Life as an Intellectual Under Mao Tse Dung essays

Life as an Intellectual Under Mao Tse Dung essays When Mao Zedong first came into power, we all thought that it was a great thing- he was a strong leader, and he would pilot China from lowly pit of humiliation into a higher place, where we would regain our power and respect. Mao became the driving force behind extreme alterations in China. For centuries, operas had been a traditional form of Chinese arts. These operas featured legends of emperors, princesses, ministers, generals, demons, romance, treachery, and murder, topics which Mao deemed unsuitable for audiences of peasants and farmers. Under the careful watch of his third wife, Mao commissioned a group of writers to create new operas, ones about peasants and farmers, where the audience could see themselves portrayed as the heroines, and their detested landlords as the villains. Mao abolished traditional forms of Chinese art in favor of more vain, self-concerning plays that he claimed were more appropriate to the interests of the masses and more with the party line. Censoring the arts was not just limited to our own plays, however. All visiting groups were required to perform first for Mao before they were allowed to perform for a Chinese audience. More often than not, Mao forced the groups to edit their program. A visiting Portuguese ballet company was driven to remove over half of their program, as he felt it to be too modernistic. It wasnt long before Mao began censoring not only what we could see and do, but also how we could do it. All writers were to be trained in by government writing officials- the desired effect being, of course, so that they all wrote in the same style. All writing was to be, like the operas, concerning topics of interest to its audience. None of the usual drama and royal scandals, only stories about peasants and farmers. Only literature that seemed to contribute to the achievement of Communist goals. He stated publicly that ones endo...

Twelve Tribes of Israel

Twelve Tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel represent the traditional divisions of the Jewish people in the biblical era. The tribes were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim and Manasseh. The Torah, the Jewish Bible, teaches that each tribe was descended from a son of Jacob, the Hebrew forefather who became known as Israel. Modern scholars disagree. The Twelve Tribes in the Torah Jacob had two wives, Rachel and Leah, and two concubines, by whom he had 12 sons and a daughter. Jacobs favorite wife was Rachel, who bore him Joseph. Jacob was quite open about his preference for Joseph, the prophetic dreamer, above all others. Josephs brothers were jealous and sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt. Josephs rise in Egypt- he became a trusted vizier of the pharaoh- encouraged the sons of Jacob to move there, where they prospered and became the Israelite nation. After Josephs death, an unnamed Pharaoh makes slaves of the Israelites; their escape from Egypt is the subject of the Book of Exodus. Under Moses and then Joshua, the Israelites capture the land of Canaan, which is divided up by tribe. Of the remaining ten tribes, Levi was scattered throughout the region of ancient Israel. The Levites became the priestly class of Judaism. A portion of the territory was given to each of Josephs sons, Ephraim and Menasseh. The tribal period endured from the conquest of Canaan through the period of Judges until the kingship of Saul, whose monarchy brought the tribes together as one unit, the Kingdom of Israel. Conflict between Sauls line and David created a rift in the kingdom, and the tribal lines reasserted themselves. Historical View Modern historians consider the notion of the twelve tribes as descendants of a dozen brothers to be simplistic. It is more likely that the story of the tribes was one created to explain affiliations between groups inhabiting the land of Canaan subsequent to the writing of the Torah. One school of thought suggests that the tribes and their story arose in the period of the Judges. Another holds that the federation of the tribal groups happened after the flight from Egypt, but that this united group didnt conquer Canaan at any one time, but rather occupied the country bit by bit. Some scholars see the tribes supposedly descended from the sons born to Jacob by Leah- Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun and Issachar- to represent an earlier political grouping of six that was expanded by later arrivals to twelve. Why Twelve Tribes? The flexibility of the twelve tribes- the absorption of Levi; the expansion of Josephs sons into two territories- suggests that the number twelve itself was an important part of the way the Israelites saw themselves. In fact, biblical figures including Ishmael, Nahor, and Esau were assigned twelve sons and subsequently nations divisible by twelve. The Greeks also organized themselves around groups of twelve (called amphictyony) for sacred purposes. As the unifying factor of the Israelite tribes was their dedication to a single god, Yahweh, some scholars argue that the twelve tribes are simply an imported social organization from Asia Minor. The Tribes and Territories Eastern  · Judah · Issachar · Zebulun Southern  · Reuben · Simeon · Gad Western  · Ephraim · Manesseh · Benjamin Northern  · Dan · Asher · Naphtali Although Levi was dishonored by being denied territory, the tribe of Levi became the highly honored priestly tribe of Israel. It won this honor because of its reverence for Yahweh during the Exodus.

Story from the bible Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Story from the bible - Research Paper Example She is a devout and beautiful heroine who first beguiled and then beheaded the Assyrian commander Holofernes. According to significant modern scholars, Judith is a historical romance written for didactic purposes and the author gives more importance to the religious message than to the historical fact. The intrinsic literary merit of the story of Judith had a significant influence on the popularity of the work. â€Å"The Book of Judith is a story written for house-hold reading. While it may properly be classed as didactic, yet it is one of those popular tales in which the chief concern of the writer is with the telling of the story rather than with the pointing of a moral, and in which the wish to interest takes precedence even of the desire to instruct. What gained for the book its high esteem in early times, in both the Jewish and the Christian world, was its intrinsic merit as a story, rather than its religious teaching or its patriotism.† (The Book of Judith: General Infor mation) Therefore, the story of Judith interests anyone who believes in the didactic purpose of the biblical books along with its intrinsic merit as a story. One of the most determining aspects of the Book of Judith is how the story fits into the general nature of the biblical books while also keeping the interest of a popular story. The Book of Judith tells the story of the pious and ascetic widow who takes on the public role of savior by deceiving and beheading the powerful enemy general, and the beautiful Judith has fascinated historians, artists, writers etc. Significantly, the interpretations by several important scholars has presented her as femme fatale, female warrior, feminist heroine, virtue personified, lying murderer, and saintly beauty and all these interpretations reflected the characteristics of the period of the specific scholar. â€Å"Judith was

