Portfolio Assessment Essay -- essays papers

Portfolio Assessment Perhaps the most prominent form of alternative assessment in use today is the student portfolio. A portfolio can be described as a â€Å"purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas of the curriculum.† Key elements of the portfolio include evidence of students’ choosing the contents of their own portfolio, specific criteria for the selection and assessment of student work, and clear evidence that the student has reflected on his or her work (Chriest & Maher, n.d.). Portfolios have been proven an effective means of student assessment in many areas of schooling, from preschool all the way through post-graduate work. Portfolio assessment has also been rendered effective in many business settings to determine the value of an employee. The advantages of portfolio assessment are many. Foremost, portfolios, when compared to written testing, provide teachers with a more complete picture of a student’s progress. Portfolios exhibit a student’s ability to problem solve and to reflect on the work that he has done. They also give students the opportunity to tangibly track their progress in a class. When implemented, portfolios can also encourage a school system to work towards a more â€Å"collaborative evaluation environment† (Curry, 2000). This indicates that the portfolios are not only tools for teachers to assess a student’s progress, but also for administrators to monitor a teacher’s classroom management. Disadvantages of portfolio assessment also exist: in many studies, â€Å"students found that keeping a portfolio contributed little to their self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses and, in some cases, that it even reinforced weakn... ...sment/alt_assessment.html This webpage lists other websites useful in alternative assessment. Resources are grouped by online location and subject. UniServe Science. (2004). Alternative strategies for science teaching and assessment. Retrieved March 7, 2004 from http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/support/strategy.html This is an excellent resource that lists and explains not only creative alternatives to written testing but also ways to reach every student with every style of learning. Strategies outlined include virtual field trips, collaborative work, and debates. Worcester, T. (n.d.). Electronic portfolios. Retrieved April 14, 2004 from http://www.essdack.org/port/index.html This site contains information on electronic portfolios. Specifically, it includes reasons for considering, how to create, and assessment of electronic portfolios.

