System Analysis and Design Computerized Entranced Exam

Computerized Entrance Examination System CHAPTER I: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Introduction In the earlier days admission to higher and professional studies was essentially based on the performance in the entrance examinations conducted annually by various High Schools. The gradual degeneration of the conventional examination system manifested in frequent leakage of question papers, manipulation of marks, copying and use of unfair means by all involved (administration not ruled out). Entrance examinations have been devised by some reputed institutions to screen the large set of students coming from vastly different backgrounds for admission.The traditional Manual Entrance Examination is successful example conducted by CAYSMNHS. Subsequently most of the States and Private High School have started entrance examinations in many fields. They have proliferated enormously and indirectly contributed to the coaching culture. With the passage of time both the entrance examination as well as coachi ng institutions have become an important source of resource generation to the detriment of the candidates from the candidate's point of view, it is an avoidable expenditure. Many secondary schools had been built long before in the province of Rizal.Some are private schools, while the others are just part of the hundreds of state high schools founded to provide education in the municipalities. As the search for better and excellent education that can produce highly competitive individuals continued, a kingdom was born to life. Then was the name  Casimiro A. Ynares Sr. Memorial National High School  raised to noise. CAYSMNHS is situated at the Rizal Provincial lot in Hilltop, Cabrera Road, Tikling, Taytay, Rizal. It has a total lot area of 4,260 sq. m which was donated by the Rizal Government through Gov. Casimiro Ynares Jr.In the year 2002, the original plan bears the proposed three-storey building consists of 12 rooms to rise in Hapay na Mangga right across Hapay na Mangga Eleme ntary School which has a lot area of 3. 5 hectares slope site. However, the plan was not pursued due to the landslide incident which affected many residents in the place. Governor Ynares then offered the provincial property between Rizal Provincial jail and Provincial PNP Headquarters to serve as the foundation of the new school. In 2004, through the initiative of the People’s Economic Council, the Sangguniang Barangay headed by Brgy. Captain Magtanggol E.Macabuhay Jr. , and the municipal officials through the leadership of Mayor George R. Gacula II, the construction of the four-storey building with 15 rooms was started and it was turned-over to DepEd Rizal through Dr. Edith A. Doblada, the Schools Division Superintendent. Mrs. Cynthia M. Cruz who was the principal of Taytay National High School processed the papers for opening of classes which was realized in June 2005 through the assistance of Mrs. Loida Alcantara, now the principal of Gen. Licerio MNHS in Rodriguez, Rizal. Taytay NHS was the mother school of Casimiro A. Ynares Sr. MNHS and Mrs.Nenita De Leon acted as the officer-in-charge. The first teacher-in-charge was Mrs. Marlene R. Nepomuceno, a Master Teacher in Math from Malaya, Pililia, Rizal. There were six brilliant and hardworking teachers borrowed from Taytay NHS who served as a pioneer teaching force and four staff funded by the local government. It has a total enrolment of 212 students and the school caters students that are classified as pilot and regular class sections. At first, the school had been quiet – as at that time, teachers and students were just starting to adjust to a new world and were preparing to accept the challenge of global competency.The next year had been a fruitful year for CAYS since the school had started to give more active participation with regards to interschool contests and competition. No wonder students and teachers just harvested several awards and won several division contests, attended seminars, joined the national level IP project presentation, established its own Red Cross Youth Council and Supreme Student Council, and kept themselves disciplined as renowned by every school in Rizal, and even parents around the locality knew of its existence.By that, the name CAYS bubbled up in the whole vicinity and graduating elementary students started to like this school to enroll for their secondary education. Surprisingly, these students and parents who were planning to be a part of CAYS had been coming from far away their homes just to take a slot. Some came from neighboring towns and subdivisions, and add to that, even if this school was actually built for poor but talented individuals, those who were actually living fairly in life chose to study here because of its quality education, with disciplined students who were aught early to prevent themselves from engaging to fraternities. As an evidence of quality education, the current school head of CAYS, Mrs. Gloria C. Roque, just re ceived an award of excellence in the previous year. Not for boasting, it’s just – the â€Å"Most Outstanding Secondary School Head† in the whole division. But then, the first chapter of the legacy has ended. The pioneer batch of CAYS, which planted the seeds of now grown and invincible foundation of knowledge, just bid its farewell last year. Then Battalion Commander of Citizenship Advancement Training Michael Mauricio was crowned valedictorian.Though, our chronicle has just begun. And more seasons will be undergone. At present, the school is now an independent public secondary school with a very shocking population growth of 1267 students and 32 teaching and non-teaching personnel. And the four-storey building will soon give birth to a couple of two-storey building, in order to continue its ought to give quality and even better education in the next years to come. And this is  CAYSMNHS, one of the centres for excellence in Rizal,  and this is how our legacy plays itself. ADMISSION Casimiro A. Ynares Sr. Memorial National High School (CAYSMNHS), as one of the centers for excellence in the Division of Rizal, offers programs and education that are highly categorized under the Basic Education Curriculum. It also commits to provide better education for new students with its academic projects such as the â€Å"Project Focus† and â€Å"Project Double B: Back to Basics†. It envisions creative learning and empowerment to the students from grade school that attained low performance level.At the same time, it has adequate facilities necessary for providing quality education and add to that, a couple of two-storey building with a total of 14 rooms will soon rise in the campus. CAYSMNHS opens its gateway to a new generation of learners and gives a new path of education with its dedicated Teaching Force. Submission of requirements starts within the month of April together with the entrance examinations. Pilot class aspirants will have separate process of enrolment and examination. Chapter II: A. Requirement Analysis Problem DefinitonAn existing Examination System was implemented every opening of the School Year for the freshmen and transferee but its receiving a high volume of complaints regarding the result of the exams whether the applicant was pass or not. And it takes a long time to validate the result. MAJOR OBJECTIVES Increasing the number of applicant that can accommodate in time by reducing the preparation time, importing hard copies of test questionnaires, test answer sheets, bringing the fastest and relevant test result right after the examination.An independent and most secured computer system using a friendly user and graphical user interface and low maintenance and easy to update computer system software packaged was designed. It was concluded that the automation of the system was feasible and would most likely result in increased effectiveness. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN In this project the System Analyst w ill use the â€Å"Agile Model† Agile programming focuses on writing code quickly and showing the evolving results to the customer.Agile programming is a reaction to broken software engineering practices where a lengthy and tedious process keeps software hidden until the very end. Agile Modelling  is a practice-based methodology for  modelling  and documentation of software-based systems. It is intended to be a collection of values, principles, and practices for Modelling software that can be applied on a software development project in a more flexible manner than traditional Modelling methods. * Speed up or bypass on one or more life cycle phases Used for time critical application * Usually less formal and reduced scope * Used in organizations that employ disciplined methods * is a lot like a jig saw puzzle. There are many small pieces. Individually the pieces make no sense, but when combined together a complete picture can be seen. * may seem awkward and perhaps even n aive at first, but are based on sound values and principles. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study is focused on the feasibility of upgrading of some of the manual procedure of examination system to a major computerization.The subjects of the study were the 50 selected students who study on the said school. This study will be held inside the campus. This feasibility concluded that the automation of the system was feasible and would most likely result in increased effectiveness. The System Analyst will gather data regarding the basic guidelines and procedure in entrance examination system. Conducting surveys and interviews and acquiring information from different respondents will make the analyst well informed on the different aspect of the traditional system. USER BENEFICIARIESThe researchers believe that the outcome of this system would be of great importance and benefits to the following: * Faculties * Students * Registrar office * Researchers * Future system developer NATURE OF THE STUDY The study is about the automation of the traditional and manual entrance examination. Since we are still using the traditional system of entrance examination, the student will take the test automated and computerized. The student will no longer use the test paper during examination. And since the traditional exam is manual, were upgrading it and changing it into a major computerization.Because of that, it can increase the number of applicant that can accommodate in a time by reducing the preparation time, importing hard copies of test questionnaires, test answer sheets, bringing the fastest and relevant test result right after the examination. B. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Computerized Entrance Examination System for CAYSMNHS QUESTIONNAIRE-CHECKLIST Name: _______________________________________ (optional) I. Direction: please answer the following question by putting a checkmark (/) or by providing the information on the space provided. . Gender: ( ) Male ( ) Female 2. Current Year Grade: ( ) 1st year ( ) 2nd year ( ) 3rd year ( ) 4th year II. Direction: | VERYSATISFACTORY| SATISFACTORY| NEEDS IMPROVEMENT| 1. Schedule of entrance exam| | | | 2. Distribution of test papers| | | | 3. Venue of the examination| | | | 4. Proctor of the examination| | | | 5. Number of examinees per room| | | | 6. Allotted time in every subject of examination| | | | 7. Items of questions per subject| | | | 8. Answer sheets (appearance)| | | | 9.Test questionnaires| | | | 10. Total allotted time of the whole examination| | | | III. Direction: What can you say about the traditional or manual entrance examination? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How about the automated examination? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you think changing the manual examination to computerized will affect the no. f students applying here in your school? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any suggestion or reaction about upgrading the manual examination system to a major computerized examination? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ C. Organizational Structure Organizational Description Functional Description

