Primary Education in India: Evolution, Structure and Development Essay

Education is one of the major factors which control a nation’s economic and scientific growth. In the report, an attempt has been made to analyze the primary education system of India and how it has evolved over the course of history and affected various sections of the society. To create the report, various data sources, secondary research, surveys and government legislations were used and referred. The report charts the evolution of the Indian education system in an attempt to understand the reasons behind the present condition of the system. A description of the features of the public education system and low cost private schooling system in India, both in terms of quantity and quality, has been provided with the help of various data sources and secondary research. It was found that the literacy rates, especially in the younger age groups, for both boys and girls are on an upward trend. However, the increase in literacy rates and education provided has not been uniform in various sections of society as well as various states. Similarly, literacy rates for girls, rural residents, and members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes also lag behind those for boys, urban residents and the upper castes. Public expenditure on education in India has been rising over time and the government initiatives have resulted in a 9% increase in the literacy rate from 2001 to 2011. An analysis of the schooling system shows the growth in the literacy rates of the country since Independence and how it parallels with the increase in initiatives by the Indian government. It reflects non-uniform growth and disparity in the education imparted with respect to various sections, castes, gender and states in the country. The report also aims to increase the understanding of different perspectives and alternatives to the present system of primary schooling and education in the country. 2. INTRODUCTION Primary education is the foundation on which the development of every country is built on. In every country in the world, education is acknowledged as a tool for development and prosperity. Education is viewed as an intrinsically valuable commodity and a means to economic and social wellbeing of an individual as well as an entire nation. ? Most developed nations in the world also possess a sound primary and secondary education system. In the past few decades, the government of India has focused on provision of more schools ‘quantity’ and not on the ‘quality’. Various studies shown in the report will demonstrate that the percentage of ‘functionally literates’ is very low and the inadequacy of basic facilities and lack of infrastructure in schools. Government’s continuous efforts in the form of programs like ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, DPEP, Mid-Day meals can be credited to achieve the above objectives. Literacy Rate of India has had an increase of 62% since independence, but individual literacy rates of various states show significant variations. In 2011, 95% population of 7+ of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were literate, while Bihar had a literacy rate of 63. 25% with a female literacy rate of 33. 6%. The results of the surveys conducted show that some states are ‘educationally more advanced’ than others. India’s primary education has evolved from the traditional schools to the modern classroom. This has given the opportunity to the masses to get educated. New modern education also exposes the world and provides adequate infrastructure for an integrated learning environment. India’s literacy rates have increased from 12. 0% to 74. 04% in 2011 and although the male-female literacy rate gap is still 24. 1%, it has decreased over the last decade by 10%. The number of primary schools has increased three-fold from 209,671 to 664,041 and now 90% population has a school within 1 kilometer. While critics argue that the primary education system of India is not as advanced as the system in most developed countries, it is bound to become one of the fastest growing and most effective systems in the world in the near future due to the strong policies made by the government and the rapid growth of the alternative schooling system. 3. HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF PRIMARY SCHOOLING IN INDIA ? In the pre-British era, education in India commenced under the supervision of a guru in traditional schools called gurukuls. Historically and traditionally, India had predecessors to the modern system of higher education at Nalanda, Takshashila and Ujjain Universities where Science, Art, Economics, Politics, Law, and Medicine were the few early subjects that were taught. The British came to India in the second half of the millennium and by the late 19th and early 20th century, they were successful and instrumental in creating a proper schooling system with primary and secondary education which has been followed by the Indian state ever since. After India gained independence in 1947, education became the responsibility of the states. The Central Government’s only obligation was to co-ordinate in technical and higher education and specified standards. This continued till 1976, when the education became a joint responsibility of the state and the Centre.? In 1976, education was made a joint responsibility of the states and the Centre through a constitutional amendment Center is represented by Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Department of Education and together with the states, it is jointly responsible for the formulation of education policy and planning. The 86th Amendment of the Indian constitution makes education a fundamental right for all children aged 6-14 years. When India gained independence, the literacy rate was as low as 12% but has been growing ever since. Even though the literacy rate rose to 74% in the 2011 census which also translated into economic growth, there’s still a long way to go. In recent past, India has made great progress in terms of increasing primary education enrolment, attendance rate, retention and expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population. Figures released by the Indian government in 2011 show that there were 5,816,673 elementary school teachers in India. As of March 2012 there were 2,127,000 secondary school teachers in India. Education has also been made free for children for 6 to 14 years of age or up to class VIII under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009. There have been several efforts to enhance quality made by the government. The District Education Revitalization Programme (DERP) was launched in 1994 with an aim to universalize primary education in India by reforming and vitalizing the existing primary education system. 85% of the DERP was funded by the central government and the remaining 15 percent was funded by the states. 4. STRUCTURE OF THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS The main types of schools are those controlled by State government boards The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) International schools. These schools try to copy the schools in the West in pattern and syllabus and are considerably more expensive than regular schools. Overall, according to the latest Government Survey undertaken by NUEPA (DISE, 2010-11), there are over 1 million schools. Expenditure on Education in India Expenditure on education is on a rise. The Indian budget has provided Rs. 34,400 crores to the educational sector in India. It is an increase of 20% over previous year. In 2004 expenditure on education stood at 3. 52% of the GDP and in the eleventh plan it is estimated to be around 4% while it should be at least 6% of GDP. The District Information System for Education (DISE) reported in 2012 that 95% of India’s rural populations are within one kilometer of primary schools. The 2011 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), which tracks trends in rural education, indicated that enrollment rates among primary-school-aged children were about 93%, with little difference by gender. However, behind the veil of such promising statistics, the learning outcomes of India’s children show little progress. The country ranked 63 out of 64 in the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, with some of its best schools ranked about average among those surveyed. The 2011 ASER stated that only 48. 2% of students in the fifth grade can read at the second grade level. The number of students completing their primary education with inadequate numeracy and literacy skills is startling. To see this manifest in an economic sense, one may attribute India’s productivity growth — lagging behind that of East Asian economies — to a lack of progress in the foundational elements of countrywide, high-quality education. India’s private-schooled, English-speaking urban elite may attract global attention, but they are in the minority. The vast majority of Indian children attend government-run primary schools in rural areas. In 2008-2009, rural India accounted for more than 88% of India’s primary-school students, of whom over 87% were enrolled in government-run schools. This is where we see some of the nation’s challenges. â€Å"The destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms. † (Education Commission, 1964-66. ) This statement rings true half a century later.? While the development planners rightly recognized that expansion of educational facilities has to be accompanied with improvements in quality and relevance of education at all levels, the outcome is different at different places in the country. 5. THE INDIAN SOCIETY AND ITS ROLE IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM 5. 1 Socio-economic disparities Despite the strong constitutional backing for the provision of primary education in India and its expansion over time, the system is characterized not only by low achievements but also by large unevenness of achievements. Differences remain between rural and urban areas, and the probability of getting any education at all sharply depends on gender, caste and income. Women, scheduled castes and tribes and the poor are faced with barriers when it comes to getting basic education. Of the 200 million children in the age group 6-14, it is estimated that 59 million are out of school. Of these 35 million are girls and 24 million are boys (Ministry of Human Development, GOI). Apart from socio-economic determinants, the educational infrastructure and the management and the governance of the educational system in India are far from efficient or sufficient. The government is the largest provider of education in India with only about10% of primary schools owned by the private sector. The  quality of education provided by the public education system is low which translates into low educational abilities even for those who are able to complete primary education cycle. Moreover, there is a lot of ‘waste’ in the educational system with dropout rates as high as 40% for the country as a whole and in some Indian states, they are as high as 75%. Though the number of primary schools in the country increased, more than 1 lakh habitations still do not have access to a primary school within a distance of one kilometer. Teacher-pupil ratios are inadequate: less than 2 teachers are available in rural areas to teach a class size of around 100 students. Teacher motivation and teaching incentives are also very weak. 5. 2 Rural-Urban and Gender Disparities Perhaps, the largest disparity in educational attainment in India is by rural-urban location. While there has been some catching up in literacy rates for both males and females between rural and urban areas, the differences continue to be unacceptably large, especially for females. The child sex ratio also has a major impact on the disparity of the education imparted. Haryana, where the child sex ratio is decreasing, also sees the maximum amount of disparity when it comes to gender inequality of education. Only 46% of females in rural areas were literate as opposed to nearly 73% in urban areas in 2001, a gap of around 27 percentage points. For males, the gap was lower at around 15% percentage points with 71. 18% of males in rural areas and 86. 42% in urban areas being literate in 2001. However, school attendance has been rising for both girls and boys at the elementary school level in both rural and urban areas. The following table shows school attendance for boys and girls in the 614 years age category in 1992-93 and 1998-99 for rural and urban areas. Fewer girls attend school in rural areas compared to their urban counterparts, and also compared to boys in rural areas. The proportion of girls attending schools, however, has increased from 59% to 70% between the years under comparison. School Attendance (%), age 6-14 years 1992-93 Female Rural Urban Total 52 79 59 Male 72 85 75. 5 1998-99 Female 70 86 74 Male 81 89 83. While participation of girls in education has seen an increase over time at all levels of education, it continues to lag behind that of boys. Even in 2001-2002, girls’ enrolment remains below 50% of total enrolment at the primary school level. This is true of girls’ enrolment at all levels of education, though they have been increasing at levels beyond the primary as well. The table above provides enrolment data, which only takes into account entry into the school system and not attendance or retention, which as we have noted above was 73% for females compared to 79% for males. Moreover, if we view statistics for India as a whole, the numbers hide considerable variations. According to the Indian Census of 2001, of the 593 districts in India, 309 districts had (total) female literacy rates lower than the national average and 324 districts had a gender gap in (total) literacy rates that was greater than the national average. The gender gap in education is mostly due to entrenched gender norms, especially in the states of the north, where girls are married off at very young ages and exogamy in marriage means that any benefits of investment in education of girls will be captured by the household after marriage. This reduces parental incentives in the education of girls. The gender gap in education perhaps reaches its apogee in the North-western state of Rajasthan which can be seen as illustrative of what plagues gender equity in education in India as a whole. According to the 1991 Census, Rajasthan had 7 million children of primary school going age of which only 52. 8% attended school. Moreover, among girls the attendance rate was only 37. 4%. The drop out rate from the primary school system was as high as 55%. A large fraction of out of school children were girls. Among scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, the literacy rates for women were as low as 9% and 7% respectively. Thus, gender and caste attitudes have resulted in severe gender inequity in education in Rajasthan. These social attitudes are reproduced officially rendering them invisible, further compounding the low status of women in Rajasthan. 5. 3 Scheduled Castes and Tribes Membership in castes continues to exert a powerful influence on the attainment of socio-economic well being for people in India. This is reflected in almost all the social and economic development indicators for scheduled castes and tribes in India vis-a-vis the rest of the population. Scheduled tribes do worse than scheduled castes and girls belonging to scheduled castes and tribes do much worse than boys belonging to scheduled castes and tribes. At the primary school level, most boys are now enrolled in schools and the percentage of girls enrolled has also improved over time, though it continues to lag in certain states. One of the tables in the appendix provides enrolment ratios for boys and girls belonging to scheduled castes for 1997-98. Enrolment ratios for boys are above 100% for all states. However, drop-out rates for boys and girls belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are higher than average. In the case of scheduled tribes, nearly 64% of boys and 70% of girls drop out before completing primary school (MHRD, 1994). 6. THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SYSTEM Education is one of the most important parameters that can lead a country to a more sustained growth trajectory. The effect of education increases more in a country like India with over 1billion people. It should be noted that till 1976 in India, education was a ‘state subject’ . Post 1976 even the central government got involved in the process but the state could still enact laws modifying those passed by the central government. This implies that the primary responsibility for education lies with the state government. It may be noted that while expenditure on primary education may be nominal or even zero, especially in rural areas, the opportunity cost of education can be high which is why many households in the rural areas are reluctant to send their children to school. They see them as earning members of their families right from their childhood. In 2001-2002, India spent about 4% of its GDP on education, which is less than the proposed 6%. The following table shows government expenditure on education (all levels) as a ratio of expenditure on all sectors as well as percentage of GDP. From above, it is clear that elementary education was ignored by the government and more emphasis were given to secondary and tertiary education but at the start of the 21st century elementary education was finally given its due importance by allocation of more money. Elementary education is financed almost completely by the government – central, state and local – and government funds account for 99% of all recurring expenditure in elementary education. The District Primary Education Program(DPEP) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA) are two large scale programs undertaken by the government of India to provide primary and upper primary education to all the citizens of India. 6. 1 District Primary Education Program (DPEP) The Government of India launched the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) in 1994 with the aim to attain the goal of universal elementary education. The objectives of the program are: †¢ To provide access to all children to primary education through formal primary schools or its equivalent through alternatives †¢ To reduce overall dropouts at the primary level less than 10 percent †¢ To increase achievement levels by 25 percentage points over and above the measured baseline levels †¢ To reduce disparities of all types to less than 5 percent. The criteria to identify districts under the programme are: †¢ Educationally ward districts with female literacy below the national average †¢ Districts where TLC(Total Literacy Campaigns) have been successful leading to enhanced demand for primary education (Department of Education: 1993). When the program was launched in 1994, it covered forty-two districts in seven states, namely Assam, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Later, it was extended to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Currently, the program covers 176 districts in 15 states of India. These states together have 60% of the child population in India. Another 60-65 districts are slated be brought into the DPEP fold. DPEP is a centrally sponsored scheme with the central government providing 85% of funds and the state government providing the remaining 15%. The share of the central government comes from external assistance from bilateral and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, IDA, DFID, EC, UNICEF and the government of Netherlands. In the first phase of DPEP, 1,60,000 teachers were trained, 4,500 new schools, 5,000 class rooms were constructed and 14,400 toilet and water facilities provided. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA, 1998a), between 19931994 and 1996-1997, enrollment rates in DPEP districts increased by more than in non-DPEP districts. In many of the DPEP districts, primary school enrollment of girls increased at a higher rate than that for boys. Of the additional 6, 30,000 children enrolled in 39 of the 42 phase I DPEP districts between 1995-6 and 1996-7, 51. 5% were girls. Another NIEPA study (NIEPA, 1998b), found that among the DPEP phase I states, the highest enrollment increase of 35. 6 % was in Assam followed by Haryana (15.9%) and Maharashtra (14. 6%) in 1996-97. The national average was 9. 4 per cent. In 1997-98, the highest increase in enrollment was in Madhya Pradesh (10. 5%). 6. 2 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) The central government launched the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Universal Elementary Education) in 2001. The goal of SSA was to provide meaningful and quality education to all children between the ages 6-14 by 2010. It is an umbrella plan for elementary education in India and includes the DPEP. SSA is a response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country and an opportunity for promoting social justice through basic education. It is a partnership between central, state and the local government. Objectives of SSA †¢ All children should be in school, Education guarantee centre, alternative school or back to school camp by 2005. †¢ All children in the state complete five years of primary schooling by 2007. †¢ All children complete eight years of schooling by 2010. †¢ Focus should be made on Elementary emphasis on education for life in the state. Education of satisfactory quality with †¢ Bridge all gender and social category gaps at the primary stage by 2007 and at the elementary level by 2010 in the state. †¢ Universal retention of children by 2010. The financial obligation by the government towards SSA has been estimated to be an additional Rupees 6,000 million over the next ten years to be shared by the central and state governments. Unlike the DPEP, the SSA is a program that is entirely domestically funded and does not rely on external resources. The funds for the SSA are allocated from the Union Budget. Secondly, the SSA is an initiative of the Central government, even though education in India is largely the responsibility of state governments. 6.3 Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) It is the largest noon meal programme in the world. It covered about 10. 46 crore children of primary and upper primary classes in 11. 92 lakh govt. aided, local body, and NCLP Schools as well as Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS). Rs 48000 crores allocated for the program me during the 11th five year plan; Rs 38,000 crores spent so far. The benefits of MDMS are: †¢ Preventing classroom hunger †¢ Promoting school participation †¢ Facilitating healthy growth of children †¢ Intrinsic educational value †¢ Fostering social equality †¢ Enhancing gender equity †¢ Psychological Benefits The nutritional norm for upper primary stage was fixed at 700 Calories and 20 grams of protein. Midday meal scheme is an important step forward in improving both the education and health outcomes of children in India and greater effort and funds should be channeled in improving its quality and implementation. 7. QUALITY AND QUANTITY India has complex social structure where economic, social and gender disparities are present. Providing education to the masses keeping in mind disparities in the Indian society has been the goal of the government since independence. In India there is an emphasis on provision of more schools (‘quantity’) and providing easy access to these institutes. ‘Quantity’ of an education system can be defined as the measure of physical access to schools. Under ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ the government aims to ensure that every person in India has a school within one kilometer of his/her residence and is given free primary education. This is to ensure that in rural and tribal areas where resources people have are limited, have easy access to school. Between 1950-51 and 2011-2012, the number of primary schools increased from 209,671 to 664,041, which is more than a three-fold increase. Eighty-four percent of Indian population now has a primary school within one kilometer and local government or local bodies run ninety percent of these schools. ‘Quality’ of an education system is a measure of school supplies, level of teaching and basic amenities provided by the school. Low quality education system indicates that students who have completed primary school are not functionally literate and numerate. In Maharashtra, Community based surveys of 28 cities and 8 rural districts in 2003 found that 30% students were able to read basic texts and perform basic arithmetic according to a report by A.  K. Bannerjee in 2001. The Probe team in 1999 reported similar results in Northern states. A study of two districts of Madhya Pradesh by Leclercq in 2002 found that only 27% students were able to read texts fluently. Thus, while increase in literacy rates are significant, the numbers may be misleading and do not show the ‘functional literacy rates’. The infrastructure in schools is an important measure of the ability of the education institution to impart ‘quality’ education to students. Most schools do not have classrooms large enough to accommodate all students. The  Probe Report in 1999 found that there are as many 40-50 students in a class with its seating capacity of only 25 on an average. The low figures of 25 in schools in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh do not indicate adequate resources, but low attendance in the schools. School structures also lack basic facilities like running water and toilets. A study showed that in Uttar Pradesh, 54% schools did not have running water and 86% schools did not have toilets (World Bank, 1997). Grover and Singh (2002) in their study of two districts of Tamil Nadu found that out of twentyfive schools only two had toilets. The non-availability of these basic facilities reduces student attendance, as the students have to return to their home to use these basic facilities. The lack of separate toilets for boys and girls also influences parent’s incentives to send their daughters to school. The quality of education provided is most affected by the teachers in the institute. Teacher availability in rural areas is very low. A report by a NGO (CSO 2001) shows that 80% teachers in rural areas apply for transfer to urban areas. This has led to severe imbalance in distribution of resources between the two areas. This reflects on the student-teacher ratio. India has a student to teacher ratio of 43, which is almost, double the ratio observed in developed countries. Moreover, most rural schools (almost 45%) are single or two-teacher schools, there is multi-grade teaching, which reduces the quality of education even further and is not shown by pupil-teacher ratios. There is little check on teacher accountability and teacher attendance reported is also low. In many schools, a lot of teaching time is devoted to do paperwork than actual teaching. In rural areas, Opening and closing times of the school deviate from the administrative fixed timings according to the whims of the teachers. The Grover and Singh report (2002) found that schools were often unexpectedly closed during rain, excessive heat, or agriculture peak period and for cultural reasons like marriages. This finally leads to irregular attendance and poor quality of education. Teacher qualification is an important parameter in the education system. In Tamil Nadu, The Grover and Singh report found that 85% teachers had adequate qualifications and 2 years of training for High school education, but this is not the case in other states like UP, Bihar and Rajasthan. Teacher training programs are also not designed for the reality of environment and the constraints under which teaching actually takes place. There is no focus on single-teacher schools where a teacher has to teach multiple grades and handle administration. The program also does not sensitize teachers for economic and social disparities, which are characteristic to the Indian scenario. Stronghold of teacher-unions has further reduced teacher accountability. In 2002, 457 allegations were registered against teachers and principals for ‘corruption’. This includes miss-use of school funds, recruitment of friends and relatives as teachers and ‘selling’ important positions in the school by bribes and social connections. Teacher apathy comes out very strongly in small surveys carried out by various research teams all over India. PROBE (1999) team reports that there was no teaching happening in half of the sample schools the team visited and the problem further compounded by poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms and lack of teaching materials. A research conducted by Grover and Singh in 2002 reported that in 70% of schools in Madurai and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, no instruction was taking place. In Madhya Pradesh, management has been decentralized to village level bodies like Gram Panchayat to improve administration according to the regional needs. Alternate schools also report social differentiation and inequality in schools . Social differentiation on the basis of caste was always present in India, and the above reform has alleviated the problem. This is observed especially in the areas where students belong to a ‘lower’ social caste and teachers belong to the dominant caste. This increases the problem of low enrollment, dropout rates and parental apathy towards public schools. World Bank’s study of 1997, estimated 45% girl and 42% boy dropout rate before class five. The All-India rate is 40% highlighting that dropout is still a major problem in Public education system. The dropout rate of girls is always higher than boys (Except Karnataka) and in five states UP, Bihar, Rajasthan West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh; dropout rates are more than 50%. Corporal punishment is reported to be practiced in both rural and urban schools. Psychologists say no matter how serious the offence, beating should not be allowed. It leaves a very serious trauma on the student’s mind. In 2011, 40 cases were registered in Delhi of corporal punishment. The worst aspect is that almost 90% of the cases go unreported as parents too think it must be their child’s mistake and that’s why he/she must have been administered a beating. It was seen as an acceptable form of punishment by the society until 2000, when the Supreme Court banned it in all schools. There have been many cases in which students have lost their lives because of corporal punishment. In 2010, a nine-year old girl, Piya Chaudhary died of due to cancer arising out of injuries inflicted on her head by a schoolteacher. In 2012, Aslam Ansari died after thrashing by his teachers in Madhya Pradesh. Every year, numerous children die due to corporal punishment in schools. This reflects the quality of education and teacher apathy. 8. LOW COST PRIVATE SCHOOLS VS GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS One of the major movements that have come up in India and other developing countries is the system of low-cost private schools which are accessible by the masses. The affordable or low-cost private school system which basically consists of private schools where monthly student fees varies from Rs 100-Rs 750 ( 2 US$ to 15US$) is gaining momentum worldwide and helps poor families in having a say in their children’s education and future. . In a UNDP survey across 10 major cities of the developing world, however, as many as 75 per cent of students were attending private schools, paying fees of less than US$10 a month. ? These schools serve as alternatives to the age-old system of public schooling in the developing countries in the world. The various differences between public schooling and low-cost private schooling will be studied with the case of Indian schooling system as the focal point. India lives in its villages and the primary education system in most villages is below par. The country aims for a 6% allocation of the GDP dedicated to the education sector of the country but hasn’t been able to put it into practice as of now. It is often very difficult to quantify growth and learning of a student and distinguish between the overall performances of students of public and private schools. The parameters and benchmarks are very subjective. The quality or effectiveness of the low-fee private schools is very difficult to gauge especially in India when it’s still in the nascent stages. There is no comparable measure of learning achievement in private and public schools Test scores and literacy rates along with passing percentage are one of the few criterions to work with. The relative cost of private and public schools, where the focus is on the monthly cost of teaching each student. The major chunk of the expenditure goes on salaries.

