BLOG 12:

Summary of:

“The amounts of money gabled in the three areas were compared for the weekend of the odorization and for the weekends before and after. The amount of money gambled in the slot machines surrounding the first odorant during the experimental weekend was significant greater than the amount gambled in the same area during the weekends before and after the experiment, possibly true due olfactory recall. The increase appeared greater on Saturday, when the concentration of odorant was higher. The amounts of money gambled in the slot machines surrounding the second odorant and in the control area did not change significantly compared with the weekends before and after the odorization” (Hirsch 585-594).


In his experiment conducted in one of the casinos in Las Vegas, Hirsch proved that olfactory stimuli increases person’s attitude towards gambling (585-594).


Hirsch, A. R. (1995). Effects of ambient odors on slot-machine usage in a Las Vegas casino. Psychology and Marketing, 12(7), 585-594.

BLOG 11:

Paraphrase of:

“An illusion of control is defined as an expectancy of a personal success probability inappropriately higher than the objective probability would warrant” (Langer 316).


According to Langer, some people believe that outcomes of many life events and uncontrollable situations can be externally influenced by them. These individuals identify themselves as being capable to influence life events, such as achievement, happiness or health status without anyone’s approval. He calls this belief as an “illusion of control” (Langer 316).


Langer, Ellen J. “The illusion of control.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32. 2 (1975): 311-328.

BLOG 10:

Response to:


http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/apr/18/highereducation.uk3

Government unveils plans for two-year degrees
Alexandra Smith

Students will be able to gain an honours degree in just two years under government plans to boost numbers at university and ease the worsening burden of student debt.

Traditional three-year degrees in a range of subjects will be compressed by a year from September when universities including Kent, Leeds Metropolitan, Derby, Staffordshire and University College Northampton begin trials of shorter courses in business, sport and biomedical sciences.

It is expected that students eager to start their careers earlier without the burden of large student debt will forego summer holidays and study for an extra term to complete their degrees in the shorter time.

A system of American-style credit accumulation will also allow students to take study breaks and take longer to complete degrees.

The government introduced two-year foundation degrees in September 2001 to attract more students into higher education. The foundation degrees have a vocational focus and students could then opt to take a third year to qualify for an honours award.
Under the trial, students could also study online while at work in a push to raise the number of adults with degree qualifications.

The higher education minister, Bill Rammell, said the changes would mark a revolution for higher education in the UK.

Mr Rammell told the Times: "For many young people the traditional three-year degree allowed for a range of experience of immense personal value.

"But just because a model fits some people well doesn't mean it fits all and increasingly we live in a world where people expect that service providers will have scope to offer flexibility, not uniformity. A model of full-time provision that dictates that an honours degree must last three years rather than a much more intensive but shorter period of time is, ultimately, supplier driven."

The National Union of Students (NUS) said the trial was an acknowledgement that debt could be deterring students from university. The NUS vice-president of education, Julian Nicholds, questioned the motives behind announcing the plans just months before top-up fees are introduced.

He said: "We know from recent reports that applications are set to drop this year, but attention may diverted from this by interest in shorter degrees. This would be very convenient for the government who are evidently concerned about meeting their pledge to widen access.

"Whilst these proposals may offer up more choice to some students, intensive studying over a two-year period might not be an option for those who have to supplement their income through part-time work. We also hold concerns about how the government will cram three to four years of study into a shorter timeframe without adversely affecting the quality of degrees."

The government has set an ambitious target for 50% of 18 to 30-year-olds in higher education by 2010.

However critics have warned that there is little chance of meeting the target in four years' time as the figure currently stands at about 43%.

The push for shorter degrees has, however, provoked fears that it could lead to the "dumbing down" of academic standards. Alan Smithers, of Buckingham University, told the Daily Mail that ministers would need to be careful they did not jeopardise standards.

Professor Smithers said: "The problem with much of government higher education policy is that it is driven by the 50% target which seems to have been plucked out of the air. The government is very concerned about making it work and seems less concerned with the quality of what is on offer than 'putting bums on seats'."

He said his university already offered intensive two-year degrees and the qualifications were successful because they were "validated and valued by employers."


