Free Essays on Necrophilia

Necrophilia is the practice of having sex with corpses. Necrophilia, a Greek word that means â€Å"love of the dead†. It is a very common act among serial killers. Various well-known serial killers have been diagnosed with necrophilia, such as: Earl Leonard Nelson a/k/a â€Å"Gorilla Man†, which is known as the first American serial sex killer of the twentieth century. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein and many more among the ones mentioned. Although necrophilia seems to be rare and uncommon in our society, it is a very common disorder within a serial killers profile. Necrophilia may sound like a rare illness due to the fact that it isn’t being reported the way it should be. When necrophilies take action, the most common place they break into is funeral homes. A reason for not reporting these acts would certainly be that funeral homes do not want the publicity. When funeral homes report that there has been a break in and that bodies have been disturbed, no one will want to bring their deceased friends and family members, fearing that their loved one will be taken advantage of. The press/media is an effective way of informing and educating the public about what goes on in our society. Necrophilia is hidden from society because it is not normal behavior. Necrophilia is immoral and unethical. Therefore, society tends to turn away and pretend as if nothing is wrong. Research indicates that 90% of necrophiliacs are primarily heterosexual males. 60% of necrophilies were diagnosed with personality disorders and 10% of those diagnosed with personality disorders are also psychotic. Funeral homes are not the only places where necrophilies are attracted. They are very popular within hospitals, mortuaries, funeral parlors, and cemeteries. Necrophilies are attracted to the odor of blood and the feel for dead skin. Some necrophilies have used parts of the bodies of their victims to furnish their homes and even for the use of sil... Free Essays on Necrophilia Free Essays on Necrophilia Necrophilia is the practice of having sex with corpses. Necrophilia, a Greek word that means â€Å"love of the dead†. It is a very common act among serial killers. Various well-known serial killers have been diagnosed with necrophilia, such as: Earl Leonard Nelson a/k/a â€Å"Gorilla Man†, which is known as the first American serial sex killer of the twentieth century. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein and many more among the ones mentioned. Although necrophilia seems to be rare and uncommon in our society, it is a very common disorder within a serial killers profile. Necrophilia may sound like a rare illness due to the fact that it isn’t being reported the way it should be. When necrophilies take action, the most common place they break into is funeral homes. A reason for not reporting these acts would certainly be that funeral homes do not want the publicity. When funeral homes report that there has been a break in and that bodies have been disturbed, no one will want to bring their deceased friends and family members, fearing that their loved one will be taken advantage of. The press/media is an effective way of informing and educating the public about what goes on in our society. Necrophilia is hidden from society because it is not normal behavior. Necrophilia is immoral and unethical. Therefore, society tends to turn away and pretend as if nothing is wrong. Research indicates that 90% of necrophiliacs are primarily heterosexual males. 60% of necrophilies were diagnosed with personality disorders and 10% of those diagnosed with personality disorders are also psychotic. Funeral homes are not the only places where necrophilies are attracted. They are very popular within hospitals, mortuaries, funeral parlors, and cemeteries. Necrophilies are attracted to the odor of blood and the feel for dead skin. Some necrophilies have used parts of the bodies of their victims to furnish their homes and even for the use of sil...

How to Change Your Habits and Improve Your Grades

How to Change Your Habits and Improve Your Grades Its disappointing to receive low scores on a big test or a homework assignment, but you dont need to let small setbacks get you down. There is always time to make things better. Steps to Take If It Isnt Over Yet If youve received a few low grades on assignments throughout the year and youre facing a big final, then you still have time to bring up your final grade.   Sometimes, a good grade on the final project or exam can increase your final grade dramatically. Especially if the teacher knows youre really trying. Gather all your work assignments to determine exactly how and why you earned the low grades. Identify your weak points. Did your grades suffer because of careless grammar or poor writing habits? If so, be more mindful of grammar and structure during the final.Visit the teacher and ask her to go over your assignments with you. Ask her what you could have done differently.Ask what can you do for extra credit. By trying to take charge of your destiny, you are showing responsibility. Teachers will appreciate this.Ask for advice from the teacher. Teachers can direct you to resources that are topic-specific.Put all your energy into the final test or project. Find a tutor to help you. Ask the teacher to explain the format of the test. Will it be an essay exam or a multiple choice test? Target your study accordingly.Join a study group. Discuss the final exam with other students. They may have notes that you missed or they may have better insight into the teachers preferences when it comes to test questions and answers. Improve memory skills. There are many techniques to improve your memory. Find one that is best for you and the material youre studying.Get serious. Dont be late to class. Get some sleep. Turn off the TV. Talk to your Parents If you know a bad grade is imminent, then it might be wise to talk to your parents first. Let them know that you are trying to make a change and improve your performance. Get them involved. You may want to discuss creating a homework contract with your parents. The contract should address time commitments, homework help, supplies, and other issues that affect grades. Looking Toward the Future If you have just received your end-of-year grades and youre looking forward to improving your performance next year, there are plenty of things you can do. Get organized. Keep a journal of assignments to identify strengths and weaknesses. Organize your supplies and establish a good study space.Try to use color-coded supplies to stay organized.Identify your personal learning style. This is critical to improving your study habits. Dont waste valuable study time using ineffective study methods.Talk to your counselor about your schedule or your diploma program. You may be enrolled in a program that isnt right for you. Are you taking courses that are too difficult because your diploma program requires it?Review your schedule. Cut out extracurricular activities that dont help you reach your true goals. If youre involved with that team or club just for fun- then you may need to make some tough decisions.Improve your writing skills. Students sometimes complain because they are penalized for poor writing in courses other than English. Teachers dont have much patience for this complaint! Good writing skills are critical for every class.Join a stu dy group. Be Realistic If you are stressing out about a possible B grade, you should know that perfect grades arent everything, and expecting them isnt very realistic, either. While it is true that some colleges place a lot of value in grades, it is also true that they are interested in recruiting humans, not machines.If you are hoping to get into a specific, highly competitive college and you are worried about getting a B, then you are smart enough to make yourself stand out in another way. For instance, you could use your creativity to craft an essay that stands out.Give yourself credit if youre doing your best. If you have tried everything, but you just cant become the perfect student you want to be, perhaps you should give yourself a break. Identify your own strong points and make the best of them.Dont give yourself a bad reputation. If you arent happy with a grade or a report card, you can discuss this with a teacher. However, if you make a habit out of visiting your teacher to complain, then you may be making a pest of yourself.