Freewrite in the Style of Susan Griffins Our Secret Scholarship Essay

Freewrite in the Style of Susan Griffins Our Secret - Scholarship Essay Example It reminds us of our humanity. We weep for a piece of bread at night. Let bygones be bygones, but if I have the soul of a Jew I will never again buy a German car, no matter how much I want a BMW. If I have the soul of a Jew I will never truly understand how we can look at disasters like Haiti and not be one of the people who constitute $396 M in donations to our darker brothers and sisters living on one-half of an island in the Caribbean. If I have the soul of a Jew I will never be able to look back at WWII history and not learn its lessons. The wisdom it teaches us. Freedom is a privilege, not a right. Many of us are yet still not free in this world. Tough times, repeated rhymes. Fourscore and seven years ago becomes a whimper in the background. Even though this life is full of sound and fury and signifying nothing, even though it may start with a bang and end with a whimper, still, this life is magnificent no matter how one slices it. This life is wonderful, no matter what happens, who tries to put you down, or who tries to destroy your good name. Men like myself are like torpedoes. From the inside out we distance ourselves away from others, aiming for the target, to pierce others with our consciousness. Silently we are thinking to ourselves, "And who are we to destroy" But deep within our consciousness lies the subtle fact that we owe our own destinies a shot at finding true meaning and relevance in a rickety world so poorly and yet so magnificently built. Truth was never yet found where darkness is considered king. But all of these days, we consider that man is simply a leave of grass that will be blown away with the summer wind. Nothing satiates our desires more perfectly than finding the right person with whom to share these personal pestilences, these difficulties, these mired-down missions in our petty lives. Nothing. With all of the history we refer back to, we realize that in the shadows, in the darkest recesses of our minds, nothing can compare to the hope we have when we come back and take ownership of our own destinies. Like the wind, we fly. Sincerest victory is not won by sitting idly by the sidelines. We must fight, we must struggle, we must dance to the death, our victory dance. We must realize ourselves. We must self-actualize. Dearly, we hold each other. In the light of each others' arms, we realize our true purpose in life, which is to love and be loved. "Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward."2 Because I have the soul of a Jew, I realize all my mistakes must be remedied by love, kindness, compassion, caring, and understanding. I realize my love must be like an overflowing ocean or river in order to manifest love. Because I have the soul of a Jew, I recognize all human pain and suffering. I will not turn a blind eye to the homeless, the destitute, or those who have needs and problems. My mind is racing. Without love in the world, there can be no great change. Without love in the world, there can be no catharsis. Without love in the world, there can be no healing. Because I see with the eyes of the oppressed, I am more free in my own being. I have more of an ability to identify with the needs of the suffering. I see the problems. I do not ignore them. I will not turn a blind eye to suffering when I see it in my life. When I see others in pain, I will see and do something. I will take action. I will be a force for change. I will do the right thing. I will get involved. I am trying to be the best man I can be. I am trying to be the best human being I can be. With God as my witness, I take an

Reflection Summary Essay Example for Free

Reflection Summary Essay Collaborate with your Learning Team to discuss the previous week’s objectives. Discuss what you learned, what could be applicable to your workplace or personal life, and how your knowledge has increased as a result of what you experienced through the learning activities in the previous week. Submit your team summary of the discussion in a 1-2 page Microsoft  ® Word document. General Questions General General Questions Management Theory and Practice All Weeks, Assignments, Discussion Questions + Final Exam Refrain from plagiarizing as the consequences can be extreme. During your college life, you will likely write a lot of papers. Be certain you do not plagiarize the work of others. Your professors are pros at recognizing plagiarized work, so be sure to write your papers on your own. This file MGT 230 Week 3 Reflection Summary contains review of works during the last 3 weeks Collaborate with your Learning Team to discuss the previous week’s objectives. Discuss what you learned, what could be applicable to your workplace or personal life, and how your knowledge has increased as a result of what you experienced through the learning activities in the previous week. Submit your team summary of the discussion in a 1-2 page Microsoft  ® Word  document. General Questions General General Questions Management Theory and Practice All Weeks, Assignments, Discussion Questions + Final Exam Refrain from plagiarizing as the consequences can be extreme. During your college life, you will likely write a lot of papers. Be certain you do not plagiarize the work of others. Your professors are pros at recognizing plagiarized work, so be sure to write your papers on your o To download this material Click this link https://bitly.com/1oJNhBq Refrain from plagiarizing as the consequences can be extreme. During your college life, you will likely write a lot of papers. Be certain you do not plagiarize the work of others. Your professors are pros at recognizing plagiarized work, so be sure to write your papers on your own. General Questions General General Questions Management Theory and Practice All Weeks, Assignments, Discussion Questions + Final Exam

Wetlands Research Paper -- Research Paper fc

Wetlands   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When most people think of wetlands the first thing that will pop into their mind will be visions of swamps and flooded plains. These marshy lands would seem to have no purpose, while in reality they are the most precious form of ecosystem that we have in America. Wetlands contribute to biodiversity, clean water, flood control, and provide a habitat for millions of species of plants and animals. Even with all this wetlands still face mass destruction, much like the rain forests they are just as productive and face similar rates of devastation (Mitchell, J. (1992, October). â€Å"Our Disappearing Wetlands† National Geographic, Pg 15).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It really is hard to get someone passionate about a mosquito-infested piece of swamp that seems just to be there to take up space and look bad. This is why wetlands are not backed by too many people to prevent their destruction. The main causes of wetland devastation are all linked to man. Pollution, construction, and farming are what is destroying 300,000 acres of wetlands each year (David Allen, J 1995 Pg. 24). Pollution is one of the most potent forms of destruction in that a small amount can cause such damage to a wide variety to plants and wildlife. Construction is another threat because as the population grows the demand for affordable housing goes up. Also with a rise in population comes a demand for food, which leads the to last and most destructive threat to wetlands, farming. Farming is all the threats to wetlands rolled into one; it builds over hundreds of acres of land and pollutes it with fertilizers and herbicides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many misconceptions about wetlands that the public has due to the fact that there is not much public interest to save the wetlands. Well what exactly is a wetland? A lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife, but in actuality a wetland is so much more than that. Depending on the type of wetland suggests the function it performs for the environment. We now realize that wetlands are important and valuable ecosystems. They are home to many beautiful and rare species. They filter runoff and adjacent surface waters to protect the quality of our lakes, bays and rivers. Wetlands also protect many of our sources of... ... they are not all destroyed. Experts believe that due mostly to the intervention of man wetlands may change to fit the surrounding environment. Things like pollution and the intervention of man have caused wetlands to adjust to have life forms more resistant to pollution. Other scientists predict that the wetlands should remain the same the way they have for the thousands of years they have been around. All in all it is our responsibility to preserve these landscapes, and with the clock ticking we are rapidly running out of time to save these precious ecosystems. *By the time you finish reading this 42 acres of wetlands will be gone* BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, David, Jr. Stream Ecology. Sioux City: Chapman and Hall, 1995. Angel, Heather. The Water Naturalist. Memphis: Windmill Publishers, 1982. Gomez, Jane. The Everglades. Boston: Houghton, 1992. Marshall, Alexandra. Still Waters. New York: William Marrow & Co., 1978. Mitchell, John G. â€Å"Our Disappearing Wetlands.† National Geographic October 1992: Pgs.44. Mairson, Alan. â€Å"Florida Everglades: Dying For Help.† National Geographic April 1994: Pgs. 2-35. â€Å"Wetlands† Encarta Encyclopedia. Ed. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Inc. Copywrite 2001

