The Impact of Classroom Technology on Student Behavior

Journal of Technology Research The impact of classroom technology on student behavior Angeline M. Lavin University of South Dakota Leon Korte University of South Dakota Thomas L. Davies University of South Dakota ABSTRACT The trend toward technology enhanced classrooms has escalated quickly during the past five years as students have become increasingly tech-savvy. Classrooms across the nation have become â€Å"wired† and textbook publishers now offer a wide variety of computerized teaching supplements. In fact, some may argue that technology is now expected in the college classroom.The objective of this research is to examine whether the use of technology in university classes impacts student behavior and student perceptions of instructional quality. This paper summarizes the results of a survey administered to students enrolled in business courses at a mid-sized Midwestern university. The results suggest that adding technology in courses where it is not currently used is lik ely to have a positive impact on student perceptions of the instructor and on student behavior. However, removing technology from courses that already use it would not appear to have a negative impact on all aspects of student behavior.Overall there are certain aspects of student behavior (the amount of time that students study, the quantity of notes they take, their attendance, and their interaction with the instructor) which appear to be technology neutral. In contrast, technology tends to have a meaningful impact on student preparation for class, attentiveness, quality of notes taken, student participation in class, student learning, desire to take additional classes from the instructor or in the subject matter, and the overall evaluation of the course and the instructor.Keywords: class technology, instructional quality, student behavior, student perceptions The impact of classroom technology, Page 1 Journal of Technology Research INTRODUCTION Technology, it seems, is everywhere these days. As computers have become more commonplace, the use of information technology has become pervasive in most everyone’s lives. For most of us, it is hard to image daily life without the influence of technological devices, be it handheld video games, personal digital assistants, cell phones or any number of computers.This is especially true for younger generations. In academia, we have likely reached the point where the use of technology is expected, by both students and their parents (Christensen, 1999). The trend toward technology enhanced classes has escalated quickly during the past five years as students have become increasingly tech-savvy, classrooms across the nation have become â€Å"wired† and textbook publishers now offer a wide variety of computerized teaching supplements.Lowerison, Sclater, Schmid, and Abrami (2006) suggest that technology has the potential to transform the learning environment from passive to active and more subject to the control of the learner. According to Roblyer (2003), technology may enable the learner to be more actively involved in his or her own learning. While technology may enhance the classroom and engage today’s student more effectively, most do not believe it replaces the need for a structured, content-driving learning process that is grounded in theory.To be effective, technology-based tools must accompany appropriate pedagogy (Laurillard, 2002). That said, a 2001 national study showed that 87% of faculty believe computer technology enhances student learning (Epper and Bates, 2001). Despite this widespread belief that the use of technology in the classroom is generally good, such may not always be the case. Burbules and Callister (2000) suggest technology can be used well or poorly, and thus its effectiveness is dependent on how it used, by whom and for what purpose. Instructors use varying amounts of technology in their classes.For example, some professors utilize PowerPoint slides or s imilar technology extensively or moderately throughout a course, while others seldom or never use technology. There may be several reasons why instructors ultimately adopt technology for classroom use. For some, it may help them to create better organized, more focused lectures. For others, they believe that the use of technology benefits students by engaging them more in the classroom and allowing them to listen more closely without transcribing every word that is spoken.Some professors may choose technology because writing on whiteboards or blackboards hinders their ability to interact with students. Still other instructors may adopt technology as a time saving device because it is readily available today, provided by the publishers who are eager to convince faculty to adopt their textbooks. Although the motivation may differ, theoretically the overall expectation is that technology will improve the course, engage the students and enable them to learn more. There may also be at le ast the implicit hope by the faculty member that teaching evaluations will improve.The study of what makes a college teacher effective is ongoing. Witcher, Onquegbuzie, Collins, Filer, Wiedmaier, and Moore (2003) suggest that students believe that effective teachers possess many if not all of the following nine characteristics, listed in order of importance: (1) student-centered; (2) knowledgeable about the subject matter; (3) professional; (4) enthusiastic about teaching; (5) effective at communication; (6) accessible; (7) competent at instruction; (8) fair and respectful; and (9) provider of adequate performance feedback.Clearly, utilization of technology can impact several of these identified characteristics or traits. Thus, in recent years, the proliferation of technology in an educational setting has sparked considerable interest on the The impact of classroom technology, Page 2 Journal of Technology Research part of researchers, and a number of studies have focused on the posi tives and negatives of technology use from the perspectives of the institution, student and professor.A recent study by Apperson, Laws and Scepansky (2006) examined the impact of PowerPoint on the students’ classroom experience. While they found no differences in grades as a result of the use of PowerPoint in the classroom, they did find that students in PowerPointenhanced classrooms responded differently to the classroom experience. Specifically, students believed that the PowerPoint classes were better organized and more interesting. Students also rated the professor high overall and indicated that they would be more likely to take another class from that professor.Interestingly, students in PowerPoint enhanced courses also found that the instructors exhibited more positive behaviors seemingly unrelated to the use of technology, such as providing helpful feedback in a timely fashion and creating assignments that involve higherorder more critical or creative thought. Further more, Atkins-Sayre, Hopkins, Mohundro, and Sayre (1998) concluded that the use of technology adds to the instructor’s credibility. Lecturers can manage class time more fficiently as less time is spent writing on whiteboards or changing transparencies (Daniels, 1999, Mantei, 2000), and thus lectures may flow better. Overall, Apperson et al (2006) believe that the use of technology in classrooms causes students to have a more favorable attitude toward their education, and benefits accrue to instructors who utilize it in their classes. However, technology usage does not necessarily result in better teaching evaluations for faculty. Lowerison et al found