International operation and risk management of ICAP plc Essay

International operation and risk management of ICAP plc - Essay Example The company is a public limited company and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company was founded in the year 1986 and has more than 5000 employees who provide the risk services in the company. The company focuses mainly on the key principles of leadership, Integrity, entrepreneurship as well as respect for control. Performance - Financial Trend A ratio analysis has been conducted for ICAP in order to understand the financial performance of the company. Ratio Analysis       2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio 1.026 1.004 1.003 1.002 0.999       2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Cash Ratio 0.089 0.017 0.016 0.025 0.014                Profitability Ratio Gross Profit Margin 0.990 0.989 0.984 0.765 -       2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Operating Profit Margin 0.145 0.160 0.163 0.176 0.191       2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Net profit Margin 0.030 0.083 0.109 0.074 0.117 Leverage Ratio Debt Ratio 0.939 0.985 0.984 0.981 0.966       2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Debt Equity Ratio 15.31 66.19 60.37 48.89 28.68                Profitabilty Indicator Ratio Return on Assets 0.09% 0.17% 0.49% 0.24% 0.55%       2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Return on Capital Employed 0.41% 0.33% 0.40% 0.58% 1.78% Liquidity The current ratio of the company has increased by 22% over the last one year from 1.004 in 2012 to 1.026 in the financial year 2013. The inventory of the company for all the years is equal to zero. This means that for ICAP the current ratio and the quick ratio are the same (Atrill and Mclaney, 2008, pp. 142-178). The increase in the current ratio means that the company has efficient cash management and that the company can meet its short term debt obligations quite comfortably (Kieso, Weygandt and Warfield, 2007, p. 738). Thus ICAP has sound liquidity position. Profitability The profitability levels of the company can be estimated from the profitability ratios as shown in the table above. The gross profit margin for the compa ny has increasing steadily from 2011 to 2012 and then from 2012to 2013. The gross profit margin for the year 2013 is 0.939 which means that the company has been able to use the different resources that it has in the most appropriate way (Williams, Haka, Bettner and Carcello, 2008, p. 266). Source: ICAP 2013, p. 03 The operating profit margin for the company fell almost more than one percent in the year 2013. Thus it shows that the company has not been able to achieve economies of scale for the last one year but the steady figure over the years reflects the efficiency of the company in maintaining the scale of operations (Gallagher, 2003, pp. 94–95). The different compositions of the operating profit of ICAP as per the different businesses have been shown in the dough nut chart as above. This means that most of the operations of the company are equally prosperous and has been able to achieve the desired scale of operations for the long term (Weston and Brigham, 1990, p. 295). The return on assets for the company is 0.09% in 2013 as compared to 0.017% in 2012 and 0.27% in 2011. Looking at the steady level of net income of the company it shows that the company has increased its assets over the phase of 3 years which has resulted in a declining ROA (Tracy, 2004, p. 173).