Vocation paper Autosaved

That is where this article leads us and provides direction on what that means to us in our everyday spiritual lives. I will speak to my vocation(s) and how my calling from God relates to my education and my life in general. A call that I have received is the call to live in a family. God has provided me with a husband and two children. Together my husband and I are in charge of bringing our children up in the Lutheran faith and showing them how to live in a God pleasing way.My husband and I have taken vows to be faithful and loving to each other and show our children what it means to submit to another. We show them honor to God by going to church. My family has now expanded to include my school family and all those I will come into intact with along my educational journey. The call to work makes you think of your job that you go to everyday. This call is so much more than that. It really means that you put God in everything you do. It States in the article that Christianity values th e material world because God created it and saw that it was good.My decision to come to Wisconsin Lutheran for school was a personal one and provides me with both spiritual growth and intellectual growth. There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding the division of church and state. â€Å"Government leaders function with the natural law that the Lord embedded in their consciences to make them better leaders. † God knows that all people are sinners and we need to be protected from those sins, so he provides police officers, judges and soldiers.We as citizens have a responsibility to protect what God Vocation Stirrer 3 has provided for us and help others with this responsibility. We pray for our government as well as pay taxes. The article says â€Å"Give to Caesar what is Career's, and to God, what is God's. We show support for government and government shows support to our religious affiliations, but they are separate entities that have specific jobs to do. We have no choice to be in the world. We are born into it by God's grace and we are expected to do the best we can to live a Godly life while experiencing the benefits of what God has created for us.I believe this section of the article is speaking of not allowing the material things of this world to distract us from the true calling that we have received. We all have a purpose and we should be grateful to God for anything he has provided for us, not always expecting or wanting more. This section also ties into the next three sections of the article. Christians have a responsibility to carry certain burdens, to endure hardships and to be handful for those hardships. We also have a responsibility to not hide our faith but to share it with others joyfully and graciously.

New Worlds for All:Indians, Europeans and the Remaking of Early America

Collin G. Calloway’s â€Å"New Worlds for All† is a wonderfully written look into the relationship between the indiginious people and the Europeans who came to America. His work takes a different path than those of other historians. There is a creative genius in how he explores the historical facts and insight into the history of the two different people’s lives. It is a helpful look at the lineage of the time and brings a new insight into the historical facts of our time. Covering events from the Revolutionary war in his introduction where our fore fathers asked the Indians to not stand at their side but remain passive in the fight for freedom in the introduction. Quoting several of our fore fathers, the tact they used in their bid to get the native people to think that they were all one and that they stood together with them. Each of the ten chapters covers a wide range of subject matter from the interactions with the Europeans and the Natives, to the warfare of the Natives against each other as well as against the invading Europeans. We take a walk through the Seven years war as well as all the wars that came before and after. It takes a look at the way the Europeans arrived in North America and wanted to build societies much like the ones they had left behind in Europe. It also goes on to explain that while they thought they were superior they found that the Native people were in some cases more advanced and superior than their own culture. How their arrival changed not only the workings of the native communities but the very land they lived on with the cutting down of trees for homes and the over hunting of their lands for food making it harder for them to feed their own families. The chapter on disease and healing was an amazing look at how the European disease affected the natives. It also looked at how the natives dealt with healing as not so much healing as conflict as they were complementary. Calloway goes on to say that while Native America people were not completely disease free the magnitude of their diseases were actually rather simple, from aches and pains to snake bites. Medicine men had a vast knowledge of herbs and plants that could be used for medicinal purposes. He covers the decimation of entire tribes by disease some of them brought by the Europeans and others brought by the natives themselves as they traded in foreign lands. There were several ceremonial aspects to the trade with the natives that the Europeans tried to integrate into their own trades. The Stuff of life in chapter three goes into depth about the interactions of the native people and the Europeans as they not only struggled to coexist as well as integrate the bits and pieces of each other’s cultures into their lives. Learning how to do something’s differently like hunting for food and even the diets and clothing they wore took on the differences of what they learned from each other. In the next chapter Calloway talks about the integration of religious beliefs of the different people the Christians that brought with them their beliefs in one God and his word, it brought many of the natives into a new religious arena where they learned about bibles, churches, missions, priest and ministers. Indian religions tended to be less exclusive and intolerant than that of the Christians. It is an interesting look at the way they handled the integration of the Christians not only into their culture but into their lives and how their own beliefs were shaped outside of what the Christians believed. Chapter five takes a look at the ways the Europeans affected the Indians in their warfare not only against the Europeans but also against other natives. The face of the way war was fought not only between warring tribes. The turning point in the tribal warfare changed on one Instance, 1609 when the Algonkin and the Montagnais Indians, the use of guns made this an uneventful war and short lived but it opened the door way to the Indian people to guerrilla warfare as well as the use of guns. The introduction of guns made the native weapons basically useless. Chapter Six, the diplomacy and Foreign affairs of the Europeans and the Indians were at times bloody and deadly, fighting to preserve their own lands the Indians had to adapt to the foreigners as they invaded and the Europeans were after more land and more land, always fighting with the Europeans trying to maintain the balance between the two worlds was difficult one side or the other was always violating the treaties that they signed. As more Europeans moved into the new world and more warfare and diseases ravaged the lands the Indians were forced to move from place to place and rebuild their world and lives often in environments that were not their own and dealing with people that they knew nothing about, this often created tension and conflicts. As well as the need for the Indians were forced to adapt to the world around them. There is a lot of great information in this book, and a fresh perspective that takes the reader weather a professional historian or just the average reader into the lives of people from different worlds. It is a new look at the world that was created around us and the people who inhabited it, their lives and the changes that were caused by each interaction with the other. Mr. Calloway takes us on a journey through old and new in an enlightening way, exploring the world as it is new and discovering the different effects of the changes in cultures, beliefs, politics and life as the people of two different cultures learned, adjusted, and tried to build the world we now see around us. A great read for anyone interested in the history of America and the people in it.   