no significant relationship between actual computer use and perceived effective computer usage on course evaluations (2006).Several explanations were offered for this unexpected outcome, including the fact that students may now expect technology to be used in the classroom and no longer see it as a unique class feature that enhan ces their learning. These findings are consistent with the Christensen (1999) study mentioned earlier. It may also be the case that technology is not being used in an appropriate manner, that is, as a transformative, student-centered tool for learning, a concern expressed by Burbules and Callister (2000).Computer technology may also better support diverse needs and capacities of students, providing the potential for deeper processing and understanding of information (McCombs, 2000). While the technology may enhance the classroom and engage today’s student more effectively, most do not believe it replaces the need for a structured, content-driving learning process that is grounded in theory. To be effective, technology-based tools must accompany appropriate pedagogy (Laurillard, 2002).As McFarlane states, â€Å"computer use alone, without clear objectives and well designed tasks, is of little intrinsic value (1997). This paper continues the inquiry into the impact of technolo gy on student perceptions of their own learning as well as their academic behavior. PRESENT STUDY Students taking various business classes in a medium-sized Midwestern university were invited to participate in research study seeking to assess the impact of the presence or absence of technology in the classroom on self-perceived student effort and behavior.Prior to the survey being administered in individual classrooms, instructors who participated were asked whether or not they made moderate or extensive use of technology in their courses. If the instructor used technology moderately or extensively, then the survey given in that class asked the students to give their opinion regarding how the absence of technology would impact various components of The impact of classroom technology, Page 3 Journal of Technology Research student learning.For example, students were asked whether the lack of technology would have a positive or negative impact on their attentiveness in class as compare d to what it had been. Alternatively, if the instructor indicated that he/she did not utilize technology moderately or extensively, then the survey given in that class asked the students to give their opinion regarding how the addition of technology would impact them. Thus, for example, students in these sections were asked whether more technology usage by the instructor would affect their own level of class preparation.Survey questions were based in part on three different student evaluation forms previously or currently being used by the researchers’ university, including an early version developed and used by all public institutions within the state, the Student Instructional Report II and the IDEA Diagnostic Form Report. Both versions of the survey used the following five point scale to collect student opinions: â€Å"1† was significantly positive, â€Å"2† was somewhat positive, â€Å"3† was no difference, â€Å"4† was somewhat negative, and à ¢â‚¬Å"5† was significantly negative.The survey also included numerous demographic questions to facilitate analysis of the responses. Among other things, students were asked whether they were graduate or undergraduate students, their program of study or major, and their year in school (e. g. , freshman, sophomore, etc. ), as well as their grade point average and gender. In total nine business faculty members, including two of the paper’s authors, administered the survey in their classes.Faculty participants were selected on the basis of their rank, varying degrees of technological proficiency and usage, discipline, and gender in order to provide a cross-section of courses being evaluated. Classes chosen included those at the 100 (first year), 200 (second year), 300 (junior level), 400 (senior level) and graduate (700) level. In all, the survey was administered in fourteen different business classes, including multiple sections of a few of the courses.The survey was admin istered near the beginning of last year’s fall semester. Participating faculty were asked to devote class time to allow for the completion of the survey. Enrollment in the sections surveyed totaled 700 students, including some students who were enrolled in more than one of the classes included in the sample. In total, approximately 550 usable surveys were completed and returned. A brief summary of demographic information for the undergraduate survey respondents is included in the Appendix.RESULTS Table 1 and 2 show the preliminary results of the data analysis. In each table, the mean response for each question is compared to a neutral response of â€Å"3† in order to evaluate the effects that each group might anticipate given possible changes in their classroom environments. Recall that each item was based on the following five point scale: â€Å"1† – significantly positive, â€Å"2† – somewhat positive, â€Å"3† – no differenc e, â€Å"4† – somewhat negative, and â€Å"5† – significantly negative, resulting in a lower mean for a more positive perception.The mean is provided for each question as well as the number of students who gave a particular response. Table 1 shows the results for the surveys given in the classes in which the instructor indicated that he/she used technology moderately or extensively. The survey then asked the students to give their opinions regarding how the absence of technology would impact their learning from the course. There were 374 usable surveys returned from this set of classes. The means in Table 1 fluctuate between the â€Å"high 2† range and the â€Å"low 3† range.Responses from the students in these courses that used technology suggest that students anticipate that the loss of The impact of classroom technology, Page 4 Journal of Technology Research technology would have a positive impact (mean is less than the neutral response o f 3. 0 and statistically different from the neutral response) on the amount of time they study for class each day, the amount of time they study for exams and quizzes, the quantity of notes they take, their overall attendance for the class, and their appreciation for the instructor’s effort.Assuming that students would view less study time as more positive, it appears that students feel they would study less if technology is removed from the course. It seems somewhat counterintuitive that the absence of technology would have a positive impact on the amount of notes that students take, however, the â€Å"quantity† of notes taken can be viewed from two different angles. Students may consider it a positive to take fewer notes, and students may perceive that they take fewer notes when technology is used in the classroom.The loss of technology, according to the students, would also have a positive impact on their attendance and their appreciation for the instructor’s effort. Students may perceive that it would be more important to attend class to hear the material presented if the notes were not available via technology outside of class. In addition, it appears that students believe that technology may make teaching â€Å"easier† as the loss of technology would have a positive impact on student appreciate of instructor effort.In contrast, student responses indicate that students expect that the loss of technology would have a negative impact (mean is greater than the neutral response and statistically