My Heritage Essay

My heritage is something that I am immensely proud of. The origins of my heritage began along the Andean region of South America. The depth of my culture is represented through Ecuador’s musical and gastronomical roots. My family strictly follows a strong religious background which has influenced my life greatly. Besides cultural gastronomy and religion, the celebration of holidays is very important to my family as well. Therefore, there are many different factors that my heritage is composed of. One part of my heritage, that I particularly enjoy, is the music and cuisine which pertains to my culture. Ecuador has a wide variety of music ranging from Incan tribal music to current traditional Ecuadorian music. Every time a song is played, it tells a different story, allowing the listener to visualize and experience the rhythm first hand. Among the many plates Ecuador has to offer, a few in particular have been established as my favorites; one of them is called â€Å"Locro†, which is a thick soup made from potatoes, cheese, and meat. Locro is usually served with a light salad, topped off with cilantro and avocado. The aroma emanating from this culinary concoction sends my mind into a state of euphoric tranquility. Therefore, the combination of these two can make any event a moment to savor. In addition to the music and the food, religion plays an important role in my heritage as well. Catholicism is the dominant religion in Ecuador, and the religion with which I was raised. The Roman based religion has a high influence amongst my people. I remember during my childhood how important it was to go through my religious sacraments. As a Catholic, going to church with my family every Sunday was a never broken tradition. Although I am respectful of all religions, my religion has played an important role and has allowed me to flourish. Among the many rituals that are practiced within the Catholic religion, we show a significant amount of respect to Catholic holidays. Holidays are a very important ceremonial event which is glorified amongst my family. Once a year, my family gathers together for a much acclaimed event, the birth of Jesus Christ. To some, this day is known to be filled with folktales about a gift giving Santa Clause hidden in the North Pole. In my family, we are  taught from childhood about the son of God, Jesus Christ, and the many miracles and sacrifices he had to endure for us. Another part of this tradition was attending midnight mass to show respect for the birth of baby Jesus. This religion and its holiday are not only pertinent to the country of my origin but also a large part of what I consider to be my heritage today. In conclusion, my heritage is drawn from different factors all of which depend on the types of influences that are present in a person’s life. The parts of my heritage which I consider important include the gastronomical and musical roots of Ecuador, Catholicism, and lastly the celebration of an important religious holiday. These combinations have had a substantially large influence on what I consider my heritage today.

Students’ Paid Employment and Academic Performance at Carrick Institute of Education, Sydney Campus

