Problem Based Learning in Engineering Free-Samples for Students

Question: Examines the relationship between test anxiety in University Students and their Performance in Examinations. Answer: Educational Institutes have been providing education to students from long time now. It is near to impossible to track down the first one of them. However, the way teaching has seen major changes every now and then. Earlier, the focus was on getting the students mugged up with all the theory. Later, the practical scenarios came into existence. The lecture started to have some examples from real world. The time has come when the way of lecture based teaching is getting revamped into more learner centric approaches. These are thought to be providing more insights to students than the traditional; methods. The teachers are also emphasizing on the same. The practical problem solving approaches are now seen as the regular way of teaching in most of the reputed institutes. These help the student to gain knowledge which they can actually use in the real world. The theoretical knowledge is less useful when it comes to real world scenarios (Hung, 2008). Problem Based Learning (PBL) Problem Based Learning is a methodology in which the students themselves create goals and learn by trying to achieve them by solving the issues at hand. They learn through their own experiences. The man idea behind PBL is not to achieve a certain goal but to inculcate the skills in the learner by way of making them achieve the goals. The approach helps in improvisation of communication skills of the learner a lot. The leaner can feel the difference after he / she attends a particular session and then work on his / her own. Most of the time, the PBL helps in grooming the learner to work in a Team Environment which is much more essential in todays fast paced life. Wood (2003) thinks of the PBL as a process which make use of the known issues within a model which helps in the development of understanding and knowledge. As per him, the process is a continuous one and starts with the self-identification of goals by the learners. Students will perform independent studies and then present themselves in a group where they can discuss the topics. These help the students to learn in a PBL manner and they also learn to work in a team. The group size need not be large. It can be a small group of 9-10 people. The members of the group have their individual roles to play within the group. Problem Based Learning is a great way for learners to showcase their talent in front of a group at a very early age. Many people face issues in their prime time working in a team environment (Lundeberg, 2009). Thus, PBL from starting of educational career is good for the learners. Problem Based Learning in Engineering Education PBL was first started in Medical stream but now it has seen wide acceptance in all kinds of streams. The PBL helps the learner to develop skills which they will practice in future to solve life issues. It helps learners choosing any career. The students in an Engineering Institute can be asked to deal with any kind of uncertain situation (Felder, 2004). They might have to solve complex issues in their work floor that too without much details about the task. They have to figure out on their own. The engineers also have to work in a team environment in all the job scenarios. They cannot work alone and achieve the targets. If we look at the current people who are already employed for last decade after undergoing engineering education, they are reluctant to work in a team environment. Also, they lack problem solving skills when they are up against any issue out of the blue. The addition of engineering students in top white collar jobs decreased and attrition rate increased because of lac k of skills in the folks. The main problem with the engineering student before was the traditional way of teaching in a passive classroom environment. Currently, the students are being taught in field by giving them real life issues which they have resolve by working in a team. One of the main aim of having Engineering as a stream is to groom learners into a problem solver who can think intensively on any given problem at any point in time. He will be a life-long learner and will try to resolve everything which come his way. Thus, having a problem based learning in Engineering is very much critical at this juncture and all institutes should focus towards the same. Problem Based Learning promoting Critical Thinking in Engineering Students As discussed in the above sections, the future Engineers should be ready to tackle any kind of situation. For this, they need to be active and become a critical thinker. A critical thinker is a one who understands the problem from all facets and try to find out alternative solutions to the problem. Out of the alternatives which have been found out, the people will find out the appropriate solution and resolve the issue. The Problem Based Learning approaches focuses on the learners soft skills development as well as providing them the option to choose their own research to come up with the solution (Ary, 2010). The research promotes the critical thinking within the learner. The learner goes through extensive research by reading many new things and then analyze those with the help of tools. This develop a sense of self-confidence within them. As a result, critical think is promoted. The Engineering learners needs a critical thinking approach whether a learner is a Computer Science bachelor or a mechanical. Everyone needs to have thinking and delivering abilities to excel in their career. The country needs people who can get up in their feet and solve complex issues thereby helping others. PBL helps the learner in achieving the same. The engineers also undergo programmatic implementations within the PBL method. These helps the learners to become confident that they can go through any kind of situations and can try to resolve it. The people within the engineering curriculum are handed over the problem sheet which they have to discuss as a group and then come up with the best approach to work towards that issue. This is the best way to teach a learner and groom him / her to excel in the future (Savin-Baden, 2000). Conclusion In the above section, we discussed that the practical problem solving approaches are now seen as the regular way of teaching in most of the reputed institutes. The way of teaching will again get better few years down the line. The Problem Based Learning is at present the best way in which critical thinking can be promoted in Engineering Students. These help the student to gain knowledge which they can actually use in the real world. The theoretical knowledge is less useful when it comes to real world scenarios. The students in an Engineering Institute can be asked to deal with any kind of uncertain situation. They might have to solve complex issues in their work floor that too without much details about the task. Thus, having a problem based learning in Engineering is very much critical at this juncture and all institutes should focus towards the same. References Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Sorensen, C. (2010). Introduction to research in education (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wardsworth Felder, R. M., Brent, R. (2004). The intellectual development of science and engineering students. Part 2: Teaching to promote growth. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(4), 279291 Hung, W., Jonassen, D., Liu, R. (2008). Problem-based learning. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. V. Merrinboer M. P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 485506). New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Lundeberg, M. A., Mohan, L. (2009). Gender and cross-cultural differences in confidence. In A. Graesser, J. Dunlosky D. Hacker (Eds.), Handbook of metacognition in education (pp. 221239). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Savin-Baden, M. (2000). Problem-based learning in higher education: Untold stories. Philadelphia, PA: SRHE and Open University Press Yadav, A., Subedi, D., Lundeberg, M. A., Bunting, C. F. (2011). Problem?based Learning: Influence on Students' Learning in an Electrical Engineering Course.Journal of Engineering Education,100(2), 253-280. Wood, Diana (2003). "ABC of learning and teaching in medicine". British Medical Journal. 326: 328330 Yadav, A., Subedi, D., Lundeberg, M. A., Bunting, C. F. (2011). Problem?based Learning: Influence on Students' Learning in an Electrical Engineering Course.Journal of Engineering Education,100(2), 253-280.