Costimulatory activity of dendritic cells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Costimulatory activity of dendritic cells - Essay Example T cell activation is a highly regulated event involving complex receptor-ligand interactions, ultimately leading to downstream signaling events (Annu Rev Immunol. 2002). Optimal activation of naà ¯ve T cells requires at least two signals, antigen recognition and co-stimulation (Bretscher and Cohn 1970).The first signal requires engagement of an antigen receptor by foreign antigen. Professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) such as dentritic cells, macrophages and B-lymphocytes play a major role in this. They present different sets of antigens and serve to activate T cells at different points during immune response. These cells on encountering foreign antigens such as bacteria, engulf and destroy them. The major histocompatible cell (MHC) present in the APCs binds to a piece of this antigen and displays the antigen to the cell surface. This MHC molecule that displays the antigen is recognized by a compatible T cell receptor (TCR). Thus, these APCs communicate with a T cell (Underst anding Autoimmune Diseases. How Does the Immune System Work? 2007).For a T cell to respond to a foreign antigen on the MHC, a second signal is required. (P.Anton van der Merwe.2000).This second signal or co-stimulation is an antigen-independent signal required for sustained cell proliferation, effector/memory cell generation and prevention of energy or apoptosis. APC participation is required in the second signaling also. In addition to antigen presentation, these cells provide co stimulatory signals. ... Provide the co-stimulatory signal necessary for T cell activation. When a naive T cell binds to its specific peptide: MHC complex, the CD28 on the T cell's surface binds to the B7 molecules on the APC (Fig.1). These two signals together lead to the production of several cytokines. Fig.1: T cell activation by two-signal pathway. [Online] Available at http://www.clinsci.org. Dendritic cells are the most effective stimulators of T cell activation. They continuously express high levels of co stimulatory B7 (Fig 2). Upon recognition of infectious particles, these cells migrate through the lymphatics to the nearest lymph node. In the follicles of the lymph node, they come into close contact with the nave T cells where it begins expression of the B7 molecules. Once the T cells are activated, they will leave the lymph node and travel to the sites of inflammation. Macropohages, in the absence of infection, express low levels of MHC II and almost no co stimulators (B7). In the case of infection, however macrophages poses certain types of receptors that recognize differential carbohydrate patterns on foreign cells. They also have receptors for specific bacterial products such as lippolysaccharide endotoxin. When these molecules bind with their ligands, they stimulate the macrophages to up regulate MHC II and B& providing these cells with strong antigen presenting properties. They also start to secrete cytokines that aid in their functions. It is at this point that antigen presentation by MHC II will activate T cells. Macrophage Dendritic Cell B cell MHC-II Expression Low levels. Induced by Bacteria and/or Cytokines Always Expressed. Always Expressed. Inducible upon

Is Scott Electronics plcs current human resources strategy effective Essay Example for Free

Is Scott Electronics plcs current human resources strategy effective Essay To what extent do you think that Scott Electronics plc’s current human resources strategy is effective? (18) Human resource strategy is how a business sees its employees from different business point of view and they are seen as resources to complete the business objectives. Firstly the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is very effective because the firm’s labour productivity is very high with 105 compared to the industry average which is 100. This is very effective as it shows the level of recruitment and the staff the business is recruiting is doing very well which has a positive effect in the recruitment section therefore this will make the company recruit more staff which will increase the productivity of the business. Also the bonuses which is 40% and its 20% higher than the industry average, this shows that the bonuses are keeping the firms employees motivated and it drives them to work harder which mean there will be a increase in productivity and if productivity increases it will have a positive effect on the sales revenue as the company will sell more items which will increase the sales revue and profit. Also another reason why the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is very effective because it has a very unique centralised organisational structure. A centralised structure is where the entire decision making is done from the top of the hierarchy. This is an effective strategy because the entire decision making can be done from the main person who is in charge and it can be done very quickly without going through any difficulties. This is very effective because staff can work through the business objective rather than stressing on the extra responsibility they have on their shoulders which will make them stress free and become more productive. Also they can be told what to do and the managers will have control over their workforce so that employees are less likely to make mistakes or make wrong decisions which will make a negative impact the on the businesses performance. However the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is not that effective because high numbers of employees are on temporary contract which is 75% compared to the industry average which is 25%. This is bad for the business because it will make employees feel that the job security is not there and they are not guaranteed the job which the business can tell the employees that they are not in need and the employees will go away, therefore this might result in the employees not very motivated to do well and they might not think as if they are involved with the business. Also employees on temporary contract are more likely to leave the business as the labour turnover rate is at 10% which is higher than the industry average which is 6%. This is human resource strategy is ineffective because it lead to employees leaving the business every year and the business is losing experienced and valuable staff. Also another reason the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is not that effective because the training budget is below the industry average as Scott electronics training cost is  £500 compared to the industries average which is  £1000. This shows that the staff are not that well trained and most of the staff don’t know what they are doing sometimes or they might not know how the company operates as high level of training was not provided. This lead to the amount of defect products increased as the staffs were not well trained and they kept making mistakes therefore the numbers of defects products increased. This is one of my strongest reasons because staffs need to be well trained before they can start the job as they will know what they are doing and how they are going to carry out each task according the company structures of dealing with things. Therefore the staff need to be well trained and the business needs to increase its amount on training the staff which will allow the business to have staff that know what they are doing and make less mistakes as this will cause the staff to make less defect products. In conclusion I think that the human resources strategy is very effect to the business because average span of control for Scott’s electronic is 5 and industry average is 8. This has a greater advantage to the specific business because it will allow the business mangers to control their staff and monitor the progress which the manager can set targets and the targets can be analysed to see if they have reached the targets this will increase the productivity of the business as targets are reached and mangers have better control over their staff and the business. However I think that the current human resource strategy is not that effective to the business because the firm’s defected products are 10% and the industry average is 5% which is doubled the amount. Therefore you can tell that the strategy is not that effective as the staffs are making a lot of mistakes which will cost the business as the raw materials cost money to buy. Also this indicates that strategy is failing as staff are not well trained or may not experienced enough to work in the field which the bale goes the firms recruitment policy as the firm could have employed experienced staff which could have reduced the level of defected products.

