Mnemonic Device

Mnemonic device is a method that is used to enhance the memory of a person. Mnemonic does not refer to an object but a method or process to aid in the memory capability of a person. The basic principle of mnemonics relies on the associations between the words to be remembered and to the easy-to-remember information and not only to the repetition of words. This is because the human mind can easily remember words with significant meanings. (Britannica, 2007) Kinds of mnemonic devices There are many forms of mnemonic devices. One is the use of acronym and acrostics mnemonics. An acronym uses the first letter of a word or group of words to remember it while an acrostic is formed from a sequence of lines from which the appropriate letters are used from a word or phrase. An example of this kind of acronym or acrostics is the arranged names of the planets. The order of the planets is from mercury which is being the nearest to the sun going to Pluto which is the farthest. To remember the order of the planets, use the acronym MVEMJSUNP.   MVEMJSUNP will mean My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles. Another is the color of the rainbow. To remember the order of color of the rainbow, the acronym ROY G BIV that will stand for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. In music, to easily memorize the order of lines of the treble staff EGBDF, the phrase Every Good Boy Does Fine or Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. (Quest, 2007) Another form of mnemonic device is the use of rhyme. Rhyme is the likeness of the sound of two or more words. In remembering the number of days of each month, the rhyme 30 Days has September, April, June, and November. All the rest have 31, except February. Imagery is another form of mnemonic devices. In this form, an image is being utilized to enhance the memory of a word or group of words. An image is being created that will be associated to a word or phrase. The more vibrant the image you have created, the more likely for a word to be remembered. A good example of this is a picture showing the hydrologic cycle. In this picture or image, one can easily memorize or remember the order of the cycle of water and the processes undergoing it. The number-letter system is another good choice of memorizing a word or phrase. In the method, a group of number, which is different to memorize, are being assigned to letters. The letter being assigned to a number usually is associated with sound. Some of the list of number-letter system is shown below. (Quest, 2007) = t (there is one downstroke in the letter t) = n (there are two downstrokes in the letter n) = m (there are three downstrokes in the letter m) = r (the last letter in four is r) = l (the Roman number 50 is L) = sh (the word six has begins with an x) = k (the number seven can be turned around to look like part of the letter k) = f (a cursive f looks like an 8) = p (a p flipped looks like a 9) = z, s (think of zero) The number-letter system is good in memorizing dates, cellular phone numbers as well as telephone numbers. Example of this system is; to memorize or remember the phone number (421) 474-8657.use the word- ReNT †¦ youRCaR†¦. iF SHeLiKe. Because it is not usual to form a phrase or sentence from a given number series, the system can be inserted with vowels to create a word or phrase. (Quest, 2007) While a peg-word system is another form of mnemonic device. It is somewhat similar to number-letter system but their main difference is that the numbers are being assigned to a word that is rhyme with the number. There is a list that is used in the peg-word system. The number 1 is associated with the word bun, 2 is shoe, 3 is tree, 4 is door, 5 is hive, 6 is sticks, 7 is heaven, 8 is gate, 9 is line or shine or vine, and 10 is hen. (Quest, 2007) The Method of Loci The method of Loci is a kind of mnemonic device that was first used to enhance the memory of a person. It dates back from the Greek civilization. The method of Loci is a special kind of memory enhancement because there is a prerequisite to utilize the said method. The person must be first familiar on a given place. Then assigning the words to be remembered to the objects inside the familiar location will do the association of the words. The history of the method of loci was first observed in early Greek. A Greek orator was scheduled to have a speech at a banquet. Before his speech, he went out to take delivery of a message whereupon the hall collapsed, leaving no survivors inside. Though the remains of the body of the dead people cannot be recognized anymore, still the orator was able to identify the people who died in the hall. He based it from the location of the people where he had last seen them sitting or standing before he left from the hall. Many Greek orators used the method of Loci in remembering the words of their speeches as well as the organization of their speeches used this method. (Quest, 2007) Analysis of the Mnemonic Device To analyze carefully the effectiveness of the mnemonic device, one must first study the components of mnemonic device. First, a mnemonic device has a list of cues. These cues can be memory images of graphical locations. When the lists of cues are being studied, the cues must be assigned to a word, number or images. And the assignment must be one to one relationship. The relationship or the pairing of cues to their corresponding partners must be unambiguous and clear. The components of mnemonic device clearly shows that to have an effective use of this system in enhancing the memory of a person, there must be a formation of imaginal relationship or association to a known cues and unknown list items. Effectiveness Many psychologists found out that mnemonic devices are effective in enhancing the memory of a person. In evaluating the effectiveness of mnemonic devices, a person is evaluated if his memory on given information had retained. A person named S, who was observed by A.R. Luria for many years, concluded that the person using mnemonic devices has been successful in retaining his memory. The study showed that S could easily remember volumes of information. S retains this information by associating these informations in to images that can be easily remembered. The system that is being used by the person was somewhat similar to the method of loci where the method of remembering things is related on the orientation and location of the objects in a given place. When S reads a long series of words, at least each word will be associated with an image. And because there is a long series of words, S finds a way to remember the series of words by distributing the images in to a mental row or sequence. He often uses a long street in which he is familiar with that roadway. The words will be assigned to the image of the roadway as he walks on to the street. This method made S easily recognize the sequence of the words in series by just walking to the street. (Luria, 1968) A good characteristic of an effective mnemonic device is the organization of information or thoughts. Making an organization on the words to be memorized is difficult and critical in understanding the information. The main concern of organization of the thoughts depends on the grouping of information to categories and this grouping needs a deep analysis to further understand the organization of the information. A good organization or grouping of information is necessary because it lessens the words to be associated to the words being remembered. Organization is useful is when a person is required to memorize a 100-digit number. To easily memorize the given number, the person must group the numbers so that it will lessen the problem in memorizing it. Chunking or grouping the numbers in to two or three groups can do this. (Quest, 2007) Studies showed also that enhancing the memory of a person by associating a word or phrase to an exaggerated, strange, illogical, humorous or sexual connotation are easily to be remembered than normal words. This is because the human minds remember these kinds of words easily because of the interesting nature of the words. These words are usually the talk of the people. Arbitrariness of mnemonics Though mnemonic device is considered effective in enhancing the memory of a person, there is somewhat arbitrariness of the system. Some psychologists consider the mnemonic device to be illogical and arbitrary in nature. Example of this arbitrariness is the acronym Roy G Biv. The said acronym is used to remember the order of the color of the rainbow. Roy is a legal name but the surname Biv is not actual or usual and the middle initial B. is arbitrary. There is a rising question why a person can easily remember the acronym Roy G Biv. (Brown, 1977) References: Britannica, E. (Ed.) (2007). International Publishing. Brown, M. (1977). Memory matters: David & Charles, New abbot. Luria, A. R. (1968). The mind of a mnemonist. Retrieved June 23, 2007, from http://www.castleton.edu/bergen/mnemonic.htm Quest, T. (2007). Mnemonic Devices [Electronic Version]. Retrieved June 23, 2007 from http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110291/tricks/mnemonics/index.php.      