Handmaids Tale †Basic Response Essay

One of the ways in which The Handmaid’s Tale creates opportunities to respond is through its discussion and exploration of a dystopian society. A dystopian society is often characterised as a futuristic setting with oppressive societal control and elements of totalitarianism. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in the futuristic Republic of Gilead and a way in which Atwood has chosen to display a dystopian society is through creating a sense that the citizens of Gilead are under constant surveillance, a characteristic of dystopian literature. This can be shown through the reoccurring motif of â€Å"the eye. † The eye motif symbolises the eternal watchfulness of god and the totalitarian state with its recurrence creating a sense that citizens of Gilead are constantly being surveyed. This is shown as Offred states â€Å"to be seen-to be seen- is to be- her voice trembled-penetrated. † The use of repetition and italicise of the word ‘seen’ is used to highlight the fact that individuals don’t want to be seen, creating an ominous presence of control and threat through the constant watching. Another way The Handmaid’s Tale creates opportunities to respond in relation to its dystopian reading is in its discussion of citizens in fear of the outside world. This fear is shown through the presence of â€Å"The Wall. † The wall serves as a symbolic barrier separating Gilead from the outside world and also emphasising the existence of the totalitarian state and its allusion of a perfect world. This meaning is shown as the wall is described to have â€Å"barbed wire along the bottom and broken glass set in concrete along the top. Visual imagery here is used to create fear of the outside world through the literal and metaphorical barrier the wall represents. It is also important to note that the value of Atwood’s text is evident in the way it is a cautionary novel, designed to provide a reflection and thus provide commentary on the potential for 21st century society to adopt these extremes. Therefore the novels exploration of elements of dystopian society including the perceived surveillance of citizens and fear of the outside world creates opportunities to respond to The Handmaid’s Tale in relation to its comments about dystopian society, making it valuable. Even though the totalitarian regime has been destroyed, Atwood warns us that governments can still exploit woman. In the Historical Notes, it is concerning how Professor Pieixoto states, â€Å"No new system can impose itself upon a previous one without incorporating many of the elements to be found in the latter. † This implies that selected characteristics of the dystopian Gilead Republic will be adopted by a new government. Another way in which The Handmaid’s Tale creates opportunities to respond is through its complex interpretation from a feminist perspective. This is shown within the novel as the Handmaid’s bodies are used for procreation, their sexual freedom has been denied. This is seen through the constant discussion of fertility with Offred often belittling herself and her body to be used, â€Å"we are like containers, it’s only the insides of our bodies that are important. The outside can become hard †¦ like the shell of a nut. † Here a simile is used to continue to degrade and dehumanise Offred through equating her to a simple â€Å"nut,† an empty being, only valued for her fertility. Also the way in which women are used for procreation is shown through the motif of red, â€Å"a nondescript woman in red,† with women here further dehumanised to â€Å"nondescript† beings. The motif of red is used to represent fertility. The way females are often referred to as red throughout the text highlights how the Handmaids’ sole purpose within the society of Gilead is to procreate, demonstrating once again how females within the society are only valued for their bodies. In regards to a feminist interpretation, male dominance is also presented throughout the novel through the discussion of sterile- this is again italicised to emphasise its effect relating to a feminist viewpoint as males don’t go to colonies yet females do highlighting gender inequality. The inclusion of these elements discusses a range of feminist concerns allowing it to be interpreted in a myriad of different ways, increasing its value. The Handmaid’s Tale furthermore creates opportunities to respond through its inclusion of post-modern elements thus making it valuable. The novel can be read from a post-modern perspective as Atwood uses self- reflexivity as a means of questioning what is truth. This is shown when Offred admits, â€Å"This is a reconstruction, all of it is a reconstruction. It’s a reconstruction now, in my head. † The use of repetition, â€Å"reconstruction† creates emphasis and awareness of how the story Offred tells is only fractured pieces of the story, taken apart and put back together. Atwood here is trying to make her reader’s question if what is being said is true; implying that not everything read is necessarily true. This post-modern analysis which believes in the existence of multiple truths can be further seen through Offred’s narration shown as she questions â€Å"you want the best for her. Don’t you? † Here metafiction is used as Offred directly communicates with the audience, presenting an element of post- modern literature. From a post-modern interpretation the truthfulness of Offred’s singular narration is questionable accentuated when she consciously reinstates, â€Å"I don’t want to be telling this story. † This highlights how her narration could be subjected bias rather than truth. Thus The Handmaid’s Tale can be interpreted from a post-modern perspective making it valuable as this is one of the many ways it can be responded to. In conclusion it is through the different ways to respond to Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale that the text possesses value. These responses are generated in relation to dystopian, feminist and post-modern interpretations that the novel discusses. Each of these comments on 21st century society and encourage audiences to respond to their own society in different ways making the text valuable.

Toxicology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Toxicology - Essay Example This exploration is being undertaken too in relation to the general toxicology of antibiotics and the dynamics of antibiotic resistance leading to human and environmental harms. Antibiotics in general have been in wide use to treat many infections, but of late have been the subject of a growing body of literature on the toxicological aspects of antibiotics, not only with regard to the toxic side effects of certain antibiotics on humans, but with regard to the growing proliferation of antibiotic waste in the environment, leading to increased levels of antibiotics in water bodies and soils. These in turn lead to adverse effects on the ecological balance of the environment, with organisms either dying or developing resistance to the antibiotics, radically changing the makeup of the environmental biomes. The adverse effects on the environment ultimately boomerang back to human beings, who suffer from the toxic effects of the antibiotics themselves, or else suffer from the environmental b acklash from the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant organisms that cause new diseases and environmental problems (Klint 2012; Turner 2014; Ebert et al. 2011). Recent literature on fluoroquinolones reflects this reality, with more recent findings showing that fluoroquinolones cause long term damage to various aspects of human health, including antibiotic resistance, tendinitis, rupture of the tendons, and serious and sometimes irreversible neurological and cognitive damage, and damage to the eyes due to possible detachment of the retina, among those who take fluoroquinolones for varying lengths of time. The problem too, with fluoroquinolones, is that adverse side effects tied to neurological damage have been identified but not deemed as significant for a large portion of the population as early as the turn of the new century, and that literature on the greater risk for tendinitis and rupture of the tendons among those taking fluoroquinolones has been available since at least 2008

La bodas de Sangre - Blood weeding (federico Lorca) & Blood weeding Essay

La bodas de Sangre - Blood weeding (federico Lorca) & Blood weeding Film (Carlos Saura) - Essay Example In reference to Leonardo as the dark river shows honor and life-death as the connection is fairly clear when the Bride refers to the fatal force of the dark river in contrast to the â€Å"little bit of water. The â€Å"little bit of water symbolizes the Bridegroom from which she hoped for children. Symbolism that in the film, the orange blossoms that the bride wore were fake and waxy which symbolized the fake society in which she lived. In the movie the bride wears the fake orange blossoms to her wedding as it symbolizes her conformity to the society in almost a mocking way.   This goes together with the black dress she wears for the wedding, as if symbolizing her despair and sadness at having to go through with the wedding  when she really loves Leonardo. The lyrics impulse of the play culminates in the film, where the themes of honor and passion are absorbed in the theme of death that which paradoxically is life. The play of double perspective of death that are suggested in the dual manifestation as death is said to be an Old Woman demanding for a crust of bread. In another image Death is said to be white faced and the moon longing for life and seeking in the death of the men is symbolized by a heart, the crest of the fire, and red blood for his cheeks. The ceremony of p reparing the Bride in the church and the festivities preceding the entry of the Bride and Groom in to the bridal chamber. Both lyrics employ the familiar symbol of a flower, branch, and stream and both make visible another thread of symbol that is to become prominent as the themes of pride and passion move toward their ultimate resolution in the theme of death. The symbol of fire is enhanced as it is associated with honor as well passion and death. The horse in the Lullaby is to be identified with Leonardo’s horse and his wounds with the fate of Leonardo is indicated by the action accompanying the song.

Personal Statement for postgraduate Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

For postgraduate - Personal Statement Example With an admission in the said schools, I will be able to pursue my desire of obtaining higher education in the accounting and finance field specifically in International Business. Presently, I hold a diploma in accounting after successfully graduating in 2004. Moreover, I received further trainings from the Chevron Company from the year 2004 to 2006 where I was able to sharpen my skills and put the theoretical knowledge I obtained in school into practice. My academic qualification and excellence in the work place enabled me to get a scholarship to study a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance for International Business at the Coventry University, after which I plan to pursue a postgraduate degree at the University of Warwick. With this opportunity, I will be able to advance my knowledge in the field of accounting and finance; in addition, I will also meet and interact with different people at the University, which provide me with an experience of new cultures thus preparing me to work in a multicultural organization. Since childhood, I have been a very social person who believes in making friends and expanding my social circle. From early teachings, I have always been brought up to invest in friendship and always interact with other members of the society. This has cultured in me a team spirit where I can comfortably act as a team player or a team leader as I relate well with other individuals around me. I provide invaluable contributions and participation to the team that I work with. Through cohesion with other team players, I always remain clear on the team objectives and I am always persistent in the pursuance of the team’s objectives and goals. I believe in the freedom of will and personal choice. I am always receptive of the ideas of other individuals. When in school and in the workplace, I always strive to

Health Care Professional Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Care Professional - Research Paper Example Their certainly exists a demographic aspect to the physician shortage in America (Dranove, 2001). Though with the onset of recession and the dwindling of stock markets has made some old physicians to set aside their retirement plans. Still, with the economy gradually picking up with time, more and more old physicians could be expected to go for retirement. Rising practice prices is one other big reason that is contributing to the shortage of physicians in the nation (Dranove, 2001). These rising prices include augmenting wage costs, skyrocketing costs of supplies and associated telecommunication and digital infrastructure, booming rents, increasing costs of salary benefits including the health coverage (Dranove, 2001). Hence, rising practice costs is one big reason that is discouraging the physicians from continuing with their profession. The financial debacle that the physician practice management firms had to face with the dwindling economy has also contributed its share to the sca rcity of physicians in the country (Dranove, 2001). The collapse of many salient physician practice management firms has left many of the esteemed physician practice groups in the United States in doldrums. In contrast, the physicians working for the not-for-profit hospitals are also not doing better considering the massive losses accrued by these health care facilities. The shortage of nurses in the health care system is not a new phenomenon, but has been an aspect of health care that has been existent since the past couple of decades (Quinn, 2002). However, it has only been in the last few years that the problem of nursing shortage started to evince a significant impact on the American health care system (Quinn, 2002). Varied factors are responsible for the shortage of nurses. Going by the rising proportion of the women in the work force and the ample stress

Why should we make Alcohol illegal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why should we make Alcohol illegal - Essay Example Alcohol blocks different messages of the brain and proper messages reception is not possible in this scenario. The perceptions, movement, control, hearing and the excessive use of alcohol affects the vision of a person. People usually become addictive to alcohol because when they take it into small amounts then at times they feel more relaxed and less anxious. However, if you consume alcohol in excessive amounts then it might result in intoxication. There are different people who slur when they speak, they losses their coordination and this is all because of alcohol. All these alcohol consumers are confused and disoriented in their lives. The effects of intoxication in certain conditions are slow and people become very angry and aggressive at times. The alcohol is associated as one of the deadliest drugs of the planet because of the fact that it links the phenomenon of slow poisoning. The negative effects of alcohol can be identified by the fact that if alcohol is consumed in greater quantities than a person might die because of alcohol poisoning. People might also engage in violent vomiting and because of it, death might occur. Despite all these problems that are associated with the consumption of alcohol, there are different people and even teenagers who consume alcohol in the form of beers, whiskeys, rum, etc. Organizations that own alcohol oriented products market these products extensively uses adventurous themes to market the products. Ultimately, when people consume these products they affected by that.

The Birth of Venus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Birth of Venus - Essay Example For individuals like Plato and the other members of the Platonic community, there were two aspects of Goddess Venus. One is a form of physical manifestation; wherein she is responsible for the espousal of physical love in humans. The other is a form of divine beauty, responsible for arousal of intellectual beauty in human beings. All of these factors are important articulates for the success of understanding of manifestation of Venus. The defining ideology for the Venus motif is the alleviation of individual self towards the attainment of goals. One of the factors that define the ideology is the fact that the physical manifestation of beauty opens up the spiritual front. There is another ideology that frames this painting as a type of wedding painting. This is a necessary aspect of the painting system that takes care of all the needs. There is also a version that points to the fact, that it extols the virtue of Medici family (Lilian). They were the ones who commissioned the painting. There is a version that points to the original painting by Apelles. It was originally commissioned by Alexander the Great. The restoration of some of the paintings was not a possibility. This led to the creation of a second painting, which is superior to the first one. This according to some historians was a direct attempt at the continuation of the paintings in a significant way. This has ensured the development of a concerted attempt at the creation of value. The painting by Bottiicelli can be seen as a continuation of action for the completion of the needs of society. This may be a part of receptive act by Boticelli, towards the recreation of art. There is a strange degree of linearity on the painting, which is in departure to the styles found in the Renaissance. This was also contradictory to the approach that Botticelli had towards painting. This

Company Represantative Resume Example Essay Example for Free

Company Represantative Resume Example Essay This letter is to express my interest in bringing my expertise as an Educator and Counselor to your institution.   I possess strong communication skills and have a passion promoting a positive school environment. As you can gather from my attached resume, I have contributed to the personal and academic growth of Elementary students while working for the New York Department of Education.   I earned my Masters Degree in English as a Second Language and am currently pursuing my Masters Degree in School Counseling.    I believe in maintaining a professional demeanor and resolving conflicts in a diplomatic and courteous manner.   I am committed to helping students with disciplinary problems through utilizing effective classroom management techniques in cooperation with parents and school administrators. In addition to the skills noted on my attached resume, I can also offer your organization: An ability to analyze a complex problem and implement a practical solution. Superior presentation and interpersonal communication skills with effective writing skills. Self-motivated professional with experience in helping students attain their academic goals. Excellent analytical skills with an ability to develop comprehensive reports. It is my hope that my education and professional experience will convey to you that I have the qualifications to make a valuable contribution as a School Counselor at any institution.   Should you have any questions, I can be reached at the number listed above.

