Hamlets Options Essays - Characters In Hamlet,

Hamlet's Options Hamlets Options KING: Bow, stubborn knees, and heart with strings of steel, Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe! All may be well. (He kneels) HAMLET: Now might I do it pat, now a is a-praying; And now Ill do t. And so a goes to heaven, and so am I revenged. At this moment the main problem of Hamlet could be ended. Hamlet could kill his Uncle Claudius and avenge his fathers death, and the case would (excepting the case of some unknown tragedy) be closed. He would not accidentally kill Polonius, and perhaps he, Ophelia, Gertrude, and Laertes would not end up dead. The play might not have such an entirely tragic ending after all. However, Hamlet chooses not to. HAMLET: Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent. When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in th incestuous pleasure of his bed, At game a-swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in t Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be as damned and black As hell, whereto it goes. By most accounts, this passage would be taken to mean that he does not kill Claudius because at this time the King is praying, and when praying ones soul will ascend to heaven if one should die. Hamlet wants Claudius to burn in hell; for him to go to heaven would make his revenge void. He will avenge his fathers death when Claudius is engaged in some other less holy act, in order to insure the Kings place in hell. Of course, by his delaying his revenge, the entire plot of the play goes in a different direction. Immediately after this scene Hamlet speaks with his mother, unknowing of the fact that Polonius is hiding behind a curtain in the room with them. When the Queen becomes frightened by Hamlets irate demeanor she cries out for help, as does Polonius. Hamlet mistakes Polonius for Claudius and stabs him to death. This, of course, causes a landslide of tragedy in the play. Claudius exiles Hamlet to England and sends sealed letters to the King of England telling him to kill Hamlet upon his arrival. Ophelia goes insane. Laertes, Hamlets brother, returns from France with an army, demanding to know why Polonius was killed. Claudius enlists Laertes to kill Hamlet. Ophelia commits suicide. Hamlet and Laertes duel at her funeral; both of them are mortally wounded, Gertrude kills herself and Hamlet kills Claudius. Laertes and Hamlet forgive each other, Hamlet names the Norwegian prince Fortinbras as successor to the throne, everyone dies, the end. Its not quite so cut and dry as this, however. Hamlet the play and Hamlet the character are much more complex than this. Throughout the play we are given the impression that Hamlet is one moody, melancholy dude. Consider his situation: his father died. His fathers ghost appears and speaks to him and tells him he has been murdered, and his poor son must avenge his death. This right here is one big problem in and of itself: how is Hamlet supposed to know if this is even his father? How does he know the ghost is not some demon from hell? What if hes going crazy and hallucinating? Another problem: the women in his life. Ophelia isnt exactly a grounding force; she ends up losing her mind and committing suicide. He dares not hurt his mother Gertrude, as the ghost told him not to harm her in getting his revenge. Is he really helping his country by killing the king? Does that do Denmark any good? And murder, of course, is not exactly easy. Already a thoughtful, complex man, whom I might diag nose as manic depressive; Hamlets slow unraveling throughout the course of the play is due to the many factors that are constantly pressing down on him. So, when he decides not to kill Claudius in Act 3 Scene 3, is it really because of his need to see the King burn in hell, or is that just an excuse for Hamlets doubts and misgivings in order to delay enacting his revenge? Hamlet is too intricate a character to be so singularily focused on one goal; it is obvious

Minors in Prison essays

Minors in Prison essays Imagine the daily life of a convict in prison. Every day, eating meals the quality of airline food. Think about the disgusting rapist sleeping in the bunk above you. Imagine watching other inmates as they are beaten and harassed as you huddle in the corner of your cell to avoid them. Now imagine this life for a teenager. It is hardly appropriate for someone so young to be exposed to a lifestyle like that. Juveniles should not be tried in courts as those of adult age are. Our society recognizes teenagers as adults once they turn eighteen. Until then, adult privileges such as smoking and voting are restricted. If teenagers are excluded from the privileges of adulthood, why should they be punished in the same manner as adults? Juveniles often find themselves controlled by hormones. In a matter of minutes, a simple argument can become a deadly shooting. The guilty teenager is reduced to a mass of devastation and shock. Then this criminal juvenile becomes a victim to the severe standards of adult courts. This teen then spends the next twenty years of their life in a prison, still pondering over the day that changed their life. The truth of the matter is that teenagers are controlled by a young and active rage. If a juvenile actually does sit at home and plot a murder out, then they need mental assistance not a prison life. When teenagers are actually taken to prison, most of them are put into cells along with adult convicts. According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, only 13 percent of 148 surveyed prisons reported holding a separate area for juvenile felons. The fourteen-year-old boy who was mixed up in a gang shootout is placed in the same cell as the thirty-year-old man with fifteen accounts of rape on his record. In these adult prisons, teenagers are abused. According to Bureau of Justice statistics, more than 21 percent of convicts under the age of 24 say they were hit at least once while in prison. ...

Printmaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Printmaking - Essay Example This painting shows a variety of things and affects the reader’s emotion in a variety of ways. The ability of the painter to incorporate simplicity and complexity all at once, or peace and hostility simultaneously, movement and stillness in the same piece make this piece highly admirable and equally impressive.The painter merely used paper and charcoal as opposed to using other preferable and durable media. Thirdly, the piece is also highly inspirational since it connects the audience with the emotions of the painter. Viewing such a painting, one would argue that the painter was in a state of emotional confusion, or experience mixed feelings with a deep urge to be at peace. As such, the depiction of the painting using diverse emotions and a key purpose in mind presented just the perfect piece of work. As such, the most intriguing aspect of the printmaking project by Nelligan is the fact that the painting is a metaphorical oxymoron. The depiction of two sides of an emotion in t he same picture, two opposing themes and two opposing features of a painting is the key reason that this painting is the perfect selection. The simplicity holds in it, from the media to the subject or overall theme of the painting is also admirable. The painter focused on a set of values and this thus shows a significant aspect about the exceptionality of the painter, a feature that any printmaker or painter would love to possess as a skill set. As such, the selection of this piece is based on one main conclusion; it is spectacular.