Anatomy Case paper Essay

You are a first-year RN student and you volunteered to work for San Antonio Hospital in the ER Department. Patient John Doe was brought by the ambulance after he collapsed at work. The triage nurse is assessing him for further evaluation by the ER Physician on duty. Based on your study of Anatomy and using your critical thinking skills, you were given the following criteria about Mr. Doe: 1. Personal History: 65 years old, married with two children. 2. Medical History: Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Renal Stones, Anemia, Acne, Prostatic Hyperplasia, Muscular Dystrophy, Hemiplegia, Coronary Artery Disease, G.E.R.D. and ED. The Triage Nurse asked the patient to wait for his turn, until Dr. Johnson examines him. A. Definitions: Diabetes Mellitus: a disorder in which the pancreas no longer produces enough insulin, or cells in the body stop responding to the insulin being produced. This causes high levels of glucose in the blood and cannot be absorbed into the cells in the body. Hypertension: is abnormally high blood pressure, blood pressure is a type of measurement to be able to tell what the force is against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. Renal Stones: a Kidney stone is a solid mass which is made up from crystals that separates from the urine and builds up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. Anemia: is a condition where the body has a deficiency of healthy hemoglobin (red blood cells) to carry adequate oxygen to the tissues in the body. Acne: is an inflammatory skin disease that occurs when the hair follicles becomes inflamed or infected due to clogging of sebaceous glands. Prostatic Hyperplasia: benign enlargement of the prostate gland. Muscular Dystrophy: is a group of inherited disorders that involve muscle weakness and muscle loss gradually decline over a period of time. Hemiplegia: is paralysis of one side of the body. Coronary Artery Disease: condition due to a blockage or narrowing of small blood vessels that supply the blood and oxygen to the heart. Gastroesophagel Reflux Disease (G.E.R.D.): condition due to when the muscle at the end of the esophagus doesn’t close causing the stomach contents (food or gastric acid) that leaks backwards from the stomach into the esophagus. Erectile Dysfunction (E.D.): a sexual dysfunction which is the inability to achieve, or maintain an erection of the penis long enough to engage in satisfactory sexual intercourse. Blood Calcium level: Normal values range from 8.5 to 10.2 mg/dL. Note: gm/dL = grams per deciliter Hemoglobin: Male: 13.8 to 17.2 gm/dL Female: 12.1 to 15.1gm/dL C. Based on your knowledge of the normal values and Mr. Doe’s condition, explain the homeostatic disturbance of each problem that Mr. Doe suffers from. Diabetes Mellitus: Hemostasis in correlation with diabetes is the hemostatic system which is responsible for checking, maintain, and balancing the proper rise and fall of glucose levels in the blood. In Mr. Doe’s body since he had diabetes, his pancreas produces too not enough or no insulin. People with type II diabetes is normally developed later in life and becomes resistant to the effects of insulin overall, but can be reversed and controlled. Hypertension: Homeostatic disturbances that could be responsible for Mr. Doe’s HTN could be a result from some of the medication he is taking. Another factor is his weight, diet, and lack of physical exercise. In a normal system the force of blood against the artery walls doesn’t have a negative effect. Therefore, would not cause physical him to have any serious health conditions. However, when a person like Mr. Doe suffers from HTN, the force of the blood against the artery wall thus resulting in heart disease. Renal Stones: In a normal system the calcium levels in the blood are at a safe level, and helps with contracting muscles, releasing hormones making sure that nerves and the brain are functioning properly. In like Mr. Doe who has too high calcium levels in his blood can cause renal stones can begin to develop. Renal stones block the ability of homeostasis to occur. When these calcium deposits get lodged and block urine from being able to exit in order empty out the bladder, thus the body isn’t able to function properly. Anemia: Healthy hemoglobin (red blood cells) are extremely important in a person’s system, because they are rich carriers of oxygen to the tissues in the body. When a person like Mr. Doe loses this ability many negative symptoms can occur in the body. The cause of Mr. Doe’s anemia may be a result from any Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID) he may be on for any number of the other complications he is suffering from. He may also have a vitamin deficiency which would be a factor in low iron levels. Without proper homeostasis it would be easy to understand why a patient like Mr. Doe is experiencing this condition. Acne: In a normal system the hair follicles on different surfaces of the body function properly and do not become clogged. When a person has hair follicles becomes plugged with oil from the sebaceous glands mixed with dead skin cells will result in acne. Homeostasis correlates to the removal of toxins from the body, and causes a disturbance which results inflammation and infections in the skin. Prostatic Hyperplasia: As men age they are more prone to experience enlargement of their prostate glands. Mr. Doe is experiencing this condition which is more common for men his age, due to the homeostatic disturbance in his hormones and cellular growth. Muscular Dystrophy: Muscle fibers in a normally functioning system are extremely touch and resistant to damage and injury. In a person who is suffering from muscular dystrophy these fibers become weaker gradually over time and become more susceptible to damage. This is caused to defective genes that are involved in making proteins that protect the muscle fibers. Disturbance in homeostasis could factor that is responsible for some of these genetic mutations. Hemiplegia: Most people have normal functions with movement on both sides of their body. When someone like Mr. Doe suffers from one side of their body having the same paralysis and limitations of movement. This is most often the leading culprit that is heard about hemiplegia. The homeostatic disturbance in Mr. Doe’s system related to HTN which could also be what is causing his movement disorder. Having a stroke could also be responsible for this condition and may have gone un-detected and untreated because Mr. Doe may not have realized he was having a stroke. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): The coronary arteries (which are the major blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen, blood and nutrients) can become damaged if a high amount of cholesterol is continuously deposited over time. Homeostatic disturbances such as HTN and diabetes are indicators of why Mr. Doe is experiencing this disease. This is turn can cause him to suffer from a heart attack. G.E.R.D.: In a normal functioning system after a person eats a meal the food goes to the stomach to begin the digestion process. The homeostatic disturbance that causes a patient like Mr. Doe to experience a reflux of stomach acid relaxation of muscles in the lower esophageal sphincter and its failure to close and prevent the back flow of food or liquid from returning upwards. E.D.: As most men age and are in Mr. Doe’s age begin to start experiencing issues, or complications with their prostate and the ability to perform sexually. A patient that is younger is able to maintain an erection for a longer period of time and perform a satisfactory sexual intercourse. Not have to worry or be concerned with experiencing this complication. Due to the fact Mr. Doe has an enlarged prostate gland and diabetes could be a leading indicator resulting in some of the homeostatic disturbances that is resulting in him having erectile dysfunction. D. Upon histological examination of mammal pancreas under the microscope, describe the different features of this Specimen. Figure 1 Anatomy of the pancreas Upon histological examination of a normal human pancreas the Aplha cells which produce glucagon, and Beta cells which produce insulin can easily be identified under the microscope. The bulk of the pancreas is an exocrine gland secreting pancreatic fluid into the duodenum after a meal. However, scattered through the pancreas are several hundred thousand clusters of cells called islets of Langerhans. Upon histological exam of a human pancreas with diabetes it is easy to identify the difference in the cells from a healthy pancreas. The reason is due to the fact the Beta cells are either attacked, or rejected the insulin which is causing the insulin production to be affected. The alpha cells are responsible for elevating the glucose levels in the blood which are also being affected due to the diabetes. The following describes the process of insulin in the pancreas: The islets are endocrine tissue containing four types of cells. In order of abundance, they are the: †¢ beta cells, whi ch secrete insulin and amylin

