Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business Coursework - 1

Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business - Coursework Example Trade Credit implies the allowance of credit businesses by the providers of raw materials and other equipment. In this type of financing, though no cash is allotted to the business, but it is given the liberty to delay the payment for the goods up to the termination of the credit. Bank Credit is another popular source of short term financing which allows businesses to draw credit at once or in phases. There are various sub-categories of Bank Credit such as Loans, Cash Credit, Overdraft and Discounting of Bill. The third short term financing source is Customers’ Advances in which businesses ask customers to pay a part of their payment in advance. This is often the case when orders are large as it facilitates the company to overcome its short-term necessities. The fourth source is Account Receivables which are sold to bank or any other finance company through Factoring. In this manner, the business selling the receivables gets the amount while the finance company takes over all the associated credit risks (World Academy Online, 2011) Task 2 1. Activision Blizzard Inc as well as Electronic Arts Inc. have financed their short term requirements mainly through Bank Credits and to some extent through the selling of Accounts Receivables too. In case of Electronic Arts Inc, short term obligations form the bulk of the total liabilities, indicating the high dependence on short term financing (Electronic Arts Inc, 2012). In contrast to Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard uses relatively less short term obligations in terms of relative percentages (Activision Blizzard Inc, 2012) 2. Activision Blizzard Inc. Liquidity Ratios 1. Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities (2011) = 5,385,000,000 / 2,907,000,000 =1.85 x 2. Quick / Acid Test Ratio = (Current Assets – Inventory) / Current Liabilities (2011) = (5,385,000,000 – 112,000,000)/ 2,907,000,000 =1.81 x Efficiency Ratios 3. Debtor Days = Account Receivables / (Sales/360) (2011) = 1,280,000,00 0 / (4,447,000,000/360) =103.62days 4. Creditor Days = Accounts Payable / (Sales/360) (2011) = (1,181,000,000) / (4,447,000,000/360) =95.61 days 5. Stock Turnover Days = (Inventory x 360) / Cost of Goods Sold (2011) = (112,000,000 x 360) / 2,126,000,000 =18.96 days Electronic Arts Inc Liquidity Ratios 6. Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities (2011) = 3,032,000,000 / 2,001,000,000 =1.52 x 7. Quick / Acid Test Ratio = (Current Assets – Inventory) / Current Liabilities (2011) = (3,032,000,000 –77,000,000) / 2,001,000,000 =1.48 x Efficiency Ratios 8. Debtor Days = Account Receivables / (Sales/360) (2011) = 391,000,000 / (3,589,000,000/360) =39.22 days 9. Creditor Days = Accounts Payable / (Sales/360) (2011) = (996,000,000)/ (3,589,000,000/360) =99.91 days 10. Stock Turnover Days = (Average Inventory x 360) / Cost of Goods Sold (2011) = (77,000,000 x 360)/ 1,499,000,000 =18.49 days 3. Activision Blizzard’s current ratio is greater in contrast to that o f Electronic Arts Inc. It suggests that Activision is covering its short term obligations with its current assets in better manner. This suggests that in case of any possible emergency in future, Activision will stand a better chance of overcoming it because of its higher current ratio whereas Electronic Arts would comparatively find it difficult. In this manner, Activision’

