Personal Barriers to Online Learning Essay Example for Free

Personal Barriers to Online Learning Essay Online learning or e-Learning refers to application of electronic technology for the delivery of instructional content or knowledge domains. Beamish et al. (2002), defines e-Learning as: â€Å". . . a wide set of applications and processes allied to training and learning that includes computer-based learning, online learning, virtual classrooms and digital collaboration. These services can be delivered by a variety of electronic media, including the intranet, internet, interactive TV and satellite. † In spite of the great flexibility and varied range of tools that e-Learning can provide to imparting education, implementing any e-Learning system can be a complicated and complex endeavour and online learning can be a very frustrating experience for the student as well as the teacher. A number of personal barriers affect students and teachers alike in any online learning system. Personal Barriers of Students The technology available with students determines the nature of the course content to a large extent. Students may simply not have the required bandwidth to access high-end multimedia content. The course designer has to tailor the contents to suit the technology availability of the students. This is especially true of e-Learning courses catering to international community scattered all over the world. In such cases severe constraints may have to be imposed on the utilization of technology resources available at the end of the imparting institution. The design would then have to optimized for dial-up users with at the most 800600 pixel monitor screen resolutions. In fact, many universities take special care to ensure prior to registration that their respective e-Learning course content is accessible to the students. â€Å"Technical infrastructure deficiencies on the student side can impede course activities, especially in an online distance-learning environment. † (Arabasz, 2003, pp. 42) The proficiency level of the student in using ICT tools would enhance or undermine his e-Learning experience to a great extent. In the international context it would be unwise to expect uniform familiarity with ICT usage. A student, previously not exposed to ICT, will therefore not only have to handle the course requirements, but will also have to acquire the requisite skills in ICT to pursue the course effectively. From the learner perspective, literacy and IT skills and aptitude for self-direction, being confident and motivated to participate in online learning have also been identified as potential barriers to effective online learning (Australian Institute for Social Research, 2006, pp. 15). The factor that students have to study in isolation in an e-Learning system has triggered off many debates. Many perceive this isolation as a crippling obstacle to the development of e-Learning systems for higher education. Brouner and Flowers (1997) even suggested that the lack of human interactions in the incorporation of technology into higher education would have to be effectively made up by increased human contact. The e-Learning environment lacks the discipline and time regulations imposed on students in conventional education. This requires students to be more motivated, better time managers and more attentive during e-Learning sessions. The lack of the proximity and personal touch of the instructor as in a traditional classroom can create a communication chasm that both the instructor and the student may find difficult to surmount. In a situation where eye contact and proximity are limited, students cannot be disciplined nor affirmed by eye contact and body language (McKnight, 2000). Time is another constraint that affects online learning negatively. Whilst education has now extended geographically it has limited students with time restrictions (Jones et. al. , 2004, pp. 14). Trials and Tribulations for the Faculty Time is perhaps the biggest investment that the instructor has to make. The amount of time required to develop and maintain an e-Learning course is usually not anticipated by the people involved. The instructor has to spend a lot of time on restructuring and reengineering the course for e-Learning delivery. A complete over hauling is required. Instructors also need to give time for technical and pedagogical training as instructions in e-Learning differ radically from conventional approaches. Last but not the least, the instructor has to spend considerable time corresponding or communicating with students. A very important aspect of e-Learning is the views or approach of the instructor. The instructor could be trying to make the e-Learning experience as good and fruitful as the conventional classroom’s. It is a case of trying to replicate the conventional classroom in e-Learning. The second approach could be the instructor’s effort to improve the instructions through the medium of e-Learning. The instructor will have to decide on which approach to adopt, a decision that could profoundly influence the very character and quality of the e-Learning content. Technical issues can hamper an instructor’s efficiency or performance. The instructor is often not familiar with the technologies that are utilized. Development in multimedia would require knowledge of Flash, Shockwave and similar tools. It is difficult to find persons skilled in both the application technology and the field of education. The problem of technology extends to the teacher who may not be proficient in the software. The dependency on technology also tends to undermine the faculty’s confidence at times. â€Å"Are things going to work when I’m in the classroom? Will the Internet be up? Do I need to bring back-up materials on a disk? Will the last instructor have left things in good shape? These [issues] may be more basic than you’d expect, but dependability is still a major issue. † (Arabasz, 2003, pp. 41) Online Learning therefore requires very careful planning and implementation in order to achieve success.