Minorities Leaders

How Do Various Minorities Leaders Differ In Their Leadership Approaches? To me, there are no differences between the leadership approaches of minorities and majorities leaders. The minorities’ leaders also have their own leadership style depending on their traits and circumstances like all other leaders in the world. Leaders perform their roles in a wide multiplicity of styles, such as autocratic, democratic, participatory, laissez-faire (hands off), etc. Frequently the leadership style depends on the state of affairs, together with the life cycle of the association. There are circumstances where the Laissez-Faire leadership style can be successful. The Laissez-Faire technique is generally only suitable when leading a team of greatly aggravated and accomplished people, who have created outstanding performance in the past. Once leader either from minorities or majorities has recognized that one’s team is convinced, competent and provoked, it is frequently most excellent to step back and let them get on with the assignment, since interference can cause bitterness and detract from their success. (Dessler, 2001) By handing over possession, a leader can authorize one’s group to attain their objectives. The autocratic leader controls team-members, using unilateralism to attain a singular goal. This approach to leadership in general results in submissive confrontation from team members and requires persistent force and route from the leader in order to get assignments finished. Commonly, an authoritarian leadership style is not a superior way to get the paramount performance from a group of people. (Bridges, 2000) There are, though, a few illustrations where an autocratic style of leadership may not be unsuitable. Some circumstances may call for imperative action, and in these situations an autocratic style of leadership may be finest. Additionally, most people are proverbial with autocratic leadership and consequently have fewer troubles accepting this style. The democratic leader either from minorities or majorities finalizes decisions by discussing with the team, despite the fact that still sustaining authority on the group. The democratic leader permits his team to make a decision how the assignment will be handled and who will carry out which assignment. In conclusion, there are no differences between the leadership approaches of minorities and majorities leaders, References Bridges, William, and Susan Mitchell Bridges, (Spring 2000), â€Å"Leading Transition: A New Model for Change† Leader to Leader. 16: 30-36. Dessler, Gary. (2001), Management, Leading People and Organizations in the 21st Century, (2nd ed.), New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.      

