Philosophy of Science Essay -- Informative, Scientific Method

Background In the modern technological and highly specialized world scientists are seldom aware of the work of philosophers; it is practically unparalleled to find them queuing up, as they have done in Popper's case, to swear to the great practical beneficial influence which that philosophical work has had upon their own (1). In his paper he started by the following â€Å"The problem which troubled me at the time was neither, 'When is a theory true?' nor, 'When is a theory acceptable?' My problem was different I wished to distinguish between science and pseudo-science; knowing very well that science often errs, and that pseudo-science may happen to stumble on the truth† (2) Karl considers the empirical method of observations ensued by test or series of tests to approve a theory, and analysis of the results (empirical method) is not acceptable. As an alternative he recommended the following â€Å"I often formulated my problem as one of distinguishing between a genuinely empirical method and a non-empirical or even a pseudo-empirical method--that is to say, a method which, although it appeals to observation and experiment† (2) He established that the main problem in the philosophy of science is that of demarcation, i.e., (distinguishing between science and what he terms 'non-science). Karl popper summarized his ideas in seven points as followed: 1. It is easy to obtain confirmations, or verification, for nearly every theory-if we look for confirmations. 2. Confirmations should count only if they are the result of risky predictions 3. Every 'good' scientific theory is a prohibition: it forbids certain things to happen. 4. A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non scientific. 5. Every g... ...ns no observation is free from the possibility of error. 6- Karl popper considered that scientific logic is deductive logic. so all scientific theories are tested by trying to falsify them. In order to do this, scientists deduce predictions from theories and if the predictions prove to be false, then deductive logic dictates that the theory is false. If the predictions prove to be true, then the theory is not proven true, simply this means that is corroboration to this theory. 7-last one (conventionalist twist) or a’ conventionalist stratagem'.)these words created to explain the trying some admirers of some theories to rescue the theory from refutation tried to save their theory, By introducing some auxiliary assumption, or by re-interpreting the theory in this way that it escapes refutation, but they destroyed or at least lowered, its scientific status (2).

What are the narrative techniques used by Tennyson in “Mariana”

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, Mariana, follows the story of a jilted woman from Shakespeare’s â€Å"Measure for Measure.† The epigraph of the poem â€Å"Mariana in the moted grange† is taken from a reference of this play, and the narrative techniques within the poem combined with the context of the isolation of the character give us an insight into the melancholy that not only the character of Mariana feels, but perhaps also Tennyson himself. Arguably the most prominent narrative technique used by Tennyson is the imagery within the powm which is an outward manifestation of Mariana’s inward melancholy.The monotonous â€Å"glooming flats† outside of her house reflect her life; she is going nowhere now that she has been jilted and apparently has no wish to! In addition to this, images of isolation prevail throughout the poem, â€Å"The lonely moated grange†. This further adds to the belief that Mariana is cut off from the vibrancy of human life. Tennyson is particularly clever with this narrative technique; giving the description of an inanimate object, such as the â€Å"moated grange† using an human emotion, it allows the reader to reflect this feeling onto the character of Mariana, which further gives insight to the solitude that her character is feeling.The imagery throughout is of vital importance, due to the fact that we learn nothing of the physical appearance of her, yet the bleak desolation of the landscape which she lives in allows the reader to project this image onto her character and gives an insight towards the inner turmoil and isolation that the character is feeling. In addition, the image of decay is one of the most obvious forms of imagery throughout, and further reflects the fact that Mariana’s life is wasting away waiting for a man. . The quotation:â€Å"With blackest moss the flower plots, Were thickly crusted one and all.