Muslim Empire In Spain ( Alandalus ) Research Paper

Muslim Empire In Spain ( Alandalus ) - Research Paper Example HISTORY In 711 AD, the Christian chief Julian went and appealed to the governor of North Africa Musa ibn Nusair for his assistance against the tyrannical rule of Roderick in Spain. The Moorish Umayyad army consisting of 7000 troops from North Africa under their Commander Tariq bin Ziyad crossed the state of Gibraltar and gained control over much parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Roderick was killed in the battle and his Visigoth army was defeated. It was the start of an eight year Islamic rule in that region. From the 8th- 15th centuries, various parts of the Iberian Peninsula majorly Southern Spain, Portugal and France were ruled by the Muslims; which were mostly Arab or Berber. PERIOD The Muslim empire in Spain was not under a single reign instead it was a series of different successions made by various Muslim rulers. From 711- 716, the military troops under their leader Tariq ibn Ziyad conquered the region. In 756, the Umayyad prince Abd ar Rahman.I establishes the Emirate of Cordoba. It was a blooming time of the Umayyad dynasty as well as for the Arab culture (BBC, 2009). Later Abd ar Rahman.III took over. The reign of Umayyad dynasty in Spain lasted from 756- 929. Civil wars in 1009 and 1013 totally collapsed the Emirate of Cordoba. As result of this various small states came into being. These states known as the â€Å" Taifas† were divided amongst Arabs, Berbs and Iberian Muslims. As they were weak in military power and thus asked the help of the North African warriors to help fight the Christian kings. From 1080- 1250 Almoravids and then Alhomads ruled. DECLINE In 1212, the Christian states united against the Alhomads . And till 1252 nearly all the Iberian Peninsula came under the three Christian states of Portugal, Aragon, and Castile. The reason of decline of the Muslim empire in Spain was not because the Christians were strong, but it was because the Muslim rulers were cutting each other’s throat and hence was becoming weaker. By the mid thirteenth century the Muslim rule in Spain was limited to a thin mountainous strip of land in the south. In 1230-40 Muhammed ibn Yusuf ibn Nasr founded a state centered around the city of Granada. Granada had a weak economy and had to face internal conflicts as well.Also the Muslims in North Africa at that time, went into decline and could no longer provide Granada their support (Islam & Islamic History, 2001). The Christian States of Castile, Aragon and Portugal united and grew stronger. In 1474, war started and one city after another came to the Christian artillery. In 1492, after an eight-month siege, Granada also became a part of Christian artillery. The Muslims in Spain finally lost all their in 1492.And by 1502, after 800 years the Christians gained power again and issued orders involving Muslims to convert to Christianity, otherwise imposing brutal limitations. The Muslim empire in Spain made various contributions in many fields. During Abd ar Rahman III reign, books from Baghdad (as it was the centre for research back then) were brought to this land. Libraries, hospi tals, Research centers and centre of Islamic studies were established. Scholars, historians, poets and researchers were invited to the region to make their contributions in their respective fields. ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN SCIENCE Science is a very vast field. The Muslim scientists and scholars contributed a

Negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Negotiation - Essay Example The negotiation techniques must come along with the cultural dynamics that will help minimize negotiation issues. This paper will examine the culture of the Chinese and the US in an attempt to explain how their comparisons and dissimilarities impact the negotiation process. The paper will then give recommendation on ways of minimize intercultural negotiation conflicts. According to Lam & Graham (2007) the Chinese negotiators have embraced a culture of asking questions. This explains that their form of negotiation is one that involves the tactic of exchanging information. The authors continue to indicate that the Chinese negotiations have a tendency of using the â€Å"yes†, and â€Å"no† statements (Lam & Graham, 2007). The Chinese have also been indicated to embrace long periods of silence that allow them to listen to the other members of the negotiation table. In addition, the culture of the Chinese negotiators involves long facial gazes. They also ask fewer questions and devote their time to providing more information on what they expected in the course and at the close of the negotiation (Gelfand & Brett, 2004). The Chinese would be indicated to settle till the issue at hand was solved or when the parties involved would come to a conclusion. In the negotiation context, the Chinese can simply be said cooperative negotiators. On ano ther note, Ghauri & Fang (2001) indicate that being an emerging economy, the Chinese people focus more creating personal relationships with their negotiators; thus, have trust that their relationships and do not hold the opinion that after creating friends, their relationships will break or any form of forgery will take place. In the case of the United States, they focus more on written form of agreements as opposed to the Chinese that mostly rely on creating personal relationships (Shell, 2006; Starkey, Boyer &