Understanding tourism behavior

Understanding tourism behavior Introduction Understanding tourism behavior involves knowledge of factors that are by no means obvious because the influences that shape tourism tastes and activities are often so deeply embedded in the individuals personal and cultural biography that the subject is unaware of how they were formed. (Seaton, 1996) This statement sets part of scene of this study and it was a starting point for the final topic to be shaped. Tourism behaviour has been studied thoroughly and many conclusions have been reached regarding the main factors that have an impact on tourists decision-making. Decision-making about destinations is a quite risk process because of the fact that in this kind of purchase the buyers (potential tourists) cannot see the product before they purchase it. According to most consumer behaviour books, consumer behaviour is a function of two basic factors: a.) Social influences, b.) Personal traits. Social influences include culture and subculture, social class, reference groups and influentials, role and family influence, while personal traits involve personality, learning, motivation, perception and attitudes. Since, as mentioned above, the tourism products are intangible and cannot be observed from the potential tourist before they purchase them, prior communication offers them the information that they need and creates images, according to which they take decisions. More specifically, regarding the information in the tourism decision-making, as Seaton (1996) suggests they can be divided into four main categories: a.) Commercially provided information, b.) Non-commercially provided information, c.) Personally provided information, d.) Impersonally provided (media) sources. The last category involves travel programmes, newspaper travel pages, guide books e.t.c. However, thorough personal research and study in all these categories of influences showed that the impact of television on tourism decision-making has actually not been significantly studied before. Given the importance that the media have in our lives, their power and the fact that nowadays all people have access to them, and specially with television, it was quite impressive to observe that the study of this influence is very narrow. Thus the rationale of the narrow focus on the television was that it would be of some value to research the influence of television travel and tourism programmes about destinations on tourists decision-making about destinations. With these in mind, the aim and objectives of the research are: Aim: To evaluate the influence of television travel programmes on potential tourists on choosing a tourism destination. Objectives: To measure if and how much is the influence of travel programmes about decisions on tourist destinations on consumer To check if travel programmes are perceived as an informative tool or just entertainment To analyse the way that consumers perceive what they are seeing on these travelling programmes. According to Malhotra and Birks (2006) the formulation of the marketing objectives can encompass two areas: organizational objectives and personal objectives of the decision-maker. For a research project be successful, it must serve the objectives of the organization and of the decision-maker. With these objectives it will be possible to understand if the Television tourism programmes really exerts influence on the consumers in this market. The long-term purpose is to advance knowledge, to expose more questions that could probably be answered in the future and to recognize concerns about certain things which could be further resolved or tested by more work in the future regarding this field. There are many influences from several different sources in the environment that have an impact on the tourists decisions about holiday. However, research seems to be inconclusive regarding the medium that is most successful at persuading an audience towards a potential tourism destination. Consumers can be affected through several influences of the environment, such as interpersonal conversations with friends and family, advertisements, television, press, brochures and internet. On the same topic area a very interesting research has been made that compares the effects of advertising to publicity for marketing a tourism destination. This was a very important research as well because of the inconclusive results reported by previous comparison studies of advertising and publicity in the general marketplace. This research indicated that publicity is an important element in the marketing mix and that publicity messages have greater credibility than advertising and it suggests that publicity could be more effective than advertising for promoting tourism destinations. Of all information sources mentioned, non-mediated one-on-one personal information sharing is often cited as the most persuasive (Kotler, 1993). This category involves word of mouth conversations among friends and relatives. However it is very hard for marketers to influence this kind of personal information sources as they cannot get involved in this kind of interpersonal relation. Consequently, they have to focus their efforts on other communication tools in order them to persuade potential customers to try a product, in this case a destination. Thus, tourism organizations often rely on publicity as a communication device in order to approach an audience. However, it is still unclear if this device is effective at persuading potential tourists to visit a specific destination, what their attitude is towards destination travel programmes and what their perception is when it comes to these programmes. Despite the fact that many national tourist boards in their annual reports record the number of media in which they have achieved exposure, the amount of exposure in television is inefficient indicator of success and further research and analysis is necessary to determinate the impact of the television travel programmes on the potential tourists. But even thus television has a huge audience do viewers really view television, or do they use it as background noise or a babysitter for their children? Do they scan it occasionally, or instead use it for security when no one is at home? (Kaufman and Lane 1994) There is no concrete proves if even with all the exposition the television, and more specifically the travel programmes, plays an important role on the decision- making on potential tourists when they are deciding a destination. The advertisings and the television programmes can be perceived as just a merely entertainment and not as a really informative tool. This research attempts to evaluate the perceptions and attitudes of tourists towards travel programmes about destinations contained in the British television and what the effects of these programmes are when it comes to destination decision-making, message acceptance and message response. The most important variables that are studied in this research are message strength, attitude toward the destination, perception towards destination travelling programmes, credibility and reliability, and purchase intent.