†suggests the idea that the melancholy Mariana has been feeling has not been a short term thing. The fact that the usually green moss has turned black raises the question that Mariana may be wallowing, and perhaps even enjoying her melancholy, due to the fact that it highlights the amount of time she has been in such a state. This quotation further shows the contrast between what her life could have been, and how she is living now. The mention of â€Å"flower-plots† indicates that her life could have been flourishing and filled with colour, if she allowed it to be so, yet it is simply dark and  bleak. This imagery of colour is entwined throughout the verses, with consistent references to â€Å"blacken’d waters† and â€Å"the rounding gray†.A startling piece of imagery which contrasts this darkness is the â€Å"poplar tree† with â€Å"silver green†¦gnarled bark† This is a dominant image throughout the poem, and has been interpreted to be a phallic image of the man who abandoned Mariana, an d is continuing to haunt her life even after he has left. This interestingly reflects the attitudes of the time. Throughout Tennyson’s poetry there are examples of feminism, and critique of the attitudes towards woman at the time. This reflects the Victorian idea that a woman can only be complete with a man in her life, and the life of a woman without a husband is â€Å"dreary†.The sheer melancholy within the poem could perhaps be a further jibe from Tennyson about society at this time, indicating that he believes that the idea that women should live like Mariana if they don’t have a husband is utter nonsense. A further technique used by Tennyson to tell the story within â€Å"Mariana† is the use of the structure. The verse structure â€Å"abab cddc efef† is almost encircling, with the central quatrain having a rhyming couplet in the middle, such asâ€Å"And wild winds bound within their cell, The shadow of the poplar fell†This emphasises th e psychological constraints of Mariana’s depression and depicts further the stasis of her life. The couplet in the middle is trapped, unable to escape due to the constraining verses, which clearly reflects the attitude that Mariana has to life. In addition to this, the verse form is unique to Tenyson and does not follow the traditional verse forms of other poetry, further adding to the idea that Mariana feels alone in life, and that there is nobody that is able to sympathise with her situation. Tennyson uses other language techniques such as onomatopoeia develop the story of â€Å"Mariana†, and is further used to reflect her character. The most brilliant example of this is;â€Å"The doors upon their hinges creak’d; The blue fly sung in the pane; the mouse Behind the mouldering wainscot shriek’d†The density of the onomatopoeia within this section suggests nightmarish and crazy sounds, and screams of despair, and create, as Ebbatson phrased â€Å"a landscape of inertia and loss†, which correlates with the emotions of the character. Furthermore, this quotation offers a stark contrast to the rest of the poem. Tennyson uses powerful words such as â€Å"shriek’d† and â€Å"creak’d† which are a harsh difference to the rest of the poem, which is mainly compiled of inactive verbs such as â€Å"fell†. The abundance of inactive verbs throughout the poem further reflects Mariana’s idleness, and really emphasises the onomatopoeia within this verse to reflect the dramatic sounds made from outside. Pathetic fallacy is a further narrative technique;â€Å"And wild winds bound within their cell,†This is another example of the way Tennyson uses the surroundings to reflect character; Mariana’s consciousness is really a wild wind, but she chooses to keep it imprisoned and â€Å"trapped within their cell†, adding to the perception that she is actually enjoying her melancholy. Th e alliteration of â€Å"wild winds† consequently accentuates the mayhem of her consciousness, and gives the reader further insight into the character. A final technique used by Tennyson is repetition, which is present throughout the poe,. Perhaps the most obvious form of repetition is the refrain, which is repeated at the end of each verse;â€Å"She only said, ‘My life is dreary He cometh not’ she said: She said, ‘I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!†The fact that this is at the end of it gives an insight into the monotony of Mariana’s life, yet it also has an effect of creating annoyance towards the character of Mariana. Evidently as this is the only thing that she can say, it may appear that she is wallowing in her sadness, and further adds to the impression that Tennyson gives off throughout the poem about the feminist aspect. The use of direct speech within this refrain is the only part in the poem where we get a direct view of M ariana. It is therefore more immediate than the rest of the devices used to describe her character in the poem, and could perhaps evoke sympathy. However, it is not only the refrain which is repeated.The repetition of feminine rhymes such as â€Å"dreary/aweary† reflect  the feminine nature of the character, and the drawn out nature of these words and the unstressed syllable at the end reflect the languorous nature of the poem and create an effect of infinite weariness. Furthermore, the dramatic change of the final two lines of the refrain in the last stanza offers perhaps the only change to the stasis of the poem, which is a further narrative technique, and the final line â€Å"Oh God that I were dead!† shows that Mariana has come to the decision that she is fed up of living a lfe of shadows and nothingness.In summary, Tennyson uses an abundance of narrative techniques to tell the story of Mariana. Whilst it is essentially a poem of stasis, the methods such as image ry and repetition cleverly give the reader a deeper insight into the character featured in the poem, and have an interesting message about Victorian society concealed within them.

