Category: Essays

((Martin Luther King Jr.))

Spiritual teacher: Name

Spiritual teacher: biographic information

Main points

Personal insights

1. Identify a spiritual teacher that offers wisdom for your life.

2. Give basic biographic information of this spiritual teacher.

3. What are the main points of their teaching?

4. How do these points offer specific wisdom for your life? How is this teaching visible in your life?

post A, Phillipa
Introduction

According to Macfarlane, Zhang, & Pun, 2014, academic integrity encompasses values, behaviour and conduct of academics in all aspects of their practice. The topic is reported to be gaining attention of researchers due to the increasing number of reported cases about academic fraud worldwide (Macfarlane, Zhang, & Pun, 2014). As such, it is a concern to higher education leaders, to understand this phenomena and work on how to prevent its spread.

The quality of education at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has been consistently portrayed as deteriorating (Sarua, 2012). Reports of leaked examination papers (Mashanyare & Chinamasa, 2014) students accessing them before the examination date, the buying of degrees, and a general lack of concern for education on the part of the administration have been filed (Shizha & Kariwo, 2011). In this discussion, a case where the first lady, Grace Mugabe, is alleged to have been awarded a PhD in 2014 (Mbiba, 2014) which she did not study for is assessed.

Does the situation violates HLC’s Criterion 2?

The situation violates HLC’s Criterion 2 on several levels. The institution did not uphold integrity and acted without ethics. Awarding a degree to one work has not worked for it violated Article 2A (Higher Learning Commission, 2015), in that there is no academic integrity. By awarding such a degree, the university did not present itself to its students as an institution to be trusted. It presents the university as not caring, as working on favoritism, and removes the value that the institution’s certificates should be accorded, at home and abroad. It violates article 2C, in showing that the governing body, the administration, and the whole educational team are acting without integrity. It is evidence that they were unable to act without external influence, presenting the whole institution as week and controlled.

Recommendation to avoid the situation in the future

To avoid such situations, the university needs to reclaim its power, educate the politicians, and the country (McWilliams & Nahavandi, 2006) about the importance of integrity, and do away with all external influence. To do this, it may need a re-staffing, and to embark on an education campaign of the role of a university. This on its own may not be enough if the presidential influence is the cause of this act. To change the whole politics of Zimbabwe may be the necessary solution. Apparently, making integrity statements and publicizing them (Purdue, 2016) is not enough.

By publicizing this article the student body made a good move, because it informs the world not to accept that degree. Their anger in their comments to the article is justified, as they feel like they are being abused, paying and laboring for a piece of paper that can just be given. But, that is not enough to stem this action. Not only is this the fault of the university, but, a symptom of the whole country’s political stance, which implies that morals, ethics, and integrity have been reduced to the minimum, if the president himself, who for a long time was the patron of the university, can be the one to not only condone this, but perpetuate it. What example does this give to the university?

References

Higher Learning Commission (2015). Policy title: Criteria for accreditation. Retrieved fromhttp://policy.hlcommission.org/Policies/criteria-for-accreditation.html

Macfarlane, B., Zhang, J., & Pun, A. (2014). Academic integrity: A review of the literature. Studies in Higher Education, 39:2. (Pp 339-358). doi:10.1080/03075079.2012.709495

Mashanyare, I. &Chinamasa, E (2014). School examinations leakage: Case of Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council. IOSR Journal of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) 19:4: I. Retrieved from: http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol19-issue4/Version-1/I019414754.pdf

Mbiba, L. (2014). Grace’s degree: Students cry foul. Retrieved from: https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2014/09/22/grace-s-degree-students-cry-foul

McWilliams, V. & Nahavandi, A. (2006). Using live cases to teach ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 67: 4. Pp 421-433. doi:10.1007/s10551-006-9035-3

Purdue University (2016). Statement of Integrity and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from: http://www.purdue.edu/purdue/about/integrity_statement.html

SARUA (2012). A profile of higher education in Southern Africa. Retrieved from: http://www.sarua.org/files/publications/SARUA%20leadership%20Dialogue%20Series/SARUA%20Profiles%20of%20HE%20Vol%201.pdf

Shizha, E. & Kariwo, M. T. (2011). Education and Development in Zimbabwe: A Social, Political and Economic Analysis, Retrieved from: http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/348/bfm%253A978-94-6091-606-9%252F1.pdf?originUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Fbook%2Fbfm%3A978-94-6091-606-9%2F1&token2=exp=1458468875~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F348%2Fbfm%25253A978-94-6091-606-9%25252F1.pdf%3ForiginUrl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Flink.springer.com%252Fbook%252Fbfm%253A978-94-6091-606-9%252F1*~hmac=0acdee9d0aa20b76144e974519cf146e31ddbee150e60d0b27831ebf8cdd985a

Post B: darly
Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct

To most educators, the essential element to the success of their mission is academic integrity. It can be said that higher education as well as society will benefit from standards of integrity that pave the way for vibrant academic life, promote scientific progress, and prepare students for responsible citizenship. Despite efforts to uphold such principles, academic dishonesty is a growing concern for most educational institutions. Academic dishonesty has been a problem in schools as long as schools have existed, but over the past decade researchers and teachers have reported a dramatic climb in the occurrence of academic dishonesty especially among students in higher education, seemingly sparked by the rise of the Internet (Heneghan 2012).