Henri Fayol vs. Henry Mintzberg

Henri Fayol vs. Henry Mintzberg. Functions vs. roles Henri Fayol and Henry Mintzberg are â€Å"two sides of the one coin†. Each man has his own opinion on what the manager does. Fayol has his â€Å"five functions† and Mintzberg has his â€Å"roles of management†. In this essay I will discuss both men’s opinions and try to come to a conclusion on which I think is better. Henri Fayol, a French management theorist and managing director of a French mining company, came up with the five functions of management. These functions serve the purpose of predicting the future of the environment and planning a relevant business strategy, developing a social and technical structure to the organisation, managing the activities of the staff, integrating plans and activities across the organisation and ensuring conformity with the plan via authority and feedback mechanisms to correct inappropriate activity. Planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. These five functions have been around since Fayol came up with them back in 1916 and have dominated management vocabulary since then. These functions would seem to cover all the criteria needed for a manager to do his job but Henry Mintzberg has a different opinion. Henry Mintzberg is an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management with over 140 articles and thirteen books written. He came up with the roles of management, which he believes cover most of the things a manager will encounter in their job. These roles are split into 3 interpersonal roles, 3 informational roles and 4 decision making roles. The 3 interpersonal roles are; the figurehead which helps reinforce what the company stands for and reinforces the organisational culture, the leader who provide their employees with a sense of mission and the liaison who mixes with others outside the business to represent the needs of their group. The 3 informational roles are; the monitor who collects information form within the group and finds out what is going on in the business, the disseminator who shares the information with others who would not find out the information and the spokesperson who represents the views of the group in the wider environment. The 4 decision making roles are; the entrepreneur who make decisions to improve the contribution of their subordinates to the performance of the business, the disturbance handler who deals with any problems that might occur within the group, the resource allocator who allocates resources throughout their subordinates and the negotiator who negotiates to secure contracts, budgets etc. Henry Mintzberg believes that the five functions of management do not really tell us much about what a manager actually does but at best paint a vague picture of what objectives managers have when they work. He has come up with the idea that there are 4 myths relating to the role of the manager which if looked at closely do not support Fayol’s functions. The first of these myths is that â€Å"a manager is a reflective, systematic planner† when studies show that most managers work at a fast and unrelenting pace, that their activities are often brief and varied and that they dislike reflective activities but are more action orientated. The second of these myths is â€Å"the effective manager has no regular duties to perform†. Evidence shows that managers do infact perform a number of regular duties like rituals and ceremonies as well as negotiations and processing information with links between the organisation and its environments. The third myth is â€Å"The senior manager needs aggregated information, which a formal management information system provides†. The fact in this case is that managers prefer to get their information through telephone calls or meetings. The fourth and final myth is â€Å"Management is, or at least is quickly becoming a science and a profession†. The fact behind this myth is that the manager programs to schedule time, process information, make decisions and so stay in their own head and deal with things in their own way. The first of the four myths is probably the one that conflicts most with Fayol’s functions and shows that although there is some degree to a managers job, they prefer to work fast and would rather take action to try and resolve a problem rather than waste time thinking on different ways to overcome it. In my opinion, I would be more inclined to agree with Mintzberg and his roles of management over Fayol’s functions. This is because the roles of management have a lot more scope and would allow a manager more ways to deal with a wider variety of situations. They also cover the roles that I have seen managers in my working environment undertake such as the Liaison, the Negotiator, the Disturbance handler etc. In conclusion, although the five functions are a good way to look at the role of a manager I think that Mintzberg, having done all the studies on managers and actually seeing what they do in their day to day workings has given him a better idea of what the job of the manager actually entails. Fayol’s views look good when you see and hear them but in reality, is management as straight forward as the five steps that he has set out? I don’t think that he has looked at all the areas and all the things that could go wrong in jobs. In reality, I think Fayol’s functions are more like the ways we would like the job of the manager to be whereas Mintzberg’s roles have given us the way a managers job actually is and covers most of the things that a manager would encounter in the running of a business. By Alan Young References DR R DONNELLY , â€Å"the role of the manager†, heriot-watt university. HENRY MINTZBERG, July-august 1975â€Å"the manager’s job: Folklore and fact† Harvard business review.