Curriculum Development and Design Essay Example for Free

Curriculum Development and Design Essay These programs arose from the thinking of a group of pioneers who believed that the educational approach that had been developed by medical education innovators at McMaster University was also most relevant for the preparation of occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Consequently, a group of educators from both institutions, Mohawk College and McMaster University, combined their skills and created a vision that became the diploma programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. This approach was problem-based learning, and was used as the foundation for both programs from their inception to the present day, across three different iterations of curriculum. One of the key innovations to the way in which the college programs were taught was the combination of using faculty from both the university and college to teach all courses. In the 1980s, a degree completion program was launched that provided graduates of the diploma program a chance to upgrade their qualification to a bachelors degree from McMaster University. This was particularly important since the minimum credential for entry to practice had been raised to the baccalaureate level by the professional associations. In 1989, the program moved completely into the university setting and the graduates were granted a BHSc(PT) or BHSc(OT), a bachelor degree in health sciences. Ten years later, in 2000, candidates were admitted to the entrylevel masters programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. The Pedagogical Framework: Problem-based Learning As briefly referred to above, the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs at McMaster University have a strong history with and legacy of problem-based learning. While the initial curriculum models were strongly influenced by the inaugural undergraduate medical curriculum, time and confidence presented opportunities to create our own models. These models reflect the special nuances of each discipline. Problem-based learning is recognized as having begun at McMaster University, in the medical curriculum, and was in response to critical concerns about the nature of more traditional learning models in medical curricula. The intention was to create an approach to teaching and learning that was learner-centered, yet based upon clear objectives and evaluation criteria. The key difference was the expectation that learners would be facilitated and guided rather than taught (Barrows and Tamblyn 1980; Neufeld 1983; Saarinen and Salvatori 1994). Both the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs at McMaster University have embraced these ideas, although with differing degrees of connection and commitment to the original model. In fact, true problem-based learning models should naturally emerge from each individual context and culture. There is no â€Å"right† way although there is a growing recognition of a common set of principles and elements that can be applied to determine the â€Å"problembased-ness† of a learning environment (Maudesley 1994; Walton and Matthews 1989). Problem-based learning principles tend to become grouped in two distinct categories: first, the values upon which problem-based learning is based and second, some characteristics that are held in common understanding as being critical to the core of problem-based learning. Underlying values include: partnership, honesty and openness, mutual respect, and trust. Core characteristics incorporate: Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 13 i Learning which is student/learner-centered i Faculty roles that are those of facilitator and guide i Learning scenarios which form the basis, focus, and stimulus for learning i New information and understanding that is acquired through self-directed learning (Baptiste 2003 p. 17) Consequently, there is a continuum of problem-based curricula from pure through hybrid models. The masters entry-level physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs at the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University continue to be based upon problem-based principles. Although both programs are very different one from the other, there are also many common elements and approaches that are celebrated. Examples of these similarities are cited throughout this book, particularly in the chapters focusing on evidence-based practice and ethics education. Approaching the Task of Curriculum Renewal Perhaps one of the most overwhelming, yet exciting, tasks with which to be confronted is the opportunity and challenge of developing a new curriculum. This task is made even more daunting when circumstances provide a chance to do something different based on external forces and not a need to change because â€Å"something is broken†. Over the past few years, and in several years to come, many educational programs in rehabilitation science are facing this situation. The changing nature of the entry-level credential for occupational therapists and physiotherapists demands that faculty undertake a detailed review of curricula, to determine the optimal approach to moving toward graduate-level preparation, or, at the very least, complete a review of existing curricula models to identify their responsiveness and congruence with emerging practice expectations and demands. Approaches to such a massive task can vary from ensuring the preservation of what is good from the existing curriculum to making a total shift and adopting a radically Table 2. 1. Principles for curricular change and innovation Rationale should be articulated explicitly Overall goals should be reiterated constantly throughout the process Continuing communication is essential, coupled with a clear rationale Ensure that the intended change is in response to a defined and recognized need or purpose Ensure that the innovation is seen as a high institutional priority Focus on pedagogy and not on resources for implementation Foster strong leadership support Identify incentives for faculty participation Gain faculty buy-in for the curricular blueprint Involve the active teaching faculty throughout the process Anticipate potential barriers to change and develop strategies to address them Recognize the potential need for and value of negotiation Adapted from Guze (1995) 14 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 new approach and design. To have an optimal effect, options to be considered should bear relevance to the pervading culture of the institution and environment within which the curriculum is to thrive. Also, decisions must be made concerning the pedagogical choices of how learner-centered the curriculum should be, and what particular educational modalities are the best for the circumstances. This chapter will address the entire picture of curriculum development and design, from the first conversations about how to engage in the renewal process through making decisions about methods of teaching, approaches to learner assessment, and preparation of entry-level practitioners for the emerging practice contexts. Guze (1995) provided a clear and succinct discussion of several core principles that can guide curricular change and innovation (Table 2. 1). The following is an overview of these principles. Where to Begin? Motivation for curriculum renewal can come from both internal and external forces. External expectations from regulatory and professional bodies are tending to impose standards for new practitioners that require: i Preparation at an advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgment i The ability to assume roles that require autonomy and a strong sense of professional ethics i Engaging in their professional role from the first day of practice, in a conscious nd moral manner that requires reflection and self-awareness Regardless of whether the motivation for curricular change stems from a desire to do something differently or better, or from outside influences, the task is one that requires careful planning. However, it is imperative that any planning process recognizes the need to dream and envision what could be, to create a model that will exemplify those visions, and to produce a graduate who is well prepared to face the complexities and challenges of emerging practice. When developing a curriculum, four general questions must be asked: i What is the purpose of the curriculum? i What educational experiences can be created to fulfill this purpose? What is the most effective manner in which to organize these educational experiences? i How can we determine that the purpose has been fulfilled and the goals attained (Wiers et al. 2002)? Another very critical element of any change is the recognition that the cultural context is a key in managing change successfully. Hafferty (1998), when reflecting upon the realities of a medical school curriculum, discusses the existence of informal and hidden curricula as well as the formal curriculum. He posits that, in order to induce a lasting change, the entire organizational culture needs to be engaged to facilitate stud ents and faculty alike in embracing and working with change. When facing the task of curricular reform, redesign has to occur not only in terms of content, but also in relation to the Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 15 educational processes that enable the learning to take place. This is the difference between reforming the syllabus and reforming the curriculum; the overall learning environment of the educational program and institution is changed (Burton and McDonald 2001). Once the decision has been made to reform the curriculum, a first step is to complete an environmental scan and situational analysis that explore the educational and organizational environment within the institution, to determine what will facilitate the proposed changes. By defining a clear and newly articulated set of riorities and guidelines, changes that are being made within the curriculum will be given the vehicle through which impact can be made upon the surrounding environment (Genn 2001). This strategy is part of the first overall phase, the planning p hase. This is when the need for change is established and the vision for change is designed. It is during this phase of development that the non-negotiable elements of structure and process are determined. For example, within the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, both the Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Programs were already designed as two-year, twenty-four-month, curricula. Also, the province of Ontario mandates that all masters programs are two years in duration. Therefore, the decision was readily made, based on these graduate program regulations and history, that the new masters entry-level curricula would be twenty-four months long. One key commitment was clear and that was to the foundational philosophy of problem-based, selfdirected learning utilizing the application of these principles to small group, large group, and skills-based learning experiences. Wiers et al. (2002) provide a clear and helpful outline of ten general steps of curriculum design within a problem-based learning context (see Table 2. 2). While this rubric is structured around the specific processes inherent within problem-based learning development, most of the guidelines can apply broadly across any curricular development process within any pedagogical framework. From the onset, all faculty members at McMaster University were on board regarding the need to undertake the development of entry-level masters curricula in both occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Both disciplines had undergone dramatic changes in the preceding two decades, largely focused upon the growth of foundational science and evidence for practice. Professional practice models had emerged for both professions and provided a strong backdrop against which to create fresh ap- Table 2. 2. Ten general steps in curriculum design for a problem-based learning (PBL) environment 1. . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Give rationale for the curriculum and form a planning group Generate general educational objectives for the curriculum Assess the educational needs o f future students Apply general principles of PBL to the curriculum Structure the curriculum and generate a curriculum blueprint Elaborate the unit blueprints Construct the study units Decide on student assessment methods Consider the educational organization and curriculum management model Evaluate the curriculum and revise as appropriate Adapted from Wiers et al. (2002) 16 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 proaches to the preparation of graduates for entering practice. While both the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs undertook curriculum renewal at the same time, the physiotherapy program had engaged in an ongoing process of change across the preceding five years. Many of the issues, concerns, and changes addressed and implemented by the occupational therapy program had already been addressed by physiotherapy. Therefore, this chapter will focus predominantly upon the initiatives inherent within the curricular shift within occupational therapy, although reference will be made to processes within physiotherapy as appropriate. Designing Our New Programs Deciding upon the overarching constructs that would determine the final curriculum model was a complex and dramatic process in many ways, and one in which everyone was eager to participate and have a chance to have input. At the onset of the development of the occupational therapy program, three faculty retreats were held that progressed from a totally unstructured brainstorm of what would be perfect, to a detailed accounting of core curricular elements in the context of a delivery structure. In the initial retreat, all full-time faculty members together with some part-time members participated in a â€Å"blue-skying† day-long session during which everyone spoke of their dreams for the perfect curriculum. What if we could do what we wanted? What if we did not have to be concerned with logistics like room bookings? – and so on. This exercise provided us with a high-level ppreciation of the values and elements that were important to us as a collective. It was from this beginning â€Å"fantasy† that the next level of planning emerged. The second retreat was more structured and focused upon the creation of a continuum for learning that resulted in the overarching framework for the cur riculum, together with the delivery methods. A process was followed whereby we decided upon a central construct around which the whole curriculum would evolve, namely, â€Å"occupation†. To support this core notion, there were several longitudinal conceptual threads that represented continua of thought such as: wellness to illness, simplicity to complexity, local to global, and unifaceted to multifaceted. Through this process, we were able to identify the starting place for the first study term, and to create a high-level framework for the progression of the total curriculum (see Table 2. 3) In physiotherapy, the process began similarly with a faculty retreat; however, the focus varied slightly. Initial discussions identified elements of the curriculum that we Table 2. 