Believing:

I believe that that the two-year-degree-program is advantageous for many people. First of all, studying one year less at the university means one year of sooner employment, allowing the students practically broaden their field of knowledge. It demonstrates how reduced study time at the university could be supplemented by beneficial experience in organisation. Secondly, the reduction of the three-year program to two increases the proportion of young people with higher education. Accordingly, more students will be attracted to receive a higher degree in a shorter space of time. Thirdly, reduced degree program allows students to ease their debt burden, so that the education will be cheaper, and the students don’t have to waste their time looking for jobs and earning money to cover their loan.


Doubting:

The major problem students face during two-year degree concerns their coursework. Because the students have to master certain amount of material equivalent to three-year degrees, their personal workload will be very intensive. Consequently, it can cause much stress and less time for relaxation. Furthermore, “short” two-year program also signals an end of long student holidays, so that the students can’t rejuvenate themselves for the new term or take a three-month internship during three-month break period. Finally, two-year degree leaves a little room for some essential aspects in students life such as more networking with their own friends at the university and getting involved with student clubs, academic societies, professors. As a result, the students lose an opportunity to establish lifelong professional contacts.

BLOG 9:

Response to:


http://www.biconews.com/?p=13491

Cutting Financial Aid Should Be Off the Table
By Dave Merrell

As the economic crisis deepens, Haverford has difficult budget decisions on the horizon. A shrinking endowment has Haverford facing cascading budget shortfalls in the coming years.

Financial aid, long a cornerstone of a Haverford education, could be facing cuts. Unfortunately, in the time when applicants need more aid, the school is not in a position to give it.

There have been no indications from the administration or the board of managers that financial aid will be changed, but there have not been any assurances that Haverford is still committed to it, either. Word from the powers that be will go a long way towards easing the minds of concerned students and parents.

Especially in this economic climate, financial aid should be the single untouchable budget item. Students who are academically qualified to attend Haverford should not be held back by their finances. Nothing is more important to the mission of the college than providing generous aid to the applicants who need it.

Every effort must also be made to ensure that current students can afford to continue their education, even if financial circumstances back home change. Few families are escaping from the crisis unscathed, and many will need to have their financial aid packages changed in order to stay at Haverford.

Again, there is no indication from the administration that financial aid packages won’t be increased for students who need them, but assurances would be nice.
If this means that other initiatives need to be scaled back, then so be it.

Haverford’s master plan is ambitious — and expensive. Expanding the facilities made sense when the College’s endowment was growing, but now maintaining the student body must take priority over maintaining the physical plant.

Likewise, Haverford’s expansive plan to add faculty (the Faculty Committee on Academic Enrichment) should take a back seat to keeping the school affordable. Searches already underway must be completed, but after that money should be targeted for student aid over faculty expansion.

If financial aid must be cut, then Haverford should first roll back its loan-free initiative. Going loan-free was a major coup for Haverford, earning the school praise from around the country, but it is meaningless if it could force us to offer less total aid to students.

The other aspect of Haverford’s financial aid — our status as a need-blind institution — should not even be on the table. Making sure every academically qualified student is granted admission is more than just a selling point; it gets to the core of the school’s identity.

Given the extent of the economic crisis, I realize that nothing in the budget is truly untouchable. I also do not pretend to know the specifics of Haverford’s budget. I do know, however, that Haverford’s financial aid policies are integral to its identity. In this time of need, the college should make every effort to preserve — or even increase — financial aid.


Believing:

I agree with the author that the college should make every effort to preserve financial aid because by this way, many people can get a chance to receive an education. There are people of lower income who cannot afford themselves to go to the university because of the high price of education. I think if the government makes investments in education of poor class, they will certainly pay their way in form of high qualified specialists who will make a contribution to the economy of the country later through investing their knowledge in it.


Doubting:

I think that financial aid should be cut off for those students who study longer and cannot fulfil the requirements of the program. If these students pay on their own, they will graduate on time. Moreover, their performance will increased since they are spending their own funds for education. This will raise the financial resources for higher education.

BLOG 8:

Response to:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/opedne_faisal_k_061205_universal_declaratio.htm

Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A Western Construct?
by Faisal Kutty

A Western Construct?