Political Parties Essay Example for Free

Political Parties Essay Political parties are an essential component within a democratic society. By competing in elections and encouraging citizens with certain different views of society, parties also offer citizens a wide variety of choices in governmental representation, opportunities for political contribution, and chances to form their country’s future. Although political parties play such an influential role on a country, often the concerns of the people fall on deaf ears, breaking down the trust that the public had within the parties. When public assurance in political parties is diminished, the whole democratic system falls victim to it. In all democratic systems, the party system must be deeply and strongly rooted in the make up of society. Political parties are the main framework of any democratic society. They are the means by which the public come together freely to drive for the presidency, express their ideas, and define their ambitions for their civilization. There may be political parties without democracy being apparent, but there can be no democracy without political parties. Parties in many countries, including our own South African parties, may be faulty, but they are also crucial in democratic authority. When political parties function effectively, they succeed in developing a few common ideas between a large group of people, and in doing this, they place pressure on the ruling party. Thus, they help put citizens’ small concerns into a national context. Citizens may be separated over leaders, or policies but political parties can organize these differences by compromising certain things and helping societies to unite. In addition, political parties train and nominate political leaders who will accept a role in ruling society. Through their efforts to control and influence public policy, political parties play an in-between role, connecting the organisations of government to economic, ethnic, cultural, religious and other general groups. They can convey support behind law, improving the public wellbeing, and develop citizens’ interests. Their participation in elections allows citizens to hold them responsible for their policies and actions. In multi-party systems, and based on the countries they represent, political parties often express contradictory views on public plans. These just differences of ideas are not only an important part of the democratic course, but the exchanges they generate can also help to create a better understanding of the issues and possible solutions, possibly leading to new insights. Further, when parties in competition present themselves as an alternative, all parties always try to obtain the best plan in public interest, therefore the winner in the end is society.