STUDENTS' PAID EMPLOYMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT CARRICK INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, SYDNEY CAMPUS Blaga, Sorin. Review of Economic Studies and Research Virgil Madgearu5. 1 (2012): 5-22. Turn on hit highlighting for speaking browsers Show highlighting Abstract (summary) Translate Abstract Thispaper identifies aspects of ‘students' academic performance, in the Hospitality Department at Carrick Institute of Education, Sydney campus, Australia. The academic performance of these students is thought to be negatively affected by participation in paid employment and the language mostly spoken in their work place.The research finding s show that students are deliberately engaged in paid employment for exactly the same reasons identified by the previous researchers, even though the students know that their academic performance may suffer. The paper also looks at how the languages spoken at their work place influence their academic performance. Most of the students at Carrick Institute of Education are international students and the language spoken at their workplaces often coincides with the students' country of origin.In spite of these negative effects, students continue to work even if they are financially independent, in order to build their work experience. The jobs are mainly in the Hospitality Industries. The research finding s open the way for future pedagogical and managerial research in the education sector. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] Full Text * Translate Full text Turn on search term navigation Headnote Abstract: Thispaper identifies aspects of ‘students' academic performance, in the Hospitality Department at Carrick Institute of Education, Sydney campus, Australia. The academic performance of these students is thought to be egatively affected by participation in paid employment and the language mostly spoken in their work place. The research finding s show that students are deliberately engaged in paid employment for exactly the same reasons identif ied by the previous researchers, even though the students know that their academic performance may suffer. The paper also looks at how the languages spoken at their work place influence their academic performance. Most of the students at Carrick Institute of Education are international students and the language spoken at their workplaces often coincides with the students' country of origin.In spite of these negative effects, students continue to work even if they are financially independent, in order to build their work experience. The jobs are mainly in the Hospitality Industries. The research finding s open the way for future pedagogical and managerial research in the education sector. Key words: academicperformance, course difficulties, paid employment, tuition fee, language JEL Classification: I20, I23 1. Introduction There is evidence of a growing trend in many countries for college and university students to combine their academic studies with paid work.In the United Kingdom, for example, the number of students who are engaged in paid work has been reported by a number of researchers and shows a continuous growth beginning from the early nineties. For example, Sorensen and Winn (1993) reported that 27% of university students are engaged in paid work. In research carried out in the UK and the US Ford et al. (i995) reported that 29% of university students took a part-time job; three years later in the UK, Lucas and Lammont (1998) reported that 31% of students also took a paid job. Hunt et al. 2004) found that in 1999, 38% of students were engaged in paid employment and he also he reported 49% of students undertook paid work in 2001. Curtis and Shani (2002) reported that 55% of students had a paid job in 2002 and 59% in 2003. In summary, one can say that in the UK during the years 1993-2003, the number of students taking a part time job increased from 27% up to 59% which is an increase of over 100%. From the 1990s a similar trend has been reported in the Un ited States by Stern and Nakata (1991) who found that the proportion of full-time students employed increased from 29% in 1959 to 43% in 1986.Other evidence emerged at the end of the millennium (Luzzo et al. 1997; Hammer et al. 1998) which indicated that the work participation rate amongst United States students exceeded 50%. In continental Europe, ‘The Euro Student' (2000) report found that student employment rates in Europe ranged from 48% in France to 77% in the Netherlands. In Australia, Anyanwu (1998) reported that 75% of full time students took up to 30 hours of paid work to support their studies.In early 2000, a national survey conducted by Long and Hayden (2001) revealed that 72. 5% of full-time students were in paid employment. Applegate and Daly (2006), in a study conducted at the University of Canberra, Australia, showed that the impact of paid work on the academic performance of students did not have a large impact on students' grades, and a slight improvement of s tudents' academic performance was even noticed in students employed in some jobs; however, working more than twenty hours per week had a negative effect.Applegate and Daly's survey found out that of the 78% of students who had a job, 40% of them worked over the legal limit of 20 hours per week. There is clear evidence showing that the phenomenon of students combining their study with paid work is wide-spread. The succinct literature review cited above, suggests possible reasons for this trend: the availability of jobs in service industries (the hospitality industry, in particular), rising student tuition fees over the years, changes in students' personal lives, and family and community expectations (Stern and Nakata 1991; Ford et al. 995). The aim of this present research is to reveal the nature and extent of full-time college students undertaking paid work and the relationship of this work experience with their academic performance at the Carrick Institute of Education, Hospitality Department. Carrick Institute of Education is a private Australian education institution, which has been established since 1987, and provides vocational and academic education to over 5000 students1 from all over the world in campuses situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.One of the most popular vocational choices, among international students, is the Hospitality Department. The Hospitality Department enrolls over 2980 students in their Sydney campuses alone, in all forms of education. The popularity of hospitality courses can be explained by the relatively low level of course difficulty, and relatively high levels of part-time and full- time job availability in hospitality businesses, as confirmed by the following researchers Ford et al. (1995), Mclnnis and Hartley (2002) and Bradley (2006).Most of the time these businesses are owned by students' fellow countrymen who are more willing to offer them employment and make them feel more comfortable in the work place. Th e hospitality courses are also one of the most popular choices among international students as, later on, they offer the opportunity to apply for Permanent Residency in Australia. Many students, for various reasons, are not able to balance the work load they take on and the academic performance required by the Australian Qualification Framework and Vocational Education and Training regulatory body. This brings significant consequences.As a result of the high number of hours in employment, students' academic results are being affected and they perform poorly in the classroom. The high number of students deemed Not Yet Competent (NYC), which means failed in different stages and in different subjects, was 40132 and reflects students' low ability in balancing paid-work and their studies. Another aspect of interest, addressed in this paper, is the possible relationship between the language spoken in the work place, international students' slow improvement in their English Language skills , any adverse consequences in academic performance and later employability.This research is significant as there have not been studies to address these issues in the area of Vocational Education in Australia for a significant period of time; certainly no studies have been undertaken in Carrick Institute of Education. There is an empirical understanding of the problems among management and therefore the research findings will offer a solid scientific base upon which to improve College policies and practice in respect of students' undesirable academic results. 2. Aims and ExpectationsThe academic literature review shows clearly that paid employment is a normal component of contemporary student life (Curtis and Shani 2002). Student participation in the workforce has a number of positive consequences: students receive pay, become independent, learn to manage money, make social contacts, build self-confidence in acquiring a job, and learn generic skills which increase their employability . Some research, however, has documented a range of negative outcomes such as fatigue, lack of autonomy, social isolation, low pay, and high stress (Lucas and Lammont 1998; Mclnnis and Hartley 2002).The aim of this study is to identify the extent and relationship between students' paid employment and their academic performance at Carrick Institute of Education in the Hospitality department, taking into consideration the students needs to balance their personal life with work participation and academic performance. The researcher tested the following two hypotheses: Hypothesis i. The researcher expects that the excessive work load is a key cause of students' performing poorly academically and explains the high number of NYCs. This situation could be created by many variables which will be clearly identified and analysed in the research.To some extent these NYCs cannot be reasonably managed, resulting in an even more difficult situation for the students, such as cancellation of their student visas in extreme cases. Hypothesis 2? is expected that there is a relationship between the languages most spoken at the work-place and students' slowness in improving their English language skills. It is assumed that poor English language skills are associated with poor academic performance and low employability. 