Assessment and process of medical education

Assessment and process of medical education Assessment plays an important role in the process of medical education as it is an effective tool which detect quality in students training to motivate and direct them to what they must learn(1). Assessment drives learning this statement focus on the essential role of assessment as well planned and implemented assessment has an important steering effect on learning because it transfers what is important to learn and motivate students for learning(2). Many people argued that as the curriculum should be the key which motivate learning while assessment should be designed to be sure that learning outcomes have occurred, So assessment tool must has clarity of the learning purpose and must be designed to drive educational intent and maximize learning(3). Constructive alignment is an important influential idea in which the students construct meaning from related learning activities and teachers apply learning environment which support planned learning activities to achieve the intended learning outcomes(4). So constructive alignment makes the teaching systems consistent when curriculum, learning activities and assessment methods are aligned with intended learning outcomes(5) . Moreover, assessment may reveal learning outcome which isnt expected but it is recognized as important outcome, so it must be integrated into the intended learning outcome as emergent outcome(6). Formative assessment promotes deeper learning as it provides students with feedback to encourage them to know their strength and weakness which reinforce students internal motivation to learn and improve their knowledge and skills(7). Summative assessment is a final assessment which determine the rank-order students and decide grades(1). Wass et al(7) argued superficial learning which aim mainly on passing the examination and they emphasized on the importance of feedback on students assessment which encourage student reflection and deep learning. However, Epstein(8) showed that summative assessment influence learning even in the absence of feedback as students study what they expect to be tested on. Although formative and summative assessment are stark in contrast, they are both necessary and distinction between them should be made to detect which assessment is suitable only for formative use or have sufficient rigorous for summative use(7). Van der Vleuten and Schuwirth(9) emphasize d that formative and summative assessment can be used with little difference with focusing on the development of comprehensive assessment programme in which both encourage learning and right decision about learners. I will focus my writing on written assessment as I am involved in assessing written examination of MSc of Radiology scince 5 years. According to Miller pyramid we use written assessment to assess the domain of cognition, either factual recall of knowledge knows or application of knowledge and problem solving knows how. We use written assessment in the form of essays and multiple choice questions in formative assessment of the residents and in summative assessment of final exam. Our final written exam formed of two papers of essays, each one formed of four essay questions with three hours duration for each, and third paper of 20 multiple choice questions with one hour duration. When we prepare a written exam we identify the level of residents training to apply test which assess knowledge appropriate to students experience. Essay questions are effective method for assessing cognitive skills as they can assess ability of students to form answer and measure their attitude and opinions, also they can give students effective feedback on their learning(10,11). But it has the disadvantage of being time-consuming test to grade and its test doesnt cover a wide domain. Newble and Cannon(11) stated that essay is either extended response questions which are useful in assessing higher cognitive skills like analysis, synthesis , problem solving, and restricted response questions used for testing knowledge of lower level but it has the advantage of being more reliable as scoring variation can decreased with it. Epstein(8) stated that well structured essay with clear framework can eliminate cueing and maintain more cognitive process with context rich answers. We usually used extended response questions by which we assess students higher level of knowledge, but I think for improving essay test utility, we must make mix of the two essays types with using clear words on constructing questions like using describe, criticize and compare instead of discuss to direct students to desired answer, as I find some poor structured essay questions in our exam, for example discuss radiological imaging of breast mass which I can change it to be compare between ultrasoun d and mammography for differentiating breast mass. Van der vleuten(12) stated five criteria to assess assessment tool utility which are reliability, validity, educational impact, acceptability and cost effectiveness. Reliability measures consistency of the assessment test and it is often described as reliability per hour of testing time as time is a limiting factor during exam, so essays are low reliable than MCQ because it require longer time to answer(13). Schuwrith and Van der Vleuten(14) stated that inter-case correlation of different essays in certain test is low as the essays numbers which can be asked in a certain test is limited. Chase(15) stated that essay scoring is a complex process as it has many variables which are essay content, writer, rater and other colleague variability with their significant writing effect. The most important type of reliability for rater-type assessment is inter-rater reliability, single inter-rater reliability (which mean correlation between two raters) ranges from 0.3 to 0.8 as this depend on topic of the essay, the essay length, the rater experience and the level of rater training(16). But Munro(17) et al stated that single inter-rater reliability can be regularly obtained as 0.7 if there is continuous extensive rater training. On agreement with those authors about increasing inter-rater reliability we already use double markers for assessing essays question and the mean of their score is calculated to be the end score. Essays are poor objective test for assessing learning outcomes as there is variability in the assessment scores through different examiner with variation of perfect answer (18,19). Norman et al(20) stated that providing structured marking of the essay may improve its reliability but it may cause process trivialization. Schuwrith and Van der Vleuten(14) emphasized that using one marker for each essay for all students is more reliable than one marker for all essays of the same student. Davis(18) stated that using double marking for the same question is mandatory to reduce variation incidence between the markers. Beattie and James(21) suggested using checklist in marking essay to reduce subjectivity and improve objectivity of essay as it provides the examiner with key point of each item and its allocated marks. As mentioned before, double markers are applied in our radiology department for assessing each question but we dont use checklist in marking the essay question, so I think this m ake our examination less reliable with poor objectivity and we have to use checklist with specific marks on each part of the question. Validity is the ability of assessing method to measure what is purported to(19). The valid method will reflect what the students achieved from intended learning objectives of the course, so increasing the test item is essential for more valid test, therefore the validity of the essays is limited(6). Brown(22) advises using large numbers of short essays to improve its reliability and validity and to reduce sampling errors. However, Davis(18) argued that as this may cause more time consuming to mark. As we begin to apply a test blueprint to determine the main content of the test which must have high content validity to cover intended learning objectives, we have to use larger number of shorter essays to be eight to ten short essays instead of four long essays according to test blueprint. Van der Vleuten(23) stated that assessment methods should have content validity which must be designed and mapped on a blueprint. Modified essay questions was initially produced by the Royal College of General Practitioners in London and are widely used now(11). Davis(18) stated the importance of using context rich scenario which will direct the students to answer with precise data and increase exam reality. Schuwirth and Van der Vleuten(14) showed that written case-simulation essay appeared to be more valid as its questions focus on history taking, diagnosis, investigation and examination findings which are closely related to real practice. However Swanson et al (24) argued that as these essays arent suitable for assessing problem solving questions. Newble and Cannon(11) showed that certain skills is needed for constructing modified essay questions to avoid giving idea about answers of a previous question or punshing the student on question constructing error. Also, Schuwirth and Van der Vleuten(13) emphasized that considerable structure of essay question is necessary but over-structuring may lead to limited i ncrease in its reliability, As we use essays in both formative and summative assessment we have to use modified essays instead of traditional essays especially in resident formative assessment as we returned it to students with its model answer for discussing during the tutorial, as this will encourage student critical thinking and reflection, but also we must take training about constructing modified essay questions to avoid poor form which may cause assessment error. Schuwirth and Van der Vleuten(13) advised using essays in limited occasions when objective tests are not suitable, Objective written tests like short answer question, matching exercise and multiple choice questions ( MCQ) have the advantage of being economic, rapidly scoring, high reliable and evaluate the student in large content(25). There are two major format of MCQ which are True/False format and single best answer. True/False format can cover a broad amount of the topics and are easily marked but they mainly measure definitions and simple facts(26). Case and Swanson(27) explained why using True/False format is markedly reduced as it is not only difficult to construct but it mainly used to assess recalling of isolated fact to avoid ambiguous items, also they cant detect if the student who identify correctly