The History Of Digital Television Media Essay

The History Of Digital Television Media Essay Television is a means of communication that can be used for dissemination of information, entertainment ,education and marketing of products. There are several types of TV that include; cable TV, Satellite TV and regular TV The electromechanical TV was developed in the last decade of the 20th century Television was invented in the 1870s but it didnt catch on until the electronic television was introduced in the early 20th century. .A large population adopted the television only after the second-world war. In 1945, only nine commercial TV stations broadcasted but they increased to 48 by 1949 and 515 in 1960 (Fischer, 2004). It is not quite vivid as to who invented TV but Edwin Belin, on August 22nd, 1922 showed the world how his mechanical scanner that led to the development of television .His machine directed light flashes upon a selenium element that was connected to an electronic wave generator. The sent waves were received on the other end and reconverted to light flashes on a mirror. This marked the beginning of television development. Electronic scanning came up thereafter and involved breaking images into small light points then having it transmitted over radio waves. This marked the beginning of modern development (Fischer, 2004). It is unclear who between Vladimir Kosma Zworykin and Philo Taylor Farnsworth invented modern TV, The former was a Russian-born American serving Westinghouse and an inventor while the latter was a farm boy from the state of Utah. Both claimed credit almost the same time.Zworkin though patented his work but Farnsworth showed a picture of his work. Zworkin patented his work of the electronic scanning tube which called an iconosphere in the year 1923; it was a primitive form of the camera. Farnsworth however was the first to put his work to application He demonstrated his work using a scanning tube he designed in 1927, and successfully portrayed transmission of television signals. He received his patent later in 1930 for his electronic scanning tube. A Scottish engineer and entrepreneur called Logier Baird in 1924 attained the transmission of simple shapes by use of mechanical television. Radio Corporation of America agreed to pay Farnsworth Television. Despite this though the technology of operation has not changed much. The older TVs were made from cathode ray tubes and employed the technology of electrons being propelled towards a fluorescent screen. Signals use in TV transmission The main form of TV transmission used in the 20th century was analogue transmission where analog signals were used in transmission. Analogue television and digital television have many differences. Analog television involves the transmission of TV signals using analogue signals; it is also referred to as over-the-air programming and involves the reception of a signal at the antenna then tapping it from there via cable which is then plugged to your TV. Only one broadcaster can send a signal through the cable at a time. In digital transmission a broadcaster can send multiple signals through the same cable. Digital transmission involves the conversion of image and sound TV signals to digital signals-discrete signals (ones and zero) which is then transmitted and received by the set-top or converter box at the recipient end and converted back to analogue signal. Merits of digital TV There was need to change from analog to digital TV for the following reasons: The switchover to digital transmission led to the freeing up of an essential parts of the important broadcast spectrum that could ensure space for essential and emergency services like the police and the fire department. It also marked a revenue earning opportunity from revenue of leasing out the extra spectrum obtained to companies as those providing services such as wireless broadband. There was also need to improve the quality of images delivered to the viewership hence give a flat platform to the TV companies to improve on their content. There will be more revenue for the government would also rise from the fact that there will be more room for more stations. The transition also became necessary conformation to the 21st century standards especially since European countries had taken up the technology and there was need for the States to rap from the same benefits as the other countries. (Goldstein, 2009 ). Digital broadcasting is much better than analogue transmission. Digital broadcasting ensures high and definite consistent picture and sound quality, this is possible from the fact that digital signals accommodate much more compression than its counterpart ,this allows carry more information hence a better bandwidth use and also clearer images. In as much as digital as well as analogue transmission undergo degradation with distance the quality of images in digital transmission remains superb in comparison to those of analog transmission. So long as you can receive the signal rest assured its a clear one. (Kruger,2002) Digital transmission of television also assures availability of a wider bandwidth unlike analogue transmission that was facing running out of frequency. The television stations therefore have a platform to offer a wider range of programming to its viewers than analogue transmission would allow. This is by means of multi-casting, that is the broadcasting of several programs on a single frequency such as