Until the early 1980s, the basic mode of delivering education for collegiate professorial staff was basically the traditional lecture. Single, working, residential individuals between the ages of eighteen and twenty three years comprised the student population. However, the non-traditional students begun to dramatically increase. As the new millennium approached, the student population begun to change to employed, married and non-residential. The modules for delivering knowledge also changed with the introduction of new technologies to include online and distant education. The implementation of these new educational technologies does not take into consideration their effect. Based on a study carried out among university students, the finding and conclusion was that online learning technologies and distance learning are perceived by students to have some benefits over traditional learning even though these benefits are not necessarily related with knowledge.
Introduction
The traditional mode of education delivery had been such that it took place within the confines of the classroom with the lecturer offering lectures directly and the students listening and taking notes. Within this context, the interaction between the students and the lecturer was conceived of as the most important element. This paradigm has however been challenged by innovations in education delivery mechanisms. The less exploited education delivery methods such as distance learning have gained new life with advances in information technology. Many higher learning institutions have adopted online education and distance learning as a logical step in educational delivery systems as a result of this. This system is likely to be the future educational pedagogy as it is being actively promoted. Blustein et al have gone so far as to suggest that the residential based model will become obsolete in the near future (Blustein, Goldstein, Lozier, 1999). The major question however is the impact of this deviation from face to face relationship between the lecturer and the students on learning.
Not much research has been done on the effectiveness of the methodologies of distance and online learning by many institutions before adopting them. For a better comprehension of how these learning technologies affect the perception of students on education, a study was conducted among college students. The aim of this study was to better comprehend the perception of students on the effectiveness of online learning as compared to traditional learning. And so many student thise days accept homework live help directly off the internet to improve their academic grades. This paper also assesses the aspects of distance and online learning that are seen by students to provide advantages over the traditional teaching methodology. The structuring of this paper is as follows: the first section establishes a theoretical basis to better comprehend the perception of students concerning distance learning and online learning. Research methodology including survey instrument's design follows. The results of the survey are also discussed and finally, a conclusion is drawn and opportunities for further research presented.
Background
Higher education is typically perceived to have always employed the lecture method in delivering education. This is however a relatively new phenomenon in reality. For many centuries, the mode of passing knowledge had been the apprenticeship form of education. The method is still used in PhD programs today. As time passed, the lecture method of arranging meetings at particular places at a given time was adopted and hence became the basic educational delivery method. The classroom lecture has not been the only method for educational delivery in the twentieth century. In the past two decades, distance learning through the use of closed circuit television was in use. Correspondence courses have also existed for almost a half a century. However, these methods have not been seen to offer similar learning impact like the lecture method.
Formal education was generally left for the few privileged individuals some fifty years ago in the United States. The changes in the United States economy have also led to changes in the educational sector. Three decades ago, the basic population of undergraduate students was composed of single, residential and full time 18-23 year olds. The telecommunication age brought about alterations in this population, with older people enrolling for the courses. As such, it now includes married, employed and non-residential students. Higher education has also been influenced by increased competition for students. A college or university student can order custom essay from a trusted website and save precious time. The changing population of students together with new educational competitors has driven the adoption of new educational delivery system that bridges the time-place gap that had been created by traditional courses. Non-residential education services are being offered by interactive distance teaching and global access to educational instructions through the internet services. Delivery of education has also been encouraged by the decreased cost of personal computers and the increased ability of telecommunication.
Theoretical basis
The aim of this research is to find out the perception of students concerning the effectiveness of distance learning. Another purpose of this paper is to find out hoe student’s view those dimensions of distance and online learning that might offer relative advantage when compared to traditional teaching methods. The study is based on three constructs; characteristics of students, prior educational conditions and characteristics of online and distance learning. These constructs influence the perception of students concerning the effectiveness of online learning. Each of the constructs is multi-faceted.
Methodology
A questionnaire was developed for the purpose of studying these three constructs. The study was then carried out at the participating university in a variety of courses. A total of one hundred questionnaires were collected. Approximately sixty percent of the respondents were females and forty percent were males. The average age was 25.8 years. The majority of the respondents (70%) had undergone an online course and a considerably large minority (40%) had taken a distance learning course. Combined traditional and online learning methodologies had been taken by a slightly larger percentage (71%). The sample was taken from sophomores to graduate students, with juniors comprising 60% and seniors comprising 30% of the respondents. The remaining 10% were either sophomores of graduate students. The, sample seemed representative of the entire student body.
