even use it for listening to a CD when you need to relax. PC Maintenance Software Keeping your PC hardware, software, and peripherals in fighting shape is vital to prevent your PC falling foul to outside interference, and to make sure it is working as quickly and reliably as it possibly can. By using anti-virus tools, malware and adware removal products, disk cleaners and defragmenters, and a good firewall product, you can keep your PC running smoothly and safely so you can worry less about it, and more about your next deadline. Accounts Software At some point along the line you’re going to need a method of tracking your expenses, income, and dreaded tax return. In the beginning, a spreadsheet might suffice, but eventually you’re going to have to think bigger and get yourself a dedicated accounts package. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or complicated, just enough to be able to record what’s going in, out, and when. Business Material Finally, to be taken seriously, and to help you start â€Å"thinking† like a writer, some of the following might also be useful: Letterhead Invoice template Business card Rate card Contract Clippings Notice: Due to popular request we have finally released our Freelance Writing Course. Come check it out if you want to get started freelance writing online. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsTypes of Ignorance

Yellow Card

Yellow Card Yellow Card Yellow Card By Maeve Maddox In response to the rope-a-dope post, I received a clever email response couched in other sports analogies. I understood all but one: â€Å"yellow card.† Naturally, I hopped on the search engine to find out what sport that referred to. I discovered that in the sport of soccer, colored cards are held up by the referee when a player commits a foul. The color of the card indicates the nature of the penalty appropriate to the type of foul that has been committed. One of the cards is yellow. A soccer player who receives a red card or a black card is sent off the field. A player who is shown a yellow card continues to play, but has been cautioned that he’d better pay attention to his behavior. Now I understand a blog headline that previously left me puzzled: LIFE JUST HANDED ME A YELLOW CARD The blogger had survived a heart attack. The symbolism of soccer’s colored penalty cards has spread to other endeavors: London police are handing out soccer-style yellow cards to aggressive drinkers, banning them for 48 hours from their preferred drinking spots. In New York City, a comedian dressed like a soccer referee has been handing out red cards to pedestrians guilty of such transgressions as wearing the wrong shoes or taking selfies in inappropriate places. A female journalist has started a â€Å"red/yellow card project† to address harassment issues. She has designed cards that professional women can hand out to men who treat them inappropriately at conventions or in the workplace. The red card informs the recipient that he has done something â€Å"wildly inappropriate† and he’s lucky he got a card â€Å"and not a punch in the face.† The language on the yellow card is less confrontational: If you have received this card, you have done something mildly inappropriate to the person who handed this to you. Your intentions might have been good, but before future engagement make sure that you are being respectful and mindful of people’s boundaries. To a reader who understands the reference, to be told that someone was â€Å"shown the yellow card† is illuminating. For the reader who doesn’t know the expression, or the reader who is familiar with it in a different context, it’s another sports analogy that could be more confusing than enlightening. Other contexts in which â€Å"yellow card† is or has been used: Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band. Yellow Card Scheme, a UK initiative concerning reactions to medicines. Carte Jaune (Yellow Card), a vaccination certificate issued by the World Health Organization. Yellow Card, nickname for the IBM System/370 Reference Summary booklet in the 1970s. Correction and Clarification Update: As the comments below point out, black cards are not used in soccer. (The card descriptions in this post are based on the rules for Gaelic football.) The most pertinent information to take away is that when the term â€Å"yellow card† is used figuratively, it signifies a warning. On a secondary level, this post can serve to illustrate the fact that for some readers, sports analogies can be a source of confusion. The post can also serve as â€Å"a yellow card† to writers to take great care when researching a topic they know absolutely nothing about. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 1Yay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other Acclamations30 Words for Small Amounts