Adult Learner Assessment

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

Liberty Coun 501 Ethics Comparison

Ethics Codes Comparison Paper H Michele Wallach Liberty University Online Abstract These publications regarding ethics, American Counseling Association: Code of Ethics (2005) and the American Association of Christian Counseling: Code of Ethics (2004), are available as a reference for use. The purpose of this paper is to compare general and specific elements of the two publications. There are two areas of general exploration: 1) relation to their format for retrieval of specific data, 2) their value or standards basis, if any, from which the publications are written.More specifically three specific areas will be compared. First, the area of informed consent as it relates to the client and the counselor. Second, codes relating to conduct for relationships with former clients. Third and lastly, is how each of the publications relates to the issue of abortion. Limitations were evident in that many codes do not offer rationale. Future review of revisions would be an effective part of know ledge to use of both publications.The field of professional counseling provides for occasions for the counselor to make decisions based on professional ethics. Ethics can be commonly derived from one’s own values. In order to create a more consistent standard codes of ethics have been published. Two of these publications will be used in this paper: 1) American Counseling Association (ACA): Code of Ethics (2005), 2) American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC): Code of Ethics (2004). Whereas these organizations are based on different ideals, a general comparison will be made.Inasmuch as revisions are ongoing, this paper will review several that were revised in the latest publication, as highlighted in the article New Mandates and Imperatives in the Revised ACA Code of Ethics. (2009) Section I: General comparison of the two codes The ACA: Code of Ethics (2005) and the AACC: Code of Ethics (2004), each offer a logical breakdown of codes referring to situations of an ethic al nature and is presented in a format that is easily referenced by both the seasoned professional and the novice.The design and layout of the ACA: Code of Ethics is laid out with color and graphics and written very formally, giving a tone of legal-ease. The ACA: Code of Ethics codes section is formatted in columns, suggesting the style of a quick access guide. The ACA: Code of Ethics codes are set up in sections with the first level header served by an upper case alphabet letter in chronological order, broken down further by a numerical value in chronological order, and then finally sub-divided once more by a lower case alphabet letter in chronological order.The AACC: Code of Ethics is laid out in a streamlined fashion and executed with a professional vernacular tone. The AACC: Code of Ethics has no color or specialty graphics adorning its pages and the codes section pages are laid out in a full page format without the use of columns. The AACC: Code of Ethics codes are set up in se ctions with the first level header served by and upper case Roman numeral, the next level is led by the upper case letters of the first two words of the section followed by a numerical value, with no spaces, the section is further sub-divided into numerical values carrying three place values (i. . 100,101, etc. ) in chronological order. At this level, within each section, when a new sub-topic started the numeric value will move to the ten’s place chronologically. Is this important? Absolutely, it is the virtual road map to referencing where information can be found. Although the description here is in generalities, it is to the advantage of the counseling professional to gain a working understanding of the layout. Understanding the way reference material is filed will assist the user immensely.Another structured piece of these publications explains why the reference has been constructed and written the way that is has. Each of the references being compared contains similar in formation and some of the perspectives overlap in many places AACC: Code of Ethics (2004) ACA: Code of Ethics (2005). The preliminary information in each publication, prior to the code of ethics, offers similarities. They both offer a preamble, mission, and a purpose for use. The ACA: Code of Ethics (2005) publication moves directly into the codes at this point. p 3) Whereas, the AACC: Code of Ethics (2004) offers a prayer and seven Biblical-ethical foundations, on which their codes of ethics were founded. (p 4, 5) Section II: Specific comparison of three particular areas Specific codes of each publication offer different interpretations of the same practices. The practice of informed consent according to the ACA: Code of Ethics (2005) is that it is the counselor’s responsibility to give a written and verbal account for the rights