Results
The students were not clear about the effectiveness of online learning as compared to traditional methods. The respondents believed they could attain the same grade in an online course. When asked about the effectiveness of online courses as compared to traditional courses, they disagreed even though not significantly. They agreed that they learned better when online courses were combined with traditional courses even though this was not significant too. They also did not seem to prefer online courses to traditional courses.
The second goal of the research was to find out the aspects of online learning that offered advantages relative to traditional methods. The findings indicated that online learning offered some benefits to students. Most of these advantages are related with time saving, scheduling and the ability to take more courses. If you do order custom writing of the internet make sure you will provide the website when you place your order with all the needed academic info to make youe essay or academic paper - perfect. The findings also indicated that that online made it easy for students to attend more classes even though this finding was not significant. The perception of the students was that online courses made class discussions difficult and also that it required significant changes on the part of the student. It is thus clear that online learning also offer some disadvantages.
Conclusion
The research indicates that students view online learning as having relative advantages to traditional methods. These include time saving, better scheduling and allowing students to take more courses. However, they do not see that they learn more in online courses and are concerned about their ability to contribute to class discussions. However, the students are not clear on their comparison of online courses and traditional learning methods. They prefer traditional courses to
вторник, 23 февраля 2010 г.
пятница, 12 февраля 2010 г.
Why international students have more stress, order custom writing
Why international students have more stress
Introduction
The phenomenon of students migrating to foreign countries for the purpose of pursuing education has been here for quite a long time. In the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia, there are over 1 million students pursuing higher education hence being exposed to new cultures. These students often experience more stress than the students from the host country mostly due to the adaptation process they have to undergo. This adaptation process is referred to as acculturation. Acculturation can be defined as the process by which a minority group adopts the culture of the group that is dominant. It requires the international students to change their attitudes, values, behaviors and even their identity, in the spirit of conforming to the new culture. Sometimes international students choose homework live help from on line academic resources.
This process is not very easy for the foreign students bearing in mind that their personality and character is something that was build over the years and changing it in a very short time is often accompanied with various degrees of stress depending on an individual student. Personal and situational variables come into play in determining the level of severity of stress that a student undergoes during the acculturation process. They also determine the period of time an individual student takes to undergo the acculturation process. To measure the self esteem and acculturative stress level; the SAFE acculturation stress scale and the Rosenberg self esteem scale are the tools that are normally used.
Discussion
Low self esteem
In a study carried out on Turkey students by Erdinic and Senel (2007) using the above tools, it was found that International students have low level of self esteem and high levels of accumulative stress. The low self esteem experienced by international students a rises from the feeling of being the minority group in a foreign country and from the discrimination they experience from the students from the local country. Low self esteem leads to the feeling of being inferior and lack of assertiveness. An individual who is not assertive cannot express his own feelings and thoughts about issues and situations. The individual experiences problems in trying to affirm his own identity and this greatly impedes the individual’s success in America or any other country. Many international students are plagued with lack of assertiveness which contributes to stress in these students.
Loneliness and financial pressure
The international students are separated from their own parents and relatives and often times they don’t have anyone to turn to for consolation and comfort during times of difficulties. They are as a result reported to experience high levels of loneliness. The concern for their relatives in their countries also acts as a source of stress. Sometimes the foreign students are faced with financial pressures with no immediate and possible solution in the vicinity. Situations become even more difficult if the foreign students don’t understand English. The best way to success with homework is to order custom essay.
Language barrier and academic pressure
They become faced with an uphill task of learning the local language first and in the meantime experiencing a lot of problems in trying to express themselves. Although quite a number of them understand English, lack of fluency in the language affects their confidence when interacting with people and during participations in class discussions. Those who are fluent in English are more likely to excel in their academics since they are assertive and have the confidence to initiate academic discussions and ask questions (Meifen, 2007).
Also contributing to the stress of international students are academic pressures. Although the foreign students may have good academic skills, they are accessible to fewer resources than their American counterparts. They experience stress in trying to adjust to a new education system and way of learning. Difficulties also arise from the adjustment to the college life itself. There social life in the college becomes a nightmare in trying to establish new acquaintances whereby their efforts are sometimes met by rejection, scorn, hatred and discrimination.