3. Occupational therapy curricular framework Term 1 2 3 4 5 6 Content theme Wellness, health, and occupation Person, environment, and occupation Development, disability, and occupation Youth and the development of self Adulthood and disability Complexities of contemporary practice Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 17 alued and wanted to maintain and those needing less emphasis. Through ongoing curricular evaluation and feedback, we identified new areas that needed to be included in the emerging curriculum and other areas that needed to be enhanced. These areas were discussed within the context of the changing practice of physiotherapy and the knowledge and skills required by the physiotherapist in the new millennium. The decision was made to use a curricular framework that incorporated a modified â€Å"body systems† design, as current physiotherapy practice and clinical specialties were aligned with this model. Inclusion of a Community Practice/Community Health unit allowed or a focus on emergent health care roles in the community and on integrating health promotion and disease prevention into practice. The faculty recognized that while many physiotherapists identified their practice in an area related to the body systems, increasingly clinicians were faced with more complex patients with multiple system involvement. Hence, the final unit of study focused on integrated practice dealing with clients with complex multisystem health care problems. Following the initial planning process, it is now time to initiate the plan. It is during this time period that the â€Å"unfreezing† of old organizational patterns and the introduction of innovations into the educational environment take place (Burton and McDonald 2001). Often, while there is a strong commitment to engaging in the conversations that lead to the design of a changed reality, it is a very different matter to start â€Å"doing† and actually making that changed reality come to life. A cooperative internal environment is essential for the realization of that initial dream and therefore it is well worthwhile for planners to engage in a transparent and collaborative experience that enables maximum participation and open debate. A process of this nature is characterized by collaborative problem solving, effective communication, abilities in conflict resolution, and a cultural expectation of working together in harmony that guides the overall enterprise (Burton and McDonald 2001). Therefore, it is of importance to determine at the onset the values and behaviors by which the development experience will be approached to set up structures and processes that will ensure that the best attempts at making it so will be expended. During the initiation period, we experienced intense interest and levels of emotion from all participants regarding the manner in which the planning and the visions for the two disciplines would be evolved and realized. As mentioned previously, we had determined that the existing problem-based learning principles would remain but that the key changes would be realized through the manner in which the content was introduced to the students and through which the continuum of learning would evolve. Similarly, we were committed to maintaining a student-centered approach. One core difference was to be the manner in which the experiential component of professional preparation would be integrated more centrally into both curricula. Previously, the curricula were designed in a more traditional fashion whereby the clinical fieldwork experiences were placed at the end of each study term and were linked directly to the area of academic focus for the preceding learning block. By definition, once the overarching concepts of the curricula were determined to be different from the previous models, then fieldwork placements would become less strictly aligned. This was reinforced more heavily in the occupational therapy program which was originally designed around developmental stages and central practice populations. Students would face a more eclectic approach in their clinical learning; therefore, both programs determined that learning around professional issues and practice expectations should be interwoven through the longitudinal axis of the curriculum. 18 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon Redevelopment Within a Problem-based Learning Culture 2 As with any problem-based learning system, the small group learning unit is the nucleus of the whole curriculum. However, the success of problem-based, small group learning is supported by the strategic use of large group interactions for the imparting of theoretical and expert knowledge, while still maintaining a problem-based learning philosophy. Similarly, the application of problem-based learning principles is a critical piece of one-on-one learning and synthesis of knowledge and information throughout the academic and clinical components of the curriculum overall. Both the physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs elected to continue to utilize problem-based learning methods in a manner that celebrated the development already achieved over twenty-five years of curriculum development. This has evolved over time very differently in each program. For example, during the planning process for the occupational therapy curriculum, efforts were made to define new models for tutoring and many were identified and put into place. During the second year of the occupational therapy program, the problem-based tutorials occur only once weekly. This allows additional scheduling time for including the evidence-based practice courses and is also in response to the difficulties many practitioners are experiencing in gaining release time from employers to participate as tutors. In this new tutorial model, tutors are required to participate in only one weekly session with two or three tutors’ meetings across the term instead of weekly. Application of problem-based learning principles in large groups has been maintained and, in fact, enhanced particularly in the clinical skills sessions. Students often are placed in small groups (different groups from their core tutorial group) and provided with opportunities to explore assessment tools and intervention methods. Through these group experiences, the students apply a problem-based learning approach to the identification of learning issues, the uncovering of essential information and resources, and the synthesis of their understanding of the tool or technique. Integration of Experiential Practice Preparation Within a Problem-based Learning Framework As mentioned earlier, both the physiotherapy and occupational therapy faculty groups were committed to ensuring the integration of academic and experiential learning into the curricula from the beginning, and were focused on developing innovative models for the synthesis of practice preparation into the core academic units. It is important to note that the work related to integration commenced at the very onset of the curriculum planning process. In the case of the occupational therapy program, there had always been sessions held throughout the full curriculum that provided opportunities for the Clinical Placement Coordinator (now Professional Practice Coordinator) to inform, advise, educate, and monitor students in preparing for their practice experiences and in checking in with them following these experiences. However, a greater focus on such integration was placed within the masters entry-level curriculum model in order to ensure that students were being prepared to meet the enhanced expectations of a graduate program. Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 19 Evaluation Within a Graduate Problem-based Learning Framework There should be clear and close linkages between how students learn and how that learning is assessed. Therefore, some information will be presented here relative to the evaluation methods developed at McMaster University in the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs. Student Evaluation. In the preceding years, the two programs at McMaster University had been very involved in designing evaluation/student assessment tools that reflected the principles of problem-based learning and provided students with opportunities to integrate their academic learning with their growing professional awareness and identity. Most of these tools are built around the basic problem-based learning process of exploring a learning scenario that has been developed to address the objectives for the particular learning unit. Essentially, problem-based evaluation needs to be congruent with the underlying values and principles of problem-based learning. Traditional methods of assessing students’ knowledge tend to be contradictory to these principles and therefore should not be applied out of context. Problem-based learner assessment should: i Be congruent with the underlying problem-based learning process illustrated by the development of learning scenarios based on real life practice situations i Mirror the problem-based learning process of reflecting on a practice scenario, efining learning issues, researching, synthesizing, and synopsizing the learning with application to the defined case i Involve personal reflection and enhanced awareness of individual critical think- ing and clinical reasoning skills F aculty Evaluation. As with student assessment, the evaluation of faculty is central to the maintenance and enhancement of a problem-based learning culture. And, similarly, faculty evaluation is built into the roles played in any given learning context. In the case of the small group tutor role, faculty members are evaluated by each student and provide a self-evaluation to students during the course of the group process. Following the completion of the small group experience, students evaluate the faculty member as well as the overall course, and these ratings are provided to faculty and placed in their file for attention at times when promotion, tenure, and merit increase decisions are made. For those faculty members, practitioners, and others who facilitate large group sessions in both theory and practical skills, similar evaluations are completed. This process has been in place over many years and has not changed since the advent of the new curricula. However, the items being evaluated have altered to reflect the expected level and scope of graduate teaching. Student Self-assessment: Development of the OTPPI. Students admitted into the occupational therapy program are not expected to have any prerequisite courses completed during their undergraduate education. This has been the case from the very beginning. In the program itself, there are no formal courses that provide students with basic knowledge related to the foundational sciences that underlie occupational therapy practice such as anatomy, physics, biochemistry, sociology, psychology, and anthropology. It has been the long-held belief that in a pure problem-based learning 20 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 environment, the learning is accomplished through the horizontal meshing of various areas of knowledge and information; that through the integration of these sciences and bodies of knowledge, students can gain the understanding they require by using real life situations as springboards for integration and synthesis of all inputs. Consequently, recent efforts were expended to develop the Occupational Therapy Personal Progress Inventory (OTPPI), a tool that was developed from the experience of the undergraduate medical program over the past few years (Blake et al. 1996; Cunnington 2001). The OTPPI focuses on foundational knowledge that our students need in order to become practicing occupational therapists. It is not a test of the application of that knowledge in practice. The examination consists of 90 multiple-choice questions developed with the expectation that a â€Å"star† student would be able to answer by the time of graduation. There are three main domains included in each examination: biology (this includes anatomy, physiology, etc. ), social sciences (this includes psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. ), and research (this includes statistics, research methods, ethics, etc. ). The breakdown of each examination is 40 percent biology, 40 percent social science, and 20 percent research. The examination is generated each term and students in both years have the same examination, with the expectation that the students in second year will achieve a higher result than those in the first year. Students receive a detailed report with their scores and a profile of how they have progressed over time. They are provided with information about their total score as well as a breakdown on each of the three domains. They also receive a zone score, which is an indication of how well they have performed on the test in comparison to the other members of the class. Students in the yellow or red zones may want to review their scores in more detail and make learning plans to address gaps that may have been identified through the examination. This tool is designed as a self-assessment measure, the individual results of which are known only to each student. We have made a conscious choice that results are not used in the summative evaluation of the students, and are intended to provide the learners with a sense of how they are progressing in accumulating knowledge relative to the basic sciences of their discipline. The students are expected to use that information to set plans in place to address weaknesses (e. g. , through problem-based tutorials, individual assignments, etc. ). The OTPPI has been a pencil and paper test so far, but steps are being taken to convert it to a web-based format. While the occupational therapy program has undertaken this initiative on a pilot basis, initial responses would indicate that students are finding the process helpful to them, although this is very new at the time of publication. Integration of Evidence-based Practice Skills into the Curricula. The integration of skills related to practicing in an evidence-based manner is seen to be critical to both programs. A detailed description of the models adopted by the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs is found in Chapter 5. In both programs, there is a strong commitment to evidence-based practice as a central onstruct for the curriculum and a natural partner for client-centered and problem-based principles. Conclusion Since their inception, the masters entry-level programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy have presented opportunities to revisit our history and legacy in health sciences education. In order to reflect on the overall process, the general steps for curriculum design offered by Wiers et al. (2002) will be revisited (see Table 2. 2). Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 21 For us, the rationale for the curriculum was clear both from an internal and an external perspective, and the notion of forming a planning group was a natural approach to the task. Our profound commitment to involving our broad academic community was illustrated through the involvement of a wide range of individuals encompassing full-time, part-time, and sessional faculty members as well as members of the wider practice community. Such involvement was realized throughout the planning process and continues through such individuals’ representation on our Education, Curriculum and Admissions committees. The need to define clear general educational objectives for the curriculum was also recognized at a very early stage. We found that being able to determine the goals and directions from the outset served to facilitate the planning that followed. Assessing the educational needs of future students was assisted by our own knowledge concerning the entry-level competencies demanded by our professional regulatory colleges. Also, the connections we have with our practice communities and past graduates were invaluable in providing a background for determining the shifts necessary within the curriculum to fulfill practice expectations. Similarly, the same thoughtful reasoning was used to consider the differences of teaching and learning between undergraduate and graduate approaches to education. Applying general principles of problem-based learning to the curriculum was not a concern for us, given our long history of internalizing this philosophy. Specific difficulties arose when converting the undergraduate courses and assessment tools to the needs of a graduate program. Nevertheless, problem-based learning in many ways is a gift for this transition since it resembles closely the natural proclivities of graduate work – smaller groups, self-directedness, learner autonomy, and a degree of freedom to determine learning directions. Structuring the curriculum and creating a blueprint became different experiences for physiotherapy and occupational therapy. As mentioned previously, while the planning processes looked ostensibly similar, the manner in which the final curricular models were derived was very different (see Tables 2. 3 and 2. 4). However, after the master models were created, the processes for elaborating the blueprints and constructing study units were again very similar. Methods of student assessment tended to remain grounded in the familiar processes and tools that we had developed across our history with problem-based learning. However, as each curricular element emerged throughout the planning (e. g. , evidence-based practice, ethics, clinical skills, fieldwork) so did innovative ways to enhance the student assessment processes that were already strong. Details of these innovations will be discussed in the book chapters relating to these specific areas. Consideration of the educational organization and curriculum management model required particular attention since our lines of accountability had shifted, with the Table 2. 4. Physiotherapy curricular framework Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 Content theme Fundamentals of physiotherapy practice Fundamentals of musculoskeletal practice Fundamentals of cardiorespiratory and neurological practice Advanced neurological practice Community practice Integrated practice and professional transition 22 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 move to the School of Graduate Studies. Two slightly different models of governance emerged, with the Admissions Committee being the only shared group between physiotherapy and occupational therapy. However, both governance models reflect a central group responsible and accountable for curriculum and another group that oversees general program functioning. Curricular evaluation remains an ongoing responsibility and expectation. Chapter 13 provides a particular model for curriculum evaluation that was used by the occupational therapy program, the Program Logic Model. However, there are many ways in which faculty members can retain a clear image of what makes up a curriculum and what indicators are critical to evaluate for the success of the program overall. The three years of planning and launching the new curricula at McMaster University were years of extremely hard work, high energy and output. As we see each student cohort graduate, and receive feedback concerning our students and graduates in practice settings, we feel heartened that we appear to be on the right track. We know, however, that curriculum development is an ongoing process.