and responsibilities of the counselor and the client.This responsibility even extends to cover the inclusion of an interpreter where it is deemed n ecessary. The practice of informed consent according to the AACC: Code of Ethics (2004) is that it is the counselor’s responsibility to â€Å"take care† that the client has the â€Å"capacity†, â€Å"reasonably understands† and â€Å"freely gives consent† to the nature, process, costs, time, work, limits of the counseling and appropriate alternatives. All of this must be done without â€Å"coercion or undue influence†. (p 10, 11)The next set of codes differs greatly due in part by the influence of Biblical standards. The code in ACA: Code of Ethics (2005) is defined as â€Å"Former Clients† (p 5) the code references only sexual and romantic interests of the former client and counselor. There is no mention of marriage. The code also extends to include â€Å"former clients, their romantic partners, or their family members†. The code simply states that the counselor cannot have professional contact with the client within 5 years b efore or after a relationship.The counselor must also â€Å"demonstrate forethought and document†, in writing, the possibilities of exploitation, or potential harm to the former client. If either of these elements is present, then the counselor avoids the interaction or relationship. The code is AACC: Code of Ethics (2004) is defined as â€Å"Marriage with Former Clients/Patients† and the stipulations are explained that this type of relationship is allowed with three provisions. p 8) First, the counseling sessions had to have been terminated without the influence of a relationship or potential relationship, also within the proper guidelines of termination as defined in the AACC: code of ethics guidelines. Secondly, the client must understand unequivocally that any further counseling must be by someone other than the counselor-spouse. Thirdly, there must be no harm to the client or the client’s family as a result in the change of the relationship between the clie nt and the counselor.Lastly, the counseling or helping relationship must be terminated at least two calendar years prior to marriage. There are occasions where an ethical standard is addressed by the AACC: Code of Ethics (2004) and not addressed at all by the ACA: Code of Ethics (2005). The AACC: Code of Ethics speaks specifically to the responsibility of the counselor to offer all possible alternatives and not to give any narrative of consent to an abortion. It also advises the counselor to continue to serve the client regardless of their decision regarding the pregnancy.The ACA: Code of Ethics does not address abortion specifically. There are areas of the code that speak to the issue in a general manner. The areas to be considered are: a) does the decision to have an abortion have any relation to the client’s personal culture: b) the counselor’s own â€Å"values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors† will need to be carefully guarded as to not be imposed on the c lient (p 4): and c) are the decisions the client is facing within the competency of the counselor to help guide the client.As in any client’s case being reviewed by a counselor or counseling group all of these elements must be weighed out, as well as some that may not have been discussed in this paper. The ACA: Code of Ethics (2005) is written and adapted based on an ever-changing world. The AACC: Code of Ethics is based on unchanging Biblical standards. It stands to reason that if an individual adheres to the AACC: Code of Ethics that a standard of consistency is more likely to be seen, due to the unchanging nature of the Bible. A Christian counselor may find both publications to be very useful.In the same way a non-Christian will probably have absolutely no use for the AACC: Code of Ethics (2004). No matter what an individual’s faith-related position is, as a professional counselor, it is the highest priority to first â€Å"do no harm† ACA: Code of Ethics (200 5), and AACC: Code of Ethics (2004). The very cornerstone of helping people through counseling requires that the counselor make a deliberate treatment plan to do no harm. With that understanding, it is the responsibility of the professional counselor to employ and explore whatever empirical resources are available to execute such a plan.References American Association of Christian Counselors: Code of Ethics. (2004). American Association of Christian Counselors A ». Retrieved August 23, 2012, from http://www. aacc. net/about-us/code-of-ethics/ American Counseling Association: Code of Ethics. (2005). Ethics |http://www. counseling. org/CP/CT2. aspx|. Retrieved August 23, 2012, from http://www. counseling. org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/TP/Home/CT2. aspx New Mandates and Imperatives in the Revised ACA Code of Ethics. (2009). Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(2), 241-256.