Psychosocial Distress
Psychosocial distress faced by foreign students can be grouped into two major factors. The first on is linked to interpersonal issue found within self while the other includes more external factors like the cultural milieu and the environment. Generally, both types of psychosocial distress combine and interact with each other (Erdinc & Senel, 2007). Intrapersonal distress involves an individual experiencing a sense of inferiority, sense of uncertainty, sense of profound loss, perceived discrimination, mistrust, threat to cultural identity and perceived hatred. Interpersonal stressors are linked to culture shock, communication barriers, academic pressure, different expectation in education and social support system loss. Intrapersonal stressors factor analysis showed that foreign students perceived alienation and discrimination as the ones stressing them the most. Research findings show that perceived discrimination is less serious in immigrant students than international students. Perceived discrimination leads to more identity conflict, elevated stress, poor academic performance and increased socio cultural and psychosocial adjustment issues (Meifen, 2007).
Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is another issue that affects foreign students (Madonna & Sumie, 2004). An individual’s level of self-efficacy determines the degree of stress the individual undergoes and the speed of adjustment to new environment. International students who have a strong sense of self-efficacy about their abilities and competencies help them with emotional adjustment. A strong self-efficacy also assists individuals to confront difficult situations without having to feel confused and overwhelmed. This positive self belief assists individuals to be able to perform new tasks that are challenging besides overcoming hardships. Self-efficacy therefore plays a major role during the stressful acculturation period as it helps protect a person from negative emotions and experiences as well as eminent health impairment. One of the factors that affect affects a foreign student’s self efficacy is perceived skills in English (Erdinc & Senel, 2007).
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) criteria used to admit students in colleges do not satisfactorily guarantee that the students are fluent in English. A student who scores highly on A TOEFL test may experience real problems when interacting with fellow students in the college due to language barrier. International students with higher levels of fluency in English have been associated to have higher levels of self-efficacy. They consequently have better adjustments to the culture of the host country. With the increased self-efficacy comes high level of assertiveness, confidence and academic efficacy.
Most of foreign students originate from collectivism societies which highly value interpersonal harmony to such an extent that there is an encouragement of passivity and self-restraint among members. Asian international students have been reported in many studies to be passive and less assertive compared to their Caucasian counterparts. As a result, they have higher acculturative stress when compared to other foreign students. Their passivity often leads negative effect on their relationships and interactions with peers, teachers and general American associates.
Spirituality
Spirituality is another issue that is associated to stress levels experienced by international students during the period of acculturation. Spirituality refers to the belief in a higher power and the divine expression of this belief which governs an individual’s existence. It is different from religion in the sense that religion is a collective belief in higher power or God while spirituality is relational and personal meanings people attach to life experiences. Order custom writing and free your time for culture assimilation. Consequently, people with no religious background or beliefs can develop experiences that are spiritual and meaningful. Spirituality can assist international students attach meaning to their stressful situations and be more adaptive to stressful conditions.
People who have high religious salience and spirituality are known to engage in health promoting activities such as exercising regularly, taking of a healthy diet and responsible healthy habits and practices. It is argued that such individuals can feel better self worth, God’s love and have better chance of realizing their full potential. However, some reports indicate that college students who were having high levels of spirituality were also said to having high levels of stress and anger. It is assumed that students would likely turn to spirituality to cope with high levels of anger and stress. Although the findings about spirituality that have been tabled have been inconsistent, questioning the issue of spirituality itself, it has of late begun to be given attention by researchers (Madonna & Sumie, 2004).
Conclusion
In conclusion, acculturation can be said to be a very difficult process for foreign students studying in the United States. The process leads to considerable stress in the students. In many instances, somatic symptoms have been observed and diagnonized. Sometimes, the level of stress can be so high to the extent of luring the foreign students into drugs. During the acculturation process certain aspects of the new culture an individual comes in contact with are taken up and assimilated by the individual. However the individual also has the option of totally declining to assimilate any aspect of the new culture. Stress levels are likely to be very high for those international students who resist assimilating most of the aspects of the American culture. That is why it is the best to order a custom essay. There is a tendency for such students to withdraw into themselves and become angry to the new world a round them. There social life becomes greatly affected due the very limited number of people the students are willing to interact with.