Primary and secondary Data Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Primary and secondary Data - Essay Example With the transformation of the globe, various trends of globalization are paving the way for new business opportunities. The ease of getting access to information has significantly beefed up the level of competition that exists in the global markets. In order to gain advantage in this competition, it has become very necessary for the companies to undertake significant amount of research before the process of launching a new product or service in the market. The conduction of research helps in the process of estimating the needs as well as the demands of the market. About the company The company that has been considered in this case is California based Monster Energy Corporation. Talking about the company, it can be said that it is one of the leading marketer and distributor of various energy drinks and beverages. Some of the most popular brands under the product portfolio of the company are Monster Energy, Hansen’s, Peace Tea, Worx Energy, Blue Sky etc (Monster Energy Company, 2012). Talking about the market segmentation for the company’s products, the focus for the US markets mainly depends on the young audience. Also, the company’s products are segmented and targeted towards the masses of some of the foreign markets which are spread in the developing as well as the developed regions. In this case, it has been assumed that the company is trying to launch a new energy based drink for the US market. The speciality of the new product is that this energy drink is exclusively for the female audience. Hence, the audience that needs to be segmented in this case is mostly the young female population residing in the US. Different types of data and research methodology Market research is a very vast domain, which comprises different kinds of approaches, tools and techniques. While trying to conduct a market research, it needs to be highlighted that the data can be of two types. There can be primary or secondary data. Primary data are gathered by the researcher for the purpose of finding more relevant information for the project at hand (Burns and Bush, 2006, p. 146). On the contrary, secondary data are already available as some other researcher has actually collected or compiled the data for relevant usage in their respective project (Zikmund and Babin, 2007, p. 160). Now, while discussing the types of research methodology, it can be said that it can be either descriptive, exploratory or causal in nature. Descriptive research is conducted when the main objective is to describe market related characteristics. Exploratory research is done when the focus is to discover new insights in regards to the main research question. Causal research is done when the researcher wants to explore a particular cause and effect kind of a relationship (Malhotra and Dash, 2008, p. 81). 5 different types of secondary research The five different types of secondary research that are available to the researcher are: government publications, online dat abases, data from previous research available in various research papers and research magazines, published magazines, secondary data from syndicate organizations. Nature of Research required for the new product Taking into consideration the nature of the product, it can be appropriate to do a secondary research followed by a primary research to gauge the reaction of the consumers in regards to the

Countries and Climate Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Countries and Climate Change - Essay Example Within the country, there are cultural and linguistic variations in different regions, but however, because of its high population, the culture is relatively uniform. The climate in china varies from region to region because the country is very large. The key biophysical climatic change impacts on the country’s environment are the rising sea levels, increase in natural disasters and biodiversity loss (Bloom, 2010). At the northeast side of the country, the summers are hot and dry and the winters are freezing cold. On the other hand, the north and the central regions have recurrent bouts of rainfall together with hot summers and cold winters. In the southeast there is abundance of rainfall (Harris, 2011). China rainfall in the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau as a result of monsoon winds that blow north from the Indian Ocean, semi-tropical summers and cool winters. Flooding can occur in the central, southern and western regions and the country in common experience earthquakes. Although countries across the globe are facing environmental challenges that result from climate change, the case of china is more different due to her culture that has seen her engage more in the production industry right from the advent of the greatest world civilization in the ancient times. Indeed, in the history of the world’s civilization, China consolidated the global power and dominance and was considered the world’s leading in innovations that gave the whole world its backbone in industrial development (Li, 2014). As a result of her knowledgeable and better political, economic, hypothetical, artistic and scientific technology, climate change has been influenced due to the corrosion of ecosystem and natural environment. These activities have led to the increase in the variability in the rainfall patterns that affects the supply of fresh water; more frequently floods have been experienced coupled with heightened risk of water-borne diseases that have

Interaction Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interaction Analysis - Essay Example Although it was short, a brief introduction of his cultural background was established. The actual meeting had begun with a brief prayer outside the house, which was interpreted as a religious ritual to welcome a special guest in the house. The Jordan region is mainly inhabited by Muslims with a distinct Arabic origin. A great percentage of the population upholds Islamic values and Mohammed is not an exception. As a Christian, I had to respect this religious and cultural situation and consent to the prayer although my religion does not agree with some aspects of Islam. This is an example of the behavioral code that is expected when interacting with people from different cultures. The meals session was a great experience and a great opportunity to understand the cultural values by observing the non-verbal codes. Particularly, this was an opportunity to understand the culture by observing the eating habits, type of food, and the overall family involvement during mealtime. Our meal was a reflection of the Arabian-Jordan dining culture. Halloumi, a pita-style bread sandwich was served with grilled meat marinate and fresh vegetables as the main course. This type of food is an identity of the Jordan community and a lot can be learned about the culture by just looking at the food. According to Mohammed, mealtimes are respected and, therefore, people should not talk during mealtime. However, the best time for verbal communication and interaction came immediately after the meals. We shared a debate and a discussion about different cultural values that Mohammed upholds. Certainly, he values religion and it seems that his culture is deeply entrenched into the Islam. This is one of the most important sessions since I got a chance to compare and contrast his cultural values and mine. For instance, I observed that religion has a great influence on his morals, since they are founded on Islam. However, this contrasted with my cultural background, whereby, my religion has nothi ng to do with my cultural background. Indeed, the two are very different. My cultural background does not stem from religion, but rather, encompasses religion as an important aspect of life. Nevertheless, we still uphold similar family values and beliefs. Although there are very big differences in the societal roles especially for women, the roles within the family remain relatively the same for both cultures. Mohammed does not let his wife go to the Mosque simply because the larger community does not encourage that. However, he feels that the cultural values are changing rapidly and that he may decide to embrace the changes and give her permission to attend prayers and Islamic gatherings. This was a memorable moment since I was able to differentiate the contrasts in which different cultures accept changes. Whereas, our culture is fast and swift to adapt to changes, some cultures are very conservative and, therefore, very slow and resistive to changes. It is evident from the verbal communication pattern that Mohammed can be classified in the high-context culture group. He comes from a culture that has strong values and most of the life aspects are strongly associated with the culture. For instance, he would conclude many sentences with the phrase â€Å"Inshallah.† I came to realize that this phrase simply means God willing. It is an expression of hope that a premeditated endeavor will be

Sociological Perspectives of Deviance Over The Life Course Research Paper

Sociological Perspectives of Deviance Over The Life Course - Research Paper Example Laub and Robert(1990, p600) noted that the major shortcoming of criminologists’ approach to crime is that they ignore the early childhood characteristics of crime and as a result, it has become challenging to establish a relationship between child and adult offenses in the society. In the human development stages, empirical research has established that criminal behavior begins from childhood and attains its peak during adolescence, continuing later in life, as a person grows older. Moreover, labor market and social stability are important factors that influence development of deviant behavior later in life (Laub and Robert, 1990, p604). This paper investigates how criminal deviant behavior changes over one’s life course, by looking into strain and self-control theory in the theoretical criminology perspective. Sociological theories of criminal deviant behavior In the contemporary society, the culture of a given community determines what behavior is normal or deviant th rough established norms and values (Blumstein, et al, 1986, p53). This implies that a behavior considered deviant in one society could be acceptable in another. Blumstein et al(1986, p32) noted that norms and values constitute to the moral code of a culture that determines whether certain behavior is ‘good or bad’, and if it is right or wrong. In order to establish whether an action is normal or deviant, it is important to not only consider the action, but the place, the character of the person and the culture or the society that the action is done. Therefore, from a sociological point of view, deviant behavior is a conduct that does comply with the values and norms of the society in question (Hagan, 1989, p66). There is great disparity between normal and deviant behavior in view of different societies, but some actions are universally regarded as deviant, such mass murder, genocide, defiling children just to name a few. However, there is no scientific framework of esta blishing whether a given action is normal or amounts to deviance. As a result, sociologists affirm that there is a higher moral order that establishes whether a certain behavior is deviant, regardless of the cultural belief or conviction about the normality of the behavior (Hagan, 1989, p69). For example, certain behavior such as child abuse is presently considered deviant irrespective of cultural beliefs that justified punishment of child as a way of imparting discipline. Deviance behavior is a normal in every society and it presents opportunities for the larger society to unite with intention of countering the deviant group (Caspi, 1987, p 1215). The unity of purpose is essential for continuous survival of any group. It is common for members in society to take each other granted when everything is working normally resulting to weakening of social interdependence. However, emergence of social deviance behavior in society rekindles their unity, and it compels the society to recommit to social controls that hold the society together. Moreover, deviant behavior

Personal Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Personal Philosophy - Essay Example It is an imperative effort to ensure a keen and meticulous understanding of the behaviour and inclinations of infants and toddlers in order to come up with more effective and profound methods and approaches of providing learning and care to infants and toddlers. This piece of article shall present a personal philosophy that will concentrate more on the different topics related to infant and toddler learning and care. It shall provide relatively intended recommendations on how to improve the existing methods of training up infants and toddlers. This shall discuss on the manifold factors that affect and influence the learning process and care involving infants and toddlers. Also, an elaboration on child’s important participation in carrying out the steps drawn out from the personal philosophy will be provided as well. It is my ardent belief that early childhood development learning and care should be provided at places wherein these young individuals will be given the ability to hook up with the world and would trigger their earliest possible environmental consciousness that will help them to grow and improve their learning process. It is highly important that while infants and toddlers need to make a connection with the natural world most on their own, it is likewise important to make sure that training centers for infants and toddlers should provide an environment that is safe, amicable and full of love and care. They should be exposed in an environment where they can feel that they are loved and cared. The eventual or future personality and attitude of our children is heavily contingent to how they were trained when they were still young. Seen this way, it would be a significant step to employ a type of teaching that would help them develop their self-confidence that will surely help them beco me active learners. It is my

Resolving Ethical Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Resolving Ethical Issues - Essay Example The facts surrounding the major ethical dilemma is the establishment of honesty, which should take precedence in all business transactions. It is a fact that Ted St. Clair is a miser who will not agree to reduce the price no matter what. Moby Dick has been on the market for a very long time, and Ted has not considered reducing his asking price. The second fact is that Reverend Smith intends to use the building for a good cause, which will benefit the community. Third, Reverend Smith has no use for the machines. He would not want Mary to lie on his behalf. Fourth, it would be unethical for Mary to lie to Ted that the buyer needs the machines. It is also unethical for Ted to overvalue his property. Mary is undecided whether she should lie to Ted about the machines to make him drop his asking price for the property. She would help Reverend Smith to get the property and use it for a good cause. Alternatively, she would tell Ted the truth, which means he will not reduce the price. Consequ ently, Reverend Smith will not afford the property. There are several alternatives that Mary can pursue to solve the ethical dilemma. First, Mary can tell Ted the trust and explain what Reverend Smith intends to do with the property.