Legalizing Infant Euthanasia

Since the evolution of man, infants have been born with severe illnesses. These infants may be able to survive due to advancing technologies, but are left with possible and probable defects. Many infants will die even though they are being treated because they are not equipped to sustain life. These circumstances have led to the debatable issue of infant euthanasia, or mercy killing, to allow these babies an end to their suffering, and die peacefully. While many people feel that euthanasia is murder, infant euthanasia should be legalized to spare terminally ill newborns of long, painful deaths, and to spare them of possible life-long disabilities. Euthanasia is said to be morally wrong by pro-life groups. They point out that infant's may not be suffering while they are dying. They also emphasize that advances in pain management make it possible to relieve all or almost all pain. These people say that children should be saved at all costs, no matter how great the disability may be. They accentuate that the infants may be saved due to advancing technology, and that there are also therapy treatments for their possible disabilities. However, in considering whether or not to treat a newborn, the main goal should be to spare infants of long, painful deaths. Most experts believe that the primary answer to this issue is to follow what's in the child's best interests. If his mental and physical handicaps are overwhelming and it would be inhumane to prolong his life, then treatment should be withheld or withdrawn. After all, saving an infant for a life of suffering is hardly a humane and loving act. An infant was born with a skin condition similar to third-degree burns over almost all of its body for which there was no cure. The baby's mother was young, unwed, and indigent. Providing basic nursing care caused tearing away of the skin. The infant could not be fed orally because of blistering in the mouth and throat. Any movement of the infant seemed to cause it pain. Even with intensive care its life expectancy, at most, was believed to be days. It would have been reasonable, merciful, and justifiable to have shortened the baby's dying by an intended direct action chosen by the parent and the neonatologists. In cases relevantly like this, it is not immoral or morally wrong to intend and effect a merciful end to a life that, all things considered, will be meaningless to the one who lives it and an unwarranted burden for others to support. Among the women who work in the Stanford intensive care nursery, several said that if they were to have an extremely premature baby, they would not want it to be treated aggressively. One woman said that if she knew what was about to happen she would stay away from a hospital with a sophisticated intensive care unit. Others say they would make sure they were under the care of a doctor who would not press the extremes on survival. Many parents would make a similar choice but are not given the opportunity. It has been called a violation of God's commandment not to kill. â€Å"†¦ in effect, the demand that physicians fight death at all costs is a demand that they play God. It is a demand that they conquer nature, thereby declaring themselves more powerful than God's order. † Perhaps the ideal of conquest will be replaced by the ideal of living in agreement with nature. The most benign technology works in harmony with natural causes rather than intruding on them. The â€Å"Baby Doe† rule is a list of guidelines stating that a baby should be treated aggressively with very few exceptions. These exceptions to the rule are when â€Å"the infant is chronically and irreversibly comatose†, when the treatment would merely prolong dying, not be effective in ameliorating or correcting all of the infant's life-threatening conditions, or otherwise be futile in terms of the survival of the infant†, and when â€Å"treatment would be virtually futile in terms of the survival of the infant and the treatment itself under such circumstances would be inhumane†¦ This policy rather loudly states that parents and professionals may not consider the salvageable