Fifty-eight years after the universal declaration of human rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, the debate continues as to whether the document is truly universal.

Upon its adoption on Dec. 10, 1948, former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, chair of the commission on human rights, expressed her hope it would become "the Magna Carta of all mankind." Ironically, as was the fate with the "great charter" of 1215, the declaration has not fully lived up to its name.

The declaration was challenged from its very inception. The commission's first draft attracted 168 amendments from various countries. However, the final document was almost unchanged from the initial draft tabled by the commission. Forty-eight countries voted in favour, while eight countries -- Poland, Byelorussia, Czechoslovakia, the Ukraine, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union -- abstained and expressed reservations.


The conflicting views on the declaration have become more pronounced recently as human rights take a more central role in international and domestic forums. The critics of the current international human rights standards range from cultural relativists and Islamists to proponents of Asian values. They contend the existing international human rights regime is deeply influenced by the western experience. The spotlight on the individual, the focus on rights divorced from duties, the emphasis on legalism to secure these rights and the greater priority given to civil and political rights are all hallmarks of the western bias. In contrast, the Asian (including Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, Hindu, etc.) and Islamic conceptions would emphasize community, duties to one another and society and some even place greater emphasis on economic, social and cultural rights.

The philosophical and ideological underpinnings defining human relationship with each other and society in many non-western societies are at variance with our fixation with individualism or what some would call radical individualism.

The focus on individual rights -- in some cases to the detriment of the family and community -- is not consistent with many non-western outlooks on human rights.

Confucian scholar Tu Weiming writes: "Confucian humanism offers an account of the reasons for supporting basic human rights that does not depend on a liberal conception of persons."

However, this in no way implies that such views are totally devoid of consideration for the individual. The substructures of human rights in some non-western conceptions attempt to establish equilibrium between individualism and collectivism in ways that are different from ours. Far from being a contradiction, as documented by collectivists theorists such as Harry Triandis, individualism and collectivism can coexist and in fact can thrive together.

From the Confucian perspective, for instance, Weiming notes: "Human rights are inseparable from human responsibilities."

Although in the Confucian tradition, duty-consciousness is more pronounced than rights-consciousness -- to the extent that the Confucian tradition underscores self-cultivation, family cohesiveness, economic well-being, social order, political justice and cultural flourishing -- it is a valuable spring of wisdom for an understanding of human rights broadly conceived."

The natural law origin of the declaration also conflicts with the religious view that rights are derived from divine authority. Brazil's suggestion the declaration ought to have referred to a transcendent entity was rejected outright during the debate leading to the declaration's adoption. One argument says the denial of divine authority is essential to make the philosophy underlying rights protection universal. How can something be universal when it rejects the view of a significant component of the world's population -- not only eastern religions but also adherents of Christianity and Judaism -- who believe in some form of divine authority? Why should the assumption of secular elite be imposed on everyone?

The extensive list of fundamental human rights is subject to certain general limitations, set out in articles 29 and 30 of the declaration. Article 29 (2), for instance, provides for "limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society." The different philosophies and views undoubtedly will produce equally valid interpretations of such restrictive articles and human rights standards in general.

A strong argument can be made that the current formulation of international human rights constitutes a cultural structure in which western society finds itself easily at home. This has led some western human-rights scholars to arrogantly conclude that most non-western societies lack not only the practice of human rights but also the very concept. This clearly overlooks the fact that we can only claim to be better than others because we use our own values and standards to measure them.

Dominance cannot be equated with the truth, though it is easy to get caught up in the old confusion between might and right.

It is important to acknowledge and appreciate that other societies may have equally valid alternative conceptions of human rights. Exiled Tunisian Islamist leader Rachid Ghannouchi once told a reporter: "I think a universal concept of human rights must come from the philosophical vision of all peoples."

The call for a more inclusive conception is laudable, particularly given that even proponents of the other views acknowledge that there are certain universal values. For instance, the jailed former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, a proponent of both Asian values and Islam, writes in his book, The Asian Renaissance, "To say that freedom is western . . . is to offend our own traditions as well as our forefathers, who gave their lives in the struggle against tyranny and injustice."