Why The Vegetarian Diet Is Best Essay -- Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Why the Vegetarian Diet is Best The vegetarian diet is becoming increasingly popular all the time. Is the vegetarian or meat diet better? A decade ago and earlier, the impression was that a vegetarian diet was lacking in the nutrients found in meat products. Today though, through research and nutritional science, it has been proven that all the nutrients found in meat can also be found in the correct vegetarian diet. Some may argue that by only consuming meat that is low in fat, meat and vegetarian diets have identical benefits. This is true only if one eats only very low fat meat. The lack of meat is not necessarily the main benefit of to the vegetarian. Vegetarians tend to eat more fruits, vegetables and grains that the meat eater. They also tend not to use tobacco and excessive alcohol. In addition, vegetarians tend to get more exercise. The term vegetarian can be misleading. This diet can take on many different variations. A fruitarian eats only fruits, seeds and nuts while the vegan eats these and vegetables, grains and legumes. A lacto vegetarian consumes the same as a vegan as well as dairy products. A lacto-ovo vegetarian follows after the lacto vegetarian but also includes eggs while the ovo vegetarian excludes dairy products. Finally, the partial vegetarian eats anything except red meat, or at least strictly limits it. Because the term vegetarian is used to cover all facets and variations, it is difficult to identify health benefits resulting from th...

High School Drop-Outs Essay

When one out of three students fails to graduate in the nation, there has to be a main issue, a source of frustration or maybe hopelessness, causing students to give up on their educations when they had an opportunity to go further. When people feel that there is no hope or chance, they will give up. This is what is happening to high-school students leading them to drop-out of school despite the fact that a high-school diploma could be so beneficial to their lives and the fact that it can be prevented. In the article â€Å"High School Dropouts Costly to American Economy†, Sarah White said, â€Å"The teachers didn’t care, the students didn’t care. Nobody cared, so why should I?† I believe that in order for students to want to work in high school to achieve their diplomas, they need emotional support and a motivational backbone. When I made a good grade when I was little or even now, my parents and my teacher were there to praise me and push me to do even better and work toward higher educational goals. Because of their support, I want to do well in school and aim high in school and towards college. Without their support, advice and expectations, I probably wouldn’t care about school; this is what high school-dropouts need and are lacking. Just earning a high school diploma can improve the standard of living for a person significantly. The article â€Å"By the Numbers: Dropping Out of High School† says, â€Å"The average dropout can expect to earn an annual income of $20,241, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a full $10,386 less than the typical high school graduate, and $36,424 less than someone with a bachelor degree.† With numbers as drastic as this, schools need to not only work to get students to graduate, but desire to work for at least a bachelor’s degree in higher education for the benefit of the students. Many successful programs to improve this situation are have already been created; more schools simply need to work them into their systems. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America was created solely to serve kids in crisis, kids who are at risk for many things including not graduating on time. This club’s self-professed mission states that it serves to create, â€Å"A safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals, life-enhancing programs and character development experiences and hope and opportunity.† In other words, this club serves to provide kids with the support they need in a safe environment. These clubs have many local chapters and already serve many kids, and they are easy to create. Other solutions for the drop-out crisis include creating mentors or buddies for at-risk students in school and students getting paid for good grades; each are effective in different ways. By pairing at-risk students at school with other students who have high education goals, a support system is created where a friend can set the example and be the support. Paying students for their good grades creates incentive for students to not only stay in school, but to do well. These solutions and many others can be easy to implement and are very effective. With drop-out rates so high, more action needs to be taken by school and community to improve the futures of many children and many steps can be taken to do so. As Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.† An investment in a high school diploma is in the best interest of everyone.