the false statement knows the right answer or not. Another disadvantage of true/false format is their high probability of guessing(28). To overcome guessing, negative marking was achieved in which there is deducing marks for the wrong answer, but these may produce negative psychometric results(25). We sometimes use true/false format instead of single best answer, as we think it covers a broad items in the curriculum and can measure complex outcomes but we dont apply negative marking for MCQ correction as we think that is stressful to the students, also I have bad memory about using negative marking when I was medical student at 2nd year I got 19/50 in physiology MCQ test and this caused to me poor willingness to MCQ risk. When, I read carefully a previous exam of True/False format, unfortunately I find some unambiguous questions which may cause a critical failure for these questions. So I think we must limit using these types only for assessing definitions and facts identifications and apply other types of objective tests to avoid the guessing probability of true/false format. This is in agreement with Schuwrith et al(13) who stated that True/false questions are only suitable when the question purpose is to evaluate if the student is able to determine the correctness of hypothesis. MCQ are able to evaluate broad range of learning outcomes within a short time and limited human intervention, also they have low guessing probability with free question of ambiguity(29). In the tutorial of decembrer 2010, there is a debate about effect of MCQ guessing on test reliability, but I learn from the discussion an interesting concept which emphasized that guessing doesnt change test reliability as good student is a good guesser. For constructing good MCQ items it is essential to have a good idea about the content, study the objective of the assessment and apply high quality form for items writing(27). MCQ consist of stem and several options, stem is formed of sentence or question and may be accompanied by diagrams or tables, while the correct option is defined as keyed response and the wrong options are called distracters(29,30). Case and Swanson(27) stated that MCQ must be well structured to be simple, easily understood with using plausible distracters, also grammatical errors especially using negative and inaccurate words like never, sometimes, frequently and usually should be avoided as they may lead to examinees confusions(31). Lowe(32) stated that the useful distracters should demonstrate a misconception between the students about the right option, so writing many plausible distracters is a difficult part for MCQ construction with more time consuming. The flaws of writing distracters which include using more than correct answer, using all of the above or none of the above, or making the right option is the longest one should be avoided(33). MCQ reliability increase with removing non plausible distraction(34,35). Although we choose MCQ from question banks or MCQ books to reduce the examination preparation time , unfortunately I find many drawbacks in our last MCQ exam, firstly one question contains doubl e negatives, also in another question I find it was easily to eliminate some distracters, while other questions contain inaccurate words which are sometimes and always. So I think we must take care during choosing MCQ distracters which should appear to the students as a valid answer while it is incorrect, also we must avoid apparent incorrect or plain distracters. So, we need to take training courses for MCQ preparation and writing MCQ stems and distracters to avoid MCQ flaws and constructing good items. Collins(30) showed that MCQ have the disadvantage of being test knowledge recognition rather than constructing answer. Mcaleer(31) argued that as MCQ are an objective test which doesnt allow students the chance for giving additional information and doesnt apply examiner to put judgment on student answer quality. I agree with Mcaleer(31) as we use MCQ as an objective test to assess understanding knowledge of a broad range of learning objectives within a short time. Reliability is refered to reproducibility of the assessment score and it is expressed as a coefficient which range from 1 for perfect reliability and 0 for no reliability. MCQ are widely used due its high reliability which is attributed to its ability to assess broad amount of knowledge by providing large number of items which address areas of context specificity within a short time(7,30). Downing(36) stated that written test especially MCQ has high internal consistency reliability as the test score would be near the same if exam is repeated at later time. Van der vleuten and Schuwirth(9) showed that the predominant factor which affect reliability is domain as competence depend on context specificity. While McCoubrie(25) argued that and he stated that the assumption of MCQ as a reliable test is weak as they are only reliable because they maintain a time efficient test with wild sampling of topics. Van der vleuten and Schuwirth(9) stated that the reliability of MCQ test in one hour is 0.62 which is increased to 0.93 for four hours test due to using more items number. Wass etal(37) stated that for important exam in which stakes are high a high reliability of 0.8 or more is essential to determine pass-fail decision but for formative assessment lower reliability can be accepted. Our final MCQ exam contain 20 questions with examination time of one hour, s has low reliability due to small number of items within short time which miss many objectives of our curriculum, So I think we have to increase the question numbers to cover more knowledge of context specificity and consequentially increase the test time to improve the test reliability. A criticism of MCQ validity as it measures the factual knowledge and doesnt integrate skills, attitude and communication skills(25). Downing and Yudkowsky(38) emphasized that knowledge is the single best domain which determine expertise, so MCQ is a valid competence method which assess cognitive knowledge. Collins(30) stated that MCQ have a high validity if it represents a wide sample of content that serve the objective learning outcomes. However, Shumway and Harden(1) critic that as MCQ asses discrete superficial knowledge not deep understanding as they designed to detect what students know or dont know. Blooms taxonomy of educational objectives is a hierarchy of knowledge for different cognitive level which are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation(39). While educators simplified Blooms taxonomy into three levels which are knowledge recalling, comprehension and analysis, and problem solving(11). Case and Swanson(27) and Mcaleer(31) showed that well-structured MCQ can assess the taxonomic higher cognitive process like interpretation, application and analysis rather than assessing recalling of facts. Peitzman et al(40) argued that as they stated using higher-order MCQ doesnt improve MCQ validity but it makes them more real and acceptable to students and examiner. Also, Frederiksen(41) stated it is difficult to construct MCQ with rich context as item writers tend to escape from topics which cant be easily asked. In agreement with Case and Swanson(27) and Mcaleer(31), we try to choose MCQ level with different cognitive level, and when I revise our MCQ tests I find some questions which can assess recalling of knowledge(Q*) and other assess problem solving(Q**) for the same topic, example of this is: Q*:what is the effective measure which reduce radiation of CT chest? a-120 mA b-150 mA c-200 mA d-250 mA Q**:what of the following will reduce dose of radiation for CT chest? a-reducing mA from 250 to 150 b- reducing KVp from 160 to 120 c-reducing the pitch to be 1 instead of 2 d-reducing scanning time to be 1 instead of 2 Blueprint is an important powerful tool for integrated curriculum as it maintain assessing all its intended learning objectives.(42). Our faculty assessment centre members work in progress and they make many orientation about blueprint construction and its importance, also they asked all departments to finish their blueprint, but until now we evaluate our exams retrograde according to our ILOs, but unfortunately in some written exam we found that the items dont cover all topics of the curriculum and missed many ILOs, also in other written exam we find a focus on certain system rather than other systems which may produce bias of examination results as the questions sample doesnt represent a big domain of knowledge. So, I think we are urgently in need to use test blueprint which cover the learning objectives and assessing methods to identify the key topics which must be tested according to our objectives and determine the questions numbers according to their corresponding weight in the context. This is in agreement with Downing and Haladyna(43) who stated that blueprint reduce two validity threats which are under-sampling bias of the curriculum and constructing irrelevant items. Consequential validity is referred to the real impact of an assessment method on learning which appropriately drive students learning(25). Wass et al(7) stated that consequential validity refers to the educational consequence of the test as it produce the desired educational outcomes, which means that students should study subject rather than studying the test. Although consequential validity is an important process, it is ignored by many examiners(44). I think our written exam has significant educational impact on how our students study, as from my experience students study what they need to pass rather than studying the whole integrated information. To improve this, we have to use different forms of written assessment which must cover the important content of the curriculum, and it should be mixed with continuous formative assessment and feedback to steer our students to determine what they study and how they learn. This is in agreement with Van der Vleuten(12) who stated that asse ssment can drive learning through four ways: assessment content and structure, the question which asked and the frequency of repeated examination. Newble and cannon(11) advice using computerized optical mark reader to score and analyze MCQ tests as the computer programmed has the advantage of applying statistical data of the test which include reliability coefficient, standard deviation and test item analysis . In our exam we use a hand marking sheet of answers to correct MCQ. But recently our faculty bought a new computer machine for correcting the MCQ test, so we need to learn how to use it for interpreting the test information as