Claims of universality do not ensure universal acceptance. Accommodating the various conceptions within the international framework may or may not be plausible. The difficulty of the task should not prevent us from grappling with this issue. At least from this exercise we may in fact learn that there are indeed certain truly universal ideals and principles shared by us all.

Indeed, the belief that the current international human rights regime is derived exclusively from the ideological framework of the west is a major obstacle in its acceptance as a truly universal vision. As suggested by a number of human rights scholars, the United Nations must initiate a project to rethink and reformulate the conception of human rights, taking into account the different philosophies that share this planet.

The only way to ensure universal acceptance of and compliance with international human rights law is by removing the crutch used for so long by human rights violators -- that human rights as we know it today is a western construct.


Believing:

I do not think that all the western values can be applied to non-western societies because there are clear and often sharp differences between the values and traditions of both societies. While Westerners value the individual’s rights and personal freedom, Easterners appreciate responsibilities to the community. This includes respect for the elderly and authority, obedience, commitment to family, clan, community, country that distinguishes significantly non-western culture and its way of living from that of western. In my opinion, individual rights are preceded by group rights in eastern societies where decisions are made through group consensus which older people influence more than the individual to whom a particular problem concerns.


Doubting:

I believe that some of the Human Rights standards can be and should be applied for the East. It is abusive that many authoritarian regimes exercise their power through covering up their actions with cultural arguments because it suits them to do so. To my mind, if there is some coercion in some society, rights are violated. Any human violations should be condemned. Nobody has the right to punish other individual violently. I think that no other culture, no other religion says that it is fair to whip, beat or torture human beings. It should be prevented. To my mind, the eastern states should be open to others because they signed the agreement about human rights and are obliged to consider the opinion of other members.

BLOG 7:

Response to:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/08/13/b2s.elearning/

Online schools clicking with students
Flexibility, technology key to e-learning
By Greg Botelho
CNN

(CNN) -- With your pajamas snug, your feet clad in bunny slippers, and a tub of ice cream on the desk, your computer glows in front of you. The clock reads 2 a.m.
In other words, time for class.

This isn't a dream, but a reality for hundreds of thousands of students. Although brick-and-mortar institutions still dominate the educational landscape, a new form of schooling -- called online or e-learning -- has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years.

The Peak Group, an education technology research and consulting firm, expects that more than 1 million students will take advantage of "virtual schools" this school year. Another research firm, Eduventures, predicted the online distance learning market will grow more than 38 percent in 2004, taking in $5.1 billion in revenue.

"In the last five years, the acceleration has been amazing," said Billie Wahlstrom, a vice provost on technology issues at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. "If you look at these things longitudinally, the curve is moving to the vertical."

The movement has taken hold particularly in higher education, where 90 percent of four-year public schools and more than half of four-year private schools offer some form of online education, according to the United States Distance Learning Association.

"The question that you have to ask is not who is offering distance learning, but who isn't," said USDLA Executive Director John G. Flores.

Learning anytime, anywhere

For Janet Farmer, class runs from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., or whenever else she finds time away from working her full-time job at Hewlett-Packard and raising her three children.

"There's absolutely no way that I'd sacrifice my children's emotional and mental well-being to participate in a traditional educational setting," said Farmer, who is eight courses shy of earning a bachelor's degree in business/management at the University of Phoenix, which bills itself as the nation's largest private university.

"It's not for everyone. You have to be determined to do it; you have to do it because it's important to you."

Farmer studies with international and elderly students, troops, even fishermen logging on from offshore. A statistical analysis of the school's approximately 110,000 online students -- just more than half its total student body -- shows a profile much like her: working, married women in their 30s or 40s, who are reimbursed by employers and looking to boost their career prospects.

"If it doesn't lead to a particular position or help them do a current job, it's not necessarily worthy of the time," said University of Phoenix President Laura Palmer Noone. "The major issue is not money, it's time. The biggest difficulties are when life gets in the way."

Prospective students have endless opportunities to learn online, whether it is for career or personal reasons. The Web abounds with credentialed degree programs featuring courses on a wide variety of subjects, such as criminal justice, psychology, nursing and education.