3. Methodology used 3. 1 Sample selection The sample for this study comprised 70 students enrolled at Carrick Institute of Education, Sydney campus, Australia.For practical reasons the participants were selected using a quota system, randomly selecting the students from each class according to their respective stages, 5, 6, 7, and 8. The researcher ensured the proportions of males and females sampled were representative the population of students enrolled at Carrick Institute of Education. Data was obtained from 34 females (49 per cent), and 34 males (49 per cent). Ages varied from 20 to over 30 years (Mean = 22. 4; SD = 5. 8). 3. 2 Questionnaire development A ques tionnaire containing 14 questions was developed for use in this research.The questionnaire was developed through a series of tests and peer group discussions at the University of Technology, Sydney. The final version comprised three sections. The first section contained five closed-ended questions relating to the respondent's paid work. Questions pertained to the extent of work performed, reasons for working, and perceived benefits of working. There was an illustrative question linking the study profile with the work performed, as a factor contributing to the education taken, and a question showing the students' ability in finding paid employment in the field of their studies.Two questions directly related to students' academic performance (measured by their NYCs): students' perception of the consequences of poor performance; and student perception of the College's involvement in helping them to overcome these undesirable outcomes. In this case, negatively worded items were reverse- scored and responses to all items measuring common constructs were averaged to form a composite scale. The second section contained questions related to the second assumption and attempted to identify the students' country of origin, language spoken at work and academic performance.This section also contained a Likert-rype item aimed at identifying students' perception of College involvement in helping them to overcome negative academic performance. The questionnaire contained an open ended question which was intended to identify students' enthusiasm for the study they took and their future plans. The last section contained items seeking demographic information, including gender and age. 3. 3 Data Collection Research data was collected by distributing the questionnaires to four classes.One class from each stage in the final year of study was selected to cover the whole range of students in the campus in the Hospitality Department. The respondents were chosen randomly based on their arrival time in class. Time allocated for responding to the questions was at the teachers' discretion and the questionnaires were collected by the end of the day. Secondary data related to students' academic performance was obtained from the College administration. 4. Results and analysisThe rate of subjects' participation in this project was 87. 5 per cent; 80 surveys were distributed and 70 were filled in. From those 70 surveys, two were incomplete, representing 2. 85 per cent of the total participants and generating the No Answer percentage. For analysis purposes the following matrix was created: As revealed in Table 1, the researcher found that 84% of the students had a paid job which is well above the national average of 72. 5% of full-time students engaged in paid employment (Long and Hayden 2001). The increase of 11. % can be explained by the specificity of studies taken (hospitality) by students, and curriculum requirements that students should take paid works to gain work e xperience in the field of their studies. There was also strong pressure on students to take jobs in the hospitality industry from the Immigration Department, as a student qualifies for Permanent Resident (PR) visa requirements at the conclusion of their studies. Availability of part-time jobs in the hospitality industry may be another explanation for this phenomenon.The survey revealed a low number of students with no job (13%) which gives invites speculation on their reasons for not taking employment: the students may be not the principal applicant for PR, or they may have gained the minimum number of hours required. This issue needs more investigation but is outside the scope of this research. The research gained more strength from further examination the work load taken by students. 15% of students took over 20 hours of work per week and, from private discussions, the researcher found that some students took paid jobs well beyond this limit.To further explore the possibility that students' grades dramatically deteriorated if they took over 20 hours of work per week is difficult as further development of the issue could lead students to self-incrimination. Immigration Department regulations stipulate that students on a study visa may only take 20 hours of paid work per week. In support of our findings, research by Greenberger and Steinberg (1986), Professor Warren Payne (2003) from Victoria University, Melbourne, and others, demonstrates that work interferes with academic performance only when students undertake in excess of 20 hours of work per week.These findings were taken on board by Carrick's policies and reflected in Australian Immigration Department requirements. Beyond thispointphysicalandintellectual resources are rapidly depleted and academic performance declines dramatically. The research shows that, apart from the need to earn money because insufficient funds were provided by their family, as declared by 53% of the participants, reasons for engag ing in paid employment were to gain work experience (31. 45%), for social interaction and pocket money (13. 5%) and other reasons such as enjoyment, boredom, and the like (3%). Working and non-working respondents were not distinguished in terms of age, gender or marital status as these factors were not relevant to the topic of research. As expected, the number of students working in the Hospitality Industry was 79% which is in line with the College policies and government regulations. A surprising result emerges when the students revealed that they obtained employment without assistance (67%) and just 31% declared that they got help from family and friends in getting paid employment.College student services which offers employment opportunities was not mentioned at all in this respect which raises serious questions about the purpose and efficiency of this department. In terms of academic results, 60% of the participants declared that they had no grade of NYC, which overall, is not a very good academic performance. Also 13% of participants declared they had one NYC, 10% stated they had two NYCs, 3% of students declared that they had three NYC, and 3% acknowledged they had four NYCs and a further 3% declared they five NYCs.The most questionable category is that of 5% of participants declaring that they had over 10 NYCs which brings the total proportion of students with NYCs to 39%. The research findings strongly supported hypothesis 1 confirming the existence of a strong relationship between students' work load and academic performance. As the Table 1 shows, 30% of students work in businesses where the spoken language is Mandarin and Cantonese; 35% of them work in businesses where Hindi or other languages from the Indian subcontinent is spoken; and only 26% of students declared that the language spoken in the workplace is English.The last statement needs more clarification as ‘English language spoken in the workplace' could imply that English was the only means of communication between employees and customers, or that English was the only means of communication between employees as a result of diversity in the work place. These findings do not clearly support hypothesis 2 as a research question and do not confirm there is a strong relationship between language spoken in the workplace and slow improvement of students' English skills, with consequent detrimental results in academic performance and employability.Because of the time constraint, the researcher has no ability to further investigate this issue. In terms of support received from the College to overcome the undesirable academic results, 73% of the participants declared that they had been helped to get over the situation, and 23% stated there had been no support for them. If we correlate the total number of students with NYCs (38. 