super high definition and multiple standard definitions. Multi-casting gives TV capability of displaying web pages and other capabilities like interactive compact discs. News updates can be run along a show for example. This is unlike analog TV transmission which only accommodates a single channel per frequency. Digital television also provides a greater immunity to noise and external interference like adverse weather conditions unlike analogue transmission that is adversely affected by these interferences with digital television it is possible to run on-screen program guides hence increasing convenience to the viewers since they can check the programs running on other channels without even switching to those channels. Hurdles in digital TV transmission Despite all the merits borne by digital transmission analogue signals provides a better cohesive signal with limited retardation with distance..Alongside this has led to the discarding of the old TV sets this is not in accordance with todays environmental concerns. (Kruger,2002) Digital TV requires a special TV tuner, this of which is not available in the hardware of older TV sets. Analog-only television sets had to be out-done or a set top box otherwise called a converter that carries a digital tuner used. This is however an advantage since digital television equipment manufacturers can seize the opportunity and improve economies and livelihoods of people. . Analog transmission uses analog signals while digital signals are used in digital TV transmission. Analog transmission involves the sending and reception of a continuous signal. This is whereby the amplitude of the signal, its phase and frequency vary in direct proportionality to the variables physical quantity. The there are no breaks in the transmission. The hurdle this transmission faces is degradation of the signal which affects the quality of the image. Digital transmission transmits information in the form of bit streams (discrete data of 1s and 0s). The waveform of a digital signal is a square wave signifying discrete states of HIGHs(1s) and LOWs(0s).The digital signals dont degrade, hence high quality. (Goldstein, 2009). The reception of digital television involves various forms that involve: The use of antennas in what is called Digital terrestrial television which is most widely used but is limits viewers to only a few channels while signal quality is not guaranteed. Other types of reception can be via digital cable or satellite and MMDS-Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service where microwave TV transmission is used. Effecting of the analog-digital switchover The switchover from analogue to digital switched was done in phases since the whole system could not be switched over night hence both were run parallel for purposes of redundancy and to allow viewers time to acquire set top boxes or acquire digital enabled television. High-power television stations completed the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting on 12th June, 2009. After being pushed back several times as the broadcasters and views could not attain FCCs requirements for transition. Despite this a few low-power TV stations still broadcast the analog signal Digital television came to be because of the eminent weaknesses of the analogue transmission and the coming up of positive drive from the political class. This was not the case in the post-war era and the will improved the 1980s.The Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Services met in 1987 to deliberate the way forward to a new and more feasible TV platform so as to advance television. Digital and Analog High definition TV systems were tested and the problem found to be spectrum. If the pictures didnt fit if analog signals used digital signals would have to be used. This is because an analog signal of some specific quality would need a significantly wider bandwidth which evidently not enough space in the spectrum General Instrument Corporation in 1992 showed a high-definition TV system that was all-digital for the system for the committee. The advisory committee together with FCC adopted a policy lying towards digital transmission an year later.IN 1997 a timeframe for implementation of Digital transmission was set.It was required that the Digital TV infrastructure would behave to be set up by May 1,1999.The deadline for public TV stations was set then the deadline for viewers to swap later in 12th June 2009. (Lundstrà ¶m, 2006) Conclusion Digital television arose from the fact that there was need to outdo the old analog transmission for reasons explained above. There was continuously increasing exhaustion of the frequency spectrum for introduction of new channels let alone the interference that arose between the existing channels. Digital transmission was the only option with a solution to this avoiding congestion while upholding the quality and locking out interferences. There was also need to ensure the The transition from Analog to Digital marked the revolutionization of the television industry bring more revenue for our and other governments all over the world. Digital transmission also ensuring high picture and sound quality.It also brought to TV attributes never seen before then. It has taken technology to a higher notch. With digital TV, the TV industry has become better than ever before. Putting all this on the weighing balance eventually analogue TV will come to an end. (Lundstrà ¶m, 2006)