Line Managers In Human Resource Management Management Essay

Line Managers In Human Resource Management Management Essay Abstract Restructuring, downsizing, and an increased need to focus on employees for competitive edge are levelled to be among the factors encouraging the devolvement of human resource management to line managers. However, recent research indicates that there is substantial potential for human resource specialists and line managers to share more effectively responsibility for their organisations human resource activities in business partnerships. The foundation for this is arguably commonality in opinions on the principles and practices of human resource activities. However, line managers and human resource specialists often have dissonant opinions on human resource management. This paper explores line manager and human resource specialists perspectives on line manager involvement in human resource management, theoretically and empirically. The primary work comprises a survey of the views of line managers and human resource specialists on devolving a range of human resource activities to line managers in a case organisation, Hilton Internationals UK hotels, which is seeking to achieve a successful human resource business partnership. Differences between line managers and human resource specialists perspectives are found in five aspects: understanding and ownership of the companys service and HR strategy; line manager involvement in and rankings of HR activities; HR specialists support of line managers; barriers to line managers involvement in HR activities; and the competence of line managers in HR activities. In addition, a need for more line manager training in human resource activities, together with addressing line managers heavy workloads and short ter m job pressures emerge as highly defined findings. These findings may have resonance for other organisations in devolving human resource management to the line and developing human resource business partnerships. Key Words: line managers devolving human resource management human resource business partnerships Background: Research Issue Business partnerships whereby human resource (HR) specialists and line managers share an organisations HR responsibility have recently emerged as the dominant model for HR professionals (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 2003). However, it is evident that such partnerships are generally not yet operating as effectively as they could. For the CIPD report on the role of front line managers in people management concludes that delivery of HR practices by the line is seen as an area requiring substantial improvement with HR managers tending to believe that line managers have not fully accepted HR responsibility (CIPD, 2003:2). A fundamental element of HR business partnership development is arguably commonality in line and HR manager perceptions on the HR function in which line managers are elemental (Larson and Brewster, 2003). Evidence that there is such commonality is conspicuous by its absence. Rather, there is evidence that line managers and HR specialists views on HR are generally divergent. The work of Ulrich (1997), Wright et al. (2001), Becker et al. (2001), Harris (2001) and Phelps (2002) on, for example, perceptions of levels of HR service, all point to this perceptual divergence. As McLean (2004) points out in her case study of line and HR manager perceptions of the importance and performance of the HR function, increasingly academic studies of HR are involving examination of different stakeholder perspectives. Because perceptual divergence may negatively impact on line manager and, ultimately, business performance (Gilbert, 2000; Kearns, 2004), understanding it is important. This article addresses, theoretically and empirically, stakeholder perspectives of HR in a dimension not covered thus far in academic studies: the issue of line managers and HR specialists perceptions on line managers involvement in HR. It analyses the inherent challenges from both line manager and HR specialist perspectives on line managers involvement in, and ability to deliver, human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD) activities. First, line manager responsibility for HRM and HRD are discussed from theoretical perspectives. Next, primary work conducted in Hilton Internationals UK hotels on line and HR manager perspectives on line managers in HR is presented. Finally, the key findings and conclusions on the challenges in developing HR business partnerships are offered. Theoretical Perspectives Relationships between line managers, HRM and HRD are arguably changing (Gibb, 2003) and becoming more fused, despite continuing debate about the focus of HRM (Budhwar, 2000) and scope of HRD (Garavan et al., 1999). Indeed it is argued that fusing HRM and HRD is essential to provide the necessary synergy for HR to be a truly valued organisational partner (Ruona and Gibson, 2004: 49). In defining the connections between HRM and HRD, the relationship has been dubbed ambiguous and elusive (Mankin, 2003:2). The literature on these two areas largely treats HRM and HRD separately; therefore the theory underpinning this paper explores the challenges in line manager responsibility for HRM and HRD in turn. Since the advent of human resource management (HRM) in the UK in the 1980s there has been some debate about devolving aspects of HRM to line managers (Gennard and Kelly, 1997; Hall and Torrington, 1998). Indeed, the devolving of human resource activities to line managers has received much attention by both academics and practitioners in the UK and Europe over the last decade (Larsen and Brewster, 2003). Various reasons for this devolution have been cited, including restructuring, downsizing, and an increased need to focus on employees for competitive edge (Cunningham and Hyman, 1999; Renwick, 2000; and Gibb, 2003). Storey (1995), in articulating differences between personnel management and human resource management (HRM), highlights the critical role of line managers in delivering HRM. A recurrent and established feature in discussion on HRM is therefore the centre-stage role for line managers (Renwick, 2003:262). As to the benefits of line manager involvement, several researchers assert that line managers assuming some HRM responsibility can positively influence employee commitment and, ultimately, business performance. For example Cunningham and Hyman (1999:9) highlight the role of line managers in promoting an integrative culture of employee management through line management. Thornhill and Saunders (1998) signal the role of line managers in securing employee commitment to quality, while increased productivity has also been asserted as a basis for devolution of HRM (Industrial Relations Survey Employment Review, 1995). A recent Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report indicates that line managers involvement in coaching and guidance, communication and involvement has a positive influence on overall organisational performance (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003). A key finding from this report is that to gain line managers commitment to people management requires support from strong organisational values that emphasise the fundamentals of people management and leadership (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003). Devolving HRM to line managers has, however, been noted as being problematic (McGovern et al., 1997:12). Renwick (2003) posits that the new millennium marked the onset of keen discussion about the challenges surrounding line manager involvement in HRM. Challenges lie not least in the relationship between line managers and HRM specialists (Cunningham and Hyman, 1997), the ability and willingness of line managers to carry out HR tasks properly (Renwick and MacNeil, 2002:407), and line managers knowledge of company policies (Bond and Wise, 2003). Hall and Torringtons (1998) research on the progress of devolution of operational HRM activities and its consequences points to organisations making sustained and deliberate efforts to vest HRM responsibility with line managers. However, the absence of a designated human resource specialist role (Thornhill and Saunders, 1998:474) may have negative effects on strategic integration and, consequently, organisational commitment, flexibility and qua lity. Renwick (2003), drawing on the work of Ulrich (1998) and Jackson and Schuler (2000), identifies that a partnership approach to HR requires the integration of HR activities into the work of line managers and that a real partnership approach requires a triad approach between HR specialists, line managers and employees. Similarly, the involvement of line managers in HRD has been the subject of academic debate and organisational challenges. In clarifying the role of line managers in HRD, Heraty and Morley (1995) assert that activities surrounding identification of training needs, deciding who should be trained and undertaking direct training either fall within the domain of line managers or in partnership with HR specialists. The aspects of HRD concerned with policy formulation, training plans and advising on strategy are meanwhile more likely to be undertaken by HRD specialists. Gibb (2003) asserts that concerns over increased line manager involvement in HRD are valid in that it may limit the use of specialist resources in HRD. Another issue is that while line managers have been identified as one of the key stakeholders with the HRD process (Heraty and Morley, 1995:31), difficulties in securing line manager acceptance of HRD responsibilities have been evident (Aston, 1984). Research has identified f actors that may enable and inhibit the take-up of line manager responsibility for HRD. Arguably the most significant enabler of line manager responsibility for HRD is the growing body of literature on the emergence and growth of HRD and in particular HRD with a strategic focus (Garavan et al., 1995:4). HRD may be seen as providing the key connection between HRM and business strategy (Garavan et al., 2001). Business-led approaches to HRD can indeed be evidenced (Sparrow and Pettigrew, 1988; Harrison, 1993). For Torraco and Swanson (1995), HRD is not only supportive of, but also central to, business strategy. It is also, as Keep (1989) maintains, central to HRM. Therefore it can be seen that there are important lines to be drawn between HRM, HRD, line managers and business strategy. McCracken and Wallaces (2000) model of the characteristics of strategic HRD indicates that all four of these factors are integral to a strategic human resource development (SHRD) approach being taken. In this model they are expressed as: integration with organisational missions and goals; HRD plans and policies; line manager commitment and involvement; and complementary HRM activities. Within this literature Garavan et al. (1993) and colleagues identify a range of strategic drivers that are moving organisations down the route of integration of HRD activities with strategic goals, including an increased emphasis on quality and change of leadership. In terms of enabling HRD at an operational level, de Jong et al.s (1999:183) research suggests that this is a feasible option providing specific conditions are met in organisations. One significant condition may be the credibility of HRD as an organisational activity in general. For despite the relatively recent interest in, and expansion of, HRD in UK organisations, there seems to be a residual issue of credibility of the training and development function in organisations generally (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2001). Organisational support for line managers in their HRD responsibility is important too in the facilitation of the devolution of HRD responsibility (Heraty and Morley, 1995), as is senior managers understanding of training and development issues (de Jong et al., 1999). Trust between line managers and HRD specialists is another important enabler (Garavan et al., 1993). Lastly, as emphasised by de Jong et al. (1999), line managers acting as role models in demonstrating commitment to HRD in their operational tasks may be a powerful enabler of HRD. On the other hand, a number of barriers to the effective delegation of HRD have been recognised. One potential issue that is conceivably acute in the hotel sector is the pressure of short-term imperatives (Tsui, 1987) that may squeeze out HRD activities for line managers. This factor, in combination with a lack of training in HRD, may minimise the priority of HRD for line managers (Aston, 1984; Brewster and Soderstrom, 1994; de Jong et al.1999). Untrained line managers may avoid a coaching role due to their discomfort with it (de Jong et al., 1999). Further, where managers do not reflect a belief in HRD in their operational role the impact of HRD is likely to be reduced (de Jong, 1999), the direct converse of reflecting a belief in HRD being an enabler of HRD, as pointed out earlier. Thus it is apparent that a number of challenges present themselves in devolving HR responsibility to the line in order to develop HR business partnerships. Arguably, the organisational context within which these challenges may be surmounted (or not) is a positive organisational culture, transcending formal and functional requirements, that supports change (Higgins and McAllister, 2004). Organisational culture may be conceived as the essential medium between formal organisational policy and implementation in practice (Maxwell, 2004;189). It has both a pervasive nature and behavioural outcomes, as Scholzs (1987;80) description reflects: corporate culture is the implicit, invisible, instrinsic and informal consciousness of the organization which guides the behaviour of the individuals [at work] and which shapes itself out their behaviour. In a sense, as Cunningham and Hyman (op. cit) claim, organisational culture may be an adhesive for HR business partnerships as it may support acceptance of devolved HR responsibility. The case organisation examined in this paper, Hilton International hotels, has sought to generate an organisational culture that links their HR activities to their strategic service quality initiative. This requires line managers and HR specialists in hotel units working in partnership to implement and deliver HR activities to employees. The next section of this article explains the methods used by the authors to investigate the views of both line managers and HR specialists on line manager involvement in HR, a key part of HR business relationships. Research Questions and Design Case Study Background The key strategic driver for devolving HR to line managers in the 76 UK based hotels of Hilton International was the development of a worldwide service quality initiative from a UK launch in 2001, following the integration of Hilton and Stakis hotels. This reflects Garavan et al.s (1993) assertion that increasing emphasis on quality and change of leadership moves organisations to integrate HRD activities with strategic goals. Integral to the new service concept in Hilton was the linking of all HR activities to the service initiative in an HR policy and employment package called Esprit. Within Hilton, Esprit is portrayed as being a concept directing the way employees are managed and work. It is a promise on how our colleagues are treated within the company (UK HR Vice-President), consisting of a range of HR activities. Further, HRHHHilton perceives Esprit as being fundamentally concerned with instilling a service culture throughout the organisation. In the words of the UK HR Vice-President, it is intended that Esprit should live in the hotels and [line] managers should determine recognition rather than it being seen