infant's life prospects no matter how harmful they may appear. A graphic illustration of the potential harm in the treatment of a handicapped infant is provided by Robert and Peggy Stinson's account of their son Andrew who was born at a gestational age of 24 1/2 weeks and a weight of 800 grams. He was placed on a respirator against his parents' wishes and without their consent, and remained dependent on the respirator for five months, until he was finally permitted to die. The seemingly endless list of Andrew's afflictions, almost all of which were iatrogenic, reveals how disastrous this hospitalization was. Baby Andrew was, in effect saved by the respirator to die five ling, painful, and expensive months later of the respirator's side effects. â€Å"†¦ the physicians who treated him violated an ancient and honored Hippocratic principle of professional ethics,`Primum non nocere', First do no harm. As shown in the examples above, infants that are treated aggressively will die more slowly and painfully than if they were allowed a quick and peaceful death. By using aggressive treatment on severely ill infants, many are â€Å"saved† to live with life-long disabilities. To demand that physicians use intensive care technology beyond the point when it is likely to assist with a patient's problems, as the Baby Doe regulations require, is to demand that they violate their professional commitment to do no harm. To argue that infants must be treated aggressively, no matter how great their disabilities, is to insist that the nursery become a torture chamber and that infants unequipped to live be deprived of their natural right to die. Helen Harrison, author of â€Å"The Premature Baby Book: a Parent's Guide to Coping and Caring in the First Years†, wrote about how families are at the mercy of an accelerating life-support technology and of their physicians' personal philosophies and motives concerning its use. She wrote after interviewing numerous parents and physicians in heartbreaking situations of delivery-room and nursery crises, â€Å"I sympathize with physicians' concerns when parents request that there be no heroic measures. However, I sympathize infinitely more with families forced to live with the consequences of decisions made by others. Above all, I sympathize with infants saved for a lifetime of suffering. † The decisions involving the care of hopelessly ill and disabled newborns should be left to the traditional processes, to parents and physicians who do the best they can under difficult circumstances. B. D. Cohen, author of â€Å"Hard Choices† wrote, â€Å"Until such time as society is willing to pay the bill for truly humane institutions of twenty-four-hour home care for all such infants, to offer than death or living death, shouldn't these decisions be left to those who will have to live with them? † There is a disease called Spina Bifida which affects between six thousand and eleven thousand newborns in the United States each year. The children are alive but require urgent surgery to prevent their handicap to intensify and bring about death. Paralysis, bladder and bowel incontinence, hydrocephalus or water on the brain are all part of the child's future. Severe mental retardation, requiring total custodial care, is the likely fate of 10% of the 15% of the children. Some 10% of the children will die prior to reaching the first grade, in spite of aggressive medical care. These infants, incapable of making their own decisions, deserve to be spared the pain and suffering of such severe diseases and illnesses. Although some claim that euthanasia is the killing of a human, infant euthanasia should be legalized to spare severely ill babies of drawn-out, excruciating deaths, and to spare them of the possible defects from their illnesses. Infants continue to be born with such disabling illnesses daily. Many parents are left burdened throughout their lifetimes. They may not be prepared to provide the round-the-clock treatment that is needed. New York State should bring about peace by legalizing euthanasia, and end the suffering for all people intimately involved in situations described previously.