Portrayal Of Social Issues Faced By Women

Portrayal Of Social Issues Faced By Women The aim of this extended essay is to analyze how Patience Agbabi portrays the issues women are faced with in her poem cycle Seven Sisters from her poetry collection Transformatrix and examine the different viewpoints of the main themes presented in the seven poems from the perspective of the poet. This is done by first distinguishing three main topics in the seven poems which are: Teenage pregnancy and prostitution Adolescence and fairytale stereotypes Sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations These topics were then thoroughly analyzed by detailed investigation of the poems and additional external sources. With the purpose of understanding the message behind the poems more adequately, an interview with the poet, Patience Agbabi, was organized first by contacting her through www.patienceagbabi.wordpress.com and later by email. The correspondence is attached in the appendix. After an in depth research of the main topics, it was possible to conclude that Patience Agbabi portrayed the women and the social issues in a more unconventional manner by highlighting the virtuous as well as the unpleasant characteristics of the main characters. This is different for example from the media which, influenced by society, typically only presents only one point of view and thus disregards the opinions of the people who actually suffer from the social issues discussed in this essay. Introduction Patience Agbabi is a British poet born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents. She was educated at Oxford Univeristy and published the poetry collection, named Transformatrix, in 2000. This extended essay will analyze seven sestina poems from that collection, suitably called the Seven Sisters, which are a truthful interpretation of the poets view on women and the many challenges they go through. With each of the seven women representing a different time and type of life, Patience Agbabi has given a very interesting depiction of the transformation of women through time. The issues in the poems vary a great deal. The main topics discussed are teenage pregnancy and prostitution, adolescence and fairytale stereotypes, and sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations. In her poems Patience Agbabi tries to break the stereotypes of women that have formed from years and years of misunderstanding and lack of interest to know the other side of the story. It is interesting to see that even th ough a feminist, the poet does not depict the women in the seven poems in an extremely positive or ideal manner; the characters are all authentic and with flaws, as it is in real life, which is exactly the reason why they are so intriguing to read. Instead of the worn out depictions of the topics in the poems, Agbabi tries to explore a different viewpoint and widen the understanding of for example transvestites, lesbians or rebellious teenagers. The poet uses one of the most difficult forms of poetry to master, the sestina, to emphasize the most important aspects in each poem. A sestina is a highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by its envoy. The same set of six words ends the lines of each of the stanzas, but in a different order each time  [1]  . The six repetitive word are time, girl, end, child, boy, dark each of these representing the central themes of the poems and combining the Seven Sisters together. In whole the question this essay aims to answer is: How does Patience Agbabi portray the issues women are faced with in her poem cycle Seven Sisters? Teenage pregnancy and prostitution Teenage pregnancy has been a problem throughout history, the only difference being that nowadays it is much more talked about and there are actual measures taken to relieve the situation. During the Second World War however, which is also the time frame for the first poem Martina  [2]  , the situation was much worse and the problem was ignored or denied. As described in the poem, the war had a horrific effect on people as most were living in constant fear, thinking only about the outcome of the confrontation. With the men sent to battle, the women had to provide for themselves and for many it meant getting a job and working long hours for the first time in their lives. It is to no surprise then, that some women resorted to easier ways to keep their previous lifestyle and at the same time help the war-effort. The so called victory girls or khaki-wackies provided respectable companionship for military men: they wrote letters, played cards, danced with them and eventually ended up c arrying their children as a result of imprudence.  [3]  In the poem Martina, the difference between the two manners of behaviour is described by the fact that in the time of fear and despair, when women had to work hard and food was in very short supply, the so called khaki-wackies had a much more glamorous lifestyle, at least on the outside: .. But we were weekend disciples, evacuees scared of dark nights pierced with blitzkrieg pyrotechnics, child- like, clinging to mothers skirt. She found time to party in new nylons, good-time girl growing voluptuous from man and boy, on chocolate and plum brandy. I was tomboy  [4]   In reality they were non-professional prostitutes, girls who resorted to more straight-forward measures to survive the turbulent and uncertain times. In the last three stanzas of the poem, Agbabi describes the very typical outcome of such behaviour, which was pregnancy. As the V-girls were in majority young girls raging from the age of 12 to 17, teenage pregnancy rate was for example in the United States higher in the 1940s than it is now.  [5]   . We all knew she was expecting a child. In those days we all expected the boy to marry her. But it being wartime, too soon his two-month leave came to an end. Her father threw her out into pitch-dark Novembers clutches with words No girl of mine She gave birth to a baby girl, Martina. They wanted to put the child up for adoption. .   [6]   In these lines the poet also explains the misconception people had about the lifestyle of such girls. It was expected that the soldiers would marry the girl they got pregnant, but the reality was quite different. Majority of the men had no intention to take responsibility, and even when they did walk down the aisle, the marriages usually ended when the war was over. The girls were left behind, pregnant and rejected by the society, with no other option than to resort to illegal abortion, give the child up for adoption or try to raise their newborn alone.  [7]  The women could not expect help from their families as it was considered unforgivable to have a child born out of wedlock. The media portrayed them as people who only had themselves to blame for their situation, but the poem Martina evokes rather sympathy than dismay for the character, especially with the last lines: . In time, she got married for the childs sake, a boy- next-door type; and in time I met a girl with sloe-dark eyes and loved her till the end.  [8]   Patience Agbabi herself says that: The conversational first person narrative invites the reader to identify with these women, to enjoy their spirit and wit, to empathise with them in spite of their morals.  [9]  Throughout the poem and especially in the end, the narrator is more intrigued and fascinated by the victory girl, rather than being appalled. In my opinion it reflects that in many ways the V-girls were envied for their seemingly glamorous lifestyle and their free-spirited nature, by other, more conservative, women during that time. The other poem in the collection, that has the central themes of teenage pregnancy, prostitution and also sexual abuse is Samantha  [10]  . Unlike Martina, the life of Samantha takes place at a more modern time. The poem deals mostly with prostitution, but once again it is not from the very typical viewpoint, as the womans positive characteristics are equally emphasized with her short-comings. The poem also gives more insight to one of the reasons behind prostitution and from that also teenage pregnancy. They cant see my bump in the dark. I work Stamford Hill mostly. My first time was 96. We was really broke. Boy from the local estate. Dealer. The girls put me up to it. Once I got over the taste it was childs play. Sucked him like an ice lolly in June. We call it making ends meet.   [11]   In this stanza, the prostitute is talking about why she first got started with her line of work, and as for most girls, it is usually about financial problems and a lack of education or opportunities to find a proper job. According to Claire Sterk: money, history of sexual abuse, having grown up without love from the significant adults in their lives and being enticed by a male of female friend or by peer pressure from a group of friends are the main reasons behind prostitution.  [12]  All of those are also mentioned in the poem Samantha. When comparing Samantha to Martina then their one similarity is pregnancy, what is different, is the two womens perception of the situations. In Martina, the girl is punished for her situation and considers putting the child up for adoption. In Samantha, the prostitute has a much more positive attitude towards the fact that she has a child. ..Id die if anything happened to my kid. A child keeps you sane. ..  [13]   Even though only taking place 20 to 30 years later, the outlook on the situation had transformed, and prostitutes at that time felt like they had the right and freedom of talking about their lives without shame of what others may think. What is interesting about the poem is the fact that Samantha herself does not seem to be too disturbed about the way her life has turned out, she seems foolishly hopeful that things might change for the better. The fact is however, that the reasons that first dragged the woman into prostitution are not likely to just disappear. In an interview with the Guardian journalist, Emine Saner, a long-time sex worker told Saner that she would like to be able to stop working, but does not know how else to manage financially  [14]  . The importance of this poem and also Martina is the fact that even though both women have a distorted sense of morals, the reader can not help but feel somewhat sorry for the characters and therefore enabling them to see teenage pregnancy and prostitution in a different light than usually portrayed by the media. Adolescence and fairytale stereotypes According to Patience Agbabi herself, exploring childhood moving into adolescence is one of her favourite themes. As every person has been a kid in the past and can say that puberty is a very emotional time of a persons life, it is therefore no surprise that adolescence is an interesting topic for all writers and poets. In a life of a usual teenager, adolescence is the time of first love, discovering sexuality and for most girls the realisation of the truth behind fairytale stereotypes. One of my personal favourites, Agbabis poem The Tiger  [15]  is an excellent portrayal of a rebellious teenage girl who is just on her journey of discovering what life as an adult is actually like. Majority of young girls have a huge misconception about adulthood, mainly concerning romance. Tracy loves Darren. It was girl power, 1979. He was my aerosol boy and the swelling inscription, my lifebuoy. We lasted a month.  [16]   In the poem, the young girl gets a tattoo with the name of her first love. It is a very truthful depiction of young people s understanding of love, as they think it will last forever just like the tattoo. The reality of the situation hits youngsters usually when they gain more independence and responsibilities, which also marks the end of their puberty. The Tiger shows the ordeal in an emotional and familiar way, thus making the reader feel the angst of puberty once again. In modern society, adolescence is widely discussed, as parents seem more and more clueless of what to do when their child is behaving in a rebellious matter. By giving the reader an insight to the girls point of view, Agbabi once again enables people to see the problem from a new angle. It takes an hour to obliterate girl meets boy a minute for childhood to end, and for dark blue to fade to grey, a lifetime.   [17]   With the final stanza of the poem, Agbabi emphasizes again the fact that emotions and situations that all seemed so important during years of puberty, mean very little when compared to the rest of a persons life. The second poem in Agbabis collection that also deals with the problems of fairytale stereotyping and more generally, youngsters misconception of the life ahead, is Leila  [18]  . This poem is mostly depicting the usual dream of a little girl, in her early years of adolescence, when she dreams about charming princes and extraordinary weddings. This delusion has been created by entertainment industry, as children are exposed to more and more cartoons, films and toys in a very early age. The idea behind this is to influence the children into wanting all sorts of consumer goods, but in addition these movies and toys give the young children a distorted view of life which in later years may prove to be a major obstacle on their way of living a fulfilled life. Developmental ps ychologists have long identified the fact that playing has a crucial affect on a childs development. During play children communicate with their world and internalize elements of society, such as norms, values, and adult roles. Childrens toys have a huge effect on their development of self-image and their concept of the society one of the fundamental tasks of childhood and adolescence  [19]  . It is to no surprise then, that the poet has chosen this topic as it sheds light and explains another group of women, who are suffering from some kind of social issue. dreaming all night of her shoe-shine boy, their diamond wedding, that happy end- ing. If she were a time shed be midnight, when each child paints the dark with fantasy, when girls become women, boys become men and Once upon a time becomes The End.  [20]   The last stanza of the poem is showing exactly Agbabis point that eventually all people grow up and with that they also have to grow out of fairytales. No fairytale ever shows the life of the protagonists after the happily ever after, and therefore having unrealistic expectations in ones adulthood to, for example, have a relationship that can be compared to a classical fairytale, is a dream that in reality will never come true. The two poems of adolescence and fairytale stereotypes are not only instructive for the young girls and women who are faced with the issue, but also for those who as observers may not have completely understood or recognized it as a social issue before. Sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations Sexuality is most definitely the most controversial and most covered topic that the poet has examined in her poem collection Seven Sisters. Patience Agbabi, being a bisexual herself, gives a very interesting and somewhat perceptive portrayal of a vast variety of different women and their sexualities. Not only does she discuss the sexualities of the women themselves, but also gender expectations amongst mothers, who also wish for their child to be of certain sex. According to researchers children are increasingly more aware of their sexuality from an early age, for example according to the research of 2004 by the Guttmacher Institute, 46% of teens in the United States between ages of 15-19 have had sex at least once  [21]  . It is to no surprise then that sexuality is such a talked about topic around the world these days. The problem with young children and their sexuality is briefly discussed in the poems Martina  [22]  and The Tiger  [23]  . In the poem The Tiger, Agbab i writes about the protagonist losing her virginity at a very young age, and thus also losing her childhood. In Martina, the main character is presumably around the age of 16, but has to grow up fast, and therefore get in touch with her sexual side, because of the war. The more controversial part of sexuality in Martina is the fact that even though the character is heterosexual, the narrator is a lesbian, as said by the poet.  [24]  Sexual orientation has a very big part to play in our sense of who we are and exactly where we belong. Even though no-one chooses their sexual orientation, there are still millions of people who are strongly against homosexuality, or bisexuality for that matter. As a close to heart topic for Agbabi, she chooses a very different angle to express her feelings about the social issue concerning sexuality. In her poem Ms de Meanour  [25]  , the narrator who is also the main character in the poem, is a drag queen and in lively fashion talks about her l ife of behaving like a woman, even though actually being a man. Time for boy meets girl in the mirror and wild child bitch with a dick from Crouch End becomes Wild West End diva with dark luscious lashes. .  [26]   In my opinion the poet is trying to draw a comparison between transvestites and gay people, as both are hiding their true personality and sexuality for the benefit and content of others. Drag queens dress and act as women, for the purpose of entertaining or performing. Homosexual people, on the other hand, need to sometimes hide their preferences from other in fear of public condemnation. In the beginning of the 21st century, violence against homosexual population was increasing, even the only wrong they have done is just have the courage to show difference from the majority  [27]  . Fortunately during the last couple of years, the situation has improved, as for example in many countries and in some states in Unites States, same-sex marriages are allowed and recognized by the government. Very closely connected with this topic, is gender expectations which is another theme in Agbabis poems. Centuries ago, it was crucial for a family to have a son, for the very obvious reason that a son is stronger and was more helpful around the house. Not only are there expectations about the gender of the child before it is born, but also after. Parents assume their children to grow up and follow the manner of behaviour that is acceptable by the society. For a heterosexual couple, who have certain expectations for their child, depending on the kids sex, it is probably quite disturbing to accept if the child turns out to be homosexual for example. The poem The Earth Mother  [28]  , is set in a fairytale time of Once upon a time, where an old woman craves for a son and is initially disappointed, when the child she had already named Boy turned out to be a girl. Old Woman named it Boy and dreamt earth, wind and fire, better times And here the tale would end if little girls could truly tame the dark and little boys were really boys, not girls. Old Woman woke and saw her baby Boy was girl and being wise, gave praise and raised this girl-child .  [29]   The poem is a fascinating approach to the subject, as the Old Woman represents most parents who wish their child to grow up a certain way they have imagined. It is also educational, as in the poem even though preliminary shocked to find out that things had not gone as planned, the Old Woman still raised the child without any complaints or regrets. In my opinion, Agbabi is trying to convince the reader that even when a child does not grow up according to certain gender expectations, it is no excuse to repel person s own flesh and blood. A more terrifying theme of sexuality in Agbabis poems is child sexual abuse, which she writes about in the poem Samantha  [30]  , where the character is a young 14 year old girl, who was raped by her step-father and consequently became a prostitute. Sexual abuse between adults and children, and moreover between siblings, is unfortunately not a passing issue in todays society. In 1994, 46% of all rape cases reported, were victims of their family members.  [31]   Pervs. Like my stepdad. I was still a child when he did it. Told her I was sleeping with boys but she walked in on us that lunchtime, and called me a whore. Jealous bitch. I left that weekend. Fourteen, and still scared of the dark.  [32]   One of the most disturbing facts about child sexual abuse is that in some occasions, the parents of the children dont believe when their child tells them about the rape or accuse the child of being seductive and asking for being raped. In those cases, the parent is usually more concerned about the relationship with the abuser than the well-being of their child. Therefore it is no surprise, that after such ordeal, these children end up running away from home and when reaching adulthood suffer from low self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, difficulties with having a healthy relationships, depression, substance abuse and so on.  [33]  The frankness of the main character in the poem, shows the reader the outcome of sexual abuse without any buffers, in its purest form which has proven to be the most efficient way to get people acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and do something about one of the most horrific problems women have to go through in their lives. Conclusion Patience Agbabi is a true-hearted feminist, who in her poem collection Seven Sisters writes about some of the most common social issues women are faced with, without taking sides. In her own words: As a feminist, when I started out as a writer there was a political pressure not to let the side down. Women were seeking equality and you had a duty as a writer to show women in the best possible light. But by this second book, I let art rather than politics lead the way.  [34]  Even though there were many bigger and smaller issues discussed in the poems, the themes that prevailed and seemed to be most close to heart for the poet, were teenage pregnancy and prostitution, adolescences and fairytale stereotypes and lastly sexuality, sexual abuse and gender expectations. The way of portraying issues that are exceedingly talked about, making them sound innovative and interesting, and in addition finding something new to teach in all of the situations is what makes the poems beautiful and absolutely worth reading. Patience Agbabi draws the reader in with writing in first person narrative and therefore lets the reader to identify with these women and the difficulties they face. Teenage pregnancy and prostitution are often discussed from the viewpoint of the general media but what a regular person does not hear often about is the other side of the story, the truth about the situation. As the poet mentioned herself, she is not trying to idealize these women or justify their behaviour and morals, but rather give the reader a change to make up their own decision about the characters. This applies to all of the themes and characters discussed in Seven Sisters. As a whole the collection serves as a quick study book for anyone interested in women their problems, their views on society and how the society views them and most importantly it allows the reader to analyse the information without any outside influence, thus coming to a conclusion that has its bases on the persons own views rather than the views of someone else. Sources Patience Agbabi Transformatrix Edinburgh: Payback Press. 2000. Marilyn Hegarty Victory Girls, Khaki-Wackies and Patriotutes: The regulation of female sexuality during World War II New York: NYU Press. 2007. Claire Sterk Tricking And Tripping, Prostitution In The Era Of AIDS New York: Social Change Press. 2000. Ken Moore Anti-lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Violence in 2000 New York: National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.2001. Kluft Incest-Related Syndromes of Adult Psychopathology Washington: American Psyhiatric Press.1990. Penelope Maza Adoption Trends: 1944-1975 US Childrens Bureau.1984. Emine Saner Youre consenting to being raped for money Guardian.11th December 2007. http://www.eduqna.com/Words-Wordplay/841-1-words-4.html http://www.public.asu.edu/~kleong/adolescents%20barbie.pdf http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewerDocumentID=32315 Seven Sisters Unveiled FORM DICTATING CONTENT I discovered the sestina quite by accident. I was well known for being a Janis Joplin fan, the 60s rock star who lived fast and died young of a heroin overdose. I was particularly mesmerised by her rendition of Ball and Chain, a blues number she performed at the Monteray pop festival in 1967. The friend gave me a copy of a poem called You Cant Rhumboogie in a Ball and Chain (for Janis Joplin). It was written by Alice Fulton, a poet Id never heard of. The poem really captured Janis spirit and I loved it. I also loved the way the words seemed to dance around each other. Of course, what I was responding to subliminally was the form of the poem, the form known as the sestina. So what is a sestina? Like many poetic forms it has musical roots. It was invented by Arnaud Daniel (whom Dante considered the best wordsmith). The form was originally sung by the top class troubadours, those who could master the intricate form. The sestina is still seen as the most difficult form to master in modern How to Write Poetry books. Basically, you have six words which appear in a set order at the end of each line. You have six stanzas of six lines each and a final stanza of three lines. It makes more sense when you see it on the page so heres one I prepared earlier, the first one I wrote: WRITING THE SEQUENCE A poet friend from the US, Samantha Coerbell, reintroduced me to the sestina by giving me the six end words, time, girl, end, child, boy, dark. They immediately suggested to me a poem about the passing of time, adolescence, coming of age with dark undertones. I didnt analyse it too closely. One day I went to the Poetry Library in London with a couple of hours to spare. I decided to write a sestina. It was supposed to be difficult but I believed it couldnt be that hard. I managed to write something I was reasonably pleased with in that two hours. It made sense and it has a story line. I knew it was a first draft that needed more work but it was a pretty good first draft as first drafts go. Like the Alice Fulton poem, I also adhered to 10-syllable lines. Traditional English sestinas are written in iambic pentameter. I enjoyed the writing experience, using the word repetitions as a form of rhyme and thought: WHAT IF 100 people got given the same six end words. Imagine the difference in the poems theyd produce. Yet each poem would have a relationship to the next due the set repetition of the end words. Each poem would perform the same dance to a different tune. I then decided to embark on the Seven Sisters project. I gave myself a year but eventually found myself writing one sestina a month. I wanted sufficient gaps between poems so theyd be very different.