Many such programs have both brick-and-mortar and virtual campuses. The University of Phoenix, with 151 learning centers in 31 states, heads a list of "for-profit" schools focused on e-learning.

"The for-profits that are increasing their market share are market-driven and not caught up in the bureaucracy you see at many nonprofit universities," Flores said. "They have the means and wherewithal to be a very formidable alternative ... As a result, they raise the bar."

"Historically, higher education has taken a one-size-fits-all mentality: That if you want to get a degree, you must leave town, stop working, live in a dorm," Noone said. "But we are way past that. We have to be engaged in lifelong learning, especially if our society is to compete globally."

Embracing the medium

Online instructors say they embrace technology not just to reach those who otherwise may not be able to take classes, but also to engage students.
That sentiment and an appreciation for reality shows like MTV's "The Real World" spurred University of Massachusetts Professor Jim Theroux to experiment with his business classes for undergraduate and MBA students.

After years teaching "case studies" -- real and embellished examples of business problems -- he planted a writer inside a company to sift through reports, interview employees and set up chats and videoconferences as students tackled a new, real-time problem each week.

"Most distance learning classes are just regular classes put on the Web," said Theroux, referring to professors who post syllabi, discussion questions, images and more online. "But this could not have been done before the Web."

The approach gave students an inside look at a company in a way no other class did, said Keith Richardson, who attended one such class and later assisted Theroux in another.

"Students appreciated the connectivity of getting to know the players," he said. "We began to feel as if we were a part of the company, and the solution to their problems."

Administrators say they must juggle the desire to embrace new technology with the need to keep costs down, especially given the precarious nature of state and federal aid.

"We have to really stay alert as to what's available, but we can't make premature decisions," Wahlstrom said. "We're not after getting what's cool, although it's a nice bonus."

K-12 options

Graduate and college students aren't the only ones using online learning.
Nationwide, about 25 percent of K-12 public schools offer some form of e-learning for students and teachers, according to Education Week. And Eduventures says the market for such curriculum materials should grow 10 percent this year.

Although some programs allow students to earn a high school diploma entirely online, in most cases students take cyber classes to supplement or complement their education.

"Students come to us to fill gaps [and] meet needs not met in their own schools, because the school doesn't have the course they need, there's a scheduling conflict or they need to make up a credit," said Florida Virtual School CEO Julie Young, noting that more than 97 percent of her cyber school's students take one or two classes.

The Bush administration has endorsed such virtual schools as a legitimate way for school districts to satisfy one key aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires giving students options if their school is deemed underperforming.

E-learning supporters laud the method as an opportunity for people of all races, ethnicities, ages and nationalities to attend quality classes. Minorities make up 30 percent of Florida Virtual School's enrollment, for instance, and 39 percent of the University of Phoenix's students are "nonwhite," according to data provided by both schools.

"That's the best part: Age and those other things don't matter," said University of Minnesota e-student Patricia Welde, who noted that 11 of her 12 online classes involved group projects. "You work with all types of people, [and] you're all there to learn."

"You are not bounded by time or geography," Noone said. "People aren't going to judge you by anything but the quality of your ideas. It's highly democratic."

Room for everyone

Some educators criticize virtual schools, especially "for-profits," saying they drain resources and students from schools embedded in their communities.

"You'll see the nonprofits raising their eyebrows -- it's them versus us -- but I think there is room for everyone to be successful," Flores said. "Students will want to go away to college and have that experience no matter what."

And it isn't easy for virtual programs, either, Noone said. Many schools "rushed in," hoping e-learning programs would reap revenues without the expenses of maintaining a brick-and-mortar institution.

"But to build infrastructure and support students is expensive," she said.
Students also invest time and efforts in online classes, which may be harder than traditional ones, said Jane Hancock of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' continuing education program.

"The student has the advantage of flexibility, but that's not necessarily easier than coming to a classroom," said Hancock, program director for distance learning. "You must be more responsible for your own studies, and disciplined."

With high school, and likely university, enrollments expected to rise in the coming years, Noone predicted "huge growth potential across the entire higher education spectrum."

"It's important for students to realize that lots of options are available," she said. "And it's the quality of the academic experience that will make a program successful. The students we deal with are far too sophisticated to be simply buying a piece of paper for a degree."