Liz Claiborne, Inc; Analysis

American Beautys Comments on Society essays

American Beauty's Comments on Society essays What Comments is American Beauty Making About Modern Society? American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, is simply a study of a dysfunctional American Family which reveals the nature of modern suburbia with wit, precision, and invention. Allan Balls script continually explores ideas about what constitutes ordinariness in our lives and what beauty truly is, and why people who have everything, live lives of desperation. Far more importantly, though, is what the film has to say about the American Dream or rather the American Nightmare. American modern society (not too different from New Zealands own society), is constructed around the notion that happiness is found through material success: a lucrative job, a nice house in a quiet neighbourhood, fancy cars etc. American Beauty doesnt expose this lie it shows how hideous this lie could be. Screenwriter Alan Ball, says On of the movies themes is how we have preconceived notions of things, but the truth often turns out to be something we never even considered where you find beauty might be in the place you least expect it. Kevin Spacey (Lester) and Annette Benning (Carolyn) play a couple who, on the surface, seem to have it all. A Perky real estate agent, Benning drives around in a Mercedes, and clips their rose garden using sequesters that match her shoes which Lester comments is no mistake. Lester pulls in sixty grand a year working in marketing, and the couple have a seemingly harmless, typically disaffected teen, Jane, played by Thora Birch. Lester, is a typical suburban husband whose life seems to have slipped into a rut. He tells us, In less than a year Ill be dead. Of course, I dont know that yet. In a way, Im dead already. He says ...