Assessment and Students Essay

Journal assessment Conclusion Reccomendation III. INTRODUCTION: Why do Assessment? Are you asking too little of your class? Are your students approaching your course as hurdlers, barely clearing required levels of performance? Or are they approaching your course like high jumpers, pushing themselves under your guidance to increasingly more challenging heights? If your students aren’t high jumpers, maybe it’s because you aren’t asking them to high jump. By using appropriate assessment techniques, you can encourage your students to raise the height of the bar. There is considerable evidence showing that assessment drives student learning. More than anything else, our assessment tools tell students what we consider to be important. They will learn what we guide them to learn through our assessments. Traditional testing methods have been limited measures of student learning, and equally importantly, of limited value for guiding student learning. These methods are often inconsistent with the increasing emphasis being placed on the ability of students to think analytically, to understand and communicate at both detailed and â€Å"big picture† levels, and to acquire lifelong skills that permit continuous adaptation to workplaces that are in constant flux. Moreover, because assessment is in many respects the glue that links the components of a course – its content, instructional methods, and skills development – changes in the structure of a course require coordinated changes in assessment. IV. RESEARCH (CONTENT) What is Assessment? Assessment is a systematic process of gathering, interpreting, and acting upon data related to student learning and experience for the purpose of developing a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experience; the process culminates when assessment results are used to improve subsequent learning. Huba and Freed, 2000 Key Points Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning Multiple methods Criteria and standards Evidence Students know, can do and understand It’s more than just collecting data Sequence in Preparing Instructionally Relevant Assessment INSTRUCTION Indicates the learning outcomes to be attained by students LEARNING TASK Specifies the particular set of learning task(s) to be assessed. ASSESSMENT Provides a procedure designed to measure a representative sample of the instructionally relevant learning tasks. Is there close agreement? What is the Assessment Process? AIMS ASSESSMENT ACTION ADJUSTMENT Importance of Assessment To find out what the students know (knowledge) To find out what the students can do, and how well they can do it (skill; performance) To find out how students go about the task of doing their work (process) To find out how students feel about their work (motivation, effort) What is Student Assessment for? *To help us design and modify programs to better promote learning and student success. To provide common definitions and benchmarks for student abilities that will enable us to act more coherently and effectively to promote student learning. *To provide feedback, guidance, and mentoring to students so as to help them better plan and execute their educational programs. *To provide improved feedback about student learning to support faculty in their work. Functions of Assessment Diagnostic: tell us what the student needs to learn Formative: tell us how well the student is doing as work progresses Summative: tell us how well the student did at the end of a unit/task What can be assessed? Student learning characteristics -Ability differences -Learning styles Student motivational characteristics -Interest -Self-efficacy -goal orientation Learning Content knowledge Ability to apply content knowledge Skills Dispositions and attitudes Performances Direct and Indirect Assessment Measures Direct methods ask students to demonstrate their learning while indirect methods ask them to reflect on their learning. Direct methods include objective tests, essays, case studies, problem solving exercises, presentations and classroom assignments. Indirect methods include surveys, interviews and student reflection and/or self-assessment essays. It is useful to include both direct and indirect assessment measures in your assessments. How should we assess? True –False Item Multiple Choice Completion Short Answer Essay Practical Exam Papers/Reports Projects Questionnaires Inventories Checklist Peer Rating Self Rating Journal Portfolio Observations Discussions Interviews Criteria In Choosing an Assessment Method It should be reliable. It should be valid. It should be simple to operate, and should not be too costly. It should be seen by students and society in general. It should benefit all students. Who should be involved in assessment? The teacher The student The student’s peer Administrator Parents What should we do with the information from our assessment? Use it to improve the focus of our teaching (diagnosis) Use it to focus student attention of strengths and weaknesses (motivation) Use it to improve program planning (program assessment) Use it for reporting to parents Classroom Assessment Paper and pencil assessments: Ask students to respond in writing to questions or problem -Item level: Assessing lower vs. higher skills -Knowledge vs. application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation -Authentic tasks e. . multiple choice, T/F, matching (recognition), short answer, essay (recall) Paper and Pencil Assessment Strengths -Can cover a lot of material reasonably well -Fair -Effective in assessing declarative knowledge of content – Easier to construct and administer than performance assessments Weaknesses -Require forethought and skill -Less effective in assessing procedural knowledge and creative think ing -Construction of good higher level recognition items is difficult -Recall items that do a good job of assessing higher level thinking (essay questions) are difficult to score. Performance Assessments – assessment that elicits and evaluates actual student performances Types of Performances: Products: drawings, science experiments, term papers, poems, solution to authentic problems Behavior: time trial for running a mile, reciting a poem, acting tryouts, dancing Performance assessments Strengths – Effective for assessing higher level thinking and authentic learning -Effective for assessing skill and procedural learning -Interesting and motivating for students Weaknesses -Emphasize depth at the expense of breadth Difficult to construct -Time consuming to administer -Hard to score fairly How can we assess student learning? Traditional assessment: assess student knowledge and skills in relative isolation from real world context. Traditional assessment practices reflect what students are able to recall from memory through various means, such as, multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, and matching questions. Authentic assessment: assess stu dents’ ability to use what they’ve learning in tasks similar to those in the outside world. Occurs when the authenticity of student learning has been observed. It requires information from a variety of source such as content work samples, observation during class activities, and conferences with students. Classroom Assessment Informal Assessment: teachers’ spontaneous, day to day observations of student performances. Examples Verbal -Asking questions -Listening to student discussions -Conducting student conferences Nonverbal -Observing -Task performances -On-and off-task behavior -student choices -student body language Informal Assessment Strengths -Facilitates responsive teaching -Can be done during teaching -Easy to individualize Weaknesses -Requires high level of teacher skill -Is vulnerable to -Bias -Inequities –Mistakes Classroom Assessment Formal assessment : assessment that is planned in advance and used to assess a predetermined content and/or skill domain. Strengths -allows the teacher to evaluate all students systematically on the important skills and concepts -helps teachers determine how well students are progressing over the entire year -provides useful information to parents and administrators. Portfolios A collection of student samples representing or demonstrating student academic growth. It can include formative and summative assessment. It may contain written work, journals, maps, charts, survey, group reports, peer reviews and other such items. Portfolios are systematic, purposeful, and meaningful collections of students’ work in one or more subject areas. Importance of Portfolios For Students Shows growth over time Displays student’s accomplishment Helps students make choices Encourages them to take responsibility for their work Demonstrates how students think Importance of Portfolios For Teachers Highlights performance-based activities over year Provides a framework for organizing student’s work Encourages