Violation of the Higher Learning Commission Criteria

Harvard University quickly condemned the behavior of the 125 students suspected of collaborating inappropriately on a take-home exam. “These allegations, if proven, represent totally unacceptable behavior that betrays the trust upon which intellectual inquiry at Harvard depends,” Harvard President Drew Faust said in a statement (Grasgreen 2016). It is quite clear that the actions of the students violate criterion two of the Higher Learning Commission’s accreditation criteria.

Future Recommendation

Harvard’s official handbook says students should “assume that collaboration in the completion of assignments is prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the instructor.” One idea to help rectify this situation would be an academic integrity pledge students could sign. If Harvard does go the academic integrity pledge route, it could help create a culture where students and professors are more trusting of one another and cheating is less likely to occur (Grasgreen 2016).

Another idea would be to simplify and clarify the course requirements on the syllabus. In the days after news of the scandal broke, students in the class started speaking out, saying the course and instructors were so confusing and inconsistent that students had no choice but to collaborate, and in some cases did so in the presence of teaching assistants (Grasgreen, 2016). Ideally, discussions about integrity to should occur in a number of different settings and become part of the culture on campus.

References

Grasgreen, Allie (2016). Honor code may not be enough to solve academic integrity issues at Harvard. Insidehighered.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/09/06/honor-code-may-not-be- enough-solve-academic-integrity-issues-harvard
Heneghan, Emily, (2012) Academic Dishonesty and the Internet in Higher Education – Educ 300: Education Reform, Past and Present. Commons.trincoll.edu. Retrieved 11 April 2016, from http://commons.trincoll.edu/edreform/2012/05/academic-dishonesty-and-the-internet-in-higher-education/

my post:
Ethical and Responsible Conduct

Institutions of higher learning in the north central section of the United States are required by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to operate ethically and responsibly for them to be fully accredited. Despite the presence of regulations laid down, stories about ethical and integrity issues still rock the headlines daily. Higher Learning Commission requires that all institutions meet all its criterion of accreditation. Criterion two stipulates ethics and responsible conduct required. Numerous ethical aspects have been violated both by the university management and the students knowingly and unknowingly (Strain, Barnett & Jarvis, 2009).

Passing exams and term papers are the happiness of every student. Driven by the spirit of passing, students have found themselves on the wrong side of college rules and regulations and had their results cancelled. The vice of cheating in an exam according to Michael Josephson is inherited and led by adults (Josephson, 2002).

In 2007, in the Duke University of Business found 16 students cheating on a take-home test. The students were found guilty of the offence, and most of them were suspended while others were discontinued. Although most the guilty students were foreign students, the vice was found to have established roots among the students. Some students copied from each other while others presented plagiarized assignments (True champions practice points, 2009). The university at this point fails to meet criterion two of Higher Learning Commission since it fails to prevent students from cheating.

Advances in technology have aided students to cheat in exams. Students use mobile phones either in examination rooms or to search, copy and paste information from the internet. Also, students have been found using campus free wireless internet to access online resources using mini-computers during exams. Most critical of all is that some lecturers and tutors have been found liaising with students such that no penalty is imposed on them even after being found cheating.

To curb fraud and irregularities in exams, institutions should include a curriculum where students are taught the importance and the risks of engaging examination malpractices. Universities should come up with strategies of administering term papers and exams which will not allow students to cheat. Also, lecturers and university examination bodies should set up stringent rules which will discourage students from engaging in exam cheating (Josephson, 2002).

References

Strain, J., Barnett, R., & Jarvis, P. (2009). Universities, ethics, and professions. New York: Routledge.

True champions practice points. (2009). Los Angeles, CA.

Josephson, M. (2002). Making ethical decisions. Marina del Rey, CA: Josephson Institute of Ethics.

This is a great discussion post for this week because this past week in the Army, I was in a promotion board and some topics focused on leadership. In my opinion, if you have the skills to be a leader, then you can be effective in any environment. According to ADP 6-22, qualities of a leader are character, presence, intellect, lead, develops, and achieves. First off, you must have character to be a leader; in Army terms, you have to live the Army values, have empathy, follow the Warrior Ethos, and be disciplined. Next, is presence, you have to be confident in what you do and have military bearing. Third, intellect includes your expertise in your field and is mentally fit. Fourth, you have to lead others and build trust. Next, a leader has to develop their subordinates, while bettering themselves and everyone else around them. Last but not least, they achieve to get results. (2012, p. 5). To translate this into civilian terms, it is the same. A leader has to show that they have character, be there physically, have knowledge, develop others and themselves, and achieve goals in order to lead.

In my course of being in the Military, as well as experiencing life on the civilian side, I have seen many leaders, some who are my role model to this day. In high school, I had this counselor who I did not realize until I graduated, was a leader to me. I saw him work with students and helped them with whatever they needed. To me, he was just doing what he was supposed to do. Looking back, if I had to model after someone, it would be him. Although he was not necessarily in the role to lead, I looked up to what he did. I noticed that he was a man of character, he was always there when you needed him, he knew what he was preaching, he helped students mold into who they are, and at the end of the day, he got all of us to graduate.