The People of the Book Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The People of the Book - Research Paper Example The Quran view on the question of salvation is, to a significant determined by the question of difference in terms of practice. There seems to be some deep brotherly concern as the Quran engages the Christians in a reflective argument about some practices, which are inconsistent with its own beliefs. For instance, the Quran embraces the practice of religion as carried out by Abraham and suggests for the Christians to engage in the same â€Å"They say: "Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (To salvation)." Say thou: "Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah,† (Quran 2:135)1. A clearer view of the Quran perception on Christianity and Judaism could be understood from the perspective of the Quran on biblical figures. In the perspective of the Quran, Jesus was just among the great prophets sent by God to the world and should be treated as such without necessarily elevating him to the level of a deity. This position appears to challenge the position adopted by Christians on the position of Christ. Further, the Quran reserves special recognition for religious figures who feature prominently in the old testament such as Abraham and Isaac. This appears to affirm some close kinship between the Christians and the Muslims. ... It holds that Christians and Jews should make amends for their wrongs in order to reestablish themselves in the true worship of God. There seems to be a deep yearning in the Quran to reestablish connections with the Christians and Jews if they change certain aspects of their lives. â€Å"So if they believe as ye believe, they are indeed on the right path; but if they turn back, it is they who are in schism; but Allah will suffice thee as against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing,† (Quran, 2:137)3. The Quran expresses concern to particular religious practices conducted by the Christians. It suggests change from such practices and stipulates the correct manner in which they should be conducted. For instance, the Quran argues against the Christian practice of baptism with the view that only God can baptize, â€Å"(Our religion is) the Baptism of Allah: And who can baptize better than Allah? And it is He Whom we worship,† (Quran 2:138)4. Despite the heavy cri ticism that the Quran reserves for the Christians, there is an acknowledgement of the kinship between the religions. The underlying message is that the Christians have just lost their way leaving the Muslims to worship the God they share, â€Å"Say: Will ye dispute with us about Allah, seeing that He is our Lord and your Lord; that we are responsible for our doings and ye for yours; and that We are sincere (in our faith) in Him?,) (Quran 2: 139)5. In order to create impact for change the Quran offers Christianity and Jews various examples of personalities in the old testament famed for great deeds but who never practiced the kind of religious practices that is generally common in the Christian doctrine.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - Essay Example She struggled with her assailant, but was badly beaten and bloodied. Sebold's rapist was caught, convicted, and given a maximum prison sentence, but the ordeal was far from over. Somewhat surprisingly, Sebold returned to school in Syracuse, and after graduating headed to the University of Houston for a brief attempt at graduate school. She eventually settled in New York City, where she planned to become a writer. For years, she lived in the East Village--during its rattiest period, before it was an acceptable post-college, bar-and-restaurant-filled enclave--while working as a research analyst and teaching English as an adjunct instructor at Hunter College on the side. It took her several years to emerge from her post-assault experience, she admitted, and recalled her 20s as a period in which she dated the wrong men, drank too much, snorted heroin for three years, and took part in daring stunts like climbing to the top of the Manhattan Bridge. Finally, Sebold wrote a New York Times article about her rape, which led to an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. A sentence from her article was quoted a few years later in a book called Trauma and Recovery, about post-traumatic stress disorder. As she explained in an interview with the Guardian's Katharine Viner, reading that book was a turning point in her life. "I was failing miserably in New York, I'd written two novels that weren't published," she recalled. Sebold applied to graduate school in California, but was determined to relocate no matter what. "If I didn't get in I was going to buy a dozen nude-colored panty hose and get an office job in Temecula, California," she said in the interview with Valby. (Huntley p1510) Accepted into the master of fine arts writing program at the University of California's Irvine campus, she took out a student loan, and met her future husband on the first day of school. The work earned good reviews, with Publishers Weekly describing it as a "fiercely observed memoir about how an incident of such profound violence can change the course of one's life," but failed to catch on with readers. (Conway p127) Finally, she finished The Lovely Bones manuscript, and it netted her a two-book deal with Little, Brown. As advance copies began circulating in the months prior to its June of 2002 publication date, a publishing-industry and bookseller buzz began to attach to it. The Lovely Bones, told from the viewpoint of a 14-year-old rape and murder victim looking down from heaven, struck a nerve with a society reeling from accounts of 12-year-old Ashley Pond and 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis, Danielle van Dam, 7, Samantha Runnion, 5, and 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, all snatched and silenced since January. Summary Drawing on folkloric and religious motifs and ideas, Alice Sebold presents a remarkable, complex, and comforting vision of heaven as the platform from which Susie Salmon, raped and murdered by a neighbor at the age of fourteen, tells her story. It is a heaven that indeed has many "mansions," one of which is the "wide wide Heaven," which can provide one's every desire. The word Susie's grandfather has for the dominant quality of this heaven is "comfort," and oddly comforting, indeed, is Alice Sebold's novel because it postulates a vision of heaven that begins with an "intake" level of simplicity that matches