collaboration with students, parents, and teachers Showcases an ongoing curriculum Facilitates student information for decision making Importance of Portfolios For Parents Offer insight into what their children do in school Facilitates communication between home and school Gives the parents an opportunity to react to what their child is doing in school and to their development Shows parents how to make a portfolio so they may do one at home at the same time Importance of Portfolios For Administrators Provides evidence that teacher/school goals are being met Shows growth of students and teachers Provides data from various sources What do portfolios contain? Three basic models: Showcase model, consisting of work samples chosen by the student. Descriptive model, consisting of representative work of the student, with no attempt at evaluation. Evaluative model, consisting of representative products that have been evaluated by criteria. Disadvantages of Portfolio Require more time for faculty to evaluate than test or simple-sample assessment. Require students to compile their own work, usually outside of class. Do not easily demonstrate lower-level thinking, such as recall of knowledge. May threaten students who limit their learning to cramming for doing it at the last minute. Rubric It is a scoring guide that seeks to evaluate a student’s performance based on the sum of a full range of criteria rather than a single numerical score. It is a working guide for students and teachers, usually handed out before the assignment begins in order to get students to think about the criteria on which their work will be judged. Rubrics are scoring criteria for Free-response Questions Scientific reports Oral or Power point presentations Reflections/Journals Essay Laboratory-based performance tests Article review or reactions Portfolios Many others Open-ended Question Concept Mapping It requires students to explore links between two or more related concepts. When making concept maps, they clarify in their minds the links they have made of the concepts and having visual representation of these links, they are better able to rearrange of form new links when new concepts are introduced. Laboratory Performance In this format students and teachers know the requirements in advance and prepare them. The teacher judges the student performance within a specific time frame and setting. Students are rated on appropriate and effective use of laboratory equipment, measuring tools, and safety laboratory procedures as well as a hands-on designing of an investigation. Inventories Diagnostic Inventories: Student responses to a series of questions or statements in any field, either verbally or in writing. These responses may indicate an ability or interest in a particular field. Interest Inventories: student responses to questions designed to find out past experience and or current interest in a topic, subject or activity. Classroom Assessment Presentation : a presentation by one student or by a group of students to demonstrate the skills used in the completion of an activity or the acquisition of curricular outcomes/expectations. The presentation can take the form of a skit, lecture, lab presentation, debate etc. Computers can also be used for presentation when using such software as Hyperstudio, Powerpoint or Corel presentations. Peer Evaluation : judgments by students about one another’s performance relative to stated criteria and program outcomes Journal Assessment This refer to student’s ongoing record of expressions experiences and reflections on a given topic. There are two types: one in which students write with minimal direction what he/she is thinking and or feeling and the other requires students to compete a specific written assignment and establishes restrictions and guidelines necessary to accurately accomplish the assignment. Journals can evolve different types of reflecting writing, drawing, painting, and role playing. REFLECTIVE JOURNAL What did I learn? How do I feel about it? What happened? SYNTHESIS JOURNAL How I can Use It? What I learned? What I Did? SPECULATION ABOUT EFFECTS JOURNAL What could happen because of this? What happened? V. CONCLUSION A fair assessment is one in which students are given equitable opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do. Classroom assessment is not only for grading or ranking purposes. Its goal is to inform instruction by providing teachers with information to help them make good educational decisions. Assessment is integrated with student’s day-to-day learning experiences rather than a series of an end-of-course tests. Why link assessment with instruction? Better assessment means better teaching. Better teaching means better learning . Better learning means better students. Better students mean better opportunities for a better life. VI. RECCOMENDATION Specific assessment tools, listed below, are strongly recommended to faculty and department heads for their ability to provide useful information for accountability and, more importantly, to foster dialogue to improve student learning within courses. These three assessment tools are strongly recommended because they are concise and effective direct evaluations as opposed to indirect evaluations. Direct evaluations can be both formative (the gathering of information about student learning during the progression of a course or program, usually repeatedly, to improve the learning of those students) and summative (the gathering of information at the conclusion of the course, program or undergraduate career to improve learning or to meet accountability demands. ) 1. Rubrics:  These are the most flexible types of direct assessments and can be used to score any product or performance such as essays, portfolios, skill performances, oral exams, debates, project/product creation, oral presentations or a student’s body of work over the course of a semester. Since we are talking about assessing â€Å"official† course learning outcomes that are stated in course documents, all faculty teaching that course must agree on a detailed scoring system that delineates criteria used to discriminate among levels and is used for scoring a common assignment, product or performance or set of assignments, products or performances. Information can be obtained from the course document’s assignment and evaluation pages to help guide the creation of the rubric. Pros: †¢ Defines clear expectations. †¢ Can be used to score many kinds of assignments or exams †¢ Faculty define standards and criteria and how they will be applied Cons: †¢ Faculty must agree on how to define standards and criteria and how they will be applied 2. Common Final Exam or Common Capstone Project:  These direct assessment methods integrate knowledge, concepts and skills associated with an entire sequence of study in a course. Either use the same final exam for all sections offered in a course (commercially produced/standardized test or locally developed final exam) or require a culminating final project that is similar (using the same grading rubric to evaluate). Pros: †¢ Good method to measure growth over time with regard to a course †¢ Cumulative †¢ The data is more robust if all students complete the same assessment †¢ Provides an additional buffer between student learning performance and an individual instructor’s teaching performance Cons: Focus and breadth of assessment are important †¢ Understanding all of the variables to produce assessment results is also important †¢ May result in additional course requirements †¢ Requires coordination and agreement on standards 3. Embedded Test Questions:  Embed the same agreed upon questions that relate to the course’s student learning outcomes into the final exam for all sections of the course and analyze tho se results and/or embed the same agreed-upon requirements into the final project/assignment for all sections of the course and analyze those results. Pros: †¢ Good method to measure growth over time with regards to a course †¢ Cumulative †¢ The data is more robust if all students complete the same assessment †¢ Provides an additional buffer between student learning performance and an individual instructor’s teaching performance †¢ Embedded questions can be reported as an aggregate Cons: †¢ May result in additional course requirements †¢ Requires coordination and agreement on standards If some instructors embed and others do not, the data will be difficult to compare and analyze †¢ Separate analysis of embedded set of questions is required VII. REFERENCES https://www. google. com. ph/search? q=ASSESSMENT+TOOLS+PPT;rlz=2C1GTPM_enPH0537PH0537;aq=f;oq=assessment+tools+;aqs=chrome. 0. 59j57j61j60l2j0. 3437j0;sourceid=chrome;ie=UTF-8 http://www. slideshare. net/armovil/assessment-of-student-learning? from_search=2 Fulks, Janet, â€Å"Assessing Student Learning in Community Colleges†, Bakersfield College, 2004