Vikings and the First American Colony Essay -- American America Histor

Vikings and the First American Colony The idea that Columbus did not provide Europeans with their first long term contact with America is now nearly universally accepted. Activists for the Irish monk, St. Brenden, and other early explorers are gaining support with new archaeological evidence. It is the Norsemen, though, that have the distinction of being the first colonizers of the Americas, whether or not chance meetings occurred before. The legacy they left the Americas is striking considering the short amount of time they actually spent here, and historians are baffled by nearly every aspect of their colony. The forces that made them abandon Vineland, their main colony, are the subject of an ongoing debate on both sides of the Atlantic. The nature, location, and inhabitants of the Americas the Vikings knew would all have been obstacles to forming a permanent settlement. The economy, the driving force for colonization, also affected the need for Vineland. The peninsula in the northwest corner of Europe known as Jutland has been inhabited by Scandinavians for centuries. Ptolmey writes about the area and Roman artifacts have been found during excavations of Norway and Sweeden demonstrating considerable contact with southern Europe (Wilson 21-23) Literacy is indicated by the Runes which first appeared at the beginning of the third century. The Runic alphabet has changed and evolved through the years, and claims of inscriprions dot the United States and are largey the basis on knowledge of Viking presence (Wilson 27). During the first century, Europeans embarked on a period of great migration, a time of great wealth and prosperity for the Scandinavians. One cause was the settlement of a new territory on the basis of "an eco... ...ed factual. Other sites in Greenland substantiate the sagas and we can rely on them for information regarding the Viking exploration of America. They do not, unfortunately, tell us the precise location of Vineland, so many aspects of the Viking adventures remain a mystery. For now, historians credit Vikings with the first European discovery of America. The colony was not permanent, but the legacy the Vikings left is seen in many places like Cape Cod where street names like Leif Lane and Viking Way dot the maps. Historians may never know all the details concerning why settlement did not last. For now the evidence points to skirmishes with the natives, the long distance from Greenland, the population shortage and the natural environmental factors. The Vikings were here for an instant and, for various reasons abandoned their settlement, leaving their mark forever.