Odwalla Juice Case Study Analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Odwalla Juice Analysis - Case Study Example Even though the company was faced with several financial constraints as its proceeds dropped by almost 90% (Harvard Business School, 1997, p. 1), one might have expected that the company would collapse altogether or that even if there exists enough backup budget to run the company, management would loose the zeal to continue operating with the same set of customers who might have developed negative attitude towards the company. However, management decided to rise above the challenge and give the company a new image. Clearly, this is a challenge that comes with several subsequent problems especially when it comes to the regaining of customer trust (Ducharme, 2002). Important players within the organization No organization works in a vacuum. Clearly, the success and victories of any company to becoming either a local, national or international entity depends on the efforts of a number of coordinated strings often referred to as stakeholders (Esposito, 2001). On the whole, there could b e two major groups of stakeholders identified for a typical producer based company like Odwalla and these are profit oriented stakeholders and non-profit oriented stakeholders. ... For instance at the break of the news of contamination of the apple juice, the community showed that it indeed had a stake in the company when immediately, the FDA was made to investigate the cause of the problem (Harvard Business School, 1997, p. 1). Customers also showed their stake when their refusal to continue patronizing products from the company led to as much as 90% fall in the profits of the company. Target groups of the organization In the present circumstance, one of the chief and key target groups that the organization can have as part of its stakeholders; of whom there would be periodic attention and concentration are suppliers. These are forever going to be an integral part of the company’s success especially as the company continues to depend on external sourcing for the supply of its raw materials. In fact until such a time comes when the company will be in a position to have a production farm to supply it with fresh apples as raw materials, suppliers should be considered as important target groups. It should even be noted suppliers have important roles to play in preventing such major calamities as the contamination of products. This is because if supplies of raw materials are identified to be contaminated or sub-standard in any way, this can greatly affect the eventual outcome of the company’s production. Finally, suppliers hold a lot of stake in deciding the profit that the company makes because if the company has a very good bargaining power with suppliers, it can be spending less on expenditure and thus gaining more as profit. The role of management and the role of production Going through the case study, it can be said that management has rightly identified its role in bringing the company

U.S economiy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

U.S economiy - Term Paper Example Discussion Price instabilities have also been a common feature in the housing sector of the country as caused by such factors as poor government policies and the periodic boom and bust cycles in the economy. The current prevailing housing model therefore suffers over stretching by the need to address the raising instabilities within prices of the house facilities. The model is characterized of adverse shortages, which has passed on the effect even to the social rented housing facilities besides having implications to the private sector of housing market. The private sector therefore suffers shortage and fails to meet the ever-increasing housing needs for the surging population. In fact, according to a report on WSJ by Timiraos, the market of houses has seen a rise in the last years and this is currently witnessed by very high prices today (Timiraos, para 1). Over years, the governments in the international scene have been subjects of discussion in their role in intervening in the hou sing market with critical analysis of the same revealing different arguments. The supporters of the initiatives of government in policy to intervene in the housing market cite accompanying benefits while the critics question the authority and benefits resultant from such interventions. Concerns raised in the past have cited government’s intervention to lead to undesirable outcomes in the end as compared to the little benefits that are accrued to specific target groups/persons. Governments intervene in the housing market through different mechanisms, which include offering subsidies to the developers, injecting credit facilities into the market to support potential homebuyers to access the required amounts as well as through designing and implementation of government policies to address the issue. Besides the introduction of ‘temporal home purchase’ credit facilities within the economy, the government equally uses policy tools for asymmetric tax treatment of renta l houses as well as to owner occupied housing. However, the application of these different policy instruments has accompanying advantages as well as disadvantages in the overall outcome to the economy. Intervention in the US has often focused on lowering or operating the house prices in order to target the majority residents who are potential homeowners but due to financial constraints, they are not in a position. Many questions therefore arise on the implications and strategic necessity to have the government intervene in the housing sector. Questions revolve around the implications of the intervention in that government intervention would alter the free market price balance while on the other hand; intervention would reduce the risk of price crash in the housing market. Recession has the potential to decline the consumer wealth as well as negative equity in the sector (Dougherty, Timiraos and Shah, para 1). Moreover, the intervention by the government has the capacity to reduce th e price volatility of houses which if not addressed has the potential to lead to a price crash within the economy. The critics reasons that house price fall have no empirical justification to cause recession within the economy. This therefore refutes the position by the arguments of the supporter of government intervention to reduce the risks of price recession. According to the critics, government intervention would not lead to control of price volatility, which is likely