Enhanced Reading Instructions Essay Example for Free

Enhanced Reading Instructions Essay Differentiated Instructional need of students makes it imperative for a teacher to plan out her instruction in small groups and separate reading centres to give students ample practice. Teachers form small flexible groups of students ,meeting twice or thrice a week for a specific time. The teacher draws up similar structure† to generate ideas, stimulate thinking, make plans and create a desire†. (Cited in Guiding writing and Observing Reading, p. 385). Teachers† find more opportunity to use their knowledge and skills more fully and effectively†. (cited in Making Instructional Decisions, p. 461). â€Å"Many use alternative strategies in   order to meet the special need of the students† (Modifying Lessons, p. 461) Alternative lesson structures recommends the use of at least two types of lesson structures. One Guided Reading and the other Skill Focused Lessons. It follows a pattern where the text is selected, introduced, read and discussed. In a Teacher- led- centre, â€Å"the option most favored today, centre on integrated curriculum, an effort to connect the language arts with other subject areas, often through themes. Integration is encouraged across all subject areas, including math â€Å". (Basal Readers and Instructional Materials, Chp13, p. 0) â€Å"Skill development and practice activities are often interspersed with creative enrichment ideas in the teacher’s guide. †(Chp13, p. 460) Students who need focused learning to become fluent and accurate in their usage, Skill Focused Lessons are planned out by a teacher, like †writing, talking,.. brainstorming role playing, doodling, drawing, cartooning, jotting own ideas, taking notes, interviewing and even forming mental images through visualization and graphic organizers. †(Guiding Writing and Observing Reading p. 385). Thus guidelines are set , which help enhance effective reading writing in a classroom. Reference http://www.fcrr.org/assessment/pdf/smallgroupalternativelessonstructures.pdf

Benefits and Issues in using Learning Logs

Benefits and Issues in using Learning Logs A learning log is an learning tool which is designed to improve the learning experience, while facilitating exchanges between students and teachers. Learning logs are used in schools all over the world, and there are a number of different approaches to them. In addition to being used in predictable school environments, learning logs can also be very beneficial to homeschoolers and other students pursuing non-tradition education. A learning assessment refers to the measurement of a students capabilities, progress and academic outcome. Learning assessments are important because both students and teachers can get a clear picture of what a student can do academically rather than what he or she cant do. When conducting a learning assessment, instructors consider past and present academic performances as well as the students values, behaviors and attitudes toward learning TASK ONE LEARNING LOGBOOK INTRODUCTION A Learning Logbook is basically a log or record or journal of your own learning. It is not necessarily a formal academic piece of work. It is a personal record of your own learning. As such it is a document which is unique to you and cannot be right or wrong. A Learning Log helps you to record, structure, thinks about and reflects upon, plan, develop and evidence your own learning I prompted to use my Learning Logbook from time to time in my Study Guide, but I didnt limit my entries to just these occasions. It could also be useful to explore ideas in a Discussion Forum. If I could keep my log electronically, I might even copy sections from my log for insertion into the discussion forum or vice versa. Using the logbook in this way helped me to reflect on all of the information presented in the Class and to come to my own understanding of it. Managing Study Time There are only so many hours in a day, a week, and a term. I cannot change the number of hours, but I can decide how to best use them. To be successful in Class, I must be carefully managing my study time. Here is a strategy for doing this. Term Calendar At the beginning of a module, I prepared a Term Calendar. Update it as the term goes on. Here is what I did to prepare a Term Calendar. Record my class assignments with their due dates and my scheduled tests. Record My planned Class activities. Record my planned module activities. Record my known out-of-Class activities. Weekly Schedule Each Sunday before a Class week, I prepared a Weekly Schedule. Update it as the week goes on. Here is what I did to prepare a Weekly Schedule. Record my daily classes. Entered things to be done for the coming week from my Term Calendar. Review my class notes from the previous week to see if I need to add any Class activities. Add any out-of-school activities in which I would be involved during the week. Be sure to include times for completing assignments, working on projects, and studying for tests. These times may be during the Class day, right after Class, evenings, and weekends. Daily Time Table Each evening before a Class day, I prepared a Daily time table for the next day. Place a next to each thing to do as my accomplish it. Here is what to did to prepare a Daily time table. Entered the things to do for the coming day from my Weekly Schedule. Entered the things that still needed to be accomplished from my Daily time table from the previous day. Review my class notes for the day just completed to see if I need to add any school activities. Add any out-of-school activities in which I will be involved the next day. My Weekly Schedule had more detail than my Term Calendar. My Daily time table had more detail than my Weekly Schedule. Using a Term Calendar, a Weekly Schedule, and a Daily time table helped to make the best use of my time. I developed my own ideas on using the log but the following points helped me initially: Date each entry Clearly distinguish entries about myself and my life from information about my study. Separate my summaries and notes of readings and lectures from my opinions, comments and reflections on these, working on a computer, use a different font or format to distinguish each. My Learning Log I used is: plan my study and make revisions as needed; write down questions for my tutor as they arise; make notes that help me to carry out my study, e.g. on essay writing, preparing for examinations, previewing and reading texts in depth; document my reading and viewing so that notes can be readily accessed for assignments and examinations; Document my reflections on my progress, problems encountered and ways that I might resolve them. TAKING NOTES Attended regularly the lectures and try to make detailed notices, but if some reasons I could not attend a lecture, I tried to get notes from a friends ( class mate) and if I could not understand some parts of lecture, I contacted the lecture during the office hours for more clarification. The field notes were written by hand on lined paper. They consisted of jotted notes and mental triggers (personal notes that would remind me of specific things when it came to writing the notes up). I took some direct observational notes recording what I saw where this was relevant to the research questions and, as I was aiming to get a sense of the culture and working environment, I also made researcher inference notes I found the notes taking process itself helpful, as it ensured that I listened carefully and decoded information. Not all the information I recorded was relevant, but noting what I found informative contributed to my ability to form an overview on re-reading. However, the reliability of jotted notes alone can be questionable. For example, the notes were not a direct transcription of what the subjects said but consisted of pertinent or interesting information. Firstly, the most obvious thing that I discovered was the advantage of working as part of a group. I learned that good teamwork is the key to success in class activities when time and resources are limited. As everyone had their own point of view, many different ideas could be produced and I found the energy of group participation made me feel more energetic about contributing something Secondly I discovered that even the simplest things on earth could be turned into something amazing if we put enough creativity and effort into working on them. Learning Journal Last weeks lecture presented the idea that RIT is the most useful module as a student studying Research in Information Technology module makes this an important issue for me and one I was thinking about while reading journal, texts, and other material is to gain more confidence while I was doing my assignment The first thing I tried in order to read and summarized a journal article is to understand the author and kept in mind e.g. Author of journal always have an argument they are trying to convince something but Also can be good or bad, but I didnt take what author said on blind faith, I questioned them When I read journal articles always remember that I did to write a paper based on what I read e.g. focus on the information in the article that is relevant to my research, think critically about what I read and tried to build my own argument based on it. Basically I look the structure of the article; most research articles follow the same specific format. First I red abstract and conclusion because this have got the main point and if I find anything in the abstract or conclusion that is important for my paper then I search for the information but if I need more information then I read the whole sections. Take notes on the Article Journal There are a few major ways to take notes, but this is a personal style choice I have taken. Pay attention to what each section is about; usually have the most important information. Take notes while I am reading (that way I dont have to go back and re-read it when am doing my assignment) Write summarizing notes for main points ( in the margin, or on a separate pieces of paper ) Highlight only very important quotes or terms. Reference I sometimes read journal articles which seem to need references to assert this module. Nevertheless, I do expect to see adequate reference for assertions. It may take the form of reference to previous writers, or it may be the reference of my own experience or my own arguments, but if it is needed, it will be cited in such a way as to enable me to find it if I wish. More to the point, I expected theory to be used to answer some questions and to pose others, rather than simply regurgitated for its own sake. Im really going to stick my neck out now for what it is worth, I expect a dozen or more references for a module assignment. But I do not expect such reference to be cited uncritically, on the basis that, if someone else has already said it and manage to get it published, it must be true Literate I know this is unfashionable and probably politically incorrect, but in practice I find it difficult to get past it. Literacy is not a sufficient condition to meet PGD level requirements, but in my book it is a necessary one. By literacy I mean: No spelling mistakes No (or very few) grammatical solecisms. No sentences without verbs like this one Punctuation which helps me to make sense of the text. No misused words or malapropisms. . TASK TWO 2.0 CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE REPORT 2.1 INTRODUCTION Critical Reflection in my context is a process of considering what I have learned, how useful it is, and how it may affect my