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 18

Chapter 18 YOUR PUNY WORM GOD WEAPONS ARE USELESS AGAINST MY SUPERIOR CHRISTMAS KUNG FU Molly slipped out the back door of the cabin and around the outside wall until she could see the tall figure standing before her picture window. The fallen wires had stopped sparking out by the street and the stars and moon barely cut through the darkness at all. Strangely enough, she could clearly see the man by her front window because there was a faint glow shining around him. Radioactive, Molly thought. He wore the long black duster favored by sand pirates. Why, though, would a desert marauder be out in a rainstorm? She assumed the Hasso No Kamae stance, back straight, the sword held high and tilted back over her right shoulder, the sword guard at mouth level, her left foot forward. She was three steps from delivering a deathblow to the intruder. The sword balanced perfectly in her grip, so perfectly that it seemed to weigh nothing at all. She could feel the wet pine needles under her bare feet and wished that she'd put on shoes before dashing out into the night. The cold rain against her bare skin made her think that maybe a sweater would have been a good idea as well. The glowing man looked toward the opposite corner of the cabin and Molly made her move. Three soft steps and she stood behind him; the edge of her blade lay across the side of his neck. A quick pull and she would cut him to his vertebrae. â€Å"Move and die,† Molly said. â€Å"Nuh-uh,† said the glowing man. The tip of Molly's sword extended a foot beyond the stranger's face. He looked at the blade. â€Å"I like your sword. Want to see mine?† â€Å"You move, you die,† Molly said, thinking that it wasn't the sort of thing you should have to repeat. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"I'm Raziel,† said Raziel. â€Å"It's not the sword of the Lord, or anything. Not for destroying cities, just for fighting one or two enemies at a time, or slicing cold cuts. Do you like salami?† Molly didn't quite know how to proceed. This glowing sand pirate seemed perfectly unafraid, perfectly unconcerned, in fact, that she was holding a razor-sharp blade against his carotid artery. â€Å"Why are you looking in my window in the middle of the night?† â€Å"Because I can't see through the wooden part.† Molly snapped her wrists back and smacked Raziel in the side of the head with the flat of her blade. â€Å"Ouch.† â€Å"Who are you and why are you here?† Molly said. She snapped her blade back to threaten another smack, and in that instant Raziel stepped away from her, spun, and drew a sword from the middle of his back. Molly hesitated, just a second, then approached and snapped her blade down, this time in a real attack aimed at his shoulder. Raziel parried the blow and riposted. Molly swept his blade aside and came around with her blade for a cut to the left arm. Raziel got his sword around just in time to deflect her blade down his arm instead of across it. The razor-sharp tashi took a long swath of fabric from his coat, as well as a thin slice of flesh down his forearm. â€Å"Hey,† he said, looking at his now-flapping sleeve. There was no blood. Just a dark stripe where the flesh was gone. He started hacking, his sword describing an infinity pattern in the air before him as he drove Molly back through the pine forest toward the road. She quickstepped back, parrying some blows, dodging others, stepping around trees, kicking up wet pine straw as she moved. She could only see her glowing attacker, his sword shining now as well, the darkness around her so complete that she moved only by memory and feel. As she deflected one of the blows, her heel caught on a root and she lost her balance. She started to go over backward and spun as if to catch herself. Raziel's momentum carried him forward, his sword swinging for a target that a second before had been two feet higher, and he ran right onto Molly's blade. She was bent over forward; the blade extended back across her rib cage and through Raziel, extending another two feet out his back. They were frozen there for a moment – him bent over her back, stuck together with her sword – like two dogs who needed a bucket of water thrown on them. From a crouch, Molly yanked the blade out, then spun, ready to deliver a coup de grace that would cut her enemy from collarbone to hip. â€Å"Ouch,† said Raziel, looking at the hole in his solar plexus. He threw his sword on the ground and prodded the wound with his fingers. â€Å"Ouch,† he said again, looking up at Molly. â€Å"You don't thrust with that kind of sword. You're not supposed to thrust with that kind of sword. No fair.† â€Å"You're supposed to die now,† Molly said. â€Å"Nuh-uh,† said Raziel. â€Å"You can't say nuh-uh to death. That's sloppy debating.† â€Å"You poked me with your sword, and cut my coat.† He held up his damaged arm. â€Å"Well, you came creeping around here in the middle of the night looking in my windows, and you pulled a sword on me.† â€Å"I was just showing it to you. I don't even like it. I want to get web slingers for my next mission.† â€Å"Mission? What mission? Did Nigoth send you? He is no longer my higher power, by the way. This is not the kind of support I need.† â€Å"Fear not,† said Raziel, â€Å"for I am a messenger of the Lord, come to bring a miracle for the Nativity.† â€Å"You're what?† â€Å"Fear not!† â€Å"I'm not afraid, you nitwit, I just kicked your ass. Are you telling me you're an angel?† â€Å"Come to bring Christmas joy to the child.† â€Å"You're a Christmas angel?† â€Å"I bring tidings of great joy, which shall be to all men. Well, not really. This time it's just to one boy, but I memorized that speech, so I like to use it.† Molly let her guard down, the tip of her sword pointed at the ground now. â€Å"So the glowing stuff on you?† â€Å"Glory of the Lord,† said the angel. â€Å"Oh piss,† said Molly. She slapped herself in the forehead. â€Å"And I killed you.† â€Å"Nuh-uh.† â€Å"Don't start with the nuh-uh again. Should I call an ambulance or a priest or something?† â€Å"I'm healing.† He held up his forearm and Molly watched as the faintly glowing skin expanded to cover the wound. â€Å"Why in the hell are you here?† â€Å"I have a mission –  » â€Å"Not here on Earth, here at my house.† â€Å"We're attracted to lunatics.† Molly's first instinct was to take his head, but on second thought, she was standing in the middle of a pine forest, in freezing rain and gale-force winds, naked, holding a sword, and talking to an angel, so he wasn't exactly announcing the Advent. She was a lunatic. â€Å"You want to come inside?† she said. â€Å"Do you have hot chocolate?† â€Å"With minimarshmallows,† said the Warrior Babe. â€Å"Blessed are the minimarshmallows,† the angel said, swooning a little. â€Å"Come on, then,† Molly said as she walked away muttering, â€Å"I can't believe I killed a Christmas angel.† â€Å"Yep, you screwed the pooch on this one,† said the Narrator. â€Å"Nuh-uh,† said the angel. â€Å"Get that piano against the door!† Theo yelled. The bolts on the front door had completely splintered away, and the Masonite buffet table was flexing under the blows of whatever the undead were using for a battering ram. The entire chapel shook with each impact. Robert and Jenny Masterson, who owned Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines, started rolling the upright piano from its spot by the Christmas tree. Both had been through some harrowing moments in Pine Cove's history, and they tended to keep their heads in an emergency. â€Å"Anyone know how to lock these casters?† Robert called. â€Å"We'll need to brace it just the same,† Theo said. He turned to Ben Miller and Nacho Nunez, who seemed to have teamed up for the battle. â€Å"You guys look for more heavy stuff to brace the door.† â€Å"Where did they get a battering ram?† Tucker Case asked. He was examining the big rubber coasters on the piano, trying to figure out how to lock them. â€Å"Half the forest has blown down tonight,† said Lena. â€Å"Monterey pines don't have a taproot. They probably just found one that they could lift.† â€Å"Turn it on its back,† Tuck said. â€Å"Brace it against the table.† The ram hit the doors and they popped open six inches. The table hooked under the heavy brass handles was bending and beginning to split. Three arms came through the opening, half a face, the eye drooling out of a rotted socket. â€Å"Push!† Tuck screamed. They ran the piano up against the braced table, slamming the doors on the protruding limbs. The battering ram hit again, popping the doors open, driving the men back, and rattling their teeth. The undead arms pulled back from the gap. Tuck and Robert shoved the piano against the door and it shut again. Jenny Masterson threw her back against the piano and looked back at the onlookers, twenty or so people who seemed too stunned or too scared to move. â€Å"Don't just stand there, you useless fucks! Help us brace this. If they get in, they're going to eat your brains, too.† Five men pointed flashlights at each other in a â€Å"Me? You? Us?† inspection, then shrugged and ran to help push the piano. â€Å"Nice pep talk,† said Tuck, his sneakers squeaking on the pine floor as he pushed. â€Å"Thanks, I'm good with the public,† Jenny said. â€Å"Waitress for twenty years.† â€Å"Oh yeah, you waited on us at H.P.'s. Lena, it's our waitress from the other night.† â€Å"Nice to see you again, Jenny,† said Lena, just as the battering ram hit the door again, knocking her to the floor. â€Å"I haven't seen you at yoga class†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Clear the way, clear the way, clear the way!† called Theo. He and Nacho Nuà ±ez were coming across the floor from the back room carrying an eight-foot-long oak pew. Behind them, Ben Miller was wrestling a pew across the floor by himself. Several of the men who were holding the barricade broke ranks to help him. â€Å"Cantilever these against the piano and nail them to the floor,† Theo said. The heavy benches went up on a diagonal against the back of the piano and Nacho Nuà ±ez toenailed them to the floor. The benches flexed a little with each blow of the battering ram, but they held fast. After a few seconds, the pounding stopped. Again, there was only the noise of the wind and the rain. Everyone played flashlights around the room, waiting for whatever would come next. Then they heard Dale Pearson's voice at the side of the chapel. â€Å"This way. Bring it this way.† â€Å"Back door,† someone shouted. â€Å"They're carrying it around to the back door.† â€Å"More pews,† Theo yelled. â€Å"Nail them up in the back. Hurry, that door's not as heavy as the front, it won't take two hits like that.† â€Å"Can't they just come through one of the walls?† asked Val Riordan, who was trying to join in the effort to hold the line, despite the handicap of her five-hundred-dollar shoes. â€Å"I'm hoping that won't occur to them,† Theo said. Supervising the undead was worse than dealing with a construction crew full of drunks and cokeheads. At least his living crews had all of their limbs and most of their physical coordination. This bunch was pretty floppy. Twenty of the undead were hefting a broken pine-tree trunk a foot thick and as long as a car. â€Å"Move the goddamn tree,† Dale growled. â€Å"What am I paying you for?† â€Å"Is he paying us?† asked Marty in the Morning, who was hefting at midtree, on a jagged, broken branch. â€Å"Are we getting paid?† â€Å"I can't believe you ate all the brains,† Warren Talbot, the dead painter, said. â€Å"That was supposed to be for everyone.† â€Å"Would you shut the fuck up and get the tree around to the back door,† Dale yelled, waving his snub-nose revolver. â€Å"The gunpowder gave them a nice peppery flavor,† Marty said. â€Å"Don't rub it in,† said Bess Leander. â€Å"I'm so hungry.† â€Å"There will be enough for everyone once we get inside,† said Arthur Tannbeau, the citrus farmer. Dale could tell this wasn't going to work. They were too feeble, they couldn't get enough strength behind the battering ram. The living would be barricading the back door even now. He pulled some of the more decayed undead off the tree and pushed in those who seemed to have much of their normal strength, but they were trying to run up a narrow set of stairs carrying a thousand-pound tree trunk. Even a crew of healthy, living people wouldn't be able to get purchase in this mud. The tree trunk hit the door with an anemic thud. The door flexed just enough to reveal that the living had reinforced it. â€Å"Forget it. Forget it,† said Dale. â€Å"There are other ways we can get to them. Fan out in the parking lot and start looking for keys in the ignition of people's cars.† â€Å"Drive-thru snackage?† said Marty in the Morning. â€Å"I like it.† â€Å"Something like that,† Dale said. â€Å"Kid, you with the wax face. You're a motorhead, can you hot-wire a car?† â€Å"Not with only one arm,† Jimmy Antalvo slurred. â€Å"That dog took my arm.† â€Å"It stopped,† Lena said. She was checking Tuck's wounds. Blood was seeping through the bandages on his ribs. Theo turned away from the pilot and looked around the room. The emergency lighting was starting to dim already and his flashlight was panning them like he was looking for suspects. â€Å"No one left their keys in their car, did they?† There were murmurs of denial and heads shaking. Val Riordan had a perfectly painted eyebrow raised at him. There was a question there, even if it was unspoken. â€Å"Because that's what I'd do,† Theo said. â€Å"I'd get a car up to speed and crash it right through the wall.† â€Å"That would be bad,† said Gabe. â€Å"That parking lot had two inches of water and mud the last time I saw it,† Tucker Case said. â€Å"Not every car is going to get up to speed in that.† â€Å"Look, we need to get some help,† Theo said. â€Å"Someone has to go for help.† â€Å"They won't get ten feet,† Tuck said. â€Å"As soon as you open a door or break a window, they'll be waiting.† â€Å"What about the roof?† said Josh Barker. â€Å"Shut up, kid,† Tuck said. â€Å"There's no way up to the roof.† â€Å"Are we going to cut off his head now?† said Josh. â€Å"You have to sever the spinal column or they just keep coming.† â€Å"Look,† Theo said, playing his flashlight across the center of the ceiling. There was a trapdoor up there, painted over and latched, but it was definitely there. â€Å"It leads to the old bell tower,† Gabe Fenton said. â€Å"No bell, but it does open onto the roof.† Theo nodded. â€Å"From the roof someone could tell where they all were before making his move.† â€Å"That hatch is thirty feet up. There's no way to get to it.† Suddenly the high chirp of a barking bat came from above them. A half-dozen flashlights swung around to spotlight Roberto, who was hanging upside down from the star atop the Christmas tree. â€Å"Molly's tree,† said Lena. â€Å"It looks sturdy enough,† said Gabe Fenton. â€Å"I'll go,† said Ben Miller. â€Å"I'm still in pretty good shape. If I have to make a run for it, I can.† â€Å"Right there, that proves it,† said Tuck, an aside to Lena. â€Å"No guy with tiny balls would volunteer for that. See how the dead lie.† â€Å"I'm driving an old Tercel,† Ben said. â€Å"I don't think you want me trying to make a run for help in that.† â€Å"What we need is a Hummer,† said Gabe. â€Å"Yeah, or even a friendly hand job,† said Tuck. â€Å"But that's later. For now, we need a four-wheel drive.† â€Å"You really want to try this?† Theo asked Ben. The athlete nodded. â€Å"I've got the best chance of getting out. Those I can't outrun I'll just go through.† â€Å"Okay, then,† said Theo. â€Å"Let's get that tree over to the middle of the room.† â€Å"Not so fast,† said Tuck, patting his bandages. â€Å"I don't care how fast Micro-nads is, Santa still has two bullets in his gun.†