Students and Plagiarism Essay Example

Students and Plagiarism Essay Example Students and Plagiarism Essay Students and Plagiarism Essay Essay Topic: Students Plagiarism is the act of using another user’s research or work without providing an adequate citation or crediting the source. Plagiarism is considered one of the most serious violations of intellectual property in learning institutions. Plagiarism is considered the lack of integrity and interpreted as cheating. It does not matter if the students knowingly or accidentally copied the work. However, despite the disciplinary measures taken to ensure that students do not plagiarize their work, most students fail to provide citations as needed. A different number of authors have tried to provide solutions for plagiarism in institutions. Some authors argue that the approach taken by institutions towards plagiarism in student’s work is entirely wrong. Institutions treat plagiarism as a crime or lack of integrity. Both result in harsh penalties to the student responsible. Students do not fully understand plagiarism and instructors and institutions should do more to educate stud ents on plagiarism ethics, detection methods, avoidance and also consequences. A common viewpoint given by learning institutions and instructors is that students continue to plagiarize in assignments despite the seriousness of the consequences involved. Some argue that students have inherent disregard for school rules and regulations or are rebellious. Susan Blum explains in her article that plagiarism does not indicate the lack of ethics or integrity but the lack of knowledge. Blum notes that institutions approach to plagiarism is entirely wrong. Schools treat plagiarism as lack of integrity by the student or as a crime. Schools that treat plagiarism as the lack of integrity or morality create honor codes. Honor codes are appeals to students to do what is considered right. Honor codes assume that if the social pressure on students is strong enough, they will be less negligent and act accordingly. Students are required to affirm that they will perform per rules set

Mangrove Habitat Profile

Mangrove Habitat Profile Their unusual, dangling roots make mangroves look like trees on stilts. The term mangrove can be used to refer to certain species of trees or shrubs, a habitat or a swamp. This article focuses on the definition of mangroves and mangrove swamps, where mangroves are located and marine species you can find in mangroves.   What Is a Mangrove? Mangrove plants are halophytic (salt-tolerant) plant species, of which there are more than 12 families and 80 species worldwide. A collection of mangrove trees in an area makes up a mangrove habitat, mangrove swamp or mangrove forest.   Mangrove trees have a tangle of roots which are often exposed above water, leading to the nickname â€Å"walking trees.† Where Are Mangrove Swamps? Mangrove trees grow in  intertidal  or estuarine areas. They are found in warmer areas between the latitudes of 32 degrees north and 38 degrees south, as they need to live in areas where the average annual temperature is above 66 degrees Fahrenheit. It is thought that mangroves were originally found in southeast Asia, but have been disbursed around the world and are now found  along the tropical and subtropical coasts of Africa, Australia, Asia, and North and South America.  In the U.S., mangroves are commonly found in Florida. Mangrove Adaptations The roots of mangrove plants are  adapted  to filter salt water, and their leaves can excrete salt, allowing them to survive where other land plants cannot. Leaves that fall off the trees provide food for inhabitants and breakdown to provide nutrients to the habitat.   Why Are Mangroves Important? Mangroves are an important habitat. These areas provide food, shelter and nursery areas for fish, birds, crustaceans and other marine life. They also provide a source of livelihood for many humans around the world, including wood for fuel, charcoal and timber and areas for fishing. Mangroves also form a buffer that defends coastlines from flooding and erosion. What Marine Life Are Found in Mangroves? Many types of marine and terrestrial life utilize mangroves. Animals inhabit the mangrove’s leafy canopy and waters underneath the mangrove’s root system and live in nearby tidal waters and mudflats. In the U.S., larger species found in mangroves include reptiles such as the American crocodile and American alligator; sea turtles including the hawksbill, Ridley, green and loggerhead; fish such as snapper, tarpon, jack, sheepshead, and red drum; crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs; and coastal and migratory birds such as pelicans, spoonbills and bald eagles. In addition, less-visible species such as insects and crustaceans live among the roots and branches of the mangrove plants. Threats to Mangroves: Natural threats to mangroves include hurricanes, root clogging from increased water turbidity, and damage from boring organisms and parasites.Human impacts on mangroves have been severe in some places, and include dredging, filling, diking, oil spills, and runoff of human waste and herbicides. Some coastal development results in total loss of habitat. Conservation of mangroves is important for the survival of mangrove species, humans and also for the survival of two other habitats – coral reefs and seagrass beds. References and Further Information: American Museum of Natural History. What Is a Mangrove? And How Does it Work?. Accessed June 30, 2015.Coulombe, D. A. 1984. The Seaside Naturalist. Simon Schuster. 246pp.Law, Beverly E. and Nancy P. Arny. â€Å"Mangroves-Florida’s Coastal Trees†. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved online October 17, 2008 (as of August 2010, the document appears to no longer be online).