Recommendation
All in all, when international students come to America to study, they initially undergo the usual culture shock after which they adapt to their new environment together with the foreign culture. This adaptation brings with it changes in the individual student both in character and behavior. When such a student returns to his/her home country they are also faced with culture shock again. This is also known as ‘reentry culture shock.’ It is therefore upon the student to appreciate that he/she has changed to some degree. The parents and relatives of such a student should try to show the student support and understanding.
Introduction
The phenomenon of students migrating to foreign countries for the purpose of pursuing education has been here for quite a long time. In the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia, there are over 1 million students pursuing higher education hence being exposed to new cultures. These students often experience more stress than the students from the host country mostly due to the adaptation process they have to undergo. This adaptation process is referred to as acculturation. Acculturation can be defined as the process by which a minority group adopts the culture of the group that is dominant. It requires the international students to change their attitudes, values, behaviors and even their identity, in the spirit of conforming to the new culture. Sometimes international students choose homework live help from on line academic resources.
This process is not very easy for the foreign students bearing in mind that their personality and character is something that was build over the years and changing it in a very short time is often accompanied with various degrees of stress depending on an individual student. Personal and situational variables come into play in determining the level of severity of stress that a student undergoes during the acculturation process. They also determine the period of time an individual student takes to undergo the acculturation process. To measure the self esteem and acculturative stress level; the SAFE acculturation stress scale and the Rosenberg self esteem scale are the tools that are normally used.
Discussion
Low self esteem
In a study carried out on Turkey students by Erdinic and Senel (2007) using the above tools, it was found that International students have low level of self esteem and high levels of accumulative stress. The low self esteem experienced by international students a rises from the feeling of being the minority group in a foreign country and from the discrimination they experience from the students from the local country. Low self esteem leads to the feeling of being inferior and lack of assertiveness. An individual who is not assertive cannot express his own feelings and thoughts about issues and situations. The individual experiences problems in trying to affirm his own identity and this greatly impedes the individual’s success in America or any other country. Many international students are plagued with lack of assertiveness which contributes to stress in these students.
Loneliness and financial pressure
The international students are separated from their own parents and relatives and often times they don’t have anyone to turn to for consolation and comfort during times of difficulties. They are as a result reported to experience high levels of loneliness. The concern for their relatives in their countries also acts as a source of stress. Sometimes the foreign students are faced with financial pressures with no immediate and possible solution in the vicinity. Situations become even more difficult if the foreign students don’t understand English. The best way to success with homework is to order custom essay.
Language barrier and academic pressure
They become faced with an uphill task of learning the local language first and in the meantime experiencing a lot of problems in trying to express themselves. Although quite a number of them understand English, lack of fluency in the language affects their confidence when interacting with people and during participations in class discussions. Those who are fluent in English are more likely to excel in their academics since they are assertive and have the confidence to initiate academic discussions and ask questions (Meifen, 2007).
Also contributing to the stress of international students are academic pressures. Although the foreign students may have good academic skills, they are accessible to fewer resources than their American counterparts. They experience stress in trying to adjust to a new education system and way of learning. Difficulties also arise from the adjustment to the college life itself. There social life in the college becomes a nightmare in trying to establish new acquaintances whereby their efforts are sometimes met by rejection, scorn, hatred and discrimination.
Psychosocial Distress
Psychosocial distress faced by foreign students can be grouped into two major factors. The first on is linked to interpersonal issue found within self while the other includes more external factors like the cultural milieu and the environment. Generally, both types of psychosocial distress combine and interact with each other (Erdinc & Senel, 2007). Intrapersonal distress involves an individual experiencing a sense of inferiority, sense of uncertainty, sense of profound loss, perceived discrimination, mistrust, threat to cultural identity and perceived hatred. Interpersonal stressors are linked to culture shock, communication barriers, academic pressure, different expectation in education and social support system loss. Intrapersonal stressors factor analysis showed that foreign students perceived alienation and discrimination as the ones stressing them the most. Research findings show that perceived discrimination is less serious in immigrant students than international students. Perceived discrimination leads to more identity conflict, elevated stress, poor academic performance and increased socio cultural and psychosocial adjustment issues (Meifen, 2007).
Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is another issue that affects foreign students (Madonna & Sumie, 2004). An individual’s level of self-efficacy determines the degree of stress the individual undergoes and the speed of adjustment to new environment. International students who have a strong sense of self-efficacy about their abilities and competencies help them with emotional adjustment. A strong self-efficacy also assists individuals to confront difficult situations without having to feel confused and overwhelmed. This positive self belief assists individuals to be able to perform new tasks that are challenging besides overcoming hardships. Self-efficacy therefore plays a major role during the stressful acculturation period as it helps protect a person from negative emotions and experiences as well as eminent health impairment. One of the factors that affect affects a foreign student’s self efficacy is perceived skills in English (Erdinc & Senel, 2007).
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) criteria used to admit students in colleges do not satisfactorily guarantee that the students are fluent in English. A student who scores highly on A TOEFL test may experience real problems when interacting with fellow students in the college due to language barrier. International students with higher levels of fluency in English have been associated to have higher levels of self-efficacy. They consequently have better adjustments to the culture of the host country. With the increased self-efficacy comes high level of assertiveness, confidence and academic efficacy.
Most of foreign students originate from collectivism societies which highly value interpersonal harmony to such an extent that there is an encouragement of passivity and self-restraint among members. Asian international students have been reported in many studies to be passive and less assertive compared to their Caucasian counterparts. As a result, they have higher acculturative stress when compared to other foreign students. Their passivity often leads negative effect on their relationships and interactions with peers, teachers and general American associates.
Spirituality
Spirituality is another issue that is associated to stress levels experienced by international students during the period of acculturation. Spirituality refers to the belief in a higher power and the divine expression of this belief which governs an individual’s existence. It is different from religion in the sense that religion is a collective belief in higher power or God while spirituality is relational and personal meanings people attach to life experiences. Order custom writing and free your time for culture assimilation. Consequently, people with no religious background or beliefs can develop experiences that are spiritual and meaningful. Spirituality can assist international students attach meaning to their stressful situations and be more adaptive to stressful conditions.
People who have high religious salience and spirituality are known to engage in health promoting activities such as exercising regularly, taking of a healthy diet and responsible healthy habits and practices. It is argued that such individuals can feel better self worth, God’s love and have better chance of realizing their full potential. However, some reports indicate that college students who were having high levels of spirituality were also said to having high levels of stress and anger. It is assumed that students would likely turn to spirituality to cope with high levels of anger and stress. Although the findings about spirituality that have been tabled have been inconsistent, questioning the issue of spirituality itself, it has of late begun to be given attention by researchers (Madonna & Sumie, 2004).
Conclusion
In conclusion, acculturation can be said to be a very difficult process for foreign students studying in the United States. The process leads to considerable stress in the students. In many instances, somatic symptoms have been observed and diagnonized. Sometimes, the level of stress can be so high to the extent of luring the foreign students into drugs. During the acculturation process certain aspects of the new culture an individual comes in contact with are taken up and assimilated by the individual. However the individual also has the option of totally declining to assimilate any aspect of the new culture. Stress levels are likely to be very high for those international students who resist assimilating most of the aspects of the American culture. That is why it is the best to order a custom essay. There is a tendency for such students to withdraw into themselves and become angry to the new world a round them. There social life becomes greatly affected due the very limited number of people the students are willing to interact with.
Recommendation
All in all, when international students come to America to study, they initially undergo the usual culture shock after which they adapt to their new environment together with the foreign culture. This adaptation brings with it changes in the individual student both in character and behavior. When such a student returns to his/her home country they are also faced with culture shock again. This is also known as ‘reentry culture shock.’ It is therefore upon the student to appreciate that he/she has changed to some degree. The parents and relatives of such a student should try to show the student support and understanding.
среда, 10 февраля 2010 г.
college and university culture + students
In general, the term “culture” refers to the behavior, attitudes, practices and norms of a given group of people in a localized geographic area. In particular, the culture of students attending a college together is a unique phenomenon. (Person, 1990) Student culture in a college setting is established and passed on through the classes. Members of this culture experience learning of values, behaviors and norms through a cultural system of punishment and reward, social interactions and expressed values. (Person, 1990) As the individual student craves acceptance into the new culture of their college, the culture influences student behavior from the moment they arrive in the new environment. When you wish to address homework live help and other online methods to achieve academic success - you can visit custoessayorder.com. This element of learning is prevalent from the beginning of the educational experience. (Person, 1990) Educators tend to overlook this aspect of student learning. They tend to dismiss the importance of peer group influences on learning. (Person, 1990) The peer group defines the problems, norms and behaviors of the students therein. They further serve as models for new students as they arrive in the environment. The culture of a college sets standards for behaviors and norms. (Person, 1990) It can also influence specific conduct, such as organization membership. Cultural contact provides a context in which students learn the proper ways of communicating and interacting socially, which are valuable life and business skills. (Person, 1990) The culture itself is in a constant state of transition as the demographic make-up of the college changes over time.