What constitutes a well-written paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What constitutes a well-written paper - Essay Example Another is working with people who are not team players. As they say, there is always at least one in a group who does less than the others. Also, very essential to a good paper is impeccable grammar and diction, for these contribute to the intelligibility of a written work. Style is also a big consideration. A good paper must not just be informative-being enjoyable earns points too. A very important challenge one must take on when writing papers is taking care to cite properly. Whatever the stylebook followed, whether APA or MLA for instance, ideas and quotations must be properly attributed and sources properly cited. This includes accuracy in the authors' names, the publishing information, and in some cases, the page number of the book. This is important so as to ensure that no cases of plagiarism are incurred. I have discovered that I, like most people, have problems with grammar accuracy. While this is excusable for no one is perfect, I strive to write papers with good grammar by constantly revising and editing my papers. Each time I read something I have written, I find things that could be improved on; thus, a second, third and fourth look never hurts. Also, the University of Phoenix has resources that have helped me with writing papers. The different eBooks, the online library, various tutorials for writing excellent papers, and the plagiarism checker helps me with making sure that I come close to producing a well-written paper.... As they say, there is always at least one in a group who does less than the others. But being part of a team isn't all that bad. For one thing, the workload gets lighter, and in times of trouble, there are people you can count on to help. You also learn how to deal with people better, and how to manage and keep a business-like attitude when needed. Also, it's a good chance to meet people and make connections. In the professional world, knowing people and more importantly, having friends can go a long way. Therefore, developing a team charter is important. Q3 After reading the three chapters on decision making and reading the White Paper on the Problem-Solving Approach, what do you find they have in commonWhere are the differencesIs using a problem-solving approach an Eastern or a Western strategy Why The reading for chapter 6 talks about the difference between the Eastern, and the Western Strategy. Basically, using a problem-solving strategy is an Eastern strategy while creating a new product before your competitors do is the Western strategy. The problem with the latter strategy is that there is very little time given for testing the research and ensuring that all potential problems are addressed-this strategy gambles. An example of this is New Coke. Coca-Cola produced New Coke to compete with Pepsi. The problem with this is that Coca-Cola did minimal research to get their product out so that they could compete. New Coke ended up having a negative effect, and customers stopped buying it because of the unpleasant taste. Coca-Cola took a big financial hit by releasing New Coke. They quickly brought the original Coca-Cola back, but just added the name Classic to reiterate to the customers that it is back to the original product. The Eastern