different from the neutral response) on attentiveness in class, the amount learned from class, the students’ desire to take additional classes from the particular instructor, and the students’ desire to take additional classes in the subject matter. These results suggest that students perceive there are specific benefits associated with technology use in the classroom.Technology may be one way instructors can maintain student interest. Indeed, the responses appear to suggest that students perceive that they might learn less if technology were withdrawn. Students also indicated that they would be less inclined to take additional classes from the instructor if technology were not used, and they might also be less inclined to take more courses in the same subject matter if technology were not a part of the classroom experience.On the other hand, the responses suggest that students might be more likely to attend class and have a greater appreciation for instructor effort if technology were not used in the classroom. Results of the two questions as to how a change in technology use from moderate/intensive to none at all would impact the student’s overall evaluation of the course and the instructor are also presented in Table 1. Students who currently experience technology in the classroom would rate a course less favorably if the technology were removed (mean above the neutral 3. and statistically diff erent from the neutral 3. 0). However, the impact on the students’ ratings of the instructor appears to be neutral under the loss of technology scenario. Table 2 shows the results for the surveys given in the classes in which the instructor indicated that he/she did not use technology moderately or extensively. Those surveys then asked the students to share their thoughts regarding how the addition of technology would impact the how they behaved in the course. There were 183 usable surveys returned from this set of classes.The mean for every question was below the neutral response of â€Å"3,† which suggests that students thought that those courses that did not presently use technology could be improved by the addition of it; a lower mean again reflects a more positive impact. The responses given by the students in the courses that did not include a technology component indicated that its addition of technology would have a positive impact (mean less than and significa ntly different than the neutral response) for all questions except two, i. e. he amount of interaction with the instructor outside of class and the students’ desire to take more classes in the subject matter. These results The impact of classroom technology, Page 5 Journal of Technology Research suggest that in the opinion of the students, the addition of technology would have an overall positive impact on their behavior. The addition of technology would, according to the students, have the most positive impact on the students’ appreciation for the instructor’s effort, the amount the students learn from the course, and the quality of the notes that the students take.According to both Tables 1 and 2, the amount of interaction that students have with the instructor outside of class is technology â€Å"neutral† as the mean was close to â€Å"3† for both versions of the survey. Results of the two questions pertaining to how the addition of technology t o a course that does not currently use it would impact the student’s overall evaluation of the course and the instructor are presented in Table 2 as well. The responses were positive (mean less than the neutral response of 3. and statistically different from the neutral response of 3. 0). These results suggest that the prospect of including technology in the classroom environment appears to increase the likelihood that students would perceive both the course and the instructor in a more favorable light. In addition to comparing the means for each version of the survey to a neutral response of â€Å"3,† the means for each version can be compared to each other. In Table 3, the first set of data (i. e. the left side) shows the results for the surveys given in the classes in which the instructor indicated that he/she used technology moderately or extensively, with the students being asked how the removal of technology would impact their behavior. The second set of data (i. e. , the right side) shows the results for the surveys given in the classes in which the instructor indicated that he/she did not use technology moderately or extensively, with the students being asked how the addition of technology would influence their behavior.Responses from those students in classrooms that currently used technology (left set) appeared to suggest a relatively neutral impact on the students’ evaluation of the instructor if technology were withdrawn (mean close to 3. 0), but a slightly more negative (mean above 3. 0) response to the evaluation of the course if technology were withdrawn [see Table 1]. Students who were in class that did not currently use technology (right set) indicated that the addition of the technology would improve their evaluation of both the course and the instructor (mean below 3. 0) [see Table 2].As might be expected given the different results reported in the first two tables, the differences between the two groups were statistical ly significant for some of the variables as reported in Table 3. Students appear to want technology in the classroom and that desire appears to be reflected in the overall evaluation of the course and instructor. As Table 3 illustrates, students who are not currently exposed to technology in the classroom generally responded more favorably to the prospect of adding the technology than did students who imagined the technology being withdrawn.Eleven of the 17 questions reflected statistically significant differences (? < 0. 050) in the mean responses between the two groups. In other words, students who currently experience technology in the classroom gave significantly different responses from those who currently did not have technology in the classroom. The questions that reflected statistically significant differences are noted with an â€Å"*† in Table 3.For those questions in which a statistically significant difference between the two groups was observed, responses from st udents who currently do not experience the use of technology in the classroom reflected more positive mean responses to the addition of technology usage than did their counterparts who might experience the withdrawal of technology in the classroom. The six items that did not generate statistically significant differences between the two survey groups were as follows: †¢ Amount of time you study for class each day. †¢ Amount of time you study for exams and quizzes.The impact of classroom technology, Page 6 Journal of Technology Research †¢ Quantity of notes. †¢ Overall attendance. †¢ Amount of interaction with the instructor during class. †¢ Amount of interaction with the instructor outside of class. These results suggest that student perceptions of these six items are â€Å"technology neutral. † In other words, the addition of technology where it is currently not used or the loss of technology where it is used is not perceived to have a meaningfu l impact on the amount of time students study, the quantity of notes they take, their attendance, or their interaction with the instructor.In contrast for nine of the eleven items marked with an â€Å"*† in Table 3, technology appears to have a positive impact because the loss of technology (left side) has a mean greater than â€Å"3† (negative impact) and the addition of technology (right side) has a mean less than â€Å"3† (positive impact). Therefore, according to the comparison of the two samples, technology has meaningful impact on student preparation for class, attentiveness, quality of notes taken, student participation in class, student learning, desire to take additional classes from the instructor or in the subject matter, and the overall evaluation of the course and the instructor.The student response to one question [student’s appreciation of instructor effort] is more problematic. In each group student responses suggested a change from the ex isting situation might be viewed more positively than maintaining the status quo, and each group reflected responses that were significantly different from a neutral response on this question [see Tables 1 and 2].Although each group responded more positively than neutral to this question, students in the group without technology for whom it was suggested technology might be added responded more positively than did the students who were asked to imagine a class in which the technology might be withdrawn. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that adding technology to courses where it is not currently used is likely to have a positive impact on student perceptions of the instructor and the course as well as on most aspects of student behavior.However, it interesting to note that removing technology from courses that already use it would not appear to have a negative impact on all aspects of student behavior. For example, removal of technology from a course might, ac cording to student responses, have a positive impact on the amount of time they study for class each day, the amount of time they study for exams and quizzes, the quantity of notes they take, their overall attendance for the class, and their appreciation for the instructor’s effort.However, removal of technology from a course that currently utilizes it would be viewed negatively in terms of the overall evaluation of the course, the students’ attentiveness in class, the amount the students learn from class, the students’ desire to take additional classes from the particular instructor, and the students’ desire to take additional classes in the subject matter. Comparison of the loss of technology in a course that currently uses it versus the addition of technology to a course that does not use it suggests that there are certain aspects which are â€Å"technology neutral. In other words, the addition of technology where it is currently not used or the loss of technology where it is used is not perceived to have a meaningful impact on the amount of time students study, the quantity of notes they take, their attendance, or their interaction with the instructor. In contrast, technology appears to have a meaningful impact on student preparation for class, attentiveness, quality of notes taken, student participation in class, The impact of classroom technology, Page 7Journal of Technology Research student learning, desire to take additional classes from the instructor or in the subject matter, and the overall evaluation of the course and the instructor. The research is not meant to determine how effective technology was in helping students learn or which technology might be most effective. Rather, this research focuses on student perceptions or opinions regarding technology usage and how adding technology to a course that does not use it or eliminating technology from a course that does use it might impact a student’s perception of the course or the faculty member as well as his/her behavior.These results suggest that students taking business classes at this Midwestern University perceive that technology use in the classroom does indeed have an overall positive impact. While technological enhancement may not necessarily be appropriate for all classroom situations and all subject matter, these results suggest that instructors who are comfortable using technology and find that it enhances their teaching experience should continue to incorporate it in their classes. Those who do, however, must remember technology for what it is – a tool which can have a positive impact on student behaviors and perceptions when used appropriately.LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH There are several limitations to the present study. The results were drawn from data collected from students enrolled in business courses at a single Midwestern University and, therefore, the results may not be generalized to hold for different popul ations such as nonbusiness students or students at universities in other parts of the country or even the world. Further analysis is presently underway that considers the impact of the addition of technology to a course that does not use it or the removal of technology from a course that does use it on a student’s perception of instructor effectiveness.In addition, while this particular research focuses on student perceptions of technology use, the ultimate goal of technology integration in the classroom should be to help students learn. Therefore, further research to help to identify which technology uses are most educationally meaningful would help educators to make informed decisions regarding the plethora of technology tools available for the classroom today. Gaining a better understanding of student expectations regarding technology use for students of different ages would also be useful information.Another avenue of future research, which could only occur subsequent to the two avenues previously mentioned, would be a study of whether student perceptions are congruent with the use of technology tools that are found to be most effective in advancing student learning. The impact of classroom technology, Page 8 Journal of Technology Research Table 1 Comparison of Student Responses Relative to a Neutral Response for the Impact on Personal Behavior of the Loss of Technology Where It is Now Used Expected Effect of the Loss of Technology Std testN Mean Dev stat Alpha The level of your preparation for each class session. 72 3. 032 0. 968 0. 643 0. 521 The amount of time you study for class each day. * 373 2. 831 0. 843 3. 870 0. 000 The amount of time you study for exams and 373 2. 721 0. 960 5. 608 0. 000 quizzes. * Your attentiveness in class. * 372 3. 228 1. 197 3. 682 0. 000 The quantity of notes you take. * 372 2. 769 1. 324 3. 368 0. 001 The quality of notes you take. 373 3. 078 1. 302 1. 153 0. 250 Your level of participation in class discussions. 3 72 3. 043 0. 895 0. 927 0. 355 Your overall attendance for the class. * 373 2. 788 0. 823 4. 967 0. 000 The amount of your interaction with the instructor during class. 73 2. 976 0. 824 0. 565 0. 572 The amount of interaction with the instructor outside 373 3. 005 0. 846 0. 122 0. 903 of class. The amount you learn from class. * 373 3. 231 1. 090 4. 084 0. 000 Your appreciation for the instructor’s effort. * 372 2. 849 1. 038 2. 798 0. 005 Your appreciation for the importance of the material. 373 2. 960 0. 925 0. 840 0. 402 Your desire to take additional classes from the particular instructor. * 374 3. 112 0. 981 2. 213 0. 028 Your desire to take additional classes in the subject matter. * 374 3. 104 0. 916 2. 202 0. 028 Your overall evaluation of this course. * 372 3. 290 1. 62 5. 271 0. 000 Your overall evaluation of this instructor. 372 3. 048 1. 008 0. 926 0. 355 Note : Questions with statistically significant differences between mean responses and an expected neutral res ponse [3. 