future personal and career development. Critical reflection helps me to give some coherence to my learning by relating it to what I have already known, and to my plans for the future. The nature of reflection is very varied. Reflection may encompass The module is extremely well organized, when I first came into this Module, I really didnt know what to expect. I thought it would be just the same as other module. I was wrong. What we learned on this module is more detailed, I feel like I have become better in researching and presentation. I know this will help me in future. This module did meet my expectations. So many students told me it wasnt an easy module and that it was demanding compared to other module. I am not very satisfied at my progress but I think it wasnt bad at all I gave the module almost all the attention it required. Learned so many new things and Im glad that I did. Things were explained over and over again in this module until I really felt I fully understood. Overall, this course was good. 2.2 MAIN REPORT Method During my studies in Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Business IT Research in Information Technology Ive had to use a multi case study system especially for the research and know how, Due to my quest for information by this system, Ive come about the following draw backs: Lack of appropriate material, appropriate text books for additional research at the learning centre has proved to be a major drawback. However Ive been able to resort of other ways for gaining excess to the appropriate material. Purchasing the books, however being in a 3rd world country, such text books and write ups arent always freely available, which would cause me to have to order these from abroad but given the short time this isnt the best way not to mention the shipping cost. The Internet has been a great resource, however again, some of the best information has to be paid for or ordered using a credit card, something again which isnt freely available to all in a 3rd world country. However, Ive been able to work my way around this obstacle by trying to dig persistently and deeper in to the internet to seek out the appropriate material. Another cause of concern was that during the Tutorials, not all were effectively reviewed and detailed constructive criticism wasnt freely given so as to en-better the students work. This left the student(s) to reflect on ones work and at times get their fellow students to review the work and comment. Learning Outcome Topic Managing Time In this topic I learn how to manage my time during my studies, deciding what am suppose to do, analysing what am doing and categorized my goals e.g.:- Work goals, family goals, community goals and self goals. Planning my activities performed during the day, how long is spent on each activities, listing all the things I must do including schedule activities. To identify what am currently doing and determine whether am spending my time efficiently, categorized the time identified according to time table, activities performed during the day. Assessment Its an academic essay demonstrates both knowledge of topic related to academic writing. A report is a structured document written for a particular purpose and aimed at a specific audience. It should provide clear and concise information written in a formal, academic style. Written Coursework Basically in his topic I have learned how to write a coursework by following three stages. i. Essay Structure ii. Essay type iii. Report structure Before that read the assignment carefully and start working on it reasonably and asked the lecture questions if not clear about anything relating to the assignment. Planning Do understand how to plan Assignment analyzing question asked, reflection on the issue raised and gathering raw material. Draw up a plan of the assignment. Writing Up Understand how to write assignment Sustained Review Do revision of what I have done in the class text book and during my revision I make notice, summarized my notice divide material into topic. Presentation Clarity of oral communication and well developed inter personal skills when interacting in a group or one to one are attributes that makes more successful student, professionals and all round communicator. Listening skills Really key in to what the person is saying and not saying, to look for the meaning and the feelings behind what is being said, to think about and mentally process what I hear eg. Pay attention, show that am listening. Taking notes Basically in this topic I learned how to take notes e.g.: listen and note key points and supporting details. But in this topic we didnt learned how to record lectures, may be because of its involve more time and resources. Working in team Firstly, the most obvious thing that I discovered was the advantage of working as part of a group. I learned that good teamwork is the key to success in class activities when time and resources are limited. As everyone had their own point of view, many different ideas could be produced and I found the energy of group participation made me feel more energetic about contributing something. Background of Critical Reflection By June 2010 it was the end of the Module RIT, I began to realize how demanding this module is, but fortunately, I also realized that I learnt a lot from it. I think my choice to take this course was a good idea. I enjoyed it although it was difficult, this course was the most challenging course, I took this module RIT and I have struggled with it up till the final. As a whole it was a good learning experience, but not an easy one. This is a free elective for me and my performance hasnt been even close to that of other major module. The grade that I get in this module is the lowest compared to other module this semester that is why I re- sit for the second time On successful completion of this module I will be able to identify the broad context of ICT problems, including the problems condition, identifying possible contributing factors, and generating alternative solution strategies. Exhibit good teamwork skills and serve as effective members of multidisciplinary project teams. To critically valuate alternate assumptions, approaches, procedures and result related to IT problems. To create something to integrate ideas into solution, to propose an action plan, to formulate a new classification scheme. To apply knowledge to new situations to solve problems using required knowledge or skills I believe I have benefited a lot from this module. Completion of this module is considered by me to be one of the greatest and proudest accomplishments and for me the next logical step is to take Master of Science in Strategy Business Information Technology Many students become frustrated and find this module difficult because they do not have the cognitive skills required to process information properly, this include ability to analyze, evaluate, retain information, recall experiences, make comparisons and determine action I feel this module has helped me in many ways.   The exercises and moments of frustration in class when I did not understand something or could not get something to work, suddenly became clearer as I tried to apply some of my knowledge to the actual situation.   I was amazed at how  much information I had picked up in class and how quickly the lingo became familiar to me.   Without the instructional  techniques used in this module, the course portion would not be very beneficial.   Sure, anyone can learn procedures and how to make a research, but the understanding of how, what, when, where and why are never very clear.   This is appreciated more than you will ever know. I do not feel there are any significant areas in which the program should be altered.   Everyone has their own weak area and mine is probably in the math portion of the program.   Concepts relating to module are sometimes hard for me to grasp, but I eventually get a handle on them and comprehend their meaning.   Many of the students relate that they have a hard time following the instructional methods in some of the classes, but in my opinion, this is simply a lack of attention, desire, and dedication.   You cannot learn if you do not come to class.   I am amazed at the low attendance in some of the classes.   I really appreciate the support and guidance I got from IMIT especially our lecture Mr. Japhet and Ms. Priti Punatar not only to me but all PGD students. They wanted us to pass with flying colors. They had time for us whether during or outside the lectures, they wanted us to be the best and made every effort to ensure that we achieved that. They went out of our way to help us and hopefully, our results will show that their efforts were not wasted! I believe that the skills that they taught us in this module will be really helpful in the future, Also, I learned a lot about the right way of making presentations and project The Analysis The forming during the early stages of the course. This occurred during Lectures 1 and 2 ( managing time to Peer assessment) whereby a few topics were discussed, such as how to handle a full days work with the extra studying wed now had and trying to understand the syllabus As a result the students were able to participate more fully knowing we had to give our best as the group depended on each one. The forming was highly successful and showed the students had learnt to depend not only on the Lecturer but also on each other. The storming Stage The storming stage was made up of various factors which would include interpersonal issues and reactions due to the answers or responses that we as students received from the lectures. Another case was the delay in starting classes as at times the lecture would wait for all students to arrive, or him-self was late. The students were able to address this in a prompt and professional way by having a group meeting with the Lecturer and address the matter. One thing which was a drawback was the short of one of the students who postpone the course, which in effect broke up one group (which had two students) and cause the remaining student to join the remaining group (of two students), hence the result was that the entire study sessions were now made up of one group having 3 students. 2.3 CONCLUSIONS In conclusion I think this module and specially the module were very beneficial. Module (RIT) skills are invaluable in many different situations. There are some thing that I have done within a group that fits in with the RIT as discussed in the Peppard Book, whether I realized it or not, many of specific reports ,however, I think are often for granted. They are beneficial to realizing the scope and keeping it in focus. In conclusion, I have come to learn that what did I read for this module apart from notes, and what grabbed my attention†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Reflective thinking demands that I have recognized that I bring the valuable knowledge to very experience. It helps; therefore to recognize and clarify the important connections between what I have already known and what I have leant. It is a way of helping to become active, aware and critical. Recommendations Accredited Partner (IMIT) and NCC should commit to the intentional review and strengthening of every Accredited Partner structure and resource that can support transformative learning. NCC should establish routine ways to hear students voices, consult with them, explore their opinions, and document the nature and quality of their experience as a student TASK THREE (Please refer to Power point slide)