Lord Palmerstons Achievements as Foreign Secretary

Lord Palmerstons Achievements as Foreign Secretary Assess the achievement of Palmerstons first period at the Foreign Office, between 1830 and 1841. Viscount Palmerston was, without doubt, one of the most famous foreign secretaries ever to have held the office- and he did so on two occasions- between 1830-41, and 1846-52. As with many famous figures he is also rather a controversial one, receiving a mixture of praise and criticism from historians. Anthony Wood generally sees him as a dextrous negotiator, who threatened to use force in a judicious and responsible manner[1]. Eric Evans, on the other hand, is more inclined to see Palmerston’s obvious sabre rattling and ‘Gun Boat diplomacy’ as an irresponsible and unprincipled pursuit of the National interest[2] that aggravated diplomatic wounds (especially with the French) – and left Lord Aberdeen (when he took over in 1841) to ‘pick up the pieces’[3]. The function of this essay will be to evaluate Palmerton’s achievements in the first (and perhaps more influential) period under the premierships of Earl Grey and Lord Melborne in light o f this historiographical debate. This essay will adopt a chronological structure to facilitate the clarity of discussion. It will cover the three most famous events in British Foreign affairs in this period- the Belgium Crisis of 1830-1, the creation of the Quadruple Alliance in 1834, the finally the Egyptian Crises concerning France and Russia from 1831-41. It will then assess if, on balance, Palemerston’s first period at the Foreign Office can generally be called a success, as argued by Wood, or in fact did more harm than good- as argued by Evans. Palmerston’s general attitude to foreign affairs was famously one of the pursuit of national self-interest above the maintenance of any kind of consistent, or ‘ethical’ position. He told the House of Commons: â€Å"We have no eternal allies, we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow† For Evans, this was attitude represented a carte blance form of pragmatism. Palmerston was able to wrap himself in the union jack- often mobilising British public opinion behind him- and effectively conduct himself as he pleased with little regard for the sovereignty or stability of other nations- and most importantly- without any regard for long term-worsening of diplomatic relations. This approach was first demonstrated in respect of the Crisis in Belgium in 1830-1. In the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Belgium had been placed under the United Provinces of the Dutch- ignoring the obvious differences in religion and national feeling[4]. Eventually, Belgium Patriots were able to gather enough support to drive out the Dutch garrison from Brussels. King Louis Phillipe, who had come to power in France in 1830, was known to favour a satellite Belgium state under a French protectorate- although it was unknown as the extent the French were prepared to use military force to get it. At a London conference in 1831, Palmerston found himself in a difficult position- but refused to hand over two fortresses on the Belgium border to the French- thus ensuring the creation of a neutral Belgium. Some months later, after the French posted troops inside Belgium, Palmerston let it be known that he would be prepared to use force against them if they did not withdraw[5]. The French could n ot take this risk, and retreated. A treaty was signed in December 1832, establishing an international guarantee of Belgium’s neutrality. On the face of it, this seemed like a triumph for Palmeston. It could be argued that he had played the game of diplomatic bluff to perfection, and by refusing to assent to French demands and sabre rattling, had achieved a settlement most inkeeping with his goal of maintaining British national interest- and one which ensured a potentially dangerous French power-base did not grow any more menacing. However, there was no doubt that ‘Lord Pumicestone’s’ abrasive qualities had soured Anglo-French relations and perhaps a more delicate and consensual stance might have yielded a more satisfactory outcome to all sides The diplomatic problems with France did not go away. In 1834, the Queens of Spain and Portugal (who were constitutional rulers) were threatened by absolutist regimes in their own countries- and Palmerston was suspicious that the French planned to take advantage. His idea to create a ‘Quadruple Alliance’ between all four countries seemed, on the face of it, another great success. France could not diplomatically refuse an alliance already agreed to by Britain, Spain, and Portugal[6], and was seemingly once again outmanoeuvred by what Palmerston called a ‘Capital Hit all of my own doing’ (He was not known for his modesty). Palmerston had always been unequivocal in his support for Constitutional rulers, and Britain’s self-interest was arguably sustained by the maintenance of moderate regimes in the Iberian Peninsula[7]. On this occasion, he had arguably used diplomatic guile rather than the implied threat of military force to achieve success- so it can pe rhaps be said that Palmerston was occasionally