as a Head Office initiative. Respect, recognition and reward are the key principles of Esprit. They are supported in practical terms by a comprehensive training and reward system which is packaged as a club employees join through achieving levels of training. Another central tenet of Esprit is that line managers in hotels are expected to assume much of the responsibility HRM and HRD activities together known as HR in Hilton that support the strategic quality service driver. These activities include selection, training and development, employee motivation and recognition, and performance management. Line managers are provided with support from specialist HR staff at unit and Head Offic e level. The strategic banner of Esprit is leading the organisation down the route of HR specialist and line managers having to work in partnership to deliver HR activities (Maxwell and Quail, 2002; Maxwell and Watson, 2004). In order to explore perspectives of the challenges in this partnership, views from both line managers and HR specialists were surveyed by the authors. The research questions that underpin this article are, from line manager and HR specialist perspectives: Is there a shared understanding of line manager HR roles and responsibilities? What are the key mechanisms that support line managers with their HR responsibilities? What are the barriers that hinder line managers involvement in HR activities? In order to explore the research questions, a deductive approach has been taken in developing the questionnaires, with the content being informed by the literature review, a series of semi-structured interviews with the UK HR vice-president of the case organisation, and semi-structured interviews with three hotel HR managers. Both questionnaire formats encompassed nominal, ordinal, ranking and Likert rating scales, and several open-ended questions. Both questionnaires were piloted, on consultation with a regional HR director, a hotel HR manager and an external survey organisation. The key themes in the line managers questionnaire were understanding and acceptance of Esprit, then exploration of HR activities in relation to involvement in and importance of HR including support mechanisms; barriers; training; level of confidence; and further support. The closing section of the questionnaire addressed biographical data of respondents. The questionnaire for a census of the HR specialists in Hilton Internationals UK hotels was developed to parallel the line managers survey. The survey population comprises 760 line managers, and 76 HR specialists in Hilton hotels throughout the UK. Following piloting for face validity (Veal, 1997), 10 questionnaires were distributed to each hotel for completion by line managers and one for the HR specialist in each hotel, for completion on a self-selected, self-administered, anonymous basis to address response bias (Mitchell, 1996). The response rate was 43% (328) for line managers and 60% (46) for the HR specialists. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative results. Open-ended question responses were coded into themes to enable these to be presented using percentage response rates. Quantitative responses are supplemented with qualitative statements where appropriate. Some 775 comments were included in the returns on the 11 questions inviting additional comments from line managers and some 258 comments from HR specialists on the ten questions inviting additional comments from them. A combination of qu antitative and qualitative data reduction techniques were used. Descriptive statistics, including the non-parametric Mann-Witney test to measure the significance of differences between the opinions of the two constituent groups (p The credible volume of primary data generated arguably affords a close analysis of the HR business partnership in Hilton Internationals UK hotels. Nonetheless, a few potential limitations should be raised. Firstly, the non-random self-selection of the line managers may have led to some response bias, though none has been identified. Secondly, the relative lack of anonymity for the HR specialists may have led to reservations in expression of their opinions. However, the nature of the results suggests otherwise. Possibly the inherent limitation of unique case studies, like Hilton International, in the wholesale transferability of findings is the most significant research limitation. With the importance of commonality in line manager and HR specialists on the involvement of line managers in HR, in conjunction with a lack of empirical work addressing the devolvement of HR to line managers in the tourism sector, the primary work is relevant. It may expose some key points in building an effective partnership between line managers and HR specialists that are not only valuable to Hilton but similarly market-orientated organisations. The findings reported next compare line managers and HR specialists perspectives on line managers in HR in relation to: the concept and ownership of Esprit; involvement in activities and ranking of the importance of activities; and supports of, and barriers, to HR activity. Empirical Findings Line manager profiles All 76 hotels in the UK are represented in the sample, with 34% of respondents located in Central and North England, 22% from Scotland and Ireland, 29% South of England and 16% in London. Thirty percent of the sample comprises senior managers, consisting of general managers and deputy managers, 53% are departmental managers, 9% supervisors and 7% (assistant and deputy departmental managers). Two percent of the respondents did not indicate their position in the organisation. Fifty six percent of the respondents have been in their current position for 1-5years, 15% over 5 years and 27 % less than one year. Of those who have been in their current position for less than one year, 39% have been with the organisation for less than one year, representing 10% of the total returns. Forty eight percent of the respondents indicated that they had been with Hilton hotels for 1-5years and a further 38% over 5 years. HR manager profiles All HR managers in Hiltons hotels have the same status and title. There was an even spread of HR manager respondents across the four regions with 26% located in Central North England, 24% from Scotland and Ireland, 26% South of England and 24% in London. In relation to length of service, 41% of the respondents have been in their current position for 1-5years, 50% over 5 years and 9% less than one year. Of those who have been in their current position for less than one year, 57% have been with the organisation for less than one year. Understanding of the Esprit HR Strategy Before examining views on human resource activities, it is important to ascertain whether there is a shared understanding of the philosophy of the strategic driver of Esprit as it is the foundation of HR activities (Heraty and Morley, 1995; Bond and Wise, 2003). Respondents were able to give multiple responses to the question on their understanding of Esprit within Hilton. From their majority responses (see Table 1), it is evident that the respondents do not have an understanding of Esprit that is commensurate with the Hilton conception. For the majority of line managers (87%) and HR specialists (72%) perceive Esprit as a club for employees. This majority view is represented across all levels of management, and is not dependent on length of service, age or gender. Only 26% of the line managers indicate that Esprit is a concept directing the way employees work, with a further 14% indicating that it is a way of working practices. In contrast, 57% of the HR specialists view Esprit as a concept directing the way employees work, with a further 43% indicating that it is a way of working practices. The differences across the line managers and HR specialists here are highly significant (p=.000). Further, only four line managers and four HR specialists indicated understanding of the concept and values underpinning Esprit in positing additional comments: [Esprit is] a belief/ culture system (HR manager, Scotland) and positive enforcement of Hilton as a group in the minds of our employees (line manager, Scotland). Table 1 here Ownership of the Esprit HR Strategy In a similar vein to the findings on understanding the Esprit strategy, there also appears to be discrepancies regarding ownership of Esprit that may be resonant of line manger willingness to carry out HR activities (Aston, 1984; de Jong et al., 1993; Garavan et al., 1995 and 2001; Renwick and MacNeil, 2002).The general view expressed is that there is multiple-ownership. Nearly all respondents provided three responses each to the question on this subject, generating a total of 865 responses. However in analysing these based on number of respondents it can be seen that 69% of line-managers and 59% HR specialists consider Esprit to be owned by Hilton, whilst 54% of line managers and 65% of HR specialists indicated that employees own it. Almost two thirds of the line managers consider it to be owned by human resource specialists (30% head office HR and 31% hotel based human resource specialists). Twenty three percent of line managers perceive it to be owned by senior management, compare d with 39% of HR specialists. Thirty percent of line managers expressed the view that departmental managers own it and 22% considered Esprit to be owned by the individual hotels. This contrasts with the views of the 61% of HR specialists who perceive that departmental managers own Esprit and 50% who indicated that the individual hotels own it. In the other response allowed for the question on ownership of Esprit, all respondents expressed the view that everyone in the organisation owns Esprit, reflecting the corporate view of ownership. What is starkly evident from this comparison is that HR specialists perceive that the Esprit strategic driver has multi-ownership more than the line managers. A significance value of 0.15 in the opinions of the HR and line managers on senior manager ownership of Esprit is a significant aspect of perceptual divergence, while divergence on perceptions of individual hotels, hotel HR and departmental managers ownership of Esprit is highly significant p= 0.000 (see Table 2). Moreover, it is again apparent that the general understanding of the HR managers on Esprit ownership is closer than that of the line managers to the formal Hilton position. Table 2 here Line managers in HR: understanding of roles and responsibilities Renwick (2003), drawing on the work of Ulrich (1998) and Jackson and Schuler (2000), identifies that a partnership approach to HR requires the integration of HR activities into the work of line managers. In order to obtain an overview of the range of HR activities undertaken by line managers, both line managers and HR specialists were asked to indicate their views on: the human resource activities in which line managers are actively involved; the level of importance of HR activities in relation to importance to business effectiveness; and ranking of the most important HR activities. Table 3 provides a breakdown of the results. Table 3 here The first notable point about the findings tabled above is that while all of the HR respondents opine that line managers are involved in four HR activities employee selection, motivation and morale of employees; performance appraisal; disciplinary and grievance procedures there are no activities that all the respondent line managers opine they are involved in. The second notable point is that in every activity the HR managers perceptions of line manager involvement is greater than the level of involvement as perceived by the line managers. The third conspicuous finding is that there are marked differences in perceptions in the relative value of employee budgeting and forecasting; ensuring HR processes are maintained; rewards and benefits; and performance appraisals. These findings strongly suggest that HR managers believe there is greater line manager involvement in HR activities than the line manager do and, further, some difference in HR priorities exists across the line manager and HR manager groups. In employee selection; motivation and morale of employees; and team briefings and communications, there are broadly similar findings in terms of prioritisation. Comments made in relation to line managers involvement in HR activities deepen insight into the respondents views. Twenty one percent of the line managers took the opportunity to provide additional comments on their role in relation to HR activities. Thirty eight percent of the comments relate to training, encompassing analysing training needs, encouraging employees to participate in training, delivery and evaluation. Communications was mentioned by 14% of the respondents predominantly with HR specialists, communicating HR issues to staff and attending HR meetings. Other activities mentioned by respondents include: coaching; sickness interviews, teambuilding and payroll management. Complaints regarding workloads and staffing levels were voiced in comments by 10% of the respondents, with 5% complaining about HR support within their hotel and head office. At the same time 9% of the managers were extremely positive about their role in HR activities, as illustrated by the following quote s from two of the managers: I feel I have a better/greater opportunity to be more involved within HR because of the hotels and staff itself. It is fantastic not only to be supported by our own team, but the whole hotel team as well; and I get support and encouragement continuously. I run my department as if I was HR but with the bonus of all the help I need being available works fantastic sic. Additional comments on line managers HR role were made by HR specialists and relate to ownership of Esprit, with echoes of findings noted earlier. For example, it was recorded that managers should have a role in all of the above in reality however many areas are not currently perceived as their responsibility (HR manager Central England). Another London based HR specialist indicated that managers also had responsibility for their own development, coaching and absence. Support of line managers in HR responsibility Opinions on a number of features of line manager support in HR were canvassed in the questionnaires. In order to gain an understanding of managers views on the value of HR, they were asked to rate certain HR performance aspects, with 5 being excellent and 1 being poor. The highest mean score was found in relation to line managers opinions on the working relationship with their hotel HR manager (M=3.91), indicated as an important factor by Garavan et al. (1999). In contrast, only nine percent of the HR specialists rated the working relationship with managers as excellent, with a further 59% rating it as very good and 26% as good. Overall, the mean score for HR specialists rating of their working relationship with the line managers was very good (M = 3.69), but slightly less good than the converse view of the relationship. In relation to specific support given by HR specialist to line managers, all HR managers indicated that they advised on training, with 96% indicating that they also provided support in tracking Esprit membership numbers, administrative support and evaluation of training. In addition, other support activities include coaching and mentoring of managers to help them achieve targets, specifically to ensure that they are up to date and that user-friendly policies are in place. Time management reminders; providing disciplinary advice; recruitment and retention; staff budgeting; conducting appraisals; and measure and recognise results through internal HR audits were also articulated by the HR respondents as support