Second, in the Army I have a Warrant Officer to look up to. The Army’s ratio of females is 51% and only 17% of these females are leaders. When I first joined the JAG office, there was only one other female there; she took me under her wings until I was comfortable enough to do things on my own. She made sure that I knew where I was going, had a place to stay, understood the material, etc. Now that I am used to my job and role, it is now my duty to do the same to new soldiers coming in, females and males. At the end of the day, leading is not any different in any terms. Robbins and Judge defined leadership as “the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals” (2015, p. 332). The Army’s definition of leadership is “The process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization” (2012, p. 11). If you look at the two definitions, it does not look like there lays a difference. Even Liu defines leadership as “the process of giving meaningful direction to collective effort and causing willing effort to be expended to achieve collective goals” (2010, p. 19). This brings me back to my original statement that if one has the necessary skills to be a leader, then they can be a leader in any environment.

References

Department of the Army. (2012, August). ADP 6-22 Army Leadership. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

Liu, C. (2010). Leadership: Qualities, skills, and efforts. Interbeing, 4(2), 19.

Robbins, S.P., & Judge, T.A. (2015). Organizational behavior (16th edition). New York: Pearson ISBN 0133507645

Part 1:
1.Write a thesis statement that is one to two (1-2) sentences long in which you: a.State your thesis on how industrialization after the Civil War influenced U.S. society, economy, and politics. Justify your response.

For the first part of this assignment you will create a thesis statement. A thesis statement is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your main idea to the reader. The body of the essay organizes the material you gather and present in support of your main idea. Keep in mind that a thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. (Note: Please consult the Purdue OWL Website with tips on how to construct a proper thesis; the website can be found at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

Part 2:

For the next part of this assignment you will create an outline of the main points you want to address in this paper. This outline will serve as the basis for your Assignment 1.2 Final Draft. (Note: Please use the Purdue Owl Website to assist you with this assignment; this website can be accessed at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/2/55/
2.Write a one to two (1-2) page outline in which you: a.List three (3) major aspects of industrialization between 1865 and 1920. In your response, consider society, the economy, and politics.
b.List five (5) specific groups that were affected by industrialization. Provide two (2) examples for each group describing how the group was affected. (Consider issues such as race, ethnicity, gender, child labor, etc.)
c.List five (5) ways that industrialization affected the life of the average working American during this period.
d.Use at least three (3) academic references besides or in addition to the textbook. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
•Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
•Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
•Identify and discuss the different ways that the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Industrialization after the Civil War have shaped America’s history.
•Summarize and discuss the ways that formal policies of government have influenced the direction of historical and social development in the United States.
•Recognize the major turning points in American history since the Civil War.
•Use technology and information resources to research issues in contemporary U.S. history.
•Write clearly and concisely about contemporary U.S. history using proper writing mechanics.

Background: A client, an established entrepreneur, has developed a new business initiative and is keen that you provide independent project management services. He has run many projects but recently two of his schemes have been delivered late and overbudget. Last year [20014/2015 financial year April to April] he ran 8 projects ranging between €250,000 and €5,000,000 with a total expenditure of >€30M; he expects that total projects will be similar this year and next year.

Answer all parts of this question.

(a) Produce a report for the client outlining the benefit of employing an independent project manager. In particular the client seeks advice about:

1. procurement; and

2. standard forms of contract.

i. In particular removing (“sacking”) contractors who perform poorly in terms of:

1. programme [they cause delay];

2. cost [they seek more money];

3. quality [their work is poor quality].

15 marks

(b) Propose and justify a contractual arrangement between the client and you for your services.

2½ marks

(c) Compare and Contrast the provisions in standard form contracts for payment of the contractor [e.g. payment when complete; or stage/interim etc]

2½ marks

Requirements: not to exceed 2000 words, there is no minimum word count. This is not an essay. You may choose the industry and country within which the Client operates.

Questions or queries on the assignment can be posted at the Blackboard Discussion board.

Submission

Deadline 2359hrs 15TH April 2016 at Blackboard via the Turnitin tool. You can submit at ANY time, but the deadline is 15 April

require reading: chapter 7. Paul S. Boyer, et al. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People, Vol. 1; 7 th ed.

The following may prove helpful in preparing your assignments. First, outline or write out a draft of each question before you write your answer (and be sure to include the question along with each answer when you turn in the assignment). This will focus your attention and, thus, your answer to the question asked. Unless specifically called for, the questions cannot be answered simply by copying information out of the books. You will have to organize and develop your thoughts and, sometimes, bring material together from several sources. The questions will be graded partly on the directness with which you relate your answer, partly on the completeness of the answer, and partly on the way in which you analyze the issues at hand. Completeness involves the inclusion of all major ideas relating to the answer, plus the amplifying detail – names, dates, places, and events – to illustrate those ideas accurately and to make them concrete. You also may wish to include personal observations, questions, and comments in your answers if you desire.