The Conflict Of A Cut Above And Angel Case Study - 6

The Conflict Of A Cut Above And Angel - Case Study Example This is the â€Å"story† of the case’s progress in the courts, from the time the plaintiff filed its complaint in court, to the appeal to the court that made the final decision in the case. The procedural history of this case is the following. On July 8, 2008, Angel and Cut Above entered into a contract for the sale and purchase of a specialized crane. Pursuant to the contract Cut Above is to pay Angel $100,000.00 for the manufacture of a crane with special hydraulics that will assist Cut Above in constructing its client’s addition over the water, as the hospital is located on a Pensacola inlet, and the rehabilitation center is to be housed in the new addition. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Cut Above paid Angel a deposit of $50,000.00 with the remainder to be paid to Angel upon delivery of the crane, per specifications, on January 15, 2010. January 15, 2010, came and went and the crane did not arrive. The failure of the crane to arrive set the project back initially by one week. Following a conversation with Angel’s executive Cut Above’s understanding from the executive was that the crane would not be completed until January 31, 2010, at which time it was to be shipped via truck FOB the construction site. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨There is a provision in Cut Above’s contract with its client, Pensacola Memorial Hospital, that the project was to be completed by March 30, 2010, and that every day the project was delayed past that time, Cut Above would be assessed $500.00 per day, said assessment is deducted from the hospital’s final payment. Cut Above was charged $3,500.00 for a 7-day delay. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Based on the foregoing Cut Above rented a crane to complete as much of the project as possible until the specialized crane arrived from Angel. The crane arrived on February 4, 2010, and Cut Above accepted delivery of the crane but withheld from its final payment to Angel its cost of renting another crane, as well as anticipated delay costs on the project.

Weighted Avarage Cost of Capital Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Weighted Avarage Cost of Capital - Research Paper Example In other words, WACC also indicates about the minimum required return on the total project outlay. The cost of equity is directly proportional to its return. That means higher the return on equity; the greater will be the cost of equity. In other words, higher return will increase the weighted average cost of capital. The calculation of WACC often helps to determine the economic feasibility while undertaking any mergers of the two different entities or expanding existing business activities. WACC is the actual cost that takes into account both equity and debt based on their actual proportion involved and that is why it is the most appropriate rate while doing capital budgeting exercise. When an organization raises any long-term capital, the WACC cost will get altered as per the new proportion of equity and debt. Initial public offering is made to raise the capital (equity) required for the project. When the promoter of the project is unable to finance the project fully through their own resources, they go to public and issue part equity and thereby raise the capital required for the project. Thus, depending upon the confidence levels shown by the public in the promoter and their project, the required amount in the form of the equity can be raised. This additional capital raised from the public completes the minimum requirement of the equity as proposed by the institutions. Usually, the financial institutions appraise the project and provide the necessary debt necessary to meet the entire financial needs of the project. Each time, when funds are needed for expansionary purposes, the financial needs are met through equity and debt components derived in an appropriate proportion. Mergers and acquisitions are done to take advantage of synergy in the operations. In mergers, two organizations merge and form a single organization. Shareholders of the

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Education - Essay Example therefore carry out effective changes that will ensure that the education system in the country is commensurate to the improving lifestyle in the country† (Jeff 02). This way, the two reports raise myriad factors that shape the nature of education and the trends in the rising demand. Additionally, they analyze some of the education acts formulated by past regimes in the country with the effects of such policies. The increase in the population of the country coupled with the improving economy has consequently resulted in an improving lifestyle for the citizenry thereby instigating a change in the demand for educational services in the country. Such trend implies that schools, colleges and universities in the country must carry out extensive changes in their structures in order to accommodate the increasing demand for the services in the country. On the need for general education introduces an important concept in the sector as it seeks to investigate the essence of general education in the country. The economic and technological state of the society currently requires a particular degree of enlighten for the populace to survive. This refers to a type of education that every individual in the country requires in order to survive in the American society. As a basic education, the article analyses features of the demand thereby information the formation and management of such education. Just as the name suggests, general education targets the population indiscriminate of their backgrounds. Such are basic education possibly up to the high school level. At such levels, the learners obtain adequate interpersonal and communication skills that can enable them make a living in the society. However, just as the name suggests the demand is likely to be high for such education in the country owing to the rising population. The government must therefore consider intricate features of the education in order to ensure that the quality of the education is not only attainable