Permeability Of Hydrophilic :: essays research papers

Permeability of Hydrophilic Supervisors: Vladan Milovic Professor Per Artursson SUMMARY Investigations of the integrity and transport characteristics of 2/4/A1 cells have been done in this report. The cell line was isolated from rat fetal intestinal epithelial cells and transfected with thermolabile SV40 large T antigen. These cells proliferated at 33 Â °C, but eliminated the antigen and ceased proliferating at a non-permissive temperature (39Â °C). At 39Â °C 2/4/A1 cells started to differentiate but simultaneously the cells also underwent massive cell death. When cultured at 37Â °C these cells formed confluent and tight monolayers that seemed to have paracellular transport characteristics similar to that of the human intestine. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the development of multilayers at 33Â °C, monolayers at 37Â °C and defects in the cell layer due to apoptosis at 39Â °C. Different immunostainings of ZO-1, E-cadherin and vinculin confirmed formation of tight and adherence junctions. Transepithelial resistance reached a plateau of 25-35 Ohm.cm2, which was similar to the small intestine. In transport studies 2/4/A1 cell line monolayers selectively restricted the permeation of hydrophilic permeability markers proportional to molecular weight and discriminated more accurately between the molecules of intermediate molecular weight compared to Caco-2 cells. These results indicated that 2/4/A1 cells could be used as a model for hydrophilic drug absorption. INTRODUCTION The small intestine plays a crucial role in the absorption of drugs and nutrients. Exogenous substances cross a series of barriers during the process of intestinal absorption: (1) the aqueous boundary/mucus layer, (2) a single layer of epithelial cells, and (3) the lamina propria, which contains the blood and lymph vessels that then transport the absorbed drugs to other parts of the body (Artursson 1991). The cell monolayer is comprised of two parallel barriers: the cell membrane and the tight junctions. Most drugs are absorbed by a passive diffusion across the cell membrane by the transcellular route, or across the tight junctions between the cells - the paracellular route. Drug transport can also be carrier mediated, when the drug utilizes transporters located in the cellular membrane. Transcytosis is another kind of active transport, in which macromolecules can be transported across the intestinal epithelial cell in endocytosed vesicles. The hydrophilic and charged drugs are absorbed after passing through the paracellular route, the water-filled channels between the cells (Artursson 1991). Rates and extent of the paracellular transport are, therefore, highly influenced by the structure and size of the tight junctions as well as by the size of the molecules. Only small and hydrophilic drugs can pass between the cells rapidly and completely; permeation of larger molecules can be limited proportionally to their size and lipophilicity (Hillgren et al. 1995). Simple assay methods are needed for drug absorption studies.

My Experience with Computers :: Technology Essays

My Experience with Computers Walking down the hallway to computer class excited me and made me a little anxious. The world of technology was slowly opening up to me. It was the year I took my first computer class. I learned how to push a button to start the computer, open up a program, and type. It was interesting, but my fear that I would accidentally hit the wrong key and make the computer crash overshadowed my ability to enjoy it. I would have to learn to conquer that fear, as digital technology became a part of my every-day life. Computers became more common around school as I got older. In fifth grade, there was actually one computer in the classroom. I rarely practiced it, except if the teachers made us do an exercise using it. I picked up the skill more readily when I discovered the Internet. The first time I used the Internet was at my friend's house. She had gotten it and was telling me about all the people she was meeting on-line in "chat rooms." I didn't understand how you could talk to real people over the computer. I went to my friend's house and we spent hours in front of the screen talking to people from all over the country on America on-line, the popular Internet access. I was obsessed. That was the only thing we did when I went over to her house. I was amazed at the expertise my friend developed at typing; she learned it after having to carry on multiple conversations with different people who instant-messaged her all at once. I was still pecking at the keys one-by-one. Everyday I would beg my dad to get the family AOL. Finally he broke down and got it. I was glued to it for the first three months. Then the novelty began to wear off. I wasn't so impressed with talking to strangers anymore. I realized that people I met face-to-face I could hang out with, but I had no way of knowing that "kids" I talked to on-line weren't actually 50 year-old men.

India Is My Country Essay

India is my country, my motherland. I love it and I am proud of it. India is a big country. In population it is second only to China. India has a rich and glorious past. Once it was the seat of learning. Students from all over the world used to come here to study. Indian culture spread abroad. Indian goods had a ready market in foreign countries. It was a time when India was a land of plenty. Times changed. India fell on evil days. Wave after wave of invaders came and plundered India. India became a slave country. ‘The foreign rulers exploited her as much as they could. India became independent in 1947. The foreign rulers went away. Under the able leadership of Pt. Nehru the country marched towards progress. New industries were set up. Trade increased. There were difficulties in the beginning. Kashmir was overrun by the tribals. There were communal riots Millions of people were uprooted from their homes. India is the largest democracy of the world. We Indians enjoy freedom of speech, worship and press. All citizens have equal rights. India is rich in natural resources, yet her inhabitants are poor. The mineral wealth of the country is unexplored. Under the Union Government, new industries are being set up. Already Indian goods are being exported to other countries. New methods of agriculture are being used to increase food production. She has already become self-sufficient in food. In the field of science and literature, India has produced eminent people like Rabindra Nath Tagore, Sir C.V.Raman, Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose and Shri H.N.Bhabha. India is a peace loving country but she has to spend a huge amount on defence because there is danger from her neighbours, namely Pakistan and China. The present Government under the new Prime Minister is trying to befriend them. India is a land of villages with many languages but there is unity in diversity. Ours is a secular state and all religions flourish side by side. My country abounds in glorious historical buildings and scenes. There is not a tourist who does not visit the Taj Mahal — the symbol of eternal love or Kashmir, the heaven on earth. My country is a land of temples, mosques and churches, great rivers and vast fertile plains of the Ganges and the highest mountain of the world. It is the land where civilization first blossomed in the world. Our fields are fed with perennial waters of the rivers.India is my first love and I would readily lay down my life for it if need be.

How Smartphones Change Our Society

A Smartphone is a mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more advanced computing capability than a feature phone. There are many types of Smart phones but they all have one thing in common. They combine the performance of a cell phone and a computer. In the past my father had to carry many things when he traveled. Such as a camera, a laptop, a mobile phone and etc. But now it’s in one thing Smartphone. Today each company is trying to come up with the best Smartphone so as to be able to compete with others and now business is relying on them more than ever.We see people using their smart phones while traveling to and from work. A lot of people now use of smart phones in their life. They change the way we communicate amongst ourselves. Smartphone have truly really changed the way people communicate with each other. Gone are those days of the pay phone down the street and around the corner being one of a person’s major means of calling home because they forg ot what they had to get from the grocery store.According to Wikipedia † A smart phone is a mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more advanced computing capability than a feature phone†(1). There are many types of smartphones but they all have one thing in common. They combine the performance of a cell phone and a computer. In America 42% of phone users have smartphones (foot). Based on this staggering statistics, smartphones has an incredible possibility of affecting today’s society. It became a revolutionary innovation when Apple released its first generation of iphone.Today each company is trying to come up with the best smartphones so as to be able to compete with others and now business is relying on them more than ever. We see people using their smart phones while traveling to and from work. More and more businesses expect their employees to use smart phones to deal with issues outside the office. The people who refuse to do it will be left b ehind. They won’t be able to cope with the amount of work or meet unrealistic goals of employers. In personal life people are paying more attention to smartphones than to family and friends.Some people consider traditional family dinner an old-fashioned ritual. Today at the dinner table people e-mailing, video chatting, instant massaging, and paying very little attention to conversation with each other. After the meal everyone runes back to their own computer device. A lot of people rely on use of smart phones in business and personal life. Based on this research, smartphones are changing today’s society. They change the way we communicate amongst ourselfes and how we conduct business in the workplace