prepared to dock his gunboat for a spot of peaceful diplomacy. Once again, though, the price of safeguarding British Interests had worsened Anglo-French relations. In 1831, Mehemet Ali, a rebellious vassal of the Turkish Sultan Mahmud in Egypt, declared war and took possession of Palestine and Syria from the Turkish Empire. The Russians- in offering to help forced the beleaguered Sultan to sign a rough treaty which effectively passed control of the strategically vital Unkiar Skelessi Straits to them. Palmerston was worried about an escalation of Russian influence- as it heightened his fear of a potential alliance between Russia and France. In 1839, the Sultan made an ill-advised attack on Ali, and ended up suffering an ignominious defeat, and gave the vassal his excuse to carry the war deep into Turkish territory. It was Palmerston’s policy to support Turkey, mainly because it dispersed the power base of Europe, and also because of a recently signed commercial treaty between the two nations. The Turkish town of Aden (which had the added benefit of being a useful place for British steamships to replenish their coal stocks en route to Ind ia) was placed under a British protectorate. Rather predictably, the French sided with Mehemet Ali. Palmerston offered a deal to his enemies- that Ali could retain Egypt and Syria for his lifetime, but the French encouraged him to turn it down. Palmerston refused to climb down, and instructed Lord Granville (the British Ambassador in Paris) to: â€Å"Covey to him (King Louis Phillipe) in the most friendly and unoffensive manner possible†¦that if France begins a war, she will lose her ships, colonies and commerce before she sees the end of it; that her army of Algiers will cease to give her anxiety, and that Mehemet Ali will be chucked into the Nile†[8] This uncompromising stance once again was a gamble, made more intense when British Marines helped capture the cities of Acre and Beirut after Ali rejected Palmerston’s deal. France (also worried by threatening movements in Bavaria) was in no position to engage Britain in a war, and she ended up having to aid Britain and Russia to defeat Ali[9]. Eventually, Russia was even persuaded to relinquish control of the Straits, and all four powers agreed to return to the original settlement of 1809[10]. Disaster had seemingly been diverted again by Palmerston’s tough diplomatic line. For Wood, he had read France’s hand perfectly[11], and once again maintained peace, even if (for Evans) he had put several noses out of joint with more ‘Gun Boat Diplomacy’[12]. In Conclusion, this essay has shown that Palmerston’s abrasive approach to Foreign policy was generally a great success. In each of the three instances covered, his reluctance to compromise worked in Britain’s interests, and against those of France- her eternal foe. Undoubtedly, he did prioritise the national interest above all else, but it could be argued that- such was Britain’s dominance- that her interests and the goal of stability and peace in Europe were by no means unrelated. In fact, one could argue from this evidence that they were very closely linked, and that maybe Palmerston’s reputation as irresponsible is slightly unfounded. It can be said that Palmerston’s hands-on and confrontational approach was extremely risky, and that there was a large element of luck involved in achieving a successful outcome on each occasion. For example, had France not withdrawn from Belgium in 1831, a bloody war might have ensured. In 1839, it may only have been the sudden advent of threatening activity in Prussia that made the French swallow their pride, and abandon Mehemet Ali. Palmerston was also aided by his fleet of gunboats that backed up everything he said. Britain’s naval dominance at that time allowed him to adopt a far more hard-line and interventionist approach than many other Foreign Secretaries before or since. Overall, Palmerston’s guile- backed up by his luck and his powerbase made his period at the Foreign Office between 1830-41 extremely successful, but arguably it could have easily gone horribly wrong. Bibliography Wood, A, ‘Lord Palmerston at the Foreign Office 1830-41’ in Nineteenth Century Britain , 1960, Longman Droz, J, Europe between Revolutions 1815-48, 1967, Fontana/Collins Evans, E, ‘Influence without Entanglement: Foreign Affairs, 1815-46’ in The Forging of the Modern State 1783-1870, 1983, Longman Felling, K, A History of England, 1973, Book Club Associates Roberts, J, A History of Europe, 1996, Helicon Publishing Word-Count- 1620 1 Footnotes [1] See Wood, ‘Lord Palmerston at the Foreign Office 1830-41’ in Nineteenth Century Britain , 1960, pp.156-63 [2] See Evans, ‘Influence without Entanglement: Foreign Affairs, 1815-46’ in The Forging of the Modern State 1783-1870, 1983, pp.210-3 [3] ibid, p.211 [4] Wood, pp.157-8 [5] In a letter to Granville, he wrote â€Å"The French must go out of Belgium or we have a general War†. See Wood, p. 159 [6] Droz, Europe between Revolutions 1815-48, 1967, p.236 [7] Evans, p.211 [8] See Evans p. 211, also Wood, p.157 [9] Felling, A History of England, 1973, p. 856 [10] Wood, p.163 [11] ibid [12] Evans, p.211