Essential to the understanding of culture in the college setting is the notion that it is not homogeneous. There exists in college culture, like any other culture, a series of subcultures. (Kuh, ) Within these subcultures are several recognized levels. (Kuh, ) The first of these levels is “artifacts”. This refers to the tangible elements of culture that can be further divided into physical, verbal and behavioral categories. (Kuh, ) Physical artifacts are those elements of environment that exist around a population n as they express and shape their cultural behavior. Examples include the architecture, geography and art of the setting, technology, and regional characteristics of the college’s location. (Kuh, ) Verbal artifacts include language, stories or myths associated with the college culture. Often, institutions have specific words or phrases, which Kuh refers to as “terms of endearment”, that are unique to the college. Behavioral artifacts are rituals and rites associated with the college. There are hundreds of examples of behavioral artifacts in a college setting. (Kuh,)
The second level of culture is referred to as “perspectives”. (Kuh, ) These are socially shared rules of behavior for a given situation. (Kuh, ) Styles of cress are a common example of perspective in college culture. Others include public discussion taboos, procedures at faculty meetings and other behavioral standards. (Kuh, )”Values”, the third level of subcultures is the group’s impression of the ideal in circumstances, the way things “aught to be”. (Kuh, ) many colleges express values in the form of mission statements and/or policy/conduct guidebooks. (Kuh,) Values may be espoused or enacted. Do not waist your time and improve your college culture with state of the art online order processing system that will help you to order custom essays easy and fast. If they are merely espoused, they make the claim of being a value without reflecting the reality of attempting to fulfil the value. If they are enacted, the culture is making a real effort to have cultural behavior conform to the stated values.
The final level of subculture is “Assumptions”. These are tacit beliefs used by members of the culture to define their roles and behaviors. (Kuh, ) These are implicit tenets upon which artifacts, perspectives and values are based. (Kuh, ) These assumptions can be further divided into five subsets. One of these is humanity’s relationship to nature. A second is ***These pages of the KUH article have been omitted from the copy you uploaded***(pg 8-9).
In the culture of a college setting, it is rare that a single culture dominates. The fabric of the culture of a college consists of numerous subcultures. These subcultures define themselves similarly to general cultures, using language, behavior and other cues to differentiate from the “rest of the group”. (Kuh, ) Subcultures can exist among both students and faculty. A typical division of the culture of faculty is by department of study. (Kuh, ) The interactions between students, their culture and their subculture define a key element of their learning and development at college.
The elements of culture described above can be understood through a method of inquiry known as the Cultural Audit. (Whitt, ) The Cultural Audit is a journey to understand the culture of a particular location, such as a college, and the process is guided by eight principles. (Whitt, ) The first of these is that the auditor must identify and acknowledge the underlying assumptions of the subject as to what culture is. The second principle is to respect the uniqueness of the institution being audited. (Whitt, ) The third principle is that the Auditor recognizes the need to explore the perspectives of both the insiders and the outsiders. The fourth principle is that a full engagement requires a lengthy interaction. (Whitt, ) Fifth is the principle that the Auditor should get as much information as possible before formulating conclusions. The sixth principle is acknowledging the fact that the institution may resist the audit. (Whitt, ) The seventh principle that an Auditor should recognize is the necessity of multiple forms of data collection. The final principle of the Culture Audit is that the Auditor should obtain insider feedback on their observations and conclusions to ensure accuracy. (Whitt, )Custom essay writing is your way to academic success.
The use of the Culture Audit should be an effective way to examine culture at Queens College in Flushing, Queens. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), Queens College boasts nearly 18,500 students. It maintains a good reputation for academic achievement, and is classified as a commuter college, since 40% of the undergraduates and 90% of the graduate students are part-time. The school sponsors 20 men’s and women’s Division II sports teams. The school boasts students from 120 different nations, who speak 66 different languages.