My experience in the English 105 class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My experience in the English 105 class - Essay Example Discovering what I like writing about has significantly influenced my attitude towards writing. I now engage in the skill as an enjoyable activity instead of viewing it as a task. A major part of writing that has contributed to my progress is research. Studying my environment and researching on previous works have been the main tools of my writing processes. A good example of my experience with my environment is the study of how the manufacturing community functions and how each individual is a participant in the manufacturing community. I discovered that all people have a role to play in the community growth. I recognize that, to become a better writer, I must be able to consult with establish authors as mentors and for inspiration. Consulting with my tutor and instructor is also a significant part of my progress. The process has led me to recognize the various areas where my writing skills are lacking and to make appropriate revision. Due to these consultation sessions, I have lear nt to ask the appropriate questions in writing, to critically analyze ideas while integrating them with the ideas of others as well as how to make logical and strong arguments of my own. The use of various references in my all my written composition depicts my use of existing ideas to develop my own arguments. These three main aspects of writing have evolved through my interactions with my tutor, thus making me more dependent on my own ideas than on already existing ideas. Furthermore, my writing has become more critical and analytical. I am no longer simply writing stories but integrating ideas to formulate a composition that contributes to a certain field of knowledge. My writing has also changed my use of language through the continuous revision of my previous works. My grammar and proper use of vocabulary has improved and my use of language varies depending on the intended reader.

Critical Evaluation of a Website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Evaluation of a Website - Essay Example Also, it is possible to contact WWW@sil.org. There is no any information about updates and creation of this web page. It is possible to say that this document is a current one because the organization indicates a current year on the site. The site provides viewers with a link to the home page. Also, the graphics of this site and information display is appealing to users. The purpose of the page web is indicated on the home page. Thus, there is a need for up-to-date information and the exact date of all changes. The information discussed in the article is useful for my purposes because it highlights SIL's philosophy and importance of endangered languages for general community. Unfortunately, the web page lacks objectivity because there is no a bibliography of print sources. The web page leads viewers to other Web resources but omits printed materials on this topic. Taking into account the pros and cons of the web page, it is evident that the key to any successful relationship program is detailed information and its design. Another feature, which is closely connected with this one, is that the better information that visitors have about the author, the more value they will potentially be able to provide. The main weaknesses of the web page are that it does not indicate the last date of changes and a bibliography.

The Financial Incentives within the SWDC Case Study - 11

The Financial Incentives within the SWDC - Case Study Example The Solid Waste Disposal Company is an organization popularly known for its successful services of providing land for waste disposal. It is one among other companies fighting for environmental sustainability. It provides a disposal ground, which can receive all types of waste products from all customers. The landfill, however, is far from the main company approximately 100 miles away. The distance from the landfill to the main company forced the manager, Don Morgan to organize a team of drivers who operate back and forth to the landfill area. The main challenge, which the drivers face is the limitation subjected to them concerning the financial incentives even if one exceed the expected number of tonnes set on the carriage. The way Don treats his employees is not just because he only considers one driver called Tim McGhee to be loyal and gives him a chance to work closer to the company. Although Tim is a loyal driver, it is not right for Don to fail to recognize the hard work of the other drivers. He has to recognize the struggle of other drivers to motivate them towards pleasing performance. Dealing with several teams as a manager in a company is challenging especially for one person. However, one can manage by ensuring equal treatment of all employees. Don experiences the challenge of balancing the incentives for his employees. He must ensure that the three team s receive equal incentives although, he should also consider awarding the best and loyal drivers, but in a fair manner. To better the teamwork of the drivers, he has to involve them when awarding the loyal employees; this will motivate the other employees to work hard to get the reward during the next event. The SWDC Company provides some incentives that do not cover the entire needs nor satisfy the employees’ requirements. The case of Tim shows that the employees have to struggle so much to meet their needs. He has to work overtime to get enough money for the bill for his hospitalized child.  