5%) and those who declared that they did not receive adequate support (23%) we can assume that they are the same individuals or that there is some o verlap.As an organization Carrick Institute of Education is viewed as a very good educational institution by 10% of participants, good by 34%, neutral by 43%, bad by 4% and very bad also by 4%. The findings reveal a high number of students with an indifferent attitude to services and the quality of education offered. This will be a good question for management to investigate further. The researcher declines any further analysis of the issue which does not fit into the purpose of the topic.The open ended question related to students' future plans revealed an entire range of plans which can be categorized as: getting a good job (20%); embarking upon further studies (9%); starting a small business (7%); becoming a manager and chef (about 7%); getting PR (7%); and what is most intriguing, 29% of respondents declared that, ? Do Not Know'(IDNK). The analysis of this issue is beyond the scope of this paper. Data was obtained from 34 females (49%), and 34 males (49%). Ages varied from 20 to over 30 years (Mean = 22. 4, SD = 5. 8). 5. Discussion and ConclusionsThis paper identifies aspects of academic performance thought to be negatively affected by participation in paid employment and the language mostly spoken in the work place. This research as well as that of Greenberger and Steinberg (1986) and Payne (2003) demonstrates that work interferes with academic performance only when students undertake in excess of 20 hours of work per week which was taken on board by Carrick Institute of Education and the Immigration Department as a threshold. The mean number of hours worked by students at Carrick Institute of Education is 15 hours per week and is similar to the averages reported in previous studies.The jobs were mainly in the Hospitality Industries, similar to those reported by (Ford et al. 1995; Mclnnis and Hartley 2002). Indeed, in situations where jobs and study programs are closely aligned, positive effects may even be evidenced, because job experiences provide stud ents with opportunities to develop values and skills that are transferable to their current studies, and the context of their future careers (Luzzo et al. 1997). Similar findings are reported by Hammes and Haller (1983) and Hay et al. (1970).Findings in relation to the language spoken at the workplace shows that: 30% of students work in businesses where the spoken language is Mandarin and Cantonese; 35% of them work in businesses where Hindi or other languages from the Indian subcontinent are spoken; and only 26% of students declared that the language spoken in the workplace is English. These findings do not support Hypothesis 2 and do not confirm there is a strong relationship between the language spoken in the workplace and slow improvement of students' English skills with detrimental results in academic performance and employability.In clarifying this research question further work have to be done. This research was limited by the relatively small sample of participants and very limited time allocation. Future research should be carried out to obtain in-depth longitudinal data to enable temporal and causal relations between numerous other variables which need to be more clearly understood. This research is significant as there have not been studies to address these issues in the area of Vocational Education in Australia for a significant period of time and certainly no studies have been undertaken in the Carrick Institute of Education.Footnote 1 The numbers of students enrolled at Carrick Institute of Education, in different forms of education, were correct at the time of the survey. 2 The number is valid for August 2008. References References 1. Anlezark, A. (2005), ‘An aid to systematic reviews of research in vocational education and training in Australia', Journal ofVocational Education Research, Vol. 11, Issue 3. 2. Applegate, C. and Daly, A. 2006, ‘The impact of paid work on the academic performance of students: a case study from the Univer sity of Canberra', Australian Journal of Education, Vol. 0, Issue 2, pp. 155-166. 3. Anyanwu, C. (1998), ‘Is internationalisation in the classroom a reverse discrimination on Australian students? ‘ In Black, B. and Stanley, N. (Eds. ), Teaching and Learning in Changing Times, pp. 17-21. Proceedings of the 7th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. 4. Barling, J. , Rogers, K. and Kelloway, E. K. 1995, ‘Some effects of teenagers' part-time employment: the quantity and quality of work make the difference', Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 16, Issue 2, pp. 143-154. 5. Baron,R. M. and Kenny, D. A. 1986, ‘The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 51, Issue 6, pp. 1173-1182. 6. Barone, F. J. 1993, The effects of part-time employment on academic performance. NASSP Bulleti n, Vol. 76, Issue 549, pp. 67-73. 7. Bella, S. K. and Huba, M. E. 1982, Student part-time jobs: the relationship between type of job and academic performance. Journal of Student Financial Aid, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp. 22-27. 8. Biggs, J. B. 987, Student approaches to learning and studying, Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbourne. 9. Bradley, G. , 2006, Work participation and academic performance: a test of alternative propositions. Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 19, Issue 5, pp. 481-501. 10. Curtis, S. and Shani, N. 2002, The effect of taking paid employment during term-time on students' academic studies. Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 26, Issue 2, pp. 129-138. 11. Euro Student, 2000, Socioeconomic living conditions of students, viewed 17 February 2010, http://www. his. de/Abt2/ Auslandsstudium/Eurostudent/index. tm. 12. Ford, J. , Bosworth, D. and Wilson, R. 1995, Part-time work and fulltime higher education. Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 20, Iss ue 2, pp. 87-202. 13. Graham B. 2006, Work participation and academic performance: a test of alternative propositions, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 19, Issue 5, pp. 481-501 14. Greenberger, E. and Steinberg L. 1986, When teenagers work: the psychological and social costs of adolescent employment. Basic Books Inc. , NY. 15. Hammer, L. B. , Grigsby, T. D. and Woods, S. 1998, The conflicting demands of work, family, and school among students at an urban university.Journal of Psychology, Vol. 132, Issue 2, pp. 220-226. 16. Hunt, A. , Lincoln, I. and Walker, A. 2004, Term-time Employment and Academic Attainment: Evidence from a Large-scale Survey of Undergraduates at Northumbria University, Journal of Further Education, Vol. 28, Issue 1, pp. 3-18. 17. Johnson, K. and Lucas, R. 2002, Student Employment Within Services: A UK, Central and Eastern European Perspective, Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp. 53-67. 18. Lucas, R and Lammont, N. 1998, C ombining work and study: An empirical study of students in work in school, college and university.Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 11, Issue 1, pp. 41-56. 19. Long, M. and Hayden, M. 2001, Paying their way: a survey of Australian undergraduate university student finances, 2000. Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee, viewed 17 February 2010, . 20. Lounsbury, J. W. ; Gibson, L. W. ; Sundstrom, E. ; Wilburn, D. ; Loveland, J. M. (2004), An Empirical Investigation of the Proposition that ‘School Is Work': a comparison of personality-performance correlations in school and work settings. Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 7, Issue 1, pp. 119-131. 21. Lucas, R. and Lammont, N. 1998, Combining work and study: an empiricalstudy of full-time students in school, college and university, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 11, Issue 1, pp. 41-56. 22. Luzzo, D. A. , Hitchings, W. E. , Retish, P. and Shoemaker, A. 1999, Evaluating differences in college students' career decision making on the basis of disability status. Career Development Quarterly , Vol. 48, Issue 1, pp. 142-156. 23. Mclnnes, C. and Hartley, R. 2002, Managing Study and Work, DEST website, viewed, August 2009, ;http://www. dest. gov. au;. 24.Paton-Saltzburg, R. and Lindsay, R. 1994, The effect of paid employment on the academic performance of full-time students in higher education. Oxford, UK. 25. Stern, D. and Nakata, Y. 1991, Paid employment among U. S. college students: Trends, effects, and possible causes. The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 62, Issue 1, pp. 25-43. 26. Sorensen, L. , and Winn, S. 1993, Student loans: a case study. Higher Education Review. Vol. 25, Issue 3, pp. 48-65. 27. Trochim, W. M. K. 2006, Ethics in Research, viewed 14 February 2010, ;www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/ethics;. AuthorAffiliationSorin BLAGA* AuthorAffiliation * Carrick Institute of Education, Australia. E-mail address: [email  protected] net. au. Word count: 4095 Copyright Babes Bolyai University 2012 Indexing (details) Cite Subject Academic achievement; College students; Core curriculum; Language; Tuition Company / organization Name:Carrick Institute of Education-Sydney AustraliaNAICS:611310| Title STUDENTS' PAID EMPLOYMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT CARRICK INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, SYDNEY CAMPUS Author Blaga, Sorin Publication title Review of Economic Studies and Research Virgil Madgearu Volume 5 Issue 1 Pages 5-22Number of pages 18 Publication year 2012 Publication date 2012 Year 2012 Publisher Babes Bolyai University Place of publication Cluj-Napoca Country of publication Romania Publication subject Business And Economics ISSN 20690606 Source type Scholarly Journals Language of publication English Document type Feature Document feature Tables;References;Graphs;Charts ProQuest document ID 1024823717 Document URL http://search. proquest. com. libraryproxy. griffith. edu. au/docview/1024823717? accountid=14543 Copyright Copyright Babes Bolyai University 2012 Last updated 2012-07 -14 Database ProQuest Central