29 Great Colleges for B Students and How to Get In

29 Great Colleges for B Students and How to Get In SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Generally, the better your grades, the more college options you'll have. However, some students are under the false impression that you need straight As in order to get into a wonderful college. Students stress and worry that a few Bs will sentence them to an inferior university. Fortunately, getting Bs won't prevent you from being able to go to a good school. There are a number of excellent colleges that admit B students. I'll provide a list of 29 of the best colleges for B students and explain how to find a good college if you're a B student. Are You a B Student? You Can Still Go to a Great College If you’re at the end of your junior year or the beginning of your senior year and you have mostly Bs on your transcript, don't freak out: you can still gain admission to an excellent college. Since super selective colleges will likely be a big reach for you, you might want to set your sights on quality schools that are significantly less selective. For example, Stanford only admits around 5% of its applicants, and its average admitted student has a high school GPA of 3.95/4.00. By contrast, the University of Michigan has an acceptance rate of 28%, and the average admitted student here has a GPA of 3.83/4.00. As a B student, you might have trouble getting into schools in the top 50 on the US News and Forbes rankings lists; however, you might have a decent chance of getting into a school in the top 100. Considering there are almost 3,000 four-year colleges, the #100 college is still better than over 99% of colleges in the US. For instance, according to our admissions calculator for Indiana University Bloomington, a student with a 3.2 GPA and a 29 ACT composite score would have about a 62% chance of getting accepted. Indiana University is currently ranked #89 by US News. How Much Do Your Grades Matter for College Applications? It should go without saying that your grades are a huge factor in determining your college options. In fact, grades are one of the most important factors colleges use when deciding whether to admit you. According to a 2017 study on the state of college admission conducted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 77% of colleges believe that overall GPA and grades in college prep courses are considerably important admission factors. Meanwhile, test scores from the ACT, SAT, etc., are deemed considerably important by just 54% of colleges surveyed. This indicates that grades are by far one of the most important factors in college admission. It's not just grades that mean something, though; colleges also want to see that you're challenging yourself with difficult courses. According to the NACAC study, 87% of colleges deem the rigor of a student's course load at least moderately important. In other words, just getting good grades isn't enough- you also need to get good grades in tough classes. Although you can still get into a great college as a B student, if you have any extra time before your college applications are due, I recommend using it to try to improve your grades. Not All B Students Are Created Equal Colleges take many factors into account when determining admissions, including grades, classes, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, recommendations, and the personal statement. All else being equal, a student who got all Bs in regular classes is going to be much less qualified than a student who got all B+'s in mostly honors and AP classes. Generally, this is reflected in your weighted GPA, which weighs harder courses more heavily than regular classes. So in this example, the student with straight Bs would receive a 3.0 GPA, and the student with straight B+’s (assuming she took four honors classes out of six total classes) would get a 3.97 GPA. That said, you can compensate for lower grades by excelling in other areas. For example, if you had a 3.4 weighted GPA and a 33 ACT score, you’d probably be able to get into much more selective schools than would a student who has the same GPA as you and a 27 ACT score. Also, you might be able to make up for lower grades if you exhibit exceptional achievement in your extracurriculars. If you're an Olympic-level athlete or a successful entrepreneur, you might be able to gain admission into the most selective colleges- even with some Bs on your transcript. Overall, if you’re a B student but want to get into highly selective colleges, focus on ensuring that all other components of your college applications are as strong as possible. If you go to the Olympics, you can get into a good school with lower grades. How Did I Create This List of Colleges for B Students? I compiled this list of great schools for B students by looking at various ranking lists, including US News, Forbes, and Niche. I gave extra weight to the US News rankings because they’re the most referenced and prestigious of the college rankings. I considered a college accessible to B students if its average GPA for admitted applicants was less than a 3.75. If you've got a weighted GPA in the range of 3.30-3.80, all the schools below could be reach, target, or even safety schools for you. If your weighted GPA is less than 3.30, you might also want to take a look at the best colleges for students with a low GPA. By no means does this list contain all the great