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

Community Nutrition - Research Paper Example Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unhealthy nutritional patterns impact the health of family members and can potentially lead to health problems such as obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or Type 2 diabetes. To achieve their optimal health, family members need to have a healthy nutritional intake. Nutrition is defined simply as the nutrients the body needs for the body to function. The effectiveness of body functioning depends on which nutrients a person takes in and whether the nutrients meet the physiological needs of the body. Family members living together in a household have access to the same foods, influencing the nutritional intake of family members, so it is important to address nutrition and nutrition promotion from a family perspective and not limit it to individual family members. All families experience some form of cost constraints, yet families with limited resources may find it more challenging to access adequate nutritional resources. Typically, low-nutrient, low-density foods—high in carbohydrates—are less expensive than foods with greater nutrient density. Families who cannot afford nutritionally sound, energy-dense food are more likely to be overweight or obese, which can lead to secondary health problems (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, & U.S. Department of Agriculture,www.healthierus.gov). Cultural factors can also influence the nutritional intake of families, impacting food selection, meal preparation, and portion sizes. In some cultures, specific food items are on the table with every meal, such as tortillas or potatoes. Specific types of meat or vegetables may not be served or may be limited based on cultural or religious views. The family structure has been changing in America as well as globally. A variety of factors have led to alterations in family structure, including shifting parental roles, single-parent homes, and economic

Does Standardized Testing Work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Does Standardized Testing Work - Research Paper Example Different studies have revealed that ‘standardized tests’ are bias in nature as they are favorable for students coming from affluent family background. A ‘standardized test’ is called ‘standardized’ because it is assumed that it treats every student equally and gives everyone an equal opportunity to do well in the tests. The foundation of the ‘standardized tests’ is the fair and equal opportunity to everyone. However, with bias in its design, the foundation of standardized test has proved to be extremely weak and hence, the standardized test fails to work. The nature of standardized tests The intention of ‘standardized tests’ is to measure the learning curve and the academic progress of students. A ‘test’ is called ‘standardized’ when it is designed with a ‘standard’ format and is conducted under ‘standard conditions’ (FairTest, 2007, para.2). Hence, students giving st andardized tests have to give tests under same test conditions, with same questions and same scoring way (FairTest, 2007, para.2). This assures uniformity and objectivity in testing. Moreover, standardized tests have become a decisive factor in the process of getting admissions in schools and colleges and hence, have become extremely significant in the life of a student (and parents) (FairTest, 2007, para.2). It will not be wrong to say that ‘standardized test’ is a matter of life and ‘death’ as far as the education and professional prospects of students are concerned. Hence, it is natural for educators and parents to expect that ‘standardized test’ is designed in such a way that it measures the ‘natural’ potential of a student and not the superficial skills, which can be improved with the aid of resources available outside the school. However, it has been found that standardized test inclines in favor of students coming from afflu ent and advantageous family backgrounds and hence, proves fatal to the education system of the country (FairTest, 2007, para.5). Education has a potential to offer unconditional love, understanding, appreciation and unbiased treatment to children. Right education has the power to shape the future of the world by producing intelligent, mature and confident human beings. However, it has been found that the quality of the education is declining due to the effort in winning the race of scoring well in ‘standardized tests’ (Kohn, 2000, para.14). It has been observed that instead of measuring the natural skills like genuine understanding and intelligence, the standardized test measures the temporary skills of acquisition of facts, copying the answers and â€Å"skill of test-taking itself† (Kohn, 2000, para.14). Hence, what the tests measure is nothing but superficial skill set which does not contribute in improving the quality of learning and education in any way. Unfo rtunately, this fact also applies to the tests like SAT, MAT, CAT, CTBS and ITBS. The measurement criteria People have given importance to tests because they think that tests measure the quality of learning, teaching, intelligence and thinking ability. However, it has been found that non-referenced tests like SAT, MAT, CAT, ITBS and CTBS were designed to give ‘ranking’ to the students and not to measure the quali

Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Material Management and Hazard Essay

Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Material Management and Hazard Communications - Essay Example Hydrochloric acid is a hazardous material that ought to be handled with care. The spill response entails confining the spill using absorbent barriers (such as rags), diluting the acid, and neutralizing the acid. The primary problem experienced during the clean-up process is attributable to the properties of hydrochloric acid. The acid will corrode everything that gets into contact with it. In addition, it can cause damage to body tissues. The acid spill leaves a trail of damage to both humans and materials even after it has been contained. The spill response for water-soluble solids entails confinement, neutralization, and disposal. Sodium azide is a hazardous solid that is soluble in water. The clean-up process with such solids mostly involves neutralizing with hydrochloric acid (Burke et al., 2012). If the process is not conducted as required, the clean-up process can turn into a larger spill due to hydrochloric acid. In addition, the clean-up process may involve vaporizing the water to extract the solid. Some of the chemical components of the solid may be released into the air causing health concerns for the people involved. Oil is the most common hazardous water-insoluble liquid that has significant environmental effects. The spill response process entails confinement. Oil floats on water; hence it forms a layer. The oil spreads fast over the water body making it difficult to confine it. In addition, the oil may vaporize and mix with air posing health problems to the people involved. Oil is highly flammable and may lead to explosions when exposed to

Kant vs. Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kant vs. Aristotle - Essay Example Duty is reasons-choice is freedom, and when you can choose what to do, morality and ethics take a back seat. What is considered moral to some people may not be empowering to all people, and when someone says, "This is moral-this is what you have a duty to do. Therefore it is the law", not everyone may agree and will become disempowered when they are required to do the duty. Morality is nothing more than self-delusion and exaggerated conceit. (Timmermann, 10) What one person considers "saintly", may just be "normal" to someone else, and therefore not a moral or ethical duty. An example of this would be when someone invites a homeless person into their home for a meal. Others may think this is a "saintly" act, but the person who invited the homeless person may just consider it a routine, daily activity-because it is in their nature to do so. It may not be a matter of morality or ethics to this person, but as a normal way of being for him or her-a normal response to the commitment he or she made about a particular issue. According to Timmerman, Kant believes that an action is only moral when done in the sphere of duty. It cannot be supererogatory, nor can it be a matter of choice. When done from duty, it is what a person is obligated to do, and it is moral, but it is not freedom. Kant says this because good is not measured in more or lesser degrees. (Timmermann, 14) One cannot be expected to perform extravagant acts if the person chooses not to. Duty would make a person perform a certain act, but it there were no duty, the act would not be performed. On the other hand, Aristotle says that a just action does not need to be required to be chosen to be done. This means that just because an action is required by law, does not mean that it has to be done. Reasons are excuses-why need reasons to be great Why require reasons to do what is just Do it because you proclaim it needs to be done. The act doesn't matter-it's who you are being that matters. Example-someone who saves another person's life just for the fame and glory is doing it from an unstable disposition. But the person who saves another person's life because it needs to happen is doing that from a stable disposition. According to Aristotle, it is better to be humble and do just and fair acts; than to do an act for dishonorable reasons. When a person just wants the fame and glory, they are not really interested in contributing to the human condition-they are acting from a selfish perspective. To be truly honorable, according to Aristotle, the act must spring from who that person is being. He sees that who a person is being is more important than what that person does. If a person is being selfish, that is also what the person does. Selfish acts come from a selfish disposition. But when a person is being loving, then loving acts come out. Actions are just the overflow of the character-who we are being. Development of character has three phases: 1) who we are being, 2) what we do, and 3) what we have. When the first one is not complete, we are not complete as a whole. Action comes second to who we are being, and Aristotle believed that when someone's actions are incongruent with who they are being, then the actions are invalid. Kant, however, believed that choice was more important than duty, and when someone is free to choose what they want to do, they are living in a higher space than someone who is doing something out of duty, because it is "moral". Duty dictates what we "should" do, while

