Letter Grades †Not Good for Measuring One’s Potential

A letter grade, such as an A, B, C, and everything in between, has long been used by educationists and academia to calculate a student’s educational aptitude. This most basic factor of an education norm has become iconic with pop culture, movies and media all highlighting the power behind these alphabets. ‘She got a D in math.’ ‘He’s a straight A student.’ In short, to quantify the efforts and understanding a student has over their chosen field of study, no artifact of modern formal learning has more staying power than the letter grade. In one fell swoop, an alphabetical letter has the power to open doors and opportunities for you in the future. If one wanted to delve into how these grades are calculated, the situation becomes†¦ a tad bit confusing. Some institutions calculate a student’s aptitude and prowess in a variety of subjects, handing out numerical scores and then converting them to a grade. Some institutes tend to turn these letter grades into averages of letter grades, thereby befuddling and confusing students and their families in the process. ‘He’s got a 3.0 GPA. Can he get into an Ivy League school with that?’ This sort of arbitrariness that accompanies grades is widely criticized. Many people are clamoring about the efficacy of grades in determining how better they are suited for professional life. There should be a fairer and equitable criteria for judging how an individual qualifies for future opportunities, be it playing sports, getting into their college / university of choice or just plain determine if they are ‘smart’ or not. Many parents expect their offspring to score As and Bs in their academic tests because according to them that’s all there is to pursue in life. As the biggest stakeholders in the system, they want their children to perform optimally. However, more people are becoming unconvinced of its veracity as education and awareness about the over-simplified process of awarding grades comes to the fore. People are questioning the system and rightfully so. Education has to be more than doling out stellar grades to a few students. It has to be inclusive and help students explore their strengths to the fullest. This is why educationists are experimenting with new grading systems that give a better perspective on a learner’s potential. Here are some of them: Gamification What if pursuing education was more like a game? That’s where the word gamification comes from. Students could be graded just like they are based on their performance and achievements in the video game. They can be awarded badges, trophies and achievements by completing a certain feat (educationists can determine what these feats are, ranging from downright easy to prohibitively difficult) they complete. Think of it like objectives and bonus tasks in a game. This system is precise and helps uncover the more nuanced characteristics of an individual out. A letter is too simple, on the other hand. Live Feedback Imagine a system where there were no grades or scoring or iteration involved, but a system that would still make students learn from their mistakes and get more attention from their lecturers? Only feedback on what you have done. Verbal and written feedback that serves to help you improve immediately is the core objective here. Instead of waiting for the grades to be calculated and forgetting about your mistakes in all that time, live feedback is more about a hands-on learning experience. Standards-Based Reporting Switching the letter grade for numbers, this method tends to give a much better picture of a student’s aptitude than the over-simplified alphabetical letter grading process. Concluding Thoughts These alternatives to a simple letter grade succeed in painting a better picture of a person’s strengths and weaknesses. A good education is supposed to do just that, to highlight these discrepancies and offer corrective measures to allow students to become well-learned and cultured people who are equipped to deal with life’s myriad challenges. This is how stakeholders get a say in their future, by accurately determining how well they are doing in their scholastic pursuits, anything but a letter grade.

African American Culture Essay - 1025 Words

African American culture contains aspects of both African and European culture at its roots. While there are claims that all traces of African heritage were beaten and stolen through processes of acculturation, I believe that the foundation, as well as a significant portion of practices and behaviors can be found in African culture. Many slaves held on tightly to their African heritage, while a slave culture sought invisibility through assimilating into European American culture. These major influences helped shape modern African American culture. I will use resources provided to me in the form of articles and films to provide evidence of African and European influences in African American culture. First I will explain basic concept of†¦show more content†¦African culture came into contact with European culture largely and most prominently during this slave trade. As this pro slavery narrative of black inferiority among white superiority progressed, African Americans learned to observe their white masters. Upon viewing the punishment endured by fellow slaves, they began to conceal their African heritage around white people. In order to survive, it was necessary to muffle and conceal their emotion, and in other words mute their culture. It is at this point that black masking and black acting begin to become a part of African American culture that is still present today. To understand exactly how this incursion on freedom was so widely accepted, we may look to observations from Jefferson in his â€Å"State of Virginia†. â€Å"All men are created equal† in the context of the slave trade era in North America sounds fatally contradictory, therefore in order to push the pro black slave agenda, Jefferson penned an argument against the humanity of blackness that set in motion a narrative that would continue to form over the next four centuries. Essentially â€Å"all men are created equal† was upheld, but if it could be proven that black pe ople have no humanity, then they are not equal, therefore black slavery is justified. Jefferson argued the difference was biological rather than cultural as in the case of Native Americans, leading to a shift in factors of status from religion and wealth to physical appearance. I think that thisShow MoreRelated Essay on African American Culture2045 Words   |  9 PagesEssay on African American Culture Works Cited Missing African American culture is defined as the learned, shared and transmitted values, beliefs, norms, and life ways carried by this group of people, which guides their decisions, thinking, and actions in patterned ways. The individual in society is bound by rules of their culture. Culture of people are different in that the same events that maybe fear- inducing in one culture, maybe anger-inducing in another culture (Leiningers, 1991). 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Study Guide for the Second Exam Aggregate Production Planning (APP) Free Essays