Frida Kahlo Essays - Visual Arts, Arts, Self-portraits, Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo Essays - Visual Arts, Arts, Self-portraits, Frida Kahlo Frida Kahlo Frida Kahlo was a Mexican self-portrait artist who was also a feminist icon. She was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyocoan, Mexico. Frida started to paint after she was roughly injured in a bus accident. She has two older sisters and one younger sister. When she was 6, she had polio which caused her to be bedridden for a few months. At the age of 18, her right leg and pelvis was damaged due to a horrific bus accident. This lead her to a lifetime of chronic pain and caused her to limp when she walked but she was encouraged to do more activities to help her recover. Frida Kahlo began painting in the late 1920s. In 1928, a Mexican muralist named Diego Rivera encouraged her artwork and the two of them married on the next year. By 1932, Frida added more graphic and surrealistic elements in her artwork. As we can see in her self-portraits, the work was deeply personal, including the story of her second miscarriages.After being diagnosed that she had gangrene in her right foot, Frida spent nine months of her life in the hospital and had quite a few operations during that time. But, she continued to paint and support political causes despite having limited mobility. A few months later, part of her right leg was amputated in order to stop the spread of the gangrene. When she was deeply depressed, Frida was hospitalized again in April 1954 due to her poor health, and the fact that some people reported she attempted suicide. The next two months, she returned to the hospital with bronchial pneumonia. Couple of days after her 47th birthday, Frida died on July 13, 1954 at her house.Since her death, Frida's fame as an artist has only grown. In 1958, her beloved Blue House was opened as a museum. Frida was viewed by many people as an icon of female creativity. The feminist movement of the 1970s led to renewed interest in her life and work. In the early 21st century, her life was the subject of a film entitled "FRIDA'", starring Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera. Below, I have chosen five paintings that she painted, all the five of them were self-portraits. Frida Kahlo was known as the master of self-portraits and he portraits was known to be the finest ever created. Most of her paintings were self-portraits. She love to paint herself because she was often alone and she said that she was the subject she knew best. She often include many features to express her feelings and the condition she had at that time. Self-portrait with Monkey (1938) Mexicans believe that monkey is a symbol of lust. But as i can see from the portrait, monkey was depicted as a gentle creature with tenderness. The monkey even put its arm around Frida's neck, which shows that the monkey seems wants to protect her. The background in this painting is a big curtain of leaves, which she often use on the other portraits she painted later. Behind her serious and straight face, there seems to be an expression of sadness. It looks like that she is dealing with all her problems. Thinking About Death (1943) Throughout her life, Frida was tortured by numerous illness. Polio at age 6 had left Frida Kahlo's right leg thinner than her left. Some scholars believe Kahlo also suffered from spina bifida. And, at age 18, Kahlo suffered 11 fractures in her right leg and a crushed and dislocated foot, among many other injuries, when her bus collided with a trolley car. She underwent as many as 35 operations over the course of her life as a result of the accident. This self portrait was painted in 1943 in which during that time, Frida's health was becoming worse and she had to be bedridden most of the time. Due to all of those conditions, it is absolutely making sense that she made this painting entitled Thinking About Death'. The death is symbolized by the painting of a skull and crossbones on her forehead. Again, she put herself on a background of green leaves, which is also known as a symbol of