Comparison-Theory of Evolution vs Creationism Theory Essay Example for Free

Comparison-Theory of Evolution vs Creationism Theory Essay In this essay I will compare the Theory of Creationism and the Theory of Evolution. While there are many that deeply believe in each of these theories, they present stark differences in thinking, and in individual beliefs. Let us begin by looking at Creationism. This particular theory has not a single shred of evidence to support it, yet vast populations are willing to die rather than denounce it. It has been referred to as â€Å"The Truth†. The basic belief of this theory is that â€Å"The Lord God†, or a â€Å"Supreme Being† created the universe and everything in it. It is believed that we as humans were made in the image of â€Å"God†. God created man, and called him â€Å"Adam†. Adam was lonely and The Lord then took a rib from Adam while he slept, and with it he created woman. God called her â€Å"Eve†. The creation of the universe and everything in it took six days. On the seventh day, God rested. In stark contrast to the Creationist Theory, we have what is called the Theory of Evolution. Charles Darwin is credited with first proposing this theory, which also includes something known as ‘natural selection†. First things first, let us examine evolution. Darwin believed that we as humans, as wells animals and even plants are constantly changing. His belief and that of many others is that with every generation slight modifications are inherent, thus producing better and better offspring. By this this he means better adapted to survive and flourish. If it could ever be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. † (Charles Darwin). To summarize, the basis of theory here is the guiding force or â€Å"natural selection† preserves beneficial variations, therefore each generation exhibits new and more complex organisms. This applies to the tiniest bug or seedling, as well as all plants and animals including human beings. Scie nce however is yet to prove either theory. It must be said that the details of this process remain obscure and are not likely to be known in the near future. † (The RNA World, p72-73). It must be understood that science is based on two assumptions known as â€Å"axioms†. Axioms represent self-evident assumptions. Scientists would not be able to continue the study of science without the observable axiom. If this were the case doubt would inevitably be cast on all scientific theories. Whereby if scientists were not able to observe reality, or if they were to observe it inaccurately, the basis of all scientific theories would be thrown out. It is most fortunate for mankind that the majority of people see this axiom clearly, without the need for instruction or clarity. While keeping in mind the observable axiom we must examine the naturalistic axiom. The naturalistic axiom differs from the observable axiom because unlike the observable axiom, the naturalistic axiom can be tested. This means science can function perfectly without it being easily observed by 90% of the population. Still, the means by which life originated is not currently understood. Because of the complicated problems that arise when studying life’s origin the more we begin to understand it, the more lost we become in respect to it. It seems to elude scientists more and more with each successive study revealing more mysterious problems then the last. In regard to the origin of life, the naturalistic axiom only permits science to investigate theories that exclude things that cannot be tested and proven. That means the study of theories without proof, such as supreme beings will not be considered. This places scientists in a rather precarious position. Not only is the opportunity to study God-related ideas not permitted, but evolutional ideas have not been proven either. Since evolutionists are not willing to abandon the naturalistic axiom they are forced to make one final observation. They must assume that science will inevitably discover the origin of life in the future. Therefore nothing has been proven-only assumptions have been made. Many scientists however have already accepted that evolution can be proved, yet I have not seen evidence of either theory. It is because of the lack of evidence that I make an observation myself. In other words, I presume to know one thing: Our beliefs are of a personal nature. They are not to be criticized or debated. Not an ounce of proof is necessary. Neither is the application of any type of axiom. No matter if an individual chooses either of the theories discussed in this paper, or proposes a theory of their own, or decides that no theory is even adequate-whatever one believes can never be wrong. While many would like to impose their beliefs on others, it is not an acceptable practice on any level. To attempt to do so has far reaching consequences and many times results in catastrophic illness, heartbreak and death. I find it unconscionable, yet it is occurring in many parts of the world even as this essay is written. Decisions can only be made for oneself. If only every person everywhere would stop to consider this, it is this author’s opinion that the world would be a much happier place.