these may help us to improve next exam. Shumway and Harden(1) emphasized that practicability of an assessment method depends on resources, expertise availability and their costs. Resource intensiveness is determined by cost of constructing and correcting the test items(45). Cost includes beginning and continuing resources which are needed for test implantation(1). Essay questions appear to be easily constructed items but specific answer key is needed which may cause more time-consuming for preparation(18). MCQ seem to be easy to grade especially with using computer machine but for good structured items more time is needed for construction(30). Shumway and Harden(1) stated that it is important to consider the relation between the assessment method cost and its benefit. Van der Vleuten(12) critics that as he considered investment in an assessment methods is an investment in teaching and learning process. I think we must take care about the criteria of each method and balanced them against each other as the outcome may change according to the assessment context specificity. Also, In agreement with Van der Vleuten, I think we must use different assessment tools especially for summative assessment for high stakes exam to obtain more reliable and valid assessment. Schuwirth et al(45) explained that students can answer correct MCQ by detecting the right answer but they arent able to answer it in the absence of MCQ options. Graber et al(46) explained the problematic effect of MCQ cueing which may cause diagnostic errors especially if diagnostic reasoning is assessed. Schuwirth et al(14) advise using extended matching items and short-answer question as they can reduce the cueing effect. Extended matching questions (EMQs) are good authentic test as they use real clinical scenario which need sufficient clinical knowledge and can test a wide range of topics for knowledge application and problem-solving ability like diagnosis, investigation and management(47). Beullens et al(48) emphasized that EMQs are able to assess extended learning and minimize recognition effect rather than memorizing facts which is needed for MCQ solving. McAleer(31) critics that as EMQs with its many different items and long list of suitable answers are difficult to construct. However, Schuwrith and Van der Vleuten(13) advice using EMQs as they are good reliable test with short time scoring. We dont have experience in EMQs, but after knowing its importance and its significant role for improving written assessment reliability, I think before applying this form we need training of how construct these questions and how practice them to avoid bad representation of some items. Short answer questions is an important assessing tool because they are objectively scored test as they need clear sets of answer with little guessing incidence(3). McAleer(31) critics that as he stated, although short answer questions are easy constructed item, it is used only to measure recalling of information as they cant measure complex learning outcomes like synthesis and information analysis. Epstein(8) stated that short answer questions can be used for summative and formative assessment but its reliability depend on mainly training the students how they answer these items. We dont apply short answer questions in our exam, but I think we can use in certain situation when we want to cover broad area of content and be sure that the students are able to supply an answer rather than choosing it from many options. Score determines the number of correct answers of an assessment but it doesnt represent the quality of students performance(49). Norcini(50) stated standard setting is the process by which pass mark of exam is determined to distinguish competent from non-competent students as it allows for variation according to the level of test difficulty. There are two types of standard setting: relative (Norm-refrenced) and absolute (criterion-refrenced) standard, in relative standard setting fixed number of students will pass the exam irrespective to their level of competence as it is related to peer performance and fixed percentage of success(50). In our faculty we use relative standard setting to select students with highest score for admission to postgraduate course when fixed number is determined. In the tutorial of , I gain a new information which is supposed from one of our peer who advice using relative standard setting for choosing lower achiever in formative assessment who need extra-training. Absolute standard setting is more suitable for competence test as accurate standard should be determined below which the candidate wouldnt be fit for particular purpose(7). Absolute standard setting may be test-centered method or examinee-centered method, in test-centered method (like Angoff method) the examiner evaluate every item to hypothetically determine how the candidate will get in each item(51). While in examinee-centered method (like contrast group method), panelists decide the pass score by detecting it on the score scale which should be most fit to the exam purpose(52). In our faculty we dont use any forms of standard setting as we use 60% as an ideal setting for pass/fail decision for all test types, But as we recently apply assessing centre in our faculty, I think we must use standard setting in our assessment, in my opinion I prefer applying modified Angoff method as an example of absolute standard setting as it is widely used in medical assessment and it can be used fo r many assessment types. This is in agreement of Smee and Black(53) who stated that modified Angoff method reduce the difficulties of traditional Angoff method ,for examlple the difficulty of detecting hypothetical borderline candidates in Angoff method which is facilitated by supplying the examiners with real test scores of previous assessment of the candidates. Norcini etal(50) stated that absolute standard setting is applied either as conjunctive or compensatory standard, In conjunctive standard the candidate must exceed each item separately to pass the total test, while in compensatory standard the test scoring permit the candidate to compensated poor performance in one item by high performance in another item. In our written assessment we use compensatory method in which the standard is achieved according to total test performance, but now I think we can use conjunctive method in assessing essay paper by which the candidates must pass each essay separately as this will improve their studying to pass in each item. Case and Swanson(27) stated that many medical schools provide their faculty with item analysis of their test before test results are announced by which a useful information about the quality of each item separately and the whole test quality are obtained. Items analysis will be valuable when it maintains effective feedback to test writers as this will improve their skills in further test construction, also it would be helpful in discarding poor items and detecting certain areas of the content which may need more clarity(30). Item difficulty is detected from the proportion of students who answered each item correctly, Items are considered difficult if 50% of students or less answered them correctly and low difficulty if 85% or above of students answer the item, while moderate difficulty which have 60-80% discriminating index are the most discriminating items(30). In the tutorial of December 2010, I gain an important information about the value of applying difficult items in the exam a s these will encourage students towards excellent and to study to get more marks, so I think we must apply certain percentage of difficult items in the exam to drive learning of our students. Item discrimination is determined by the difference of the percentage of correct response between two students group (top third and lower third) with discrimination ratio lie between +1 and -1 and acceptable index is in the range of -0.5 to +0.5(27). Good item has discrimination index closer to +1 as it can distinguish good student from poor one but if poor student can answer more item correctly than good students, this indicate negative discriminating item which should be excluded (30). Downing(36) emphasized that items of MCQ test represented sample of all questions which could be tested, so for test with good internal consistency the test score should be an indicator for the student score on any other set with relevant items. Although our faculty recently develop assessment centre, we dont apply item analysis to any exam, So I think before applying it, we are in need to orient our faculty members about the importance of item analysis and how we use its statistical data to detect c auses of low discriminations , discard poor question, and identify gaps in curriculum. Finally, we use written assessment to assess the major domain of cognition in its low level of knowledge recalling to its high level of knowledge application and problem solving, but as mentioned before, I think our written assessment has low reliability and validity as we use limited number of essay questions, and the percentage of essays marks are more than MCQ marks in our assessment, so we must apply using more objective tests of well structured MCQ, extended matching questions and short answer questions with more essays question especially modified essay, also we must determine the questions numbers according to their corresponding weight in the context and according to test blueprint, as these will facilitate sampling a broad range of relevant contents and constructs of our learning objectives. Although I finish my essay about written assessment, During studying this course I was interested in OSCE assessment and how apply it in our department, but I cant write about it as I dont have experience on applying it because we dont use it in clinical assessment and we use two long cases for applying report and ten short cases for radiological diagnosis for. Now I think we must apply using OSCE in our clinical assessment by using 10-20 stations, some of them are procedure stations like carrying ultrasound examination under observation and other pictorial stations on analyzing radiologic image like conventional, CT, MRI images, and answering context-rich questions related to images. Refrences Shumway JM, Harden RM. AMEE guide No 25: The assessment of learning outcomes for competent and reflective physician. Med Teach.2003;25:569-584. Wass V, Van der Vleuten C,Shatzer J,Jones R. Assessment of clinical competence. Lancet.2001;357:945-949. Dixon H.Candidates views of the MRCGP examination and its effect upon approaches to learning: a questionnaire stu