Contrast The Representation Of Friday In Foe And Robinson Crusoe English Literature Essay

Contrast The Representation Of Friday In Foe And Robinson Crusoe English Literature Essay According to G Scott Bishop, it is important to read post-colonial literature in English, and see the reactions to the discussion of colonialism held by the English, as they reflect the way our historical actions created the world. Taking the plot of the father of the novel (Judith Hawley, spoken, 7th October 2010), and a novel focussed around colonialism, Robinson Crusoe, the post-colonial Foe deconstructs it to expose the lies and injustices that are seen in Robinson Crusoe, but never challenged. The change in cultural norms, from Britain in 1719 to South Africa in 1986 has been vast, and the challenging differences between the two novels purported to tell the same story is shocking. The central point of these differences is not, as some would suggest, Susan Barton, the interloper character, and female narrator, but more Friday, a character who is the same across the books, and yet incredibly different. Defoe used Friday to explore themes of religion, slavery and subjugation, all o f which were supposed to a natural state of being at that time in history, and Coetzee uses him to explore more strongly themes of slavery, black identity, and the voice of the oppressed. In neither book is Friday left simply to be a character, he is instead always used as a device through which the reader can explore other topics. Your master says the slavers cut [your tongue] out; but I have never heard of such a practiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Is it the truth that your master cut it out himself and blamed the slavers? (Coetzee, J.M, Foe.) The fact that this question is never answered, and that all attempts to force Friday to communicate fail drastically leave the reader wondering whether the slavers that captured Friday removed his tongue, or whether that was done by the colonialist Cruso, who felt there was no need of a great stock of words, (Coetzee, J.M, Foe). This contrasts vastly with Defoes Crusoe, who said I began to keep my journal; of which I shall here give you the copy (though in it will be told all these particulars over again) as long as it lasted; for having no more ink, I was forced to leave it off. This implies clearly that Defoes Crusoe gave a lot more care and interest to language than Coetzees Cruso. Defoes Crusoe, much as he appreciated journaling in his own language whilst alone, also took pleasure in teaching Friday to speak, In a little time I began to speak to him; and teach him to speak to meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I likewise taught him to say Master; and then let him know that was to be my name: I likewise taught him to say Yes and No and to know the meaning of them. Defoes Crusoe was certainly concerned with language, but never investigated the language that was Fridays own, erasing Fridays history by naming him, and teaching him English. In this way, he could only voice the thoughts that Crusoe had given him language to speak. This was challenged by the voiceless Friday in Coetzees work, a character who literally couldnt speak. In this, it could be argued that Coetzee was asserting that it was not his right to give voice to an oppressed black character, and let Friday stand for the victims of apartheid and slavery, where Defoe (due to the beliefs of society at his time) believed that it was right and natural for Crusoe to claim the position of Master to Friday, and to speak for him. Hearing the voice of the ethnic minorities in both Foe and Robinson Crusoe is important, but so is acknowledging their different racial identities. Friday in Foes work, in standing for the victims of apartheid and slavery, is a black African character he was black, negro, with a head of fuzzy wool (Coetzees Foe), whereas Crusoes Friday, not standing for those causes, is portrayed as being an anglicised version of a Caribbean man, who had all the sweetness and softness of a European in his countenance. This implies that Friday was somehow better than the average Caribbean tribesman by dint of looking somewhat European, but at the same time, the first language Crusoe taught him was that he was his master. He was an improvement on the average savage, since his appearance was somewhat European, but still his race left him to be the natural servant of Crusoe. This Friday is very much a dramatic device used to portray Crusoes development as a religious man; [Crusoe] began to instruct him [ Friday] in the knowledge of the true God. This allowed Defoe to expand on Crusoes earlier mentions of religion, in his conversion, and in the hegemony of the time, caused Crusoe to be seen as a good and moral character, who treated his slave well, and brought him up to be religious (McInelly Colonialism, the novel and Robinson Crusoe). In Coetzees work, Friday is allowed to be sullen and unpleasant, easy to see, but hard to like, he is created to be the embodiment of all the oppression experienced by a racial group, to only be able to take in, never to give out ideas or understanding, to be central to a story he can have no part in. The silence of Coetzees Friday could also be said to reflect the reader, who, like Friday can only react and respond to situations. Katherine Wagner however argues against this, saying that criticism and silence are mutually exclusive terms. Coetzees Friday can only be silenced, but Defoes Friday has no room to criticise, and no part in making decisions for Crusoe, because in that time, a slave wouldnt have that option at all, Coetzees Friday can take no part, being unable to speak. His isolation and treatment as second class is made far more visible by his disability, a device Coetzee used to avoid speaking the black voice, as a privileged white man, whilst still drawing attention to the plight of slaves. Crusoe, Cruso and Barton were all seen to treat Friday very differently, but all see him as a possession in their own way. Crusoe did this most blatantly, in claiming, naming Friday and instructing him to call him Master, with Defoes Friday being portrayed as making signs of subjection, servitude, and submission to Crusoe without even any bidding. This added to the moral message of Robinson Crusoe, because it showed the savage being tamed, and later taught religion. This contrasts strongly with the Cruso created by Coetzee, who was sullen (J M Coetzee, Foe) in his service, who obeyed Cruso, but did not have the childish excitement or comically expressed pidgin (Chris Boignes, Lost in a maze of doubtin) portrayed in places by Defoe. Barton also claimed him, despite trying to treat him as an individual if Friday is not mine to set free, whose is he (J M Coetzee, Foe), and on some level saw him clearly as her property, forgetting that maybe it was not her right to set him free either. ( Chris Boignes, Lost in a maze of doubtin). The representation of Friday in these two texts is vastly different, and one could hardly believe that the two were in fact the same character. With different histories, and different personalities, in fact all both have in common is playing the role of the non-white slave in the text, to serve a literary purpose, in both reflecting the views of wider society towards non-white people, and in showing the development of other characters. This is not to say that either Friday was one-dimensional, in particular Coetzees Friday was multi-dimensional and complex, but more that despite the character complexity, despite his being resistant to being interpreted (Bishop C Scott, J. M. Coetzees Foe), and how central they were, both were created to serve only a purpose. 1. Bishop, C. Scott. J. M. Coetzees Foe. World Literature Today 64.1 (1990): 54. Print. http://www.jstor.org/sici?origin=sfx:sfxsici=0196-3570(1990)64:1%3C54:JMC%22%3E2.0.CO;2-H 2. Wagner, KM. Dichter and Dichtung + Foe by Coetzee, John Susan Barton and the truth of autobiography. English studies in Africa 32.1 (1989): 1-11. Print. http://pao.chadwyck.co.uk/articles/displayItem.do?QueryType=articlesResultsID=12B06460CF2F1F413filterSequence=0ItemNumber=1journalID=4273 3. Joanna Scott. Voice and trajectory: An interview with J. M. Coetzee Salmagundi.114/115 (1997): 82.22. Print.  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://lion.chadwyck.co.uk/searchFulltext.do?id=R01511343divLevel=0area=abellforward=critref_ft 4. Bongie, Chris. Lost in the Maze of Doubtin: J. M. Coetzees Foe and the Politics of (Un)Likeness. Modern Fiction Studies 39.2 (1993): 261-0. Print. http://pao.chadwyck.co.uk/PDF/1286892456412.pdf 5. Brett C McInelly. Expanding Empires, Expanding Selves: Colonialism, the Novel, and Robinson Crusoe. Studies in the Novel 35.1 (2003): 1. Print.   http://lion.chadwyck.co.uk/searchFulltext.do?id=R01665469divLevel=0area=abellforward=critref_ft 6. Cohen, D. Fashioning Friday (Robinson Crusoe). Queens Quarterly 115.1 (2008): 9-11. Print.   http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-179351988.html 7. Wheeler, Roxann. My Savage, My Man: Racial Multiplicity in Robinson Crusoe. ELH 62.4 (1995): 821. Print.  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.jstor.org/sici?origin=sfx:sfxsici=0013-8304(1995)62:4%3C821:SMRM%3E2.0.CO;2-Q 8. Ritchie, DE. Robinson Crusoe as Narrative Theologian. Renascence essays on values in literature 49.2 (1997): 94-17. Print. http://find.galegroup.com/shax/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-DocumentsresultListType=RESULT_LISTqrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(tx,None,39)robinson+crusoe+as+narrative+theologian$sgHitCountType=NoneinPS=truesort=DateDescendsearchType=AdvancedSearchFormtabID=T013prodId=SHAXsearchId=R1currentPosition=1userGroupName=rho_ttdadocId=A19983243docType= 9. Donoghue, Frank. Inevitable Politics: Rulership and Identity in Robinson Crusoe. Studies in the Novel 27.1 (1995): 1-0. Print http://lion.chadwyck.co.uk/searchFulltext.do?id=R01532799divLevel=0area=abellforward=critref_ft 10. Ngugi Wa Thiongo. The language of African literature. Decolonising the Mind. London / Portsmouth N.H James Currey / Heinemann 1986 11. Judith Hawley Robinson Crusoe (University Lecture) 7th October 2010

war on drugs Essays -- essays research papers

The war on drugs is not a war that can be fought on the beaches of Normandy or in the jungles of Vietnam. It is a war fought in the backyards of all Americans, every day. This is a war that cannot be won with the aid of nuclear weapons or the help of any other forms of artillery. The number of casualties, however, will be determined by whether or not the legalization of drugs occurs. Many will suffer the same outcome as a soldier killed in battle if drugs become legal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If marijuana and other drugs are legalized, obtaining drugs will be easier for people of all ages. With the increased use of drugs, there are bound to be more traffic accidents resulting from those who are under the influence of drugs. Also, if more people are lawfully able to use drugs, more people will buy them and the prices of them will go down making them much easier to buy. Drugs will be everywhere, even in the hands of America’s youth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many drugs, even ones that are legal, cause health problems if they are used too often. Cigarettes and other tobacco products contain nicotine, an addictive substance that can cause illnesses such as lung cancer and other cancers to users. The legalization of narcotics that cause illnesses will mean that people who use the drugs are in danger of becoming sick and dying at an earlier age. If the narcotics fall into the hands of younger children, they will be at risk as well. Because their bodies are still developing, the narcotics will have a more devastating effect on them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government spends a great amount of money on centers for the rehabilitation of those who are addicted to different types of drugs. If drugs are legalized, more and more people will become addicted and more rehabilitation centers will be needed for them. The more rehabilitation centers that are built, the more money our government spends which is less money that can be spent on more important things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Certain drugs are illegal for a reason. They damage the physical and psychological state of the user. If the legalization of drugs occurs, the American public may assume that the government condones the use of drugs. Those who once were addicts and those who may be curious about the drug will be able to buy them. The number of users will increase and so will the numb... ... released, causing recidivism rates to increase as well. The only way to make sure that drug use in the neighborhoods of America does not get out of hand is for the communities to work together to do their best to prevent it. The schools and the parents should work together to teach children what is acceptable in their community and enforce the rules that are made to prohibit drug use (Glassner 223-226). Schools should also supply students with after school activities to keep them from boredom and promote a drug free life. Groups such as SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) should be offered and support groups for all students should also be provided in order to discourage drug use among teens. The legalization of drugs is an ever present threat to Americans of all ages. Legalization will cause more traffic accidents, increased drug use among teens as well as adults, and most importantly increased crime and death rates. Every American could be at risk of becoming a victim of a crime, a traffic accident, or problems resulting from a friend or family member that uses drugs. The legalization of drugs is a foe that must be fought with all the strength that Americans possess.

US. v. Lopez :: essays research papers

U.S. v. Lopez 514 U.S. 549 (1995), Vote of 5 to 4, Rehnquist for the court.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Congress in 1990 enacted the Gun-Free School Zone Act, making it a federal offence to possess a firearm in a school zone. Congress relied on the authority of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to justify passage of legislation as a way of stemming the rising tide of gun related incidents in public schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1992 Alfonso Lopez, Jr. was a senior at Edison High School in San Antonio, Texas. Acting on an anonymous tip, school authorities confronted Lopez and discovered that he was carrying a .38 caliber handgun and five bullets. A federal grand jury subsequently indicted Lopez, who then moved to have the indictment dismissed on grounds that the federal government had no authority to legislate control over the public schools. At a bench trial, the federal district court judge found Lopez guilty and sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment and two years’ supervised release. Lopez then appealed to the Fifth Circuit, which reversed the conviction and held the Gun-Free School Zone Act unconstitutional as an invalid exercise dy congress of the commerce power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Lopez case posed the question of the extent to which Congress could exercise authority over street crime and, in so doing, intrude into constitutional space traditionally occupied by the states. Since the New Deal of the 1930’s, the Supreme Court had accepted that Congress had broad authority to regulate virtually every aspect of American life under the cover of the federal Commerce Clause. Moreover, the bombing of the federal office building in Okalahoma City, while it had occurred after the passage of the Gun-Free School Zone Act, created a political environment where the Clinton administration and the Republican congressional leaders believed that the federal government had to combat domestic terrorist groups and the weapons that they used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The case drew considerable attention from diverse interest groups. The National Education Association, for example, joined with the Clinton administration and various antigun groups to argue that schools had experienced difficulty in handling gun related crimes. Soliciter General Drew S. Days argued that the law was different from other statutes dealing with firearms in that it targeted possession rather than sale. Yet Days also insisted that a close connection existed between violence in schools and the movement of guns in interstate commerce. The government insisted that guns were often used as part of the drug culture that was itself carried on through national commerce.