Jaques Cousteau essays

Jaques Cousteau essays On June 11, 1910, Jacques Cousteau was born. His family live in a small town called Saint Andre de Cubzac in France. Although he was a sickly child, Jacques parents never could have imagined their son to be doing what he was doing for the world of science and deep-sea exploration in the future. Even at early childhood, Jacques dreamed of finding buried pirates treasure. Times were hard for the Cousteau family in France, though. In 1920, when Jacques was ten years old, the family packed their bags and started a new life in New York City, New York. Here, Jacques father got a new job. In New York, Jacques attended the Holy Name School. When he was off of school in the summer, though, Jacques and his family vacationed to Lake Harvey, Vermont, where Jacques first learned how to swim and hold his breath underwater. After two years in America, his family Jacques family decided to move back to France. When Jacques got back to France, one of the first things he did was buy a brand new movie camera he had been wanting with his savings. Even though he was very smart, Jacques started doing very badly in school. He also made a lot of trouble at school. Eventually, it became too much, and Jacques Cousteau was expelled from the school for throwing rocks at its windows. Jacques, though, always seemed to be able to learn from his mistakes. That same year, he was sent to military boarding school for his behavior. Here, Jacques did very well and excelled in all of his classes. In 1929, Jacques graduated from the boarding school, and in the next year, he joined the French navy. While in the navy, he took many journeys on boats around the world. On one of these trips, he met a young woman named Simone Melchior. Melchior was also a member of the French navy and stayed with Cousteau throughout many of their journeys. On July 12, 1937, the couple was married. Mr. And Mrs. Jacques Cousteau went o...