Study Guide for the Second Exam Aggregate Production Planning (APP) 1. What are the major inputs, constraints, and outputs of the aggregate production plan (APP)? 2. Does APP have to be in terms of a real product? 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Study Guide for the Second Exam Aggregate Production Planning (APP) or any similar topic only for you Order Now Where does APP fit in the hierarchy of plans? 4. What is a pure strategy? What is a mixed strategy? Give examples? How do we determine (judge) whether one plan is better than the other? 5. What is relevant (incremental) cost? Does it exist in accounting books? 6. Is it appropriate for a company, which competes on the basis of quality, to construct a chase plan? Explain and give examples if necessary? 7. What is the major cost (excluding regular production cost) for the level plans? 8. Describe the (computational) steps involved in constructing a level plan? 9. What is the major cost (excluding regular production cost) for the chase plan? 10. What is backordering? It is usually mixed with what other type of strategy? (Hint: The example on the handout. ) 11. Arrange in order of increasing cost (left to right, from least to most expensive): overtime, subcontract, backorder ? 12. Describe the APP strategy (including their competitive priorities) Japanese car manufacturers used in 1980s. 13. All the problems assigned and/or done in class. Concentrate on the practice problems (for the test) and problems on the handout. Do not worry too much about the problems in the book. But read the book. Forecasting 1. Do forecasting accuracy increase or decrease as the planning horizon increases? 2. Do forecasting accuracy increase or decrease as items are grouped (aggregated? ) 3. What is Delphi method? What makes it work? 4. What problems do you see with sales force composite estimate? 5. What is causal (associative) forecasting? 6. What is time series forecasting? . What are the components of time series? 8. Which statistic do we use to choose between two forecasting methods? 9. In using simple exponential smoothing, what do we do if we do not have a forecast for the first period? 10. Which component of time series do we smoothen with exponential smoothing? With moving averages? 11. As a forecasting technique, is exponential smoothing a lways better than moving averages? 12. What happens when we increase alpha[pic]? Are we giving more or less weight to more recent data? 13. In general, do weighted moving averages give more or less weight to more recent data? 4. What is the difference between MAD and MAPE? 15. All the problems (assigned and/or done in class. ) Inventory Management 1. What does inventory do for a company? Why do we carry it? 2. What is dependent inventory? What is independent inventory? How do you plan and control each? 3. What is EOQ? How does an EOQ/ROP system work? 4. What is the relationship between annual ordering and carrying costs? Why? 5. What is ABC analysis? 6. Describe Wheeled Coach’s ABC classification. How do they use it? (Hint: Cycle counting)? 7. What is cycle counting? Why do we do it? 8. Do you forecast the demand for components? Why (Why not? )? 9. Where do EOQ, optimal annual ordering, optimal annual carrying, and optimal (minimum) total (annual) inventory costs go on the cost profile? Know the graph for the cost profile for Exam II. 10. All the problems (done or assigned. ) Also, the computation of the optimal total cost, optimal number of orders per year, order cycle time and deterministic reorder point. 11. What is the formula for the reorder point? What are the two major categories? * MAKE SURE YOU PUT ALL YOUR FORMULAS ON YOUR COPY SHEET * How to cite Study Guide for the Second Exam Aggregate Production Planning (APP), Essay examples

Medical Terminology free essay sample

Medical terminology is a language for accurately describing the human body and associated components, conditions, processes and process in a science-based manner. Medical terminology is important in the medical field because it allows healthcare professionals to interact at all levels and details of the patients can be discussed with ease. The benefits of knowing medical terminology are that one can document faster and easier and communicate faster about a patient’s records and illness. One health occupation that interests me is Physical therapists. I think it would be a very rewarding occupation. Physical therapists care for people of all ages who have functional problems. They oversee physical therapist assistants and aides and they consult with specialists, surgeons, etc. Physical therapists work with patients at having more active and healthy lifestyles, helping to prevent loss of mobility. Physical therapists set up plans with patients, help them set goals for themselves, and in some cases help them achieve their goals. We will write a custom essay sample on Medical Terminology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Physical therapists definitely make a big difference in the medical field. Physical therapists typically work in clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, and private offices. In order to become a physical therapist, one would be required to have a postgraduate professional degree. Most programs require a bachelor’s degree for admission and many require specific prerequisites. Some important qualities one should have if going into this field are compassion, detail oriented, dexterity, interpersonal skills and physical stamina. Physical therapy is a very helpful part of the health field.