morality :: essays research papers fc

Philosophy Papers Same Day Delivery! Only $9.95/page + FREE Bibliography!!! Papers On More Philosophers & Philosophies Page 3 of 36 Previous Next Immanuel Kant's 'Critique Of Pure Reason' [ send me this paper ] A 5 page paper that provides an analysis of Kant's work and focuses on the ideal of pure reason as a central development. No additional sources cited. Filename: Kantreas.wps Immanuel Kant's Concept of Good Will Analyzed [ send me this paper ] A 5 page paper which examines German philosopher Immanuel Kant's good will principle as articulated in his 1785 work, The Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals (also known as The Grounding For the Metaphysics of Morals. Specifically analyzed is why good will is considered to be good, according to Kant, and how it is expressed. Bibliography lists 2 sources. Filename: GdWillAn.wps Immanuel Kant's 'Critique Of Pure Reason' [ send me this paper ] A 5 page paper that provides an analysis of Kant's work and focuses on the ideal of pure reason as a central development. No additional sources cited. Filename: Kantreas.wps Immanuel Kant's Concept of Good Will Analyzed [ send me this paper ] A 5 page paper which examines German philosopher Immanuel Kant's good will principle as articulated in his 1785 work, The Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals (also known as The Grounding For the Metaphysics of Morals. Specifically analyzed is why good will is considered to be good, according to Kant, and how it is expressed. Bibliography lists 2 sources. Filename: GdWillAn.wps Immanuel Kant’s A Priori Knowledge and Time [ send me this paper ] This 5 page report discusses Immanuel Kant’s meaning regarding the â€Å"two pure forms of sensible intuition† being â€Å"a priori knowledge† and â€Å"time† as discussed in his Critique of Pure Reason published in 1781. Kant (1724-1804) believed individual thought to be the framework by which the individual was able to determine the appropriate category into which one thought process or pattern would fit over another. One of his first statements in the Critique is that: â€Å"In the order of time, therefore, we have no knowledge antecedent to experience, and with experience all our knowledge begins.† This paper looks at what he means by such a ststaement and how it relates to the nature and relaity of space and time. Bibliography lists one source. Filename: BWkantcp.wps Kant and Hume: A comparison of views on Ethics : [ send me this paper ] The study of Ethics is an inquiry into the foundations of values. It is a concern with the eventual outcome of the action and experience of every day life.