Learning Outcome Essay

Be able to conduct and record assessments in accordance with internal and external processes and requirements 2.1 Review the assessment requirements and related procedures of learning programmes (AQA. 2012).Assessment is the process by which a learner’s skills and knowledge are reviewed in order to evaluate what they have learnt or in the case of NVQs, how they are performing against the competencies they are required to demonstrate. I see classroom assessment as having four main purposes. The first three include: Diagnostic or needs assessment purpose: To determine what students already know so teachers can decide the topics and approaches to use. Formative purpose for teacher: To assess student knowledge or performance on some key topic or dimension to inform instructional plans. Summative purpose: To judge or evaluate student performance (i.e., give a grade). In addition, research is increasingly clear that the quality of the feedback teachers give students relative to how to improve is an absolutely critical aspect of classroom assessment.(Serve, 2006) This leads to the fourth purpose: Formative purpose for students: To help students develop the skills to reflect critically on their own work. By asking students to assess themselves, teachers encourage students to engage in the type of higher-order thinking necessary for life today. The aim of assessment therefore is primarily to educate and improve student performance, not merely audit it. Assessment will ensure that learners are fairly, accurately and regularly assessed in a consistent manner, provide diagnostic information that assists both staff and learners/ candidates to provide, appropriate support to enable achievement of the learning outcomes (initial assessment), allow learners/ candidates to monitor their own progress, enable tutors to review and develop their learning programmes to achieve their intended learning outcomes, provide evidence of progress and achievement to enable accreditation and progression to take place, enable a dialogue between the learners/ candidates and tutor / assessors to ensure progression within the provision (tracking) and provide a measure of the learner’s achievement on qualification based courses (grades). (Barnet College Assessment Policy, Jan 11, 2010) FIG.1 Scheme of Assessment It is imperative that internal assessments are conducted by staff that have the appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills, that assessment evidence provided by candidates has been produced and authenticated according to the requirements of the specification and also that the consistency of the internal assessment is secured through internal standardisation as necessary. (www.llantarnamschool.net/). In recent years, assessment of student achievement has been receiving the attention of teachers, parents, researchers and education systems. This attention has highlighted assessment as integral to the teaching and learning process. Current assessment practices need to reflect changes based on new understandings of learning theories, new curricula that are being developed, new knowledge and skills that are necessary for the 21st Century and the accountability requirements of systems and governments. In this respect assessment of student achievement is changing as today’s stude nts face a world that demands new knowledge, skills and behaviours that have not yet been defined (Segers et al 2003). Students, in this fast and ever changing context, need not only develop deep understandings of disciplines but also develop the ability to analyse, synthesise and make inferences as well as think critically and problem solve. Assisting students to develop these knowledge, skills and behaviours and become life-long learners requires changes in the assessment processes at the school and classroom level. Assessment may be initial, formative or summative. (Hampshire Learning Policy and Procedures for Assessment and Internal Verification, Nov, 2012) As a history teacher I use different types of assessments to assess whether teaching has taken place in my lessons. When teachers’ classroom assessments become an integral part of the instructional process and a central tenet in their efforts to help students learn, the benefits of assessment for both students and teachers will be boundless. The purpose of these assessments is to ascertain the student’s levels of understanding and see if there is any room for improvement and whether there are any weaknesses so as to be able to correct them. My focus is to improve my assessments to make them motivating and to enhance student learning. Assessment challenges that have been identified are as follows: Figuring out what really is important  for students to know and be able to do in history. Teaching the skills of â€Å"doing history† in a world of testing that often seems to value only factual knowledge. Identifying and using assessments that provide teachers with better information than only multiple-choice exams. Getting students motivated to do a good job on essays and other written work. Helping students learn to improve their own work and produce quality products. Holding students accountable for quality work, as opposed to them just turning in something. The assessments have to be conducted and recorded in accordance with internal and external processes and requirements. I use these assessments to evaluate my practice and to identify any opportunities for improvement. FIG. 2 Assessment objectives Good assessments should follow these basic principles or the acronym AVRFI. Authenticity: All assessment activity must have in place processes to ensure that the achievement is the learner’s/ candidate’s own work. Learners/ candidates must sign a statement to this effect. Awarding Bodies boards have their own rules and regulations about authenticity and tutors/ assessors must make themselves familiar with them and abide by them. Validity: The method of assessment and the evidence provided must be appropriate and capable of demonstrating the achievement of learning outcomes/ competencies and related assessment criteria of the provision at the appropriate level. Reliability and consistency: The assessment results should be standardised across levels and provision. Moderation and standardisation must follow the College and Awarding Bodies board procedures. Fitness for purpose: Assessment must be fit for the learners/ candidates and the learning. The assessment strategy must be clearly appropriate for the target group of learners/ candidates in the correct context in which they are learning e.g. homework must be supportive, or initial diagnostic must not be intimidating. The criteria and methods which are being used to judge the work must be clear to the learner, staff and internal and external moderators /verifiers and meet and exceed the requirements of QCA/QAA, the awarding bodies and our learner/ candidate charter. Inclusiveness: Assessment should be based on learners’/ candidates’ needs. It must allow all learners/ candidates to demonstrate their achievements regardless of individual circumstances. Students, in this fast and ever changing context, need not only develop deep understandings of disciplines but also develop the ability to analyse, synthesise and make inferences as well as think critically and problem solve. Assisting students to develop these knowledge, skills and behaviours and become life-long learners requires changes in the assessment processes at the school and classroom level. Current learning theories attempt to capture all the parameters of human learning and provide information on how people learn. Common threads through learning theories indicate directions that have important implications for the educative process. (www.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk/ ) My assessments are divided into three distinct classes, which are: initial/diagnostic, formative and summative assessments. Initial/diagnostic Assessments: This is a crucial part of the learning process that provides the information needed to decide a learner’s starting point. These assessments take place prior to the course commencement and it helps teachers to know and recognize about learners needs or aspects. Practically it helps me to identify the learners prior knowledge, such as learner needs or difficulties for which I may plan an additional support for them (Reece, I. and Charlton, M. 2007). This can also help me to check if they have any evidence based recognition of prior learning (RPL). Initial assessments can assist me check their literacy, numeracy and ICT levels and are considered to evaluate student skills, knowledge, strength and areas for developments. Formative Assessments: These are on-going assessments that take place throughout the course process. Formative assessment is focused on improving student motivation and learning with the goal of producing higher–quality work or thinking. There are two different audiences for formative assessment. One audience is the teacher. That is many teachers might check student understanding by asking questions or by observing students as they discuss a topic in small groups. These teachers are informally collecting data that will help them determine what needs to happen next in instruction. So the teacher is therefore the data user. The second audience for formative assessment is the student. Students need to know what will move their essay answer on a particular question from a C to an A. They need to know what it means to read content deeply for understanding and how their strategies for studying content can be improved. Research shows that providing students with effective feedback can increase  student achievement significantly (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). Feedback is most effective when it is timely, occurring within one to two days of the work; when it provides feedback specific to the student’s work; and when it is relative to a criterion or standard. Formative assessment can therefore be said to assess learners’ performance and understanding levels during the course and learning session. In my classes I use different methods to assess my learners. They can be questions and answers (Why, When, How, What), multiple choice questions (A, B, C, D), Practical tests, Assignments, and the final project (Reece, I. and Charlton, M. 2007). These assessments can be set as an internal assessment, for example before I start my lesson, I can do a ten minutes quiz test on my pervious lesson in order to find out and monitor my students learning process (How much they understand), highlight any areas which need further development, and lastly to see if they are able and ready for the last assessment on the course or what’s so called summative assessments. Types of Formative Assessment There is a large range of formative assessment methods available. This includes, Question and Answer in the Lesson This is perhaps the most commonly used method and is almost instinctive for teachers. It gives instant feedback, can be used to develop motivation but is largely ephemeral – that is to say that it is momentary and difficult to record. Short Tests and Quizzes These are either from textbooks or devised by the teacher. These are informal, can be fun and marks can be simply recorded. Used with care they can become part of everyday teaching and learning. Homework Exercises These vary in purpose, design and complexity. ‘Purpose’ is the key word here. Students will make good use of homework if they feel it is useful, for example, preparation of material for a class discussion, seeing how a piece of writing ends, developing a skill, are all appealing tasks. Skills Assessment using Formal Assessment Criteria These may be the foundation for many skills-based courses. This method  requires experience in ‘on the hoof’ assessment and systematic recording. Observation of Performance This is often used in the arts such as music and skill assessment such as team and leadership exercises. It needs expert and experienced assessors. Assignments This term spans a vast range of tasks but an example might be individual research assignments say for a group project. A very useful and increasingly used method, especially in conjunction with homework. May involve library and internet investigations, visits and interviews. However it is difficult to manage and assess. Projects Increasingly used in modern education as it is felt that developing your own learning material/methods gives you an ‘ownership’ of your own learning experience. The assessment methods of the various project components need careful design and clear communication to the students. Written Questions / Exercises with Short, Extended or Multiple-choice Answers Very widely used. Easy to design, mark and assess. Simulations, Business Games Almost guaranteed to produce lively learning sessions. Can teach a number of skills imaginatively and effectively. The better ones contain useful directions to possible methods of assessment. May well be time-consuming. Conferencing / Reviews / Audit This involves sitting down with learners and reviewing their written work/homework/progress in general. A very useful and beneficial process for teachers and students. Can be used to introduce care, involvement and motivation into the teacher-learner relationship. Three points to watch when operating it as a method. 1. It can be time consuming as you have to give all students a review session. (If you do not – those who are omitted will feel rejected!) 2. If you do it in class you must ensure that those not involved have something useful to be getting on with. 3. Make notes on student performance immediately after the review, not during it. Summative Assessments: Summative assessment looks at whether a student has achieved the desired learning goals or met standards. In the classroom, summative assessments usually occur at the end of instruction and document what  students have learned. Looking at the grades in a teacher’s grade book should give an idea of what the ke y instructional goals or outcomes were for a grading period. These grades most likely represent summative assessments (tests, quizzes, projects, reports, written assignments etc) that tell the teacher whether the student has mastered the skills or learned the content. A key aspect of summative assessment is determining which level students need to master the content or thinking. Tests that define mastering content at the level of memorizing events, names and facts are less likely to building students’ thinking skills than tests that ask students to write about big conflicts or themes that recur over time. Therefore good summative assessments are useful. The assessment must provide you with useful information about student achievement in the course. The assessment must be tied to the learning goals you have and those learning goals must be important. If you assess unimportant or trivial concepts or just use chapter tests without really looking at the items critically in terms of whether they reflect your teaching, what have you learned a bout what your students know? Valid for your purposes, the assessment must measure what it is supposed to measure. For example, if you ask students to draw a map reflecting the change in U.S. borders from 1789-1820, you will need to ensure that the assessment is scored based on students’ understanding of the concepts not based on their ability to draw. Sometimes, the way the test is presented (e.g., small print with lots of complicated or confusing directions or too many items) can make it a less valid measure of the content being tested. It may be more a measure of student persistence than a measure of their knowledge of the content. As a teacher, taking a test yourself before giving it to your students will help ensure that the items reflect content you actually taught. It will also help you to decide if there are some aspects of the questions or layout that are content irrelevant, representing extraneous hurdles for students that could be simplified. Reliable, reliability has to do with the extent to which the score you give a student on a particular assessment is influenced by unsystem atic factors. These factors are things that can fluctuate from one testing or grading situation to the next or from one student to the next in ways that are unrelated to students’ actual achievement level (e.g., luck in guessing the right answer, lack of time to complete the assessment on a  particular day, teacher bias or inconsistency in scoring of essays across students or from one test to the next). Thinking about how to reduce these factors such that the scores given are likely to be the most accurate reflection of students’ true achievement levels on the task or test should be an on-going process for teachers. Fair. The assessment must give the same chance of success to all students. For example, a large project that is done at home can be biased against low-income students, favouring students whose parents have extra time to help them over those whose parents need to work. In this type of assessment I can participate in forming and marking final examinations, selection type questions (Explanations, Definition and Diagrams), nature type questions (Alternative, Multiple choice, or Compulsory), and dissertation assessments (Reece, I. and Charlton, M. 2007). Whether learning can be called the process of human change and transformation or the acquisition of knowledge and expertise, it â€Å"always entails participation in relationship and community transformation both of the person and of the social world† (Packer & Goicoechea, 2000). Summative Assessment Methods currently in use include: Unseen Examination in controlled conditions (e.g. 3 questions in 3 hours) Seen exam paper in controlled conditions (as above, but you know the question(s) in advance) Open Book or Take-Away exam Multiple Choice Test in controlled conditions (paper-based) In-class test Essay or Report (e.g. on an individual or group project) Portfolio Dissertation Presentation (may be peer-assessed and/or tutor-assessed) Performance (e.g. musical or dramatic) Oral examination (e.g. foreign language speaking skills) Attendance Participation in lectures and/or seminars/online discussion boards, or group work (may be peer-assessed and/or tutor-assessed) Creation of a web page Learning theory emphasises learning with understanding. This means that teaching approaches should emphasise understanding rather than memorisation and teachers should assess for understanding rather than surface knowledge  and recall of facts. Current learning theory emphasises the importance of earning with understanding (Bransford et al, 2000). Bruner (1915-) supports this with his discovery learning theory. This is an inquiry- based, constructivist learning theory that takes place in problem solving situations where the learner draws on his or her past learning experience or and existing knowledge to discover facts and relationships and new truths to be learned. He states that children are better off discovering facts and relationships for themselves. This means that curriculum and teaching approaches should emphasise understanding rather than memorisation, should provide opportunities for in-depth study to allow for firm foundation of knowledge and conceptual development and should enhance student abilities to recognise and use meaningful patterns of information. Assessment processes, then, demonstrate deep understanding of concepts rather than surface knowledge and recall of facts. Learning Outcome 3 Understand expectations in relation to the minimum core in assessing learners in lifelong learning 3.1 Review ways in which minimum core elements can be demonstrated in assessing learners in lifelong learning. Key skills have become established as an integral part of the vocational curriculum. They are also becoming an increasingly important part of many academic programmes. There has been a longstanding concern in this country with the standards of literacy and numeracy of the population. The 1992 DES discussion paper on Curriculum Organization and Classroom Practice in Primary Schools stated that to function effectively in the 21st Century, our children will need higher standards of literacy and numeracy than ever before’ (DES, 1992:11) and led to the introduction of the literacy hour in schools in 1998 and the establishment of the teaching assistant role in an attempt to raise the standards of literacy and numeracy. Functional skills now form a core part of all four of the different qualification routes open to young people such as GCSE/ A Level, Foundation, Diploma and Apprenticeship as well as being a stand-alone qualification in their own right at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2. The minimum core identifies two requirements placed on teachers working within the sector. The first of these requires teachers to recognise the ways in which low levels of  literacy, numeracy and ICT skills might constitute a barrier to the learning of their students. This means that within the teaching of their own particular subject specialism, teachers should be able to support learners in these areas, which then leads to the second requirement that they themselves should possess a minimum level of personal skills in these areas, currently set at level 2. FIG.3 Functional Elements In my practice, I formally and informally assess the learners’ literacy skill by demonstrating the ability to read, write clearly and improve on their vocabulary during the lesson with their self / peer / group work through talking with, listening to and observing them, and after the lesson; through reading and marking learner work, then give a positive feedback as emphasized by Lewis and Wray (2001, P51). For example, during one of the history classes titled important dates with the LO: To be able to read and write big numbers in words. Using Q & A, I listened to each learners as they try to call out the number (1910) written on the smart board, and observe their work as they try to write it down in words (one thousand, nine hundred and ten) in their individual notebooks. I checked their work for the spelling, correct placing the comma, before ticking in front of the sides of each correct work with a red pen to encourage and praise the learners efforts, and commenting positiv ely with well done, good effort feedback (Ellis. 