0] are marked with an â€Å"*†. The impact of classroom technology, Page 9 Journal of Technology Research Table 2 Comparison of Student Responses Relative to a Neutral Response for the Impact on Personal Behavior of the Addition of Technology Where It Is Not Used Expected Effect of the Addition of Technology Std testN Mean Dev stat alpha The level of your preparation for each class session. * 183 2. 601 0. 83 6. 112 0. 000 The amount of time you study for class each day. * 183 2. 820 0. 822 2. 967 0. 003 The amount of time you study for exams and quizzes. * 183 2. 634 0. 860 5. 762 0. 000 Your attentiveness in class. * 183 2. 634 1. 111 4. 460 0. 000 The quantity of notes you take. * 183 2. 743 1. 202 2. 891 0. 004 The quality of notes you take. * 183 2. 557 1. 179 5. 077 0. 000 Your level of participation in class discussions. * 183 2. 814 0. 776 3. 238 0. 001 Your overall attendance for the class. * 183 2. 689 0. 959 4. 395 0. 000 The amount of your interaction wi th the instructor during class. * 183 2. 891 0. 41 1. 996 0. 047 The amount of interaction with the instructor outside of class. 183 2. 962 0. 615 0. 842 0. 401 The amount you learn from class. * 183 2. 563 1. 040 5. 684 0. 000 Your appreciation for the instructor’s effort. * 183 2. 546 1. 004 6. 113 0. 000 Your appreciation for the importance of the material. * 183 2. 590 0. 890 6. 227 0. 000 Your desire to take additional classes from the particular instructor. * 182 2. 747 0. 929 3. 668 0. 000 Your desire to take additional classes in the subject matter. 182 2. 901 0. 848 1. 573 0. 117 Your overall evaluation of this course. * 182 2. 571 1. 031 5. 605 0. 00 Your overall evaluation of this instructor. * 182 2. 582 0. 976 5. 775 0. 000 Note : Questions with statistically significant differences between mean responses and an expected neutral response [3. 0] are marked with an â€Å"*†. The impact of classroom technology, Page 10 Journal of Technology Research Table 3 C omparison of Responses to Questions about Student Behavior for the Impact of the Loss of Technology Where It is Now Used (Left Set) versus the Addition of Technology in Classes Where It is Not Used (Right Set) Expected Effect of Expected Effect of the Loss of the Addition of Technology Technology N Mean Std Dev N Mean Std Dev alphaThe level of your preparation for each class session. * The amount of time you study for class each day. The amount of time you study for exams and quizzes. Your attentiveness in class. * The quantity of notes you take. The quality of notes you take. * Your level of participation in class discussions. * Your overall attendance for the class. The amount of your interaction with the instructor during class. The amount of interaction with the instructor outside of class. The amount you learn from class. * Your appreciation for the instructor’s effort. Your appreciation for the importance of the material. * Your desire to take additional classes from th e instructor. * Your desire to take additional classes in the subject matter. * Your overall evaluation of this course. * 372 373 373 372 372 373 372 373 373 373 373 372 373 374 374 372 3. 03 2. 83 2. 72 3. 23 2. 77 3. 08 3. 04 2. 79 2. 98 3. 01 3. 23 2. 85 2. 96 3. 11 3. 10 3. 29 0. 97 0. 84 0. 96 1. 20 1. 32 1. 30 0. 90 0. 82 0. 82 0. 85 1. 09 1. 04 0. 93 0. 98 0. 92 1. 06 183 183 183 183 183 183 183 183 183 183 183 183 183 182 182 182 2. 60 2. 82 2. 63 2. 63 2. 74 2. 56 2. 1 2. 69 2. 89 2. 96 2. 56 2. 55 2. 59 2. 75 2. 90 2. 57 0. 88 0. 82 0. 86 1. 11 1. 20 1. 18 0. 78 0. 96 0. 74 0. 61 1. 04 1. 00 0. 89 0. 93 0. 85 1. 03 0. 000 0. 880 0. 298 0. 000 0. 825 0. 000 0. 003 0. 205 0. 237 0. 534 0. 000 0. 001 0. 000 0. 000 0. 012 0. 000 Your overall evaluation of this instructor. * 372 3. 05 1. 01 182 2. 58 0. 98 0. 000 Note : Questions with statistically significant differences in the mean responses between the two groups are marked with an â€Å"*†. The impact of classroom te chnology, Page 11 Journal of Technology Research REFERENCES Apperson, J. , Laws, E. and Scepansky, J. (2006). The Impact of Presentation Graphics on Students’ Experience in the Classroom. Computers and Education, 47(1), 116-126. Atkins-Sayre, W. , Hopkins, S. , Mohundro, S. and Sayre, W. (1998). Rewards and Liabilities of Presentation Software as an Ancillary Tool: Prison or Paradise? Paper presented at the National Communication Association Eighty Fourth Annual Conference, New York, NY. Burbules, N. and Callister, T. , Jr. (2000). Watch IT: The Promises and Risk of New Information Technologies for Education. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Christensen, K. (1999).A Comparison of Student Performance in Human Development Classes Using Three Different Modes of Delivery: Online, Face-to-Face, and Combined. Ed. D. Dissertation, Department of Education, Drake University. Daniels, L. (1999). Introducing Technology in the Classroom: PowerPoint as a First Step. Journal of Computing in Hi gher Education, 10, 42-56. Epper, R. and Bates, A. (2001). Teaching Faculty How to Use Technology. American Council on Education. Oryx Press. Laurillard, D. (2002). Rethinking University Teaching: A Framework for the Effective Use of Educational Technology (2nd ed. . London: Routledge. Lowerison, G. , Sclater, J. , Schmid, R. F. , and Abrami, P. C. (2006). Student Perceived Effectiveness of Computer Technology Use in Post-secondary Classrooms. Computer and Education, 47, 465-489. Mantei, E. (2000). Using Internet Class Notes and PowerPoint in the Physical Geology Lecture. Journal of College Science Teaching, 29, 301-305. McCombs, B. (2000). Assessing the Role of Educational Technology in the Teaching and Learning Process: A Learner-Centered Perspective. The Secretary’s Conference on Educational Technology 2000. www. d. gov/Technology/techconf/2000/mccombs_paper. html. McFarlane, A. (1997). What Are We and How Did We Get Here? In A. McFarlane (ED. ), Information Technology and Authentic Learning: Realizing the Potential of Computers in the Primary Classroom. London, England : Routledge. Roblyer, M. (2003). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. (3rd ed. ) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Witcher, A. , Onwuegbuzie, A. , Collins, K. , Filer, J. , Wiedmaier, C. , and Moore, C. Students’ Perceptions of Characteristics of Effective College Teachers.ERIC Document Reproduction Service: ED 482517. The impact of classroom technology, Page 12 Journal of Technology Research APPENDIX Demographic Information for Undergraduate Students in the Sample Technology = Technology Used; Impact of the Absence of Technology No Technology = Technology Not Used; Impact of the Addition of Technology Major for Undergraduate Students in Sample Technology No Technology (N = 329) (N = 155) Accounting 19% 15% Economics Finance Health Service Administration Management Marketing Business Undeclared Other – Non-business 5% 8% 8% 26% 13% 14% 7% 5% 13% 8% 23% 8% 18% 10%Year for Undergraduate Students in Sample Technology No Technology (N = 329) (N = 155) Freshman 18% 3% Sophomore Junior Senior 22% 32% 28% 52% 23% 22% ?2 tests for differences in the distribution of majors between the two groups and for differences in the distribution of undergraduate years did not reject the null hypothesis.It was assumed there were no significant differences in the distribution of undergraduate majors or in the distribution of students in terms of academic progress when comparing the two groups. Technology (N = 329) Female Male Student gender 40% 60% No Technology (N = 155) Female Male 49% 51% A test of proportions suggested no significant difference in the proportion of female to male students when comparing the two groups included in this study. The impact of classroom technology, Page 13