Essential to the understanding of culture in the college setting is the notion that it is not homogeneous. There exists in college culture, like any other culture, a series of subcultures. (Kuh, ) Within these subcultures are several recognized levels. (Kuh, ) The first of these levels is “artifacts”. This refers to the tangible elements of culture that can be further divided into physical, verbal and behavioral categories. (Kuh, ) Physical artifacts are those elements of environment that exist around a population n as they express and shape their cultural behavior. Examples include the architecture, geography and art of the setting, technology, and regional characteristics of the college’s location. (Kuh, ) Verbal artifacts include language, stories or myths associated with the college culture. Often, institutions have specific words or phrases, which Kuh refers to as “terms of endearment”, that are unique to the college. Behavioral artifacts are rituals and rites associated with the college. There are hundreds of examples of behavioral artifacts in a college setting. (Kuh,)
The second level of culture is referred to as “perspectives”. (Kuh, ) These are socially shared rules of behavior for a given situation. (Kuh, ) Styles of cress are a common example of perspective in college culture. Others include public discussion taboos, procedures at faculty meetings and other behavioral standards. (Kuh, )”Values”, the third level of subcultures is the group’s impression of the ideal in circumstances, the way things “aught to be”. (Kuh, ) many colleges express values in the form of mission statements and/or policy/conduct guidebooks. (Kuh,) Values may be espoused or enacted. Do not waist your time and improve your college culture with state of the art online order processing system that will help you to order custom essays easy and fast. If they are merely espoused, they make the claim of being a value without reflecting the reality of attempting to fulfil the value. If they are enacted, the culture is making a real effort to have cultural behavior conform to the stated values.
The final level of subculture is “Assumptions”. These are tacit beliefs used by members of the culture to define their roles and behaviors. (Kuh, ) These are implicit tenets upon which artifacts, perspectives and values are based. (Kuh, ) These assumptions can be further divided into five subsets. One of these is humanity’s relationship to nature. A second is ***These pages of the KUH article have been omitted from the copy you uploaded***(pg 8-9).
In the culture of a college setting, it is rare that a single culture dominates. The fabric of the culture of a college consists of numerous subcultures. These subcultures define themselves similarly to general cultures, using language, behavior and other cues to differentiate from the “rest of the group”. (Kuh, ) Subcultures can exist among both students and faculty. A typical division of the culture of faculty is by department of study. (Kuh, ) The interactions between students, their culture and their subculture define a key element of their learning and development at college.
The elements of culture described above can be understood through a method of inquiry known as the Cultural Audit. (Whitt, ) The Cultural Audit is a journey to understand the culture of a particular location, such as a college, and the process is guided by eight principles. (Whitt, ) The first of these is that the auditor must identify and acknowledge the underlying assumptions of the subject as to what culture is. The second principle is to respect the uniqueness of the institution being audited. (Whitt, ) The third principle is that the Auditor recognizes the need to explore the perspectives of both the insiders and the outsiders. The fourth principle is that a full engagement requires a lengthy interaction. (Whitt, ) Fifth is the principle that the Auditor should get as much information as possible before formulating conclusions. The sixth principle is acknowledging the fact that the institution may resist the audit. (Whitt, ) The seventh principle that an Auditor should recognize is the necessity of multiple forms of data collection. The final principle of the Culture Audit is that the Auditor should obtain insider feedback on their observations and conclusions to ensure accuracy. (Whitt, )Custom essay writing is your way to academic success.
The use of the Culture Audit should be an effective way to examine culture at Queens College in Flushing, Queens. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), Queens College boasts nearly 18,500 students. It maintains a good reputation for academic achievement, and is classified as a commuter college, since 40% of the undergraduates and 90% of the graduate students are part-time. The school sponsors 20 men’s and women’s Division II sports teams. The school boasts students from 120 different nations, who speak 66 different languages.
понедельник, 1 февраля 2010 г.
Working on the essay
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If you feel like working on the essay yourself - feel free to do so. For all the rest of you - there is this unique custom writing service that offers online academic assistance. All you have to do is to place your order and pay for it - we will do the rest. We will be working on your academic assignment day and night until it is perfect and will submit it to you prior the deadline. Prices are super low and writers are best in the freelance industry.
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