The Importance of Formal Writing

The Importance of Formal Writing Because of the dramatic changes in writing that have resulted since the advent of the Internet and mobile devices, the lines between formal writing and casual writing have blurred. For example, when writing an email to a friend or posting to a social networking site, it is acceptable to use informal writing. However, in other cases, such as when writing a business report, an email to a boss, or a thesis, the writing style must be more formal. Thus, it is important to identify your audience and the appropriate style of writing to use by keeping in mind what you are writing and to whom. This article will discuss some guidelines for formal writing.Emoticons should never be usedFirst of all, it is never acceptable to use emoticons, including smiley faces, sad faces, winks, etc. Never. I suggest finding another way to tell your boss you are very happy about your raise or you may be finding another job!Use proper spellingUse correct spelling all of the time. This includes avoiding short fo rms and only using words that are found in the dictionary. When in doubt, look it up. This means that you must write tonight instead of 2nite and because instead of bc. The shortened versions are just too informal. In addition, informal spelling is often difficult to decipher.Use proper punctuationUnless you want to sound like an overly excited teenager writing a text message, you should limit yourself to one exclamation point, regardless of how excited you might be when writing a sentence. The same applies to question marks and to the ellipsis (which should have only three dots). In addition, you should also void the ampersand (); write out the word and.Use full wordsContractions are appropriate only for conversational use and for informal writing, never for technical or formal writing. Note that the full form of cant is one word: cannot not can not. You should also avoid using abbreviated words such as TV and photo and use the full versions such as television and photograph.Avoid using colloquial words/expressionsInformal writing might utilize nouns like:contraptionfirekidhow comequoteA formal writer would prefer:devicedismisschildwhyquotationInformal writing may sound more like conversation while formal writing should be more polished.Avoid using first and second person pronounsFormal writing often tries to be objective, and the pronouns I and you tend to imply subjectivity. Instead, use words such as one, ones, the reader, the authors, etc. For example:Informal: You should sleep eight hours each night.Formal: One should sleep eight hours each night.Avoid the use of clichà ©sIn order to ensure that your writing is professional, you need to use a basic language that all English speakers will understand. Therefore, do not use clichà ©s or idioms that people may not understand. There are certainly much better ways of expressing your thoughts. Clichà ©s are perhaps the most common hallmark of informal writing. Rather than saying someone had a cow, just simpl y say they were very upset. The reader will still get the picture. Here are some more examples of clichà ©s to avoid:Good things come to those who wait.Never a dull moment.Writing on the wall.Calm before the storm.Do not write as you would speakSo, like, you know, I totally dont even do that OMG! To ensure you are maintaining a formal tone, you need to leave out words and phrases that are not essential to conveying your point. For example, avoid using well, like, for sure, you know, and similar phrases.Do not start a sentence with a coordinating conjunctionIn formal writing, do not use coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, so, or or to start a sentence. Coordinating conjunctions are meant to join words, phrases, and clauses and, therefore, it is awkward to begin a sentence with one. Consider attaching the sentence that starts with a coordinating conjunction to the previous sentence, substituting the period for a comma to produce a compound sentence. You can also use transitio nal adverbs such as:additionally or moreovernevertheless or howevertherefore or thusalternatively or instead or otherwiseAvoid using the word getTry to avoid all forms of this verb and replace it with a more formal, descriptive verb. For example:Informal: I got an A in the course.Formal: I received an A in the course.Informal: She didnt get the joke.Formal: She did not understand the joke.Informal: The machine never gets used.Formal: The machine is never used.Familiarize yourself with formal writingOne of the best ways to become familiar with formal writing is to read it. Newspapers, magazines, business reports, and journal articles are great sources of formal writing. They can also help you expand your vocabulary.ProofreadIf your e-mail to a friend has a small typographical error, it is likely not a big deal. However, a typographical error in an e-mail to your boss appears very unprofessional. Therefore, proofreading is an integral part of formal writing. This often involves revisi ting a document after some time has passed since you wrote it or printing out the document and reviewing it line by line. Alternatively, you can ask a peer to review it.Finally, the above-referenced examples illustrate just some of the differences between formal and informal writing. The main thing to remember is that both are correct, it is just a matter of tone and setting. As you can see in this article, I have attempted to walk the fine line between both formal and informal.

Exorcist essays

Exorcist essays Fear is one of mans most primal instincts; the task of evoking that instinct in a film is not an easy one. In order for a movie scare the people watching it, there has to be a sense of realism in the film, the sets characters and plot have to be believable. This real world on camera is not easily created it involves the sets, and the camera work; it involves the realism of the costumes, and the special effects surrounding the entire film. The horror genre is one of the toughest types of films to create, in horror it is not the extreme special effects that the big action movies possess, but instead a horror movie is all about the sets and costumes. To create a good horror movie you need to make the person watching the film believe it could happen to them, they need to think that they are in the film. To the uneducated film connoisseur the director gets all of the credit for a good film, but it is not just the director that is responsible for a good, or great film. To have a good or great film you need not only the director, but also the photography director, and last but not least the production designer. Although the director may get all the credit in a horror movie like any other movie the director of photography is a very integral part to the film. All of the shots and camera angles are his responsibility. All of the shots used to evoke fear in the viewer are carefully planned and prepared. IF the shots are off even just a little, it could be the difference from a scary part, to that of a terrifying part. The production designer as well as the director of photography is an extremely important role in a horror film. The production director is responsible for all of the people that make the costumes and the sets of the film. The production designer is responsible for the people that create the make up and most times blood and gore involved in a horror film. If the props and sets are not realistic the ...

Letter of Intent Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Letter of Intent - Personal Statement Example One of the most meaningful experiences to me was internship in Cairo Microsoft Innovation Center (CMIC). I have also participated in Imagine Cup 09 in Cairo hosted by Microsoft. This experience can serve as a proof of my professional skills and abilities. In my home country, I have worked on autonomous systems development projects, specifically, on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for 15 months. Moreover, I have enough experience in collecting requirements, designing, implementing, and testing different software applications. I also have a good knowledge of some key programming languages, such as, c++, java, and JSP. As a highly motivated person that enjoys working hard and achieving intended results I really want to be the part of this program since it will open a new opportunities towards international work experience. I am grateful in advance for thorough consideration and hope for the call for

Construction website evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Construction website evaluation - Essay Example Generally speaking, each construction company has its own motto, perspective, work ethic and attitude on how and what to build. These can vary greatly, but their goal is always the same- to gain more clients, construct more buildings and become successful and acknowledges in the construction business. Once the idea or notion of what to build is created, the customer contacts his or her construction company of choice. They meet and discuss the task at hand, and if they agree on things- a contract is signed to start the construction project. The signing of the contract can be arduous and take a long time since many details have to be agreed upon, such as the cost of the project, exactly how it will be carried out, the estimated duration of constructing and many other details. But if both sides manage to reach an understanding and the company can supply what the customer is interested in, the project is launched. Once the contract is signed, the construction company begins its preparations for the project, and this involves staff members and workers of different areas and fields. One or more architects will be involved, as will construction workers, accountants, lawyers if necessary and many others. The company may have to use sub-contract companies in order to complete the project within the monetary and time frames. This means that another contract will have to be signed between the major construction company that originally took on the construction project and other smaller companies or workers that dont belong to the major company who will be contracted to work on the project. This of course depends on the scope of the project. Finally, when everything is arranged, the implementation stage begins. The materials for the construction project are brought to the location of the intended building (sometimes via other moving companies or industries) and the builders can start constructing the building under the guide of construction manager and the architect or

Online Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online Education - Essay Example The use of pen and pencil can be dated back to the Roman Empire. However with the developing pace the traditional means of attaining education are changing. The introduction of information technology has brought forward a new way of learning through the internet. E-learning is the new form of education introduced by IT which helps people to attain knowledge through the use of their computers. A portal is introduced by the use of information technology which the students are able to access and give their tests. However this new technology also brings with it other ethical issues of plagiarism and social contact. Online education is an inadequate alternative for traditional, classroom-based teaching for several reasons: there is no interactive communication between the student and the instructor, potential employer do not value online course work, class offering are limited, instructor feedback to the student might be delayed for days, and group projects are nonexistent. Discussion Wit h the advent of modern technology, a forceful impact of this technology has been observed in nearly all walks of modern day life. With the increasing access to these facilities, the lives of modern day human beings have changed so dramatically that in many cases a reversal towards the old ways of life seems apparently impossible. Similar is the case with the process of our education. The concept of e-learning has modified our learning modes and behaviors to a much greater extent. It has been seen that the use of pen and pencils has been prevalent in our society since the early days but this concept is gradually being changed with the introduction of e-learning. E-Learning is a type of education which helps the students to learn with the help of internet and computer. Individuals can access internet and enrol into courses through which they can gain knowledge. The ease of access to educational resources has improved the overall learning environment, while at the same time, there are a number of ethical, social and professional issues that have emerged in parallel with the emerging e-learning facilities as we shall discuss in the following lines (Alan 2007; Rosenberg 2001). The e-learning approach draws the burden on both students and teachers to create a learning environment where diversified student population feel comfortable and relaxed. The language, cultural and social differences should not pose as a hurdle in the learning process of the diversified students’ list. Since e-learning environment provides a virtual classroom environment, it becomes difficult to judge the confidence level, practical working abilities and enhancing practical knowledge of the students. It, thus, becomes an important factor to be analyzed while opting for this kind of education. E-learning affects the learning pace of students as it provides virtual classroom environment which is less effective for a number of educational areas. The areas that require face-to-face interac tion and on-campus practical demonstrations involve nursing, psychology etc. Hence such professional issues involving those related to the reliability of the infrastructure of the e-learning environment, access to the e-learning tools and the learning curve which is essential to be achieved by proper coordination between teachers and students must be considered while choosing e-learning software or education system (Billings, 2002 p 5). The importance and effectiveness of social interactions, virtual conduct and social support using e-learning courses have been discussed by a number of researchers in great depth (Gunawardena, 1995). Of these researches, mostly were determined to check the credibility of social learning theory on web based learning environm