MUSIC 115 Essays

MUSIC 115 Essays MUSIC 115 Essay MUSIC 115 Essay MUSIC 115 Name: Course: Date: MUSIC 115 Change is considered as inevitable in any form of society. It is necessary to introduce better means of doing things and execution of tasks. Essentially, it is a means of progressivism and development in a society seeking to conform to new socio-cultural norms. The medieval period was the onset of the advancements in various fields such as education, philosophy, art, science, religion, politics and other important social features. Music has undergone one of the most profound changes over the centuries from the medieval period. Music from this period is referred to as color or medieval music. The term color is used as a means of identification of this form of music in terms of its chromatic quality, elaborate ornamentation and the structuring of the notes of the music from this era. Music has been used for a longtime for various purposes such as religious, symbolic and social aspects of the medieval societies (Powell, Magill, Sacket, 1997). Societies in these periods believed that music was a sacred means of communication with the gods, such as in the case of the Greek societies and other medieval empires like the Ottoman and Roman empires. Greeks believed that music was created by the god Apollo a musician from their Greek myths by the name Orpheus among other scared beings in the Greek society. Music is deeply rooted in the culture of a given society, its norms and other facets, which constitute the given society. For instance, music is intertwined with the language spoken by a culture or community. It usually denotes the cultural values, norms and counter norms in a given community. Hence, it is a means of communication to a given society. Additionally, music forms an integral tool in the preservation of culture and passage of values from one generation to another. This is because music composed can be based on issues such as communal achievements in battle, social and communal values, cultural beliefs and heritage. In the early medieval period, majority of the music was associable with religious purposes or sacred purposes. In some parts of Europe, Roman and Greek music was associable with paganism and thus opposed by the parts, which had taken allegiance to the Christian faith. In such societies, music was for Christian purposes as opposed to the two societies, Greece and Rome. Christian music in this period was separated from the societies during that period, as it did not accommodate other forms of music. Hence, due to its separatist approach it consequently faded as other forms of music were adopted by the medieval societies (Burrell, 1964). The medieval period was significant in terms of changes in the various forms of societal aesthetics. Art underwent drastic changes as the societies sought enlightenment. Art from this period is considered as one of the greatest forms of art and an essential starting point in the growth of numerous art forms. The medieval period covers art such as early gothic art, Christian art, migration era art, Byzantine art, Insular art, Romanesque art and Pre-Romanesque. All the identified art forms were unique as they represented the individual cultures of certain communities. Art from this period took many forms such as sculptures, manuscripts that had been illuminated, mosaic art, metalwork art and stained glasses. These forms of art, when compared with later date art forms, have withstood perils of time and are still in existence, in the modern society. In the 14th century, major stylistic changes took place in the forms of music, which were in existence. It was termed as new art or ars nova in Latin. This new style of music was introduced by prelate French composer by the name Philippe de Vitry (Powell, Magill, Sacket, 1997). This form of music was a reflection to the adoption of new aesthetic and cultural values such as resourcefulness and ingenuity in the human race. Changes in terms of social structures, politics and economics, were the initiating factors of such changes in the field of music. This is because of the presence of focus on individuality and acceptance of new communal values. Isorhythmic styles of music were largely used during this period in terms of composition of the structures of this style of music (Kirkpatrick, 2002). Politics were an enormous influence in terms of the various social structures and the aesthetic values of the societies in the mediaeval period. The medieval period led into the renaissance period, which was a significant period in terms of the changes in economic, political and social structures of the societies, which were in existence during the period. One of the greatest changes, which are still in existence, in the contemporary societies, was the adoption of taxes levied on people and their business. This was essential for the rulers in the renaissance period as they were able to sustain their lavish lifestyles, grow and maintain large military forces (Powell, Magill, Sacket, 1997). Expansion of military forces was essential given the presence of hostilities between the various empires in Europe, in their efforts to increase the size of their empires by conquering lesser empires. Before the renaissance period, trade was in the sea but later progressed into the mainland through rivers, which provided fast and easy access into rough inland terrains. This was a significant step towards the achievement of civilization. These aided interactions between societies as well as providing the large empires involved in trade such as the Roman Empire with an opportunity to evaluate the potency of expanding in their empires. Trade was a crucial development between the 14th and 18th century as it resulted in the interactions between societies and their empires (Powell, Magill, Sacket, 1997). It gave rise to the exploration of new countries for eventual expansion of their empires. For instance, the English and Spanish monarchs are among key empires, which were avid explorers and traders in the global seas. World exploration was fueled by the growing demand by the populace of the respective empires. Hence, there was a need to find new land to show the might possessed by the military as well as new land for farming and finding raw materials. Initially, at the beginning of the 14th century the main activity in terms of economics was agriculture and low scale trade. However, this was expanded as empires and societies began to trade along the sea routes. This facilitated the shift from agriculture as the main economic activity into commerce as the main economic activity. This resulted in the presence of competition between empires, which sought to ensure the defeat of others from an economic perspective. This was one of the instigating factors in the various wars, which took between the 14th and 18th century. Wars resulted in the consolidation of power by empires, which sought sustenance subsequently resulting in the formation of new power and governance structures. The Roman Catholic is a profound figure in terms of its influence on society. It had a significant role in the society in that its influence spanned from religious, political, economic and social perspectives. The Catholic Church influenced the political scene in the Roman Empire, as it was part of the government in terms of making decisions and determination of political actions. The Roman Empire imposed religion as ordered by the church to establish Christianity as the only religion in modern day Italy. The influence of the Catholic Church was wide-felt across Europe. Religion was unifying as well as a divisive factor in the periods spanning from 14th to18th century (Burrell, 1964). Europe, Asia and the Arab world were divided because of the presence of both religious and cultural norms. Some parts of Europe, especially the western and central parts of Europe were unified by Christianity and their firm belief in their faith. Hence, unions and treaties ere based on the belief in ide ntical religion. Such is the basis for the various interactions between the large empires such as the English, Spanish, French and Roman Empires, which were exponentially influential on the world politics. Science was influenced significantly through the period from 14th to 18th centuries. It essentially grew due to the progress associated with the societal, political, and economic structures in the periods. It grew because of the establishment of rigid institutions, which provided for the various discourses in the field of science. Essentially the stability, which resulted after the various battles and wars between empires, enabled the growth of the field of science. The interactions between the various societies enabled the growth of science in that it resulted in the exchange of ideas and the hunger for more scientific developments. Various fields such as mathematics, psychology, religion and physics underwent significant developments. This was because of the quest for more knowledge and ideas that would provide solutions to the various societal issues. Such developments enabled the growth in the field of medicine to eradicate plagues, which had initially wiped out large populations. Science was also responsible for advancements in issues such as trade in that it enabled the development of means of movement of large goods and development of new goods for trade (Brady, Oberman, Tracy, 1994). In conclusion, the developments in the fields identified are responsible for the modern day advancements. Interactions between empires and their societies resulted in adoption of new norms, religion, cultures and values. Essentially developments from the periods of 14th century through to 18th century have had a lasting impact into the modern society. Hence, interactions played a significant role in the progress identified in fields such as religion, politics, economics, trade and aesthetics.