John Steinbeck: A Common Mans Man :: essays research papers fc

John Steinbeck: A Common Man's Man "I never wrote two books alike", once said John Steinbeck (Shaw, 10). That may be true, but I think that he wrote many of his novels and short stories based on many of the same views. He often focused on social problems, like the â€Å" haves† verses the "have nots", and made the reader want to encourage the underdog. Steinbeck's back ground and concern for the common man made him one of the best writers for human rights. John Steinbeck was born in Salians, California and spent most of his life there or around Salians, because of that he often modeled his stories and the characters around the land he loved and the experiences he encountered. He lived in Salians until 1919, when he left for Stanford University, he only enrolled in the courses that pleased him - literature, creative writing and majoring in Marine Biology. He left in 1925, without a degree. Even though he didn't graduate his books showed the results of his five years spent there. His books display a considerable reading of the Greek and Roman historians, and the medieval and Renaissance fabalists and the biological sciences (Shaw 11). He then moved to New York and tried his hand as a construction worker and as a reporter for the American. (Covici , xxxv). Steinbeck then moved back to California and lived with his wife at Pacific Grove. In 1934, he wrote for the San Franciso News, he was assigned to write several articles about the 3,000 migrants flooded in at Kings County. The plight of the migrant workers motivated him to help and document their struggle. The money he earned from the newspaper allowed him to travel to their home and see why their reason for leaving and traveled to California with them, sharing in with their hardships (Steinbeck, 127). Because John Steinbeck was able to travel with the Okies, he was able to accurately portray them and their struggles. Each book that he wrote had settings in the places where he has either lived or wanted to live. He presented the land as it was. The characters in his stories experienced floods, drought, and other natural disasters, while in the Salians Valley (Shaw, 5). What Steinbeck wrote was very factual and in depth. He exhibited his awareness of man and his surroundings, in his early books, before people ate, a pig had to be slaughtered, and often that and before they ate, it had to be cooked. Also when a car broke down, the characters had to find parts, and fixed