Facebook in Academic Institutions Essay

1. Summary. Whilst the majority of students have Facebook profiles, potential to support academic institutions was seen in its features. This paper provides a generalization of several case studies about the utilisation of Facebook in several universities. It offers an overview of the advantages, constraints and limitations of the suggested practices. The report shows that although Facebook implementation faced partial success, most of the respondents strongly believed that it should remain a forum only for social networking, not a platform for formal academic information. 2. Terms of reference. Social networking sites, especially Facebook, have gained wide popularity in the last few years. They provide a variety of options such as group setting, live chat and online discussion forum. This structure made it possible to expand and go beyond the boundaries of being tools utilised only for marketing and social interaction. Bearing in mind that their main users are individuals at the age of 18-24, they offer a good potential for academic and educational purposes. Owing to the growing interest to the topic, I have been commissioned by the Senior Management Group of the University to investigate whether academic institutions use them in order to interact with students. The purpose of this report is to find out evidence and outcomes of such implementation in the academic community. Although the collected results appear to be somehow contradictory, the dilemma whether Facebook can be both a social and academic forum seems to have a straightforward answer. 3. Procedure. To analyse the university strategies regarding social platforms, a review of library evidence and instances was conducted. In order to retrieve materials of high quality and authority, the search was conducted in Google Scholar and Library Catalogue Plus. Since much more research is done on the social aspects and privacy issues regarding Facebook, advanced searching was used in order to ignore the irrelevant information. Due to the recent nature of the topic, the scope of the articles and journals was limited to publications from the past five years, 2007-2012. The findings are overviews of case studies based on the practices in USA, Italy and South Africa with  prevailing number of undergraduates as main respondents. Because of the variety of social networking sites, the study is primarily focused on Facebook since it has its roots in the academic environment and in this way it is distinctive from the rest of its kind (Bosh 2009, p.191). 4. Findings. Academic institutions realised that Facebook is a pervasive element in every student’s life (Roodt et al. 2009, 16). Adopting this new approach of getting in touch with their target audiences was a challenging way to increase engagement. The literature review shows that the official presence of universities on Facebook has recently increased. Not only is the presence on Facebook important for attracting potential students, but it also provides advantages for enrolled ones. They already have the experience and the knowledge how to use it, which leads to easy incorporation for the purpose of distributing academic information (Bosh 2009, p.191). Apart from being a powerful marketing tool, Facebook is used as a mechanism for: * Online discussion on topics covered in lectures * Administrative and departmental arrangements * Module information 4.1 Online discussion forum. Overall, no empirical evidence was found about Facebook used as a sole platform for academic interaction. It was used as a complement to the existing learning management systems (LMS) – web sites, Blackboard, etc. The established Blackboards have proved to be successful tools for information retrieval. Most of them have a discussion forum, but it has rarely been used for communication (Hrastinski & Aghaee 2011, p.453). Case studies in a Comprehensive Disease Management course and at University of Cape Town reveal that the respondents seldom have a look at the discussion board. Due to its features allowing immediate responses, Facebook offers potential to overcome the lack of dialogue among students. However, there were opponents to this idea who strongly believed that the existing LMS was useful and were unwilling to have discussions in a separate forum (Wang et al. 2012, p.431). This was not an impediment since participation was optional. As a result, learners became more engaged since formulating thoughts online was easier and topics could be discussed more in depth (Cain & Policastri 2011,  p.7). Many students struggle to raise questions and participate actively during lectures and tutorials. Therefore, social platforms facilitate and promote the development of analytical skills allowing everyone to take part. The improved level of communication had impact on the classroom climate leading to higher motivation (Loving & Ochoa 2011, p.129). This transition from passive learner to active participant is beneficial (Selwyn 2009, p.158). It raises student motivation and engagement. Nevertheless, many like Bosh (2009) argue that it does not promote critical thinking since the so-called â€Å"Google generation† assumes social platforms primarily as a way of entertainment. Another drawback of online discussions is that responds are listed in a chronological order, not in threads, which makes it difficult to follow the logical links between comments (Wang et al. 2012, p.436). 4.2 Administrative and departmental arrangements. According to Malesky & Peters (2011), given the large number of students on social networks, multiple university departments and faculties use social platforms to disseminate information to learners. A large number of youngsters have permanent Internet connection on their smartphones and checks their profiles quite often. Therefore, Facebook is utilised for relaying last-minute information about schedules and venues because students are more likely to be on Facebook rather than to check their email (Selwyn 2009, p.163). Important issue to be taken into account here is the authority of the information. It will be assumed as reliable only if it is posted by a member of the academic staff. In addition, departmental pages are good way to get in touch with students, especially during holidays when the existing LMS is rarely visited (Bosh 2009, p. p.187). For example, at Northeastern University of Boston the initial skepticism of viewing course-related posts in a platform primarily used for social interaction faded away and at the end 57% of the respondents were convinced it was useful (DiVall & Kirwin 2012, p.4). Another important implication of faculty pages is that they create a virtual campus environment where all students can communicate and learn from each other (Bosh 2009, p.195). It is beneficial especially for current students who have the chance to talk and exchange experience with the alumni and graduates they will never meet. Maintaining good  student-faculty relationship through Facebook also reflects on student satisfaction about the quality of the service provided. However, time-constraints and costs of such implementation should be carefully considered before integration since the staff is already maintaining the other course management software (DiVall & Kirwin 2012, p.2). It is a powerful tool for small institutions which cannot afford to purchase a Blackboard (Wang et al. 2012, p.434), but its limitations such as safety and partial participation prevent it from being used as a main tool for information dissemination. 4.3 Information about modules. Module information was posted in a specially established Facebook groups. This format was chosen instead of a page because of the option to set up a closed community. It was perceived as controlled environment since the lecturer was the one who could add and remove members (Wang et al. 2012, p.436). Generally, feedback about this practice was positive. Apart from communication about assignments, research findings and current affairs, the group wall was a suitable platform for resource and materials sharing – videos, photos, links to external articles were uploaded which were useful for those willing to extend their knowledge beyond the lecture material (Estus 2010, p.3). However, it was not considered as a complete success due to the inability to support resources in other formats (Wang et al. 2012, p.434). To overcome this problem, additional applications such as Google Docs were used in order to extend Facebook capabilities. Despite this, lectures preferred the traditional Blackboard due to the ease of use. Another advantage of this practice was the positive impact on student-lecturer communication. The virtual office hours allowed learners to contact tutors and lecturers in a less pressured environment (Bosh 2009, p.195). This is important for the better understanding of the matter since learners felt more comfortable to raise their questions on the platform. In addition, lectures’ profiles could enhance their credibility because students see the similarities between the lecturer and themselves (Wang et al. 2012, p.437). Taking into account that it is a dual-side communication process, the other party (students) revealed that they did not want to be contacted by tutors because it is a social forum for getting in touch with peers and they try to separate social life from education (Madge et al.  2009, 150). Friendship with lecturers was possible but it seldom happened because students were cautious that this could affect their ability to be objective (Malesky & Peters 2012, p.138). Further weaknesses of Facebook here were the inability to support grade notification, assignment uploading and online testing (Loving & Ochoa 2011, p.129). 5. Conclusion and recommendation. Although literature provides not enough empirical evidence, it is clear that students prefer to keep the divide between their social and academic space. Facebook has suitable affordances, which allow its utilisation as an educational platform as well. Successful practices were found where it has been used as supplement to the existing learning management system for resource sharing and module and academic information dissemination. However, further research has to be done to investigate the links and synergies between both in order to find the best way they could successfully work together. When it comes to the implementation of Facebook practices in a particular university, it should be carefully considered whether weaknesses are outweighted by potential advantages. Since the literature review shows that Facebook brings a little contribution to the functions of the existing Blackboard, Loughborough University should not invest time and efforts into setting up pages and groups. It is perceived as an intrusive invasion into a place students feel as â€Å"theirs† (Loving & Ochoa 2011, p.124). LEARN and student emails already successfully execute the functions Facebook could be used for. Lectures, tutors and academic staff could be contacted at any time and the discussion forum is well-developed. Therefore, a possible integration of Facebook is not worth efforts. Even though it has a potential, it should remain a place for social interaction and not for formal university practices. 6. Word count. The report contains 1504 words. 7. References. Bosch, T., 2009. Using online social networking for teaching and learning: Facebook use at the University of Cape Town. South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research[online], 35(2), 185-200. , [accessed 21.05.12]. Cain, J. & Policastri, A., 2011. Using Facebook as an informal learning environment. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Edducation[online], 75(10), 1-8. , [accessed 18.05.12]. DiVall, M. & Kirwin, J., 2012. Using Facebook to facilitate course-related discussion between students. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Edducation[online], 76(2), 1-5. , [accessed 18.05.12]. Estus, E., 2010. Using Facebook within a Geriatric Pharmacotherapy Course. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Edducation[online], 74(8), 1-5. , [accessed 21.05.12] Hrastinski, S. & Aghaee, N., 2011. How are campus students using social media to support their studies?. Education and Information Technologies[online], 17(4), 451-464. , [accessed 20.05.12]. Loving, M. & Ochoa, M., 2011. Facebook as a classroom management solution. New Library World[online], 113(3), 121-130. , [accessed 20.05.12]. Madge, C. et al., 2009. Facebook, social integration and informal learning at university: â€Å"It is more for socializing and talking to friends about work than for actually doing work†. Learning, Media and Technology[online], 34(2), 141-155. , [accessed 20.05.12]. Malesky, L. & Peters, C., 2011. Defining appropriate professional behavior for faculty and university students on social networking websites. Higher Education[online], 63(1), 131-151. , [accessed 21.05.12]. Mazman, S. & Usluel,Y., 2010. Modeling educational usage of Facebook. Computers & Education[online], 55(2), 444-453. , [accessed 18.05.2012]. Roodt, S., Cloete, S. & De Villiers, C., 2009. Facebook as an academic tool for ICT lecturers. Annual conference of Southern African Computer Lecturers’ Association[online], 29 June-1 July. Eastern Cape: SACLA, 16-22. , [accessed 22.05.12]. Selwyn, N., 2009. Faceworking: exploring students’ education†related use of Facebook. Learning, Media and Technology[online], 34(2), 157-174.< http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17439880902923622>, [accessed 21.05.12]. Wang, Q. et al., 2012. Using the Facebook group as a learning management system: an exploratory study. British Journal of Educational Technology [online], 43(3), 428–438. , [accessed 19.05.12]. Appendix 1Search strategy Existing literature about Facebook is focused more on social networking and privacy issues. Since the study needed more education-oriented materials, the initial search in Google and Wikipedia was not useful enough because it led to more general results. The main information retrieval tools used during the investigation were Google Scholar, Library Catalogue Plus and some additional databases found through the Select Database option. In order to avoid a large amount of inappropriate materials, only databases from the â€Å"Education† category were selected. The most useful of them was ScienceDirect. In addition to the materials which exactly fitted the search criteria, a number of related articles was suggested, which was very helpful. In all of the information retrieval tools advanced searching strategies were applied in order to narrow the results and sift out the most relevant ones.