Eastern North American Neolithic

Eastern North American Neolithic Archaeological evidence shows that eastern North America (often abbreviated ENA) was a separate place of origin for the invention of agriculture. The earliest evidence of low-level food production in ENA begins between about 4000 and 3500 years ago, during the period known as the Late Archaic. People entering the Americas brought with them two domesticates: the dog and the bottle gourd. Domestication of new plants in ENA began with the squash Cucurbita pepo ssp. ovifera, domesticated ~4000 years ago by Archaic hunter-gatherer-fishers, probably for its use (like the bottle gourd) as a container and fishnet float. Seeds of this squash are edible, but the rind is quite bitter. Read more about Cucurbita pepoRead more about the American Archaic Food Crops in Eastern North America The first food crops domesticated by the Archaic hunter-gatherers were oily and starchy seeds, most of which are considered weeds today. Iva annua (known as marshelder or sumpweed) and Helianthus annuus (sunflower) were domesticated in ENA by about 3500 years ago, for their oil-rich seeds. Read more about sunflower domestication Chenopodium berlandieri (chenopod or goosefoot) is reckoned to have been domesticated in Eastern North America by ~3000 BP, based on its thinner seed coats. By 2000 years ago, Polygonum erectum (knotweed), Phalaris caroliniana (maygrass), and Hordeum pusillum (little barley), Amaranthus hypochondriacus (pigweed or amaranth) and perhaps Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed), were likely cultivated by Archaic hunter-gatherers; but scholars are somewhat divided as to whether they were domesticated or not. Wild rice (Zizania palustris) and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) were exploited but apparently not domsticated prehistorically. Read more about chenopodium Cultivating Seed Plants Archaeologists believe that seed plants may have been cultivated by collecting the seeds and using the maslin technique, that is to say, by storing the seeds and mixing them together before broadcasting them onto a suitable patch of ground, such as a floodplain terrace. Maygrass and little barley ripen in spring; chenopodium and knotweed ripen in fall. By mixing these seeds together and sprinkling them on fertile ground, the farmer would have a patch where seeds could reliably be harvested for three seasons. The domestication would have occurred when the cultivators began selecting the chenopodium seeds with the thinnest seed covers to save and replant. By the Middle Woodland period, domesticated crops such as maize (Zea mays) (~800-900 AD) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) (~1200 AD) arrived in ENA from their central American homelands  and were integrated into what archaeologists have termed the Eastern Agricultural Complex. These crops would have been planted in large separate fields or intercropped, as part of the three sisters or mixed cropping agricultural technique. Read more about maizeRead more about the Three SistersRead more about the ​Eastern Agricultural Complex Important ENA Archaeological Sites Kentucky: Newt Kash, Cloudsplitter, Salts CaveAlabama: Russell CaveIllinois: Riverton, American Bottom sitesMissouri: Gypsy JointOhio: Ash CaveArkansas: Edens Bluff, Whitney Bluff, Holman ShelterMississippi: Natchez Sources Fritz GJ. 1984. Identification of Cultigen Amaranth and Chenopod from Rockshelter Sites in Northwest Arkansas. American Antiquity 49(3):558-572. Fritz, Gayle J. Multiple pathways to farming in precontact eastern North America. Journal of World Prehistory, Volume 4, Issue 4, December 1990. Gremillion KJ. 2004. Seed Processing and the Origins of Food Production in Eastern North America. American Antiquity 69(2):215-234. Pickersgill B. 2007. Domestication of Plants in the Americas: Insights from Mendelian and Molecular Genetics. Annals of Botany 100(5):925-940. Open Access. Price TD. 2009. Ancient farming in eastern North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(16):6427-6428. Scarry, C. Margaret. Crop Husbandry Practices in North America’s Eastern Woodlands. Case Studies in Environmental Archaeology, SpringerLink. Smith BD. 2007. Niche construction and the behavioral context of plant and animal domestication. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 16(5):188-199. Smith BD, and Yarnell RA. 2009. Initial formation of an indigenous crop complex in eastern North America at 3800 B.P. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(16):561–6566.

Evaluating Learning and Development Activities PowerPoint Presentation

Evaluating Learning and Development Activities - PowerPoint Presentation Example ROI is a measure of the financial benefits received by a firm over a period of time in return for the costs incurred on a training activity. One way of computing ROI is by comparing the resulting benefits to the costs incurred. Some of the benefits that may result include labor savings, increased productivity and other costs savings. Some of the costs incurred include design and development, administration, and materials/facilities costs. Using this method, percentage ROI is obtained by dividing the total benefits by the total costs times 100%. Another way of measuring ROI is by using the payback period method which entails the determination of the period taken for the benefits received to cover the costs incurred on the programme. The shorter the payback period the more attractive the training programme (Phillips & Phillips, 2008). The initial basic approach to evaluation is to determine the current performance levels and the skills of the members. This is done before the training so that it can be used as a benchmark after the activity. A structured questionnaire can be used to assess the skills and the performance levels of the participants. This tool is the most suitable since it is accurate and it gathers specific information that is required in the evaluation of the participants after the training (Phillips, 2010). Measuring the reactions of the participants during and after the training, is another useful approach. This is used to assess the appropriateness of the training to the learners, how well the subjects were covered and how they intend to apply the acquired skills. Open discussions can be used as a tool for measuring this parameter. This tool is advantageous since direct responses are received from the participants. It would be easy to tell if they liked the training or not, and if they learned new skills (Bramley, 2003). The skills acquired and the learning level can also