All Americans Need Access to Health Care Essay -- ObamaCare Essays

America is known for democracy, freedom, and the American Dream. American citizens have the right to free speech, free press, the right to bear arms, and the right to religious freedom to name a few. The Declaration of Independence states that American citizens have the rights including â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† America promises equality and freedom and the protection of their rights as outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. But with all the rights and freedoms that American citizens enjoy, there is one particular area where the United States seems to be lacking. That area is health care. The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t have some form of legal recognition of a right to health care (Yamin 1157). Health care reform in the United States has become a major controversy for politicians, health care professionals, businesses, and citizens. Those in opposition to reform claim that health care is not a human right, therefore the government should not be involved. Supporters of reform believe that health care is most definitely a human right and should be available to everyone in the United States instead of only those who can afford it, and that it is the government’s responsibility to uphold that right. Out of all the industrialized countries in the world, the United States is the only one that doesn’t have a universal health care plan (Yamin 1157). The current health care system in the United States relies on employer-sponsored insurance programs or purchase of individual insurance plans. Employer-sponsored coverage has dropped from roughly 80 percent in 1982 to a little over 60 percent in 2006 (Kinney 809). The government does provide... ... Mar. 2011. "It Is Possible for the United States to Achieve Universal Health Care While Protecting Scientific Innovation." Universal Health Care. Ed. Susan C. Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. Kinney, Eleanor D. "Realization of the International Human Right to Health in an Economically Integrated North America." Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 37.4 (2009): 807-818. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. "National Insurance Could Prove Disastrous. (Cover story)." USA Today Magazine 133.2719 (2005): 1-2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. Yamin, Alicia Ely. "The Right to Health Under International Law and Its Relevance to the United States." American Journal of Public Health 95.7 (2005): 1156-1161. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.

The Bluest Eye Essay -- essays research papers

Beauty is something that a lot of people in life strive for , because everyone has fitted in their mind what exactly beauty is. People know that it can help you out in life. But what most people don’t know is that, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Meaning that beauty should not be characterized by what people are told it is, beauty is different for everyone, what is beautiful for you may be ugly to someone else. The characters in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye are confronted with the ideal of beauty and strive for it whether they know it or not. The two characters that I think were followed the ideal of beauty in Toni Morrison’s story are Pauline and Pecola. In Toni Morrison’s story and in real life, beauty is described by people as having blond hair, blue eyes , perfect figure, etc. It’s been said that if you have good looks, you can make it in life with just looks alone. People only strive for becoming beautiful because they want attention. As is the case in Toni Morrison’s story. The characters in her story think that they are ugly , by others opinions of them , and want to become beautiful so they will be recognized and be the center of attention. But the harder both characters try, the worse things get. Pauline strived for beauty because she wanted to attention and wanted to be beautiful. Pauline seemed to have just worse case of bad luck, when she was a child she stepped on a nail and she was left with a limp forever. "The wound lef...

Management Accounting and Financial Accounting Essay

The differences between management accounting and financial accounting include:[1] 1. Management accounting provides information to people within an organization while financial accounting is mainly for those outside it, such as shareholders 2. Financial accounting is required by law while management accounting is not. Specific standards and formats may be required for statutory accounts such as in the I.A.S International Accounting Standard within Europe. 3. Financial accounting covers the entire organization while management accounting may be concerned with particular products or cost centres. Managerial accounting is used primarily by those within a company or organization. Reports can be generated for any period of time such as daily, weekly or monthly. Reports are considered to be â€Å"future looking† and have forecasting value to those within the company. Financial accounting is used primarily by those outside of a company or organization. Financial reports are usually created for a set period of time, such as a fiscal year or period. Financial reports are historically factual and have predictive value to those who wish to make financial decisions or investments in a company. Management Accounting is the branch of Accounting that deals primarily with confidential financial reports for the exclusive use of top management within an organization. These reports are prepared utilizing scientific and statistical methods to arrive at certain monetary values which are then used for decision making. Such reports may include: * Sales Forecasting reports * Budget analysis and comparative analysis * Feasibility studies * Merger and consolidation reports Financial Accounting, on the other hand, concentrates on the production of financial reports, including the basic reporting requirements of profitability, liquidity, solvency and stability. Reports of this nature can be accessed by internal and external users such as the shareholders, the banks and the creditors.