The Case of Legalized Euthanasia: Analysis and Insights

Euthanasia, also commonly known as mercy killing or assisted suicide, as defined by any lexicon, would refer to the act of intentionally killing a person in a painless or minimally painful manner so as to end that person’s suffering.The word euthanasia was actually derived from two Greek words to wit: â€Å"eu† and â€Å"thanatos†, which mean good and death, respectively. Thus, euthanasia is also sometimes referred to as good death while in other references it is referred to as easy death.Euthanasia or mercy killing is usually carried out for people who are terminally ill and would want to cut short their prolonged suffering from pain and or for those people who are placed in a situation wherein they have become incapable of making such request for themselves. This group of people would include those whose primary existence is being provided by a life support or vital medication.There are actually various types of euthanasia. This would include active, passive an d physician assisted suicide.Active euthanasia, according to various references, would refer to that type of euthanasia wherein there is a direct action involved in causing an individual to die. To illustrate, let us take into consideration one of the most talked about film of the year, the Million Dollar Movie.In the said film Ms. Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) was placed in a situation wherein the only thing that enables her to thrive is by means of a life-support machine. Mr. Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), who was Ms.Fitzgerald’s trainer in the field of boxing, as a response to Ms. Fitzgerald’s request to help her end her suffering actually engaged oneself in committing the active type of euthanasia via injecting a substance which is alien to the Ms. Fitzgerald’s body, thus causing Ms. Fitzgerald’s death.Passive euthanasia, on the other hand, is defined as that type of assisted suicide wherein the death of a person is hastened by deliberately alterin g available forms of life support and letting the individual experience the natural course of death.To illustrate, Mr. Frankie Dunn also exhibited this type of euthanasia by means of taking out the life support machine of Ms. Fitzgerald, thus contributing to her hastened death.Passive euthanasia may also be exhibited by stopping necessary and imperative medical procedures, medications, and the like. Likewise, by stopping food as well as water intake thus allowing the person or patient to dehydrate and or starve to death is also another manifestation of a passive type of euthanasia.Physician assisted euthanasia, in contrast with the other two types mentioned, is that type of euthanasia wherein a professional in the field of medicine makes available to his or her patient the necessary information and or means to cut short the patient’s suffering or life.Due to the fact that euthanasia involves an act that deviates from the natural way of dying, it became a precursor to various ethical, religious, and moral issues. Likewise, since there have been many medical cases that involved the act of mercy killing as well as existing and public policies that legalizes it, strong protests on its practice became prevalent. Should euthanasia be legalized despite the many intricacies and social implications it has created?For the purpose of this paper, the author aims to discuss the nature of euthanasia and the claim of Mr. Robert Dworkin et al. in the compendium entitled â€Å"Assisted Suicide: The Philosopher’s Brief†. Likewise, it is also the objective of the author to make a stand on the legalization of euthanasia and support his claim by citing examples from the movie the Million Dollar Baby and other examples of even nature to critically examine Mr. Dworkin’s claim in his published essay.

Jazz Age and The Great Gatsby Essays

Jazz Age and The Great Gatsby Essays Jazz Age and The Great Gatsby Essay Jazz Age and The Great Gatsby Essay Essay Topic: The Great Gatsby The New Negro ?F Scott Fitzgerald was a well-known novelist in the 1920’s. He wrote many novels such as The Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender Is the Night and his well-known novel, The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald called the 1920’s the â€Å"Jazz Age† because it was a time if economic success and cultural upbringing. Poetry, music and fashion were at its peak and constantly evolving. An example of the Jazz Age was, The Harlem Renaissance also known as the New Negro Movement. The Harlem Renaissance was the cultural, social, and artistic flare-up that took place in Harlem at the the end of World War I. During this period Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars like Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston and Countee Cullen. When you think of the Roaring 20’s, you feel awake, free and alive and with all the glamour, the music and the excitement there is no wonder the term â€Å"Jazz Age† was stated by Mr. Fitzgerald. Economics were good, prosperity for all was on the rise, changes in lifestyle and Technology revolutionized Americans life in a way that it has never been the same. It was the end of WW1 and America was showing their strength as a powerful Nation, but among this, it was the parties, the alcohol, the dancing, and the frivolous sex that took a hold of what dreams were made of. Music was the fore runner of this evolvement, Jazz and Blues were being inventive by all who had something to say and express. When it came to music at this time in American history, there seem to be no barriers sharing your soul through the words and the melody.Music back then was made to listen too, made you move, made you wanted to drink, dance and be happy, which is what Mr. Great Gatsby as he is known, was at the front of this movement. Clothes back then had flair of style that even today is still represented throughout the world.Suits that were ta