Heart Sounds Case Essay

1. Dr. Baker spends a long time listening to (auscultating) Caleb’s heart. a. Where on the thoracic surface do you auscultate to the tricuspid, mitral (bicuspid), pulmonary, and aortic valves? Auscultation for the tricuspid valve would be in the left sternal margin of the 5th intercostal space. The mitral valve sounds are heard over the apex of the heart (5th intercostal space) in line with the middle of the clavicle. Pulmonary valve sounds are auscultated at the 2nd intercostal space at the left sternal margin. The aortic valve is heard at the 2nd intercostal space of the right sternal margin. b. Where do you think would be the best place to auscultate Caleb’s abnormal heart sound? Explain your answer. The abnormal heart sounds would best be heard over the tricuspid area – the lower left sternal border. This is the area which overlies the defect. 2. Caleb has abnormal heart sounds that tipped the doctor off to a problem. a. Name the normal sounds of the heart and indicate what causes these sounds. The normal sounds of the heart are â€Å"lub-dup† are caused by the opening and closing of the heart valves. The first sound – lub- is from the closing of the mitral and tricuspid heart valves. The second sound -dup- is from the closure of the pulmonary and aortic valves. b. In relation to the normal heart sounds, when would you expect to hear the abnormal sound Dr. Baker heard? Explain your answer. A ventricular septal defect is a systolic murmur. The abnormal sounds can be heard during or after the first heart sound and ends before or during the second heart sound. 3. The defect in Caleb’s heart allows blood to mix between the two ventricular chambers. a. Due to this defect would you expect the blood to move from left-to-right ventricle or right-to-left ventricle during systole? I would expect the blood to move from the left to the right ventricle. b. Based on your understanding of blood pressure and resistance in the heart and great vessels, explain your answer to question 3a. In the heart blood flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. Blood normally enters on the right side of the heart (deoxygenated), is pumped to the lungs and returns to the left side of the heart (oxygenated) which will then be pumped out to the rest of the body. In Caleb’s case blood will enter the right side of the heart, be pumped to the lungs and return to the left side  of the heart. Every time his heart beats, some blood is then forced through the VSD back to the right side. It then goes back to the lungs even though it is already oxygenated, so blood that is not oxygenated can’t get oxygen. A lower blood volume then remains in the left ventricle to be pumped out to the rest of the body. High pressure would occur in the lungs due to extra blood being pumped into lung arteries this make heart and lungs work harder. 4. When an echocardiogram is performed, the technician color-codes oxygenated blood (red) and deoxygenated blood (blue) a. In a healthy baby, what color would the blood be within the right and left ventricles, respectively? The right ventricle normally pumps blue blood because the blood is without oxygen and the left ventricle pumps red blood because the blood has oxygen. b. In Caleb’s heart, what color would the blood be within the right and left ventricles, respectively? It is both blue and red in the right ventricle because the already oxygenated blood flows back into the right ventricle and blood in the left ventricle would be red. 5. Caleb’s heart allows oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mix. Based on your knowledge of the heart and the great vessels, describe other anatomical abnormalities that cause the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Atrioventricular Canal Defect is an abnormality that causes the mixing of blood. There is a hole in center of heart where the wall between the upper and lower chambers meet. The tricuspid and mitral valves aren’t formed properly and one large valve crosses the defect. The defect lets oxygen rich blood pass to the heart’s right side and mix with deoxygenated blood, then go back to the lungs. Another abnormality is Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), where the walls of the upper chambers of the heart don’t close completely, causing a left to right movement of blood due to the higher pressure. The mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood may cause the right atrium and ventricle to enlarge due to the higher volume of blood. 6. What happens to Caleb’s systemic cardiac output as a result of his ventricular septal defect (VSD)? Explain your answer. Caleb’s systemic cardiac output will be decreased. His blood will enter the right ventricle be pumped to the lungs, return to the left ventricle and then be shunted  back to the right ventricle. This causes more blood to enter the right ventricle. The extra blood then leaving the right ventricle causes a volume overload to the lungs. Because blood is being shunted back to the right ventricle, there is a lesser volume of oxygenated blood that leaves the heart to supply the rest of the body. 7. One of the problems that worried Tiffaney was that Caleb seemed to be breathing too hard all the time. Let’s consider how this symptom is related to his heart defect. a. Describe what would happen to the blood volume and pressure entering the pulmonary circuit as a result of his VSD. In VSD the right and left ventricles are working harder, pumping a greater volume of blood than they normally would. Extra blood will pass through the pulmonary artery into the lungs causing, blood pressure to be higher than normal in the blood vessels and lungs. b. Describe what would happen to the myocardium of Caleb’s right ventricle as a result of his VSD. The right ventricular heart muscle will thicken and lose elasticity over time, causing the heart to work harder to effectively pump blood the lungs and rest of the body. 8. Based on the location of Caleb’s defect, what part of the conduction system might be at risk for abnormalities? It is extremely rare that VSD would cause a conduction system defect due to the fact that the two systems are different, different embryological development, yet are in close proximity to each other. It is possible for the bundle of His to be displaced, but usually is unaffected. Sometimes a branch of the bundle of His could be on a rim of the VSD, but is still able to function. The only tricky part is if surgery is needed, the doctor needs to be careful when closing the defect.