2011). Learners that made mistakes got a dot at the side of the error to help them visualize and adjust their work accordingly. FIG.5: STIRRING LEARNING (2013) Diagnostic assessment for learners as required by the national curriculum can be used to identify and improve their minimum core skills, and knowledge through observation and questioning as they show competency and understanding towards the subject. The proposal for reform in the 14-19 sectors suggest that the teaching and learning of functional skills can be achieved through a number of different approaches ranging from discrete lessons through to fully embedding them within subject delivery. The Excellent Gateway defines embedding as teaching and learning which combines the development of literacy, language and numeracy with vocational and other  skills and suggests that the skills acquired should provide the learners with the confidence, competence and motivation necessary for them to succeed in life, at work and in life. Embedding therefore seeks to integrate the teaching of subject matter and functional skills, taking advantage of naturally occurring circumstances in which the two come together. This type of approach is quiet resource –intensive but it is expected that in the long term functional skills will remain the responsibility of specialists in this area but will be reinforced in the rest of the curriculum in all the other sessions.(DCSF: 2009:6). The issue was felt to be so important that the LLUK suggested in 2007, that all initial teacher training courses must equip all the trainees so that they are able to teach their own learning programmes in ways that take account of the language, literacy, numeracy and ICT needs of their learners. They also added that all the teachers need to be confident in working with colleagues to ensure that the development and needs of language, literacy, numeracy and ICT of their learners are met. The three skills of communication, application of number and information technology are now normally an integral part of all GNVQ qualifications. Teachers have to demonstrate through assessment and verification how they are including th ese skills in their assignments for the course. The Dearing Review of 16-19 qualifications (Dearing, 1996) highlighted the importance of students developing these skills on each of the main routes into the National Qualifications Framework. Accordingly QCA in conjunction with the main awarding bodies has developed key skills units from level one to level three which can be incorporated into different courses. â€Å"Coverage of the minimum core is intended to provide a teacher with the minimum level of skills in language, literacy, numeracy and ICT (LLN & I) that are essential to teachers who work in the lifelong learning sector.† City and Guilds (2008:3) Learners’ particular literacy, language, numeracy and ICT needs can be established through initial assessment, talking to learners, observing them completing activities or using simple self- assessment tests. â€Å"Recognizing and using a variety of different teaching styles is particularly important to support literacy, language and number skills development. Learn ers working towards literacy, language, and numeracy goals will benefit from teaching which work to their strengths. The teaching styles which you adopt will have an impact on the type of language skills  your learners will need to acquire. A didactic approach for example, may require listening and note taking skills predominantly, whereas a more learner – centred approach may require higher level reading skills as learners are asked to interpret information for them. Even when we are trying to adapt to individual learning styles, the variety of activity used will have an impact on the language skills required within a particular programme of study. The language demands placed on learners are a direct result of teacher led mediation of learning.† [Skills for Life Quality Initiative Training Materials] Teachers of all areas of specialism in the lifelong learning sector increasingly work with learners whose literacy, language, numeracy and ICT skills are below Level 2 of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). Learners’ difficulties in these areas can be a barrier to achievement of their goals. Teachers and trainee teachers will have high levels of skill in their own area of specialism. They are not expected to be specialist teachers of literacy, language, numeracy or ICT. However, there will be many naturally occurring activities for developing these skills within all areas of learning. The minimum core provides a foundation upon which all teachers can develop their own skills as well as their ability to identify when it is appropriate to work with subject specialists. (Minimum Core of Teachers’ Knowledge, Understanding and Personal Skills Pg. 3, LLUK 2007, updated LSIS 2013). Therefore they also need the knowledge and skills to identify opportunities for their learners to develop the increasingly higher levels of skills in literacy, language, numeracy and ICT required when taking other qualifications and in the workplace. Work done by teachers who specialise in teaching literacy, language, numeracy and ICT forms part of the solution, but there is also much that teachers of other areas of specialism can do to ensure the success of their learners. Functional skills are focused on the practical skills that allow individuals to engage confidently, effectively and independently in life, further learning and work. The intended added value of functional skills was that they equip people to apply English, ICT and mathematics in practical situations, choosing appropriate skills and techniques to solve problems. So functional skills should be integrated into the curriculum and allow learners to apply these skills in real life. The knowledge within the subject has to be linked with the practical skills, helping them to think  creatively. Wilson (2009) In the context of the Skills for Life strategy, embedded teaching and learning combines the development of literacy, language and numeracy with vocational and ot her skills. The skills acquired provide learners with the confidence, competence and motivation necessary for them to progress, gain qualifications and to succeed in life and at work. Individuals at any age who possess these skills will be able to participate and progress in education, training and employment as well as develop and secure the broader range of aptitudes, attitudes and behaviours that will enable them to make a positive contribution to the communities in which they live and work. (National Numeracy, For Everyone for life, 2013) Literacy skills help build the confidence of an individual while reading, writing, speaking and listening. It helps effective communication where information can be passed clearly through either speaking or writing. It helps understand information and act appropriately. It helps to make presentations, write reports, take part in group discussions and analyse ideas and information. It helps present information in a logical sequence, in the correct format usi ng correct grammar. I used the question and answer as well as the brainstorming method to assess the literacy skills of my learners. In groups learners also constructed sentences from jumbled up words, making sure that the sentences were grammatically correct. It is important that learners master literacy skills so they can converse and communicate adequately in a globalised community. I found that some people would struggle in their chosen work as they lack the requisite literacy skills to communicate and be understood. Numeracy skills help to understand various mathematical concepts, and also how to apply them. It helps increase analytical, problem solving and reasoning skills, identify errors and validate results. It helps use numbers and calculations to process data, solve complex problems and helps with logical working, interpretation and comparison of results in various forms like tables, graphs, charts and diagrams. These skills are the cornerstone of an increasingly computerised and scientific world and it is vital that learners are proficient in them. Although my lesson was history I used numeracy skills by asking different dates of major historical events like the start of the Second World War. Learners were able to state how long the conflict took by subtracting the start date from the end. ICT skills help an individual to confidently use  ICT systems for various purposes. Individuals can use ICT to interpret information and can also enhance their learning and improve the quality of their work. They can find information from a variety of sources. It also helps with digital or electronic communication, interpretation, storage and retrieval of information. Learners will also use ICT to look for more information regarding their work on the web, and gain ideas from different sources and also be able to compare, review or evaluate their results or conclusion with the results of the other various sources available, thereby improving their ICT skills. They can also be motivated to use spread sheets to draw tables and graphs, and use word processor to edit the literature. I used an interactive board and a web based presentation to illustrate the use of ICT in my lesson. Most educational research on literature and numeracy development is based on children. Key educational theories tied to child development provide a useful starting point for a description and contrast with some of the available models of adult learning that can be drawn on by vocational and academic tutors. ( Hickely, J. 2013 ) I am going to reflect on the strategies that can be used to support learners as they develop their literacy skills within an embedded setting. I am also going to use this opportunity to reflect upon the rationale for embedding functional literacy skills into vocational and academic settings. There are a number of theories relating to how language is acquired but in general terms it is accepted that language development is innate but must be developed through exposure to language. In effect this means that language is developed through nature and nurture. Behaviourist learning was made popular by Skinner, (1973) and is based on what can be seen and described. He suggested that children acquire language skills through imitation and reinforcement through positive reinforcement by those around them. The main basis for this belief is that children who do not hear language spoken do not speak and that children who are exposed to language acquire language skills gradually. In this instance it is therefore important for the learners to be totally immersed in language skills as they learn. This will help them master literacy skills as they learn other subjects. Learning Outcome 4 Be able to evaluate own assessment practice Review the effectiveness of own assessment practice, taking account of the views of learners As well as assessing the learners, self-evaluation is a mark of professionalism in teaching. Hounsell (2009:20) calls it â€Å"an integral part of good professional practice†. Self- assessment involves learners taking responsibility for monitoring and making judgements about their own learning. This is a process that does always not come easily to all learners as they do not always value or trust their own judgements, or have the necessary skills to make a judgement. As a result self-assessment often requires a strong structure in the initial stages until learners or teachers feel more comfortable with it as a process and have acquired the skills required to make it a worthwhile activity. Just as many of us, consciously or unconsciously, tend to use those teaching strategies we experienced as learners, so our own experience of being assessed plays a key role in the development of our r epertoire as a teacher. (Armitage et al, 2003:154) The nature and impact of assessment depends on the uses to which the results of that assessment are put. A system whose main priority is to generate information for internal use by teachers on the next steps in pupils’ learning may have different characteristics and effects from one where the drive is to produce a qualification which will provide a grade on which an employer or a university admissions tutor might rely in order to judge the suitability of a candidate for employment or further study. (Mansell et al 2009:5) Novice teachers often have intrinsic motives for evaluation. They want to know whether they are doing well or as expected. They might wish to discover their own strengths and weaknesses and compare their performance with that of experienced colleagues whom they respect Hounsell, (2009:23). However, once the novice has achieved a desired comfort level with the teaching role, continued self-evaluation guards against complacency and enables on-going improvement and freshness, helping to maintain job satisfaction. Assessment and instruction are often conceived as curiously separate in both time and purpose†. The measurement approach to classroom assessment, â€Å"exemplified by standardized tests and teacher-made emulations of those tests,† presents a barrier to the implementation of more constructivist approaches to instruction. (Educational Researcher, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp. 4) The central ideas of social efficiency and scientific management in the curriculum circle were closely linked, respectively, to  hereditarianism theories of individual differences and to associationist and behaviourist learning theories. These psychological theories were, in turn, served by scientific measurement of ability and achievement. For John Franklin Bobbitt, a leader in the social efficiency movement, a primary goal of curriculum design was the elimination of waste (1912), and it was wasteful to teach people things they would never use. Bobbitt’s most telling principle was that each individ ual should be educated â€Å"according to his capabilities.† These views led to a highly differentiated curriculum and a largely utilitarian one that disdained academic subjects for any but college preparatory students. Alongside these curriculum theories, Edward Thomdike’s (1922) associationism and the behaviourism of Hull (1943), Skinner (1938, 1954) and Gagne (1965) conceived of learning as the accumulation of stimulus-response associations. (Educational Researcher, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp. 5) Thorndike was both the originator of associationist learning theory and the â€Å"father† of â€Å"scientific measurement. The cognitive revolution reintroduced the concept of mind. In contrast to past, mechanistic theories of knowledge acquisition, we now understand that learning is an active process of mental construction and sense making. From cognitive theory we have also learned that existing knowledge structures and beliefs work to enable or impede new learning, that intelligent thought involves self-monitoring and awareness about when and how to use skills, and that â€Å"expertise† develops in a field of study as a principled and coherent way of thinking and representing problems, not just as an accumulation of information. (Educational Researcher, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp. 5) In my experience I have found out that the data you collect for yourself can be formative and forward looking, whereas other available feedback data tends to be more summative and backward looking. Extrinsic motivations for evaluation cannot be ignored. There may be requirements connected with your formal status as to probation and ‘tenure’, monitoring by external bodies such as the Quality Assurance Agency, and you may wish to seek personal recognition of your teaching expertise through schemes such as that of the Higher Education Academy. In the context of my own teaching practice I would begin initial assessment within the classroom using an ice breaker. This not only allows the group to get to know each other, but also identifies participants existing knowledge or skills and gives further  indications of preferred learning styles and tendencies. Based on the key questions within the CIF (The Common Inspection Framework used by Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) as the basis for inspecting post-16 education and training focuses on the learner and learning. is : How well do learners learn, progress and ultimately achieve ?(Jones 2005:20) Alternatively other forms of assessment such as questions and answers or a quiz could be used. This gives a good starting point for work on students Individual Learning Plan (ILP) which will constantly evolve with the use of feedback and communication between student and tutor giving a clear picture of progress a and revised goals. I would endeavour to use all of the above assessment activities particularly focusing on those that provide an active learning experience, where learning is more enjoyable, better understood and recalled more effectively, teaching by doing. All activities would be supported by hand outs given at the start of the session. Assessment makes teaching effective teaching. Mere presentation, without assessment of what the learners have made of what you have offered them—is not teaching. So assessment is not a discrete process, but integral to every stage of teaching. So, that at the end, learning is believed, with evidence to have taken place (Jones 2005) In conclusion recording provides the platform from which teachers can base their reporting to others and is a mechanism for evaluating learning and teaching. A succinct account of teaching and learning aims as in a scheme of work. This usually follows the curriculum and is a brief indication of the teaching methods REFERENCES (1) Wilson 2009, Synthesising Affect and Cognition in Teaching and Learning, Social Psychology of Education: an International Journal 12 (2) (2) Shepard, L.A, The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture, Educational Researcher, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp. 4-14 (3) Segers et al 2003, the role of scaffolding and motivation in CSCL, Computers & Education, November 2012 (4) Reece, I. Walker, S. 2007, Teaching, Training and Learning: A Practical Guide, 6th Edition. Sunderland Business Education Publishers Ltd (5) National Numeracy, For Everyone for life, 2013 (6) Edward-Gray, D, Griffin, C, Nasta, T. 2000, Training to Teach in Further and Adult Education, Nelson Thornes. (7) Burhuss Fredrick, Skinner, 1976, About Behaviorism, Vintage Books Edition (8) Julia Hickely, 2013, Literacy for QTLS: Achieving the Minimum Core, Routledge (9) Bransford et al 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition, Brain matter (10) Packer & Goicoechea, 2000, Sociocultural and Constructivist Theories of Learn.pdf (11) Hounsell, D. Enhancing Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, NU2010, Dialog for Là ¤rande, University of Stockholm, 13-15 October 2010 (12) Barnet College, Assessment Policy, www.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk/ (13) Inclusive learning approaches for literacy, language, numeracy and ICT, Companion guide to the minimum core, November 2007 (14) Minimum core of teachers’ knowledge, understanding and personal skills, LLUK 2007, updated LSIS 2013 (15) Hampshire Learning Policy and Procedures for Assessment and Internal Verification, 2012 (16) Bruner, J.S. On Knowing: Essays for the left hand. Cambridge, Mass: Havard University Press, 1967 (17) www.llantarnamschool.net/ (18) Armitage, A. et al ,2003, Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education, 2nd Edition, OUP (19) Gould, J and Roffe-Barentsen, J. 2014. Achieving your Diploma in Education and Training, SAGE (20) Mansell et al., 2009, Nfer, Evidence for Excellence in Education, and Assessment Reform Group. Assessment in Schools: Fit for Purpose? A Commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. London: Teaching and Learning Research Programme [online]. Available: www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/assessment.pdf[18 September 2014]. (21) Jones C. A. (Dr) 2005: 13-25), Assessment for learning, Published by the Learning and Skills Development Agency. www.LSDA.org.uk (22) AQA. 2012:23. GCSE Specification, Mathematics For exams June 2014 onwards for certification June 2014 onwards, A (3 units, terminally assessed) 4 3 6 0 (23) Barnett. C. A 2012 How to create assessment opportunities that meet the need of learner H34. Cited in SCCD Hand Notes: 2012 Developing Differentiation and Lesson Panning skills. ‘‘Teaching and Learning Styles – Lesson Plans† (24) Coffield, F, Moseley, D.,Hall, E., & Ecclest Celestine 2004). Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning: A systematic and critical review. (25) Ellis, V. (2011: 1-34), Learning and Teaching in Secondary Schools, 4th Edition.115. (26) Gravels, A (2012:96-112). (2nd Edn) Passing PTLLS Assessments Chapter 10, 11, 12 Sage Publications, UK. BIBLIOGRAPH 1) Bagnall, G. et al (2004) the effectiveness of self-assessment on the identification of learner needs, learner activity, and impact on clinical practice. 2) Biggs J. Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: Open University Press, 1999 3) Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc. 4) Brown, S., Rust, C., Gibbs, G. (1994) Strategies for Diversifying Assessment Oxford Centre for Staff Development, UK 5) Hatfield, Susan. (1992) Department Level Assessment: Promoting Continuous Improvement 6) Nightingale, P., Te Wiata, I.T., Toohey, S., Ryan, G., Hughes, C., Magin, D. (1996) Assessing Learning in Universities Professional Development Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia. 7) Shepherd, Lorrie, (2000) the Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture, Educational Researcher, Vol. 29, No. 7, (Oct., 2000), American Educational Research Association Educational Researcher, Vol. 29, No. 7 8) Tummons J, (2007) Becoming a Professional Tutor in the Lifelong Learning Sector Learning Matters, Exeter. 9) University of Hull, (2014), The UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education.pdf WEBSITES Assessment, Recording & Reporting for Learning http://www.charterhousesquareschool.co.uk/assessment-recording-reportingfor learning.html ASSESSMENT, RECORDING AND REPORTING POLICY (2012) http://www.qehbristol.co.uk/media/PDFs/Policies/assessment%20policy %20juniors%20-%20dec%202012.pdf Assessing learners in lifelong learning – http://qualifications.vtct.org.uk/ unit pdf/UV40815.pdf Difference between Assessment and Evaluation? – http://Uk.ask.com/ question/difference-between-assessment-and-evaluation Engage in assessment; Different ways to assess your students http://www.reading.ac.uk/engageinassessment/different-ways-toassess/ Formative Teaching Methods – http://geoffpetty.com/wp-content uploads/2012/12/FormativeTeachingMethods2.doc How to create assessment opportunities that meet the need of learner H3 – http://charlottepttls.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/how-to-createassessment- opportunities. htmlScheme of Assessment – http:// filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-4365-W-SP-14.PDF The Data Protection Act 2003- httl.www.regulatorylaw.co.uk/data protection.html