Creating Chinese Calligraphy

Creating Chinese Calligraphy Chinese calligraphy is the art of creating aesthetically pleasing writing or tangible representations of the Chinese languages. It can take years to learn the art because students have to master  writing Chinese characters, which is a daunting task in itself, and they have to write them beautifully and with an unforgiving tool: the brush. History The art of calligraphy in China can be traced to ancient Chinese signs and symbols that appeared as early as 6,000 years ago according to Wei Lu and Max Aiken in their essay, Origins and Evolution of Chinese Writing Systems and Preliminary Counting Relationships. However, its modern form didnt emerge until a few thousand years later, between the 14th and 11th centuries B.C. There are seven main categories of traditional Chinese calligraphy- which include Hhsin (pronounced xing), Sao (cao), Zuan (zhuan), Li, and Kai- each with its own slight variations in style and symbolism. As a result, the skill of writing beautiful calligraphy may be difficult for some learners to grasp, but fortunately, there are a variety of online resources for creating and editing Chinese calligraphy.   Although the earliest-known calligraphy-like symbols date to around 4000 B.C., the traditional style of calligraphy thats still practiced today first appeared in Xiaoshuangqiao between 1400 and 1100 B.C. in modern-day Zhengzhou, China. Standardization Around 220 B.C., during the reign of Qin Shi Huang in Imperial China, a standard Chinese calligraphy system was adopted. As the first conqueror of a majority of land in China, Huang created a series of reforms including a character unification that yielded 3,300 standardized characters known as  XiÇŽozhun (zhuan). From that point forward, writing in China went through a series of reforms that yielded a new set of standardized characters and lettering. Over the next two centuries, other styles developed: the  Là ¬shÃ… « (li) style was followed by the KÇŽishÃ… « (kai), which was in turn followed by the Xà ­ngshÃ… « (xing), and CÇŽoshÃ… « (cao) cursive styles. Today, each of these forms is still used in traditional Chinese calligraphy practices, depending on the teacher and his preferences for style and aesthetics. Online Resources If you live in China, its easy to find calligraphers who sell their work or who can create custom calligraphy just for you. There is an easier way, though: tools that convert pasted text into calligraphy using various fonts. Some of the best include: The  Chinese Calligraphy Editor, which allows you to enter or paste your Chinese characters (simplified or traditional) and choose between 19 different styles in four different groups. You can also adjust the size of the generated picture, the orientation (horizontal or vertical), and direction (left to right or right to left). When you click calligraphy, a picture is generated that you can save.The  Chinese Calligraphy,  Model of Chinese Calligraphy, and  Chinese Text to Images Converter, which offer different fonts, though these only accept simplified characters and offer fewer features and customization than the Chinese Calligraphy Editor.The  Free Chinese Calligraphy Fonts, which allows you to download fonts, many of which resemble handwriting, to use on your computer.

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business Plan - Essay Example According to Wert (2009), â€Å"carnival’s generic strategy is best described as a blend of low-cost and differentiation.† This is like arguing that the company does not put all its eggs in one basket. Rather, it distributes the available generic strategies prudently to ensure that wider scopes of customer needs are met. By low cost strategy, the company masters in winning the hearts of as many clients with little economic standing as possible. For the high class who would prefer segregated forms of products and services, the company caters for this through the differentiation generic strategy. Scope of Generic Strategy Interestingly, the types of generic strategies identified earlier can be broken further down into whether they are implemented with a broad or narrow focus. Porter explains that the measure of either a broad or narrow focus constitutes the scope of the generic strategy. With reference to the generic strategies blended by Carnival Corporation (which are l ow cost and differentiation), the diagram below may give a representation of the different scopes available to Carnival Corporation. Source: Mind Tools (2012). ... It is not surprising that the current ratio, quick ratio and cash per share are all quoted as low with values of 0.215, 0.154 and 0 respectively (Covestor, 2012). The debt/equity, interest coverage ratio and book value per share are all quoted as average with values of 0.621, 1.17 and 0 respectively (Covestor, 2012). The second way by which the company implements cost leadership is by â€Å"increasing market share through charging lower prices, while still making a reasonable profit on each sale because you've reduced costs† Mind Tools, 2012). Differentiation involves making your products or services different from and more attractive those of your competitors. With reference to the product differentiation broad generic strategy, the company plays the game more to the implication of the name of strategy where by Carnival Corporation makes their products and services different from competitors in terms of the product quality, packaging appearance and attitude towards work. In t he bid to stand out tall in the industry, the company ensures that it trades not just product but quality service to its customers. This way, the company becomes the preferred destination for customers if the customers know they would even have to pay the same low price somewhere else for the same set of product delivery. Primary Competitors Indeed the Management Study Guide (2012) notes that one crutial area of competive analysis for any company is â€Å"identifying present as well as potential competitors. As far as the cruise ship operation industry is concerned, Carnival Corporation has a number of key competitors. These companies are described as key competitors because they trade in the same kind of business as