colleges for B students. Ultimately, I tried to come up with a diverse list that included colleges from all regions and of all types, including large public universities and small liberal arts colleges. List of the Best Colleges for B Students Below, we introduce our list of great colleges for B students. I categorized all the schools by region: West, Midwest, Northeast, and South. For each school, I listed its location, US News ranking, average GPA, average SAT score, average ACT score, and acceptance rate. Keep in mind that US News separates its school rankings into four categories: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges. Most of the schools on our list are National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges; no Regional Colleges made the list. For all regions, the listed US News ranking is for National Universities unless otherwise noted. Lastly, here are the ranges for GPA and other items on our list: Average GPA: 3.33 to 3.83 Average SAT Score: 90 to 1340 Average ACT Score: 25 to 30 Acceptance Rate: 34% to 81% West School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA #3 Regional Universities West 3.75 1270 28 54% Pepperdine University Malibu, CA #46 3.64 1300 28 39% San Diego State University San Diego, CA #127 3.7 90 25 35% University of Colorado, Boulder Boulder, CO #96 3.62 1250 27 80% University of Oregon Eugene, OR #102 3.55 80 25 83% University of the Pacific Stockton, CA #106 3.52 1200 26 65% University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT #9 3.61 1220 25 66% Pepperdine is pretty. (CampusGrotto/Flickr) Midwest School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Beloit College Beloit, WI #68 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.29 1200 27 54% Creighton University Omaha, NE #1 Regional Universities Midwest 3.79 80 27 72% College of Wooster Wooster, OH #67 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.68 1270 27 56% Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IN #90 3.72 1250 28 76% Michigan State University East Lansing, MI #85 3.71 1200 26 71% Purdue University West Lafayette, IN #56 3.75 1280 29 57% University of Iowa Iowa City, IA #89 3.63 1240 26 81% Wabash College Crawfordsville, IN #56 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.65 70 25 63% College of Wooster Kauke Hall (Maitri/Flickr) Northeast School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Clark University Worcester, MA #66 3.63 1310 29 55% Fordham University New York, NY #70 3.65 1320 29 46% Providence College Providence, RI #2 Regional Universities North 3.43 1240 28 52% Rutgers University Piscataway, NJ #56 3.73 1300 28 58% St. Lawrence University Canton, NY #56 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.56 1300 28 48% Syracuse University Syracuse, NY #53 3.63 1260 28 47% University of Delaware Newark, DE #89 3.71 1240 27 65% University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA #70 3.89 1270 28 58% Purnell Hall at the University of Delaware (Mathieu Plourde/Flickr) South School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Auburn University Auburn, AL #5 3.86 1230 27 84% Baylor University Waco, TX #78 3.68 1280 28 39% Furman University Greenville, SC #51 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.7 1290 29 61% Rollins College Winter Park, FL #2 Regional Universities South 3.3 1270 27 64% Sewanee: University of the South Sewanee, TN #49 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.73 1290 28 47% Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX #80 3.6 1230 28 41% Samford Hall at Auburn University (Jason Coleman/Flickr) How Should You Use This List of Colleges for B Students? If you’re a B student looking for a great college, be sure to research any of the colleges on this list that interest you. Use the school websites, finders, guidebooks, and ranking lists to guide your research. You can also go on college visits to truly get a feel for some of these schools and determine whether they might be a good fit for you. Furthermore, I advise you to consult with teachers, counselors, parents, current students, and alumni to get more information and to further narrow your college search. How to Find Other Great Colleges for B Students: 2 Resources There are plenty of excellent schools for B students that didn’t make the list above. Here are a few different ways to identify other colleges that might work for you. #1: College Finders On Big Future, you can’t search for colleges by average GPA, but you can search for colleges by SAT/ACT score and selectivity. Because most good colleges for B students have an average SAT score of around 1200 and an average ACT score of around 27, you can look for colleges that match that criteria. These colleges range from very selective (25-50% of applicants admitted) to less selective (more than 75% of applicants admitted). You can select additional search filters to help find schools that better fit what you want in a college. With the website College View, you can enter your SAT/ACT score and unweighted GPA in your college search. #2: PrepScholar Database Our PrepScholar database contains profiles for every college. A school's profile lists its acceptance rate, average GPA, and average standardized test scores. We also have an admissions calculator on every school profile so you can roughly determine your odds of admission based on your GPA and SAT/ACT test scores. To find a school's