Julias Caesar :: essays research papers

cripay dividends for the remainder of his career, Cromwell demanded that both officers and men meet the highest standards of moral character and honesty. He expected instant responsiveness to commands and forbade looting, swearing, or an Despite his age, Cromwell, at forty-three, raised a cavalry troop, his first military command. Following criteria that would pay dividends for the remainder of his career, Cromwell demanded that both officers and men meD or was born in the year 100 BC into a patrian family who claimed decendancy from the kings of Alba Langa and through them, Aeneas of Troy whose mother was the goddess Venus. Caesar's name Julius comes from Iulius, the family name. This comes from Iulus, the name of Venus' son. At the time of his birth, Rome was still a republic and the empire was only really beginning. The senators ruled, motivated by the greed of power in the hope of becoming either a consul or a praetor, the two senior posts which carried imperium, the legal right to command an army. From these posts it was possible to, with the help of the army at your command, conquer new territories and so gain a triumph and the pleasure of knowing that your name would be remembered forever in statues and inscribed monuments, paid for by the spoils of the war. et the The most used method of transport the romans used was the horse and the chariot. Simply because they did not have much other ways to travel. When people traveled they also could have walked but it is tiring and that would of affected the way they would of fought performance wise. When they wanted to travel they used a sailing ship or a row boat. This was also used by the Roman Army because it was powerful and affective. ghest standards of moral character and honesty. He expected instant responsiveness to comma From early times right down to the 3rd century A.D, the Roman army was based on its legions. A legion varied in strength from 4,000 to 6,000 men, and was subdivided onto ten cohorts. Its leader used the title of legatus. His staff officers were called tribuni. Senior non-commissioned officers were called centurions, who varied greatly in rank. The soldiers of the legion were specifically picked men. They were all Roman citizens and received a higher pay than the auxillary troop s - that is, foreigners who serve with the Roman army.