Believing:

I agree with the author that online education offers a lot of opportunities for students. Online classes make it possible for many people all around the world to access high-quality and accredited education than ever before. Moreover, people are not tied to a class schedule which is another advantage of online education. Along with its flexibility, students do not have to worry how long it is going to take in order to get to the campus, or if they can afford childcare during classes.

Doubting:

I think online education can be disadvantageous because students have to work on their own without any guidance. Nobody will be checking student’s progress on a regular basis which means people will be putting the work off when they do not have time and motivation. Furthermore, most of the communication in online education is set via email: students will miss the sound of an instructor or peer’s voice to fulfil course requirements.

BLOG 6:

Response to:

http://corporate.airfrance.com/no_cache/en/news/and-also/etaussi-detail/index.html?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1921

Air France and OnAir launch World's First In-Flight Mobile Phone Service on Board International Flights


Send and receive emails, sms and mms messages at
10,000 m!

Air France has become the first airline in the world to offer an in-flight mobile phone service on international flights.


Using to the Mobile OnAir system, passengers travelling on board one of the Airbus A318 aircraft operating European routes can now:

• Send and receive sms and mms messages
• Send and receive emails via all phones with Internet access

During the second half of the trial, passengers will be able to make and receive phone calls, with the service being regulated to maintain passengers’ comfort and well-being.

Customers on board this Airbus A318, with seating for 123 passengers, can find out more about this service in an information leaflet in seat pockets. Information will also be included in the cabin crew announcement. Air France welcomes feedback on this service from its passengers, who can fill in a twenty-question survey.

At the end of the six-month trial, Air France will examine the feedback and comments made by customers to determine whether to launch this service on all its flights.

“We are seizing every opportunity to offer customers the latest technological innovations, while continuing to make their travel comfort and well-being our main priority”, stated Patrick Roux, Executive Vice President Marketing Air France.

Benoit Debains, CEO of OnAir, said “We are delighted that Air France is the first airline to use the Mobile OnAir onboard mobile telephony system on international flights. This marks an important phase in the implementation of a new generation of in-flight services and we are confident that this trial will define the future standards in terms of in-flight passenger communication”.

The Mobile OnAir onboard mobile telephony system, certified by EASA (European Aviation Safety Authority) does not interfere with the radio-navigation instruments on this Airbus A318 and may only be used at cruising altitude once the new illuminated sign “Switch off your phone” is turned off. The system is activated at 3,000 metres (10,000 feet).

OnAir has roaming agreements with mobile network operators, including the three major operators in France: Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR.

How does it work?

• Mobile phones connect to a miniature cellular network installed inside this aircraft. A modem transmits data and calls to a satellite that routes them to a ground station. Data and calls are then routed to the passenger’s usual telephone network. This network is located inside the aircraft. Passengers’ mobile phones only emit at minimum power, which does not risk harming interference with aircraft avionics or ground telecoms network.

• Phones are used just like on the ground. To make a call on board the aircraft, passengers simply dial the international prefix (+) or 00 + country code + full number (without the 0).

• The cost of data exchanges are invoiced by the customers’ telephone operator and are comparable to those used for normal international mobile phone calls.



Believing:

I think that the introduction of the cell phones on board should be celebrated. It would be a huge jump towards mobile environment by using technology and allowing passengers more flexibility. Moreover, when travelling by plane, it is a bore to sit for hours in a closed space. It would allow using the time on board more efficiently and connecting passengers with people on ground.


Doubting:

I believe that cell phones on the plane should be banned because nothing can be more annoying than hearing other people talking loudly next to people on board who are not interested in personal things more than both of talking partners. On board, passengers are not separated by walls: they are sitting next to, in front of, behind each other. Somebody is trying to sleep, another one to relax and the others maybe to work. It would be wrong not to consider these people -- not to respect their privacy. Irritated people are not able to escape from the board just because somebody has interrupted their rest. In our everyday situations, we were already disturbed by another person in a bus who was talking loudly all the thirty minutes and the whole bus had to hear what was going on in his life. The same situation is on a fully loaded plane, but the difference is that we are travelling by plane four, five or more hours.