profile, search for "[School Name] PrepScholar admissions" on Google. Another great feature is located at the bottom of each school's profile page. There, you'll see three lists: schools that are harder to get into, schools that are equally hard to get into, and schools that are easier to get into. I suggest looking up the profiles of the schools on our list above to find other schools that are about as selective and to get even more good colleges for B students. For instance, on our PrepScholar page for Syracuse University, Boston University and UT Dallas are listed as harder to get into, Penn State and Hofstra are listed as equally hard to get into, and Ohio University and Quinnipiac are listed as easier to get into. You can use these lists to identify other schools that might interest you. These are schools that are listed as "equally hard to get into" on Syracuse's profile. How to Improve Your Chances of Admission Even as a B student, there are a number of ways you can improve your odds of getting into your dream school; this depends on where you are in the college application process. Here are some examples of things you can do to improve your application: Follow an SAT or ACT study plan and give yourself time to take the test a second or even third time if your scores aren't up to par Come up with a compelling essay topic for your personal statement Spend the summer before your senior year doing something incredibly interesting, such as traveling abroad or volunteering Remember that colleges consider a multitude of factors when evaluating your application. By strengthening any of these components, you can increase your odds of being accepted! What's Next? Is it really important for you to attend a top-tier school? Find out if it really matters where you go to college. Do you want to go to a college in the Midwest or the South? Then check out my lists of the best colleges in the Midwest and the South. Are you looking for a traditional college experience in a fun setting? Learn about the 23 best college towns. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Distance Leaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Distance Leaning - Essay Example That distance learning paradigms can benefit from the aforementioned is emphasised by Alan Tait, a faculty member at the Open University, UK, whose article is the primary focus of this critique. Commencing with a historical overview of the evolution of open and distance learning in the United Kingdom and Europe, Tait (2003) identifies transportation technology as having played a pivotal role in the development of the stated phenomenon. A railway system supported by an organised and efficient postal and mail services enabled tutors to guide, direct and educate students across distance. Certainly, as Tait (2003) concedes, the system was fraught with a number of challenges, most of which stemmed from the absence of any form of interpersonal communication between students and tutors. With the evolution of such information and communication technology tools such as the home computer and the internet, open and distance learning became e-learning. Reputable higher educational institutions began to offer courses, degree and certificate programmes over the web. Within the context of open and distance learning, e-learning stands out as a revolutionary development for several reasons. In the first place, and as Tait (2003) emphasises, while earlier forms of distance learning had partially overcome the challenges posed by space and distance, web-based learning obliterated distance. In the second place, while open and distance learning, as delivered through correspondence, partly overcame the challenges posed by distance, it was not able to do so vis--vis time. Web-based learning, on the other hand, annihilated this particular challenge just as it did as regards distance. In other words, web-learning is a revolutionary development within the context of open and distance learning because it enabled cross-distance interpersonal communication and immediacy of delivery (Tait, 2003). Despite its numerous advantages and even though it successfully overcame many of the more significant of the challenges which confronted earlier distance learning paradigms, e-learning has to be restructured towards higher levels of student-orientation. As Tait (2003) notes, facts and figures indicate that the field is highly competitive, on the one hand, and there are high non-completion, or student drop-out rates on the other. Universities or educational institutes which offer web-based services must, both as a response to competition and high non-completion rates, need to focus on the improvement of their delivery paradigm through the integration of student support systems (Tait, 2003). Besides the fact that student support systems should be integrated into the e-learning delivery paradigm because it is a popular student demand, the imperatives of integration emanate from the fact that it will significantly improve and facilitate e-learning and will, additionally, reduce non-completion rates. Student support systems will function to support the learning process through the provision of more immediate tutor-student mentoring and guidance as would extend the learning and emotional support which would encourage students to complete the programme, on the one hand, and bring e-learning closer to the levels of efficiency and effectiveness attained