Free English Essay

Free English Essay Free English Essay Free English Essay Reading free English essay you should always keep in mind that there are thousands of others reading the same free English essay at the moment.   In other words, it would be very unwise to use free English essay as your own writing.   If you need help with writing, we are available 24/7 to help you with any English essay assignment.   Our writers are educated and experienced enough to satisfy the most demanding clients! is your chance to get As on all assignments! Free English Essay Sample The chief phenomenon is Jules Verne, whose long list of scientific romances sprang from a serious effort to anticipate the technological applications of the sciences currently in full development. Submarines, airships of several patterns, countless mechanical devices, are suggested and utilized in his novels, in such profusion that these books in turn are known to have influenced the scientific vocations of many young men, among them Simon Lake and Georges Claude, and the navigators Charcot and Bernard Franck. As do most of his contemporaries, Verne writes in positivist terms; the fantastic element is only apparent, a more advanced engineering, using the principles and tools of his own day rather than the marvellous and irrational inventions of a Cyrano de Bergerac. But neither the society nor the technology anticipated by his creative writing corresponds to the world as we know it today; for all its inventive fertility, its technological ferment, Verne's mind could not foresee such an innovation as the internal combustion motor, or imagine such problems as those imposed on the aviator by weather and atmospheric conditions. Twentieth-century science is stranger than nineteenth-century fiction; Verne remains well within the bounds of scientific possibilities, and no longer surprises his readers with his extrapolations. Paradoxically enough, it is this very restraint that has prevented Verne from becoming recognized as a serious literary figure. Reticence may be a scientific virtue, it is not always a literary one, and a generation that delighted in highly seasoned literature relegated Verne's books to the popular and schoolboy level, with disastrous results as far as his style and general literary quality were concerned. Science penetrates literature by becoming literary, less pedantically technical, more attentive to the broader implications, and less insistent on the scrupulosities of laboratory techniques. Biological determinism in the Zola manner ends by being dull; the hypothesis precludes effective dramatic struggle, and the full use of creative imagination. The fine balance the effective novelist must maintain between an increasing understanding of the conditions that govern the phenomena of living, and the part played, per contra, by unpredictable individual impulse, is essentially the sour ce of dramatic conflict, and the human basis of all interest in literature. From this point of view, science, as used by most conventional authors, even by the professed naturalists, is merely an extension of "common sense," the general knowledge, or in some cases the mental and moral philosophy, of an earlier generation. Custom English Essay Writing Undoubtedly, free English essay is good as a source of information or inspiration. However, I do not recommend copy/paste for the reasons you are perfectly aware of. If you need professional writing help, do not hesitate to use our writing services.   We do not ignore your requests and we guarantee delivery!

Problem solving assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Problem solving - Assignment Example These calls attention from both parties to read carefully the terms and conditions before putting a sign into a contract. The scenario in question has two parties, Bonnie Hart, who owns a manufacturing firm that produces and distributes sunglasses. Bonnie sees a potential market in the seniors who are not their main target in the normal sunglasses. He opts to manufacture the total eclipse sunglass that would attract seniors. The main attracting feature of the product is the ability to protect the customers from some harmful UV lights. Bonnie takes a step further to advertise her products in the media. To attract more customers, she opts to carry out a promotion that would see some of her customers win a two weeks holiday in Paris. The scratch ticket was to be fixed in the sunglass so that there may be some lucky winners. She contacts her printer Ozzblock Pty Ltd, whom she had entrusted for the printing job. The mistake that Bonnie made was that she signed the document without reading its terms (The City Law School, 2014). The terms were as follows; 2. Notwithstanding clause 7, the printer accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage howsoever caused by errors in printing resulting from faulty typesetting work by the printer or any of its employees. Considering these terms, the first one offers to do a considerable good work in proofreading any errors related to printing of the scratch cards before delivery. As a lawyer, I would have advised Bonnie to take Ozzblock to the court because the company did not fulfil its obligation as promised in the agreement. Proofreading was part of the agreement outlined by the contract. The damage is primarily a result of not doing proofreading of the contract from the Ozzblock printers. The case is the same as that of Administration of PNG v Leahy (1961) 105 CLR 6 (Business Law, 2014). In this case, there was a contract between

Cosco Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cosco - Case Study Example al., 2008, p. C-3). While this business model has been entirely successful thus far, the provision of limited choices can be problematic in the long-term. With globalization consumers are increasingly confronted with a variety of choices. Therefore shopping in an environment with limited choices may go against what modern consumers have come to expect and prefer. Costco’s business model has nevertheless been successful so far. For example in 2006, total sales in Costco’s 496 stores worldwide amounted to US$ 59 billion. Membership included 26 million private members and 5.2 million business members which amounted to US$1.2 billion in fees for Costco membership. Each of Costco’s stores realize sales each year at an average of US$128 million while its closest competitor Sam’s Club realizes only US$67 million annually (Thompson, et. al., 2008). However, since Costco and Sam’s Club are based on the same business model, the disparity in sales might be a m atter of concern. Costco can expect that at some stage Sam’s Club will attempt to take some of Costco’s market shares and the sales’ positions can be reversed. ... For example, operating costs increased progressively from US$1,037 million in 2000 to US$1,626 in 2006. However, net sales and membership fees together increased from US$32,164 million in 2000 to US$60,151 million in 2006 showing progressive increases from year to year. At the end of 2000, Costco had 313 stores operating worldwide and by the end of 2006, Costco had 458 stores. Membership has also followed a similar pattern, increasing each year from 2000-2006 (Thompson, et. al., 2008). Although membership is a big part of the business model it is a more significant marketing strategy and will be critiqued in the next section. The successful business model of offering quality goods at low prices is enabled by the warehouse membership set-up. By taking this approach, Costco is able to save the cost involved in in-store decorum and in-store customer service. In fact, Costco’s various warehouses typically display bare cement floors and shopping is designed like a â€Å"treasure h unt† experience (Thompson, et. al., 2008, p. C-6). Moreover, Costco offers limited products in volumes to lower the cost of inventory and floor management. For example, a typical supermarket or supercenter such as Wal-Mart or SuperTarget will offer between 40, 000 and 150,000 items while Costco offers only 4,000 items (Thompson, et. al., 2008). Thus far, Costco’s business model has been successful, however increasing competition indicates that Costco might have to consider revamping its business model. For instance, Costco’s largest business rival, Sam’s Club and BJ’s both use a similar business model. Both Sam’s Club and BJ’s have similar in-store lay-outs, offer about 4,000 items and feature the treasure hunt experience in which luxury goods are available at lower