Potential Role(s) of HR And HR Professionals In Contemporary Essay

Potential Role(s) of HR And HR Professionals In Contemporary Organisations - Essay Example After receiving applications from the prospective candidates, HRD will only sort out those applications and importantly will come up with various selection processes, according to the job description. Some of the selection processes that are normally followed in contemporary organisations include written exams, objective type exams, personality judgment tests, assessment centres, personal interviews, etc. (Robertson and Smith 2001; Armstrong, 2006). Through, these processes, the three main aspects of skill level, knowledge and even experience levels, will be analysed and judged by the HR professionals in relation with the management team. â€Å"Skills, experience, and knowledge have economic value to organisations because they enable to be productive and adaptable† (Jackson and Schuler 2003). Thus, recruited optimal employees will have adequate skill and knowledge, which can be aptly tapped by the organisation, leading to better performance. In essence, if HR professionals imp lement a specified set of employment as well as work practices, it is going to lead to better performance. (Boxall and Purcell 2008). When one focuses on Southwest Airlines HRD’s recruitment processes, it exhibits apt qualities. HR professionals inside SW Airlines conducts the recruitment process in such a foolproof manner that only one out of four applicants would be personally interviewed, after going through various process, and importantly less than 3% would actually be hired. (Hunter 2006). During the recruitment process, apart from focusing on their academic qualifications and skill levels, HR professionals in SW looks for key subtle human assets... This paper approves that HRD will bring expert coaches from outside, who will focus more on human resource element than on the technical aspects, thereby facilitating wholesome development of the employees. In the computer chip manufacturing company, Intel, a mentoring program has been in place for many years and it showing more than expected results. Experienced employees who have agreed to play the role of mentors complete an on-line questionnaire in which they list any of their two dozen top skills, based on which the struggling employees will be paired as mentee. As this program, facilitated by HR professionals, gives importance to not only sharing information but also sharing of skills sets and practical experience, it benefits the employees, thereby making them organisation or â€Å"work-ready†. Another key role of HR professionals, which can lead to effective employee management, is conducting the appraisal process and then aptly rewarding the correct employees. This report makes a conclusion that it is clear that HR or HR professionals form an indispensable part of organisational functioning starting from recruitment till rewarding. It seems HR aspect or HR professionals get involved during all the important organisational processes and decisions, which determines the performance as well as success of the organisation at large. Their maximum involvement and their employee-centric focus leads to effective employee management, which in turn makes them contribute optimally to the organisation, thereby placing the organisation on the path of success.

Print and TV Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Print and TV Media - Essay Example Television, or TV, literally means the unit that is used to receive broadcast signals from a network, and, in this case, refers to the actual use of TV-a means to get information on a regular basis. Shows on TV also vary in frequency, usually within minutes, hours, days, and weeks. Take a regular newspaper, roll it, tuck it under your arm or toss it in your bag, and you can read it whenever you've got the time-unless you want to get the information right here, right now. Such is the essence of the newspaper; news and information delivered through the convenience of compiles sheets of paper that one can carry around, as well as the corresponding affordability. On top of that, the availability of space in its environment allows print journalists to write lengthy news and feature articles, giving the reader access to more information that can be referred to anytime. The downside of it is the amount of time spent producing a single issue-a process that produces hundreds and thousands of copies-and how it measures against other sources. In this day and age, where everything can be accessed in one click, the speed afforded by print media is no longer up to par with the rest. This is particularly true for news-based publications, because this obstacle relegates them, by default, to last place in terms of relevance. On the other hand, if relevance is the is... A news anchor can be on air in seconds, and can announce breaking news even from remote locations via satellite right where and when it happens. Best of all, TV is visual-all the better to narrate in 30 seconds what a newspaper story will do with only words to rely on. Most people are inclined to TV than print, precisely because of this attribute. But TV can only be TV, at least for the mass market, if one has an actual TV. Compared to the print production process, the broadcasting system is far more complicated, requires more people to run it, and necessitates equipment that can never be called cheap. Plus, unlike newspapers, one can never read back what has been reported-unless a replay is run. III. Content is King, Distribution is Queen What a reader or viewer gets from both TV and print is almost identical. The reason for this lies in the preferences of its targets-the regular reader and the frequent viewer-whose loyalty the two media are always after. This resulted in the creation, development, and innovation of the material each features, known as content. News articles and breaking news. Coming from the same source, using the same methodology, but using different executions, these two form-specific materials naturally provides for the same need-that of knowing what is happening of significance at the moment. Magazines and variety shows. These two forms are actually several parts joined together to produce a printed material, or an hour-long show. They aim to cover certain interests, and, with the objective of making things fresh and upbeat, rely on the novelty of each section or segment. Dear Abby letters and drama programs. Many people are fond of emotional revelations,

Annotated Bibliography for Utilitarianism in the health care system Essay

Annotated Bibliography for Utilitarianism in the health care system - Essay Example The book further illustrates that utilitarianism leads to maximization of the common goods. In this case, the author uses the word â€Å"good† referring to optimal achievement that all members of the society tend to receive in matters related to health. This situation emerges because of various political interests and agendas in the health care system. Moreover, the book further discusses that the utilitarian perspective does not support the desired good in the healthcare system. This means that the utilitarianism does not support access to affordable and essential health care services. This is because utilitarian perspective tends to concentrate much on the policy priorities. Another significant issue discussed in the book is the fact that the concept utilitarianism is far behind access to recommendable healthcare services. This is because individuals tend to put their personal priorities ahead of health issues. This book tends to be of significant important in relation to the issues associated with utilitarianism especially in the health sector. The book will be of significant help in my research work because it supports the fact utilitarianism is not of any importance in the health sector. Utilitarianism only indicates negative outcomes especially in relation to health

American religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American religion - Essay Example The use of the term softening is a strategy to balance the increasing religiosity and the decline in certain religious aspects. The softening of religion in America has become an issue of debate. There are many reasons put forth to support the softening of religion. Although some scholars do not support the softening ideology, certain factors prove the idea of softening true. This paper will focus on describing what has caused the softening of religion in America. Religion diversity is one of the reasons why some authors believe that American religion is softening. In the early 1900s, there were many people who professed to be members of different religions. Specifically, there were many Americans who proved to be staunch Protestants and Catholics. In the 1970s, the number of such people had decreased immensely. Many Americans have let go of their religious affiliations and opted to become atheists. Although such people recognize the existence of God, they prefer to stay away from any specific church. Currently, there are different types of atheism exhibited by people in America. Chaves, one of the authors who have explored the softening of religion in America believes that American atheists who have distanced themselves from religious groups are more than people who are stuck to the religion. In addition, the increasing popularity of other religions such as Hinduism and Islam has contributed to increased softening of religion. The American p opulation no longer fits a homogeneous description of religion (Chaves 18). The reasons for this are because people exhibit diverse faiths and appreciate the value of religious diversity. Notably, there was a time when America registered a remarkable increase of Protestants. The increase was after different Protestant groups received much popularity. Many people joined the Protestant groups leaving behind the traditional Christianity groups. It emerges that the current trend depict a decline of Protestants. It is no

Business Failures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Failures - Essay Example This does not necessarily means that the organization needs to keep the money locked up in bank or in hand. Instead the organization should invest the money in assets and investment options that can be easily converted into case when required. For example the company can invest the money in a bank’s saving account to earn returns on this amount of money (Whittington, 2012, p.631). Another issue that organization may fail in relation to financial management is overestimation and underestimation of budgeted revenues as well as expenses that the business may incur in future. In order to ensure that the company continues to operate successfully and the company has the required financial resources to pay off its loan, the company should indulge in underestimation of the sales of the company (Etzel, 2007, p.175). In order to estimate the sales the company can conduct interviews with the customers regarding their intention to purchase the goods and services and how often they may do so (Jenster, 2009,

Should evolution be taught in the public schools Essay - 1

Should evolution be taught in the public schools - Essay Example While both sides have valid arguments, the argument for teaching evolution in public schools clearly trumps, because parents have a right to ensure that their child gets the best education possible, and a failure to instruct on evolutionary theory in the public schools clearly undermines this basic right. The theory of evolution, which states that species have evolved over time, is a theory which must be taught in public schools. Lerner (2000) states that there are good standards for what school children should know about the theory, depending upon the child’s grade. He states that children from grades kindergarten to third grade should understand that living things reproduce, and that the offspring may not be exactly like their parents. They should also understand that a living things must grow up or change before reproducing. Another fact that they must learn is that the earth is over four billion years old. When children are between the ages of nine and twelve, they should be taught about how evolution results in competition and survival between and within species, and the factors that go into species survival, such as environmental, predatory and temperature factors. They should also learn that species adapt to different environments, and that genetic variation results in mutations that may help species adapt to this environment. Also, the theory of natural selection should be understood. When a child is between middle and high school, they should know about such concepts as genetic drift, sexual selection and the complex interactions of ecosystems (Lerner, 2000). Evolutionary theory should be taught, despite the objections of religious individuals who object to the theory being taught, for a variety of reasons. The first set of these reasons address why the theory should be taught, despite the objections of

Getting more programs like DARE for children of younger ages Essay

Getting more programs like DARE for children of younger ages - Essay Example DARE is such a type of education that is arranged for the education of people so that they can gain awareness about restrictive drugs and associated aggressive attitudes. For children, the education program is very advantageous as they are able to know about categorized drugs along with their effects on people. The program is an outcome of the issue of war on drugs. In the United States, DARE program is handled by police officers as they take the responsibility of handling all law related matters. Usage of drugs also comes under the law due to which, the police department is given the accountability to control drug-related issues and to educate the masses about the abuse. DARE program is an old program and is offered to different age groups. It is instructed that the education under this drug related program should be provided to students of grade 5 to higher levels. They gain assistance about risky situations and pressure from people around them related to drug usage. They are instructed to make their own personal selections for handling any kind of pressure. His program is very fruitful for children as they are able to handle different category of people’s pressure related to drug usage. There are many other drug education programs that can be used for assistance of children of younger ages. Drug education must be made compulsory in schools so that children face no hazardous situations. They must be fully instructed about drugs and various programs should be used to instruct the children of younger ages.

Spreadsheet project Essay Example for Free

Spreadsheet project Essay The user of my spreadsheet is a games company owner who needs to collect and distribute data to predict capital expense of wages for the future. They need to be able to see the expenses of their company and how, if the input into the spreadsheet is altered, the output is changed also. My spreadsheet is a model that simulates the real thing. As a company owner, the user should be able to record the various categories of income and expense and decide their course of action depending on how the store is doing on the spreadsheet. It should allow the user to make comparisons of profit/loss for that particular week, month or year. However, I will be going through this product as though I were the user and make references to the actual user of real life at appropriate times. I will be presenting the worksheets over a time span of a month so as not to make it too complex to understand. The product is aimed at the soul user of the system, which will be the storeowner. The name of my company is called Nintendo Universe. My company designs computer games for a number of consoles that we build. We sell accessories along with toys and magazines. We are basically a wholesaler selling our components to other big businesses. Our main headquarters is in California, America. We have a second headquarter in Tokyo, Japan. We have various factories and warehouses that produce and store these products and export them to big businesses on request. I have a total of 480 employees, out of which 100 are employed for the headquarters. Two hundred staff members are in the two production factories. The rest of my staff works in the various warehouses. I am the sole owner of the company. As this is a large trading enterprise, I have chosen to have a board of directors who are assigned various shared responsibilities and they own percentages of share in the company. As the executive director I overlook at all aspects of the business and with the help of my associate directors we try to promote sale, reduce loss, supervise the role of our employees and ensure that the company is run smoothly. Therefore they have a rotating system that will benefit and make our employees job easier. They are currently doing very well financially and may soon have to expand my business. This will in effect mean more vacancies and hopefully in the long run more profit. The problem is that Nintendo have been using manual methods such as using pen and paper and storing staffs information in cabinets. Therefore I will be creating a new and improved method of storing information better than their previous manual methods. With the current system the company is unable to do this because it is impractical and will take a lot of time just to find out the results for one small criteria but with the new system answers to many criteria changes can be found instantly. The companys current situation will have to be taken into account, this will be achieved through an interview with the people concerned after which the advantages and disadvantages must be studied. Each cell in a spreadsheet has its own address. For instance the intersection with column D with row 4 will give a cell with the address D4. (As shown above) Spreadsheet grids are frequently very large and only a small section of the sheet can be viewed on the screen at any one time. One sheet can be linked to another, so that as data is changed in one sheet, the other sheet is automatically brought up to date. The Formulas entered in a spreadsheet can refer to absolute data (fixed data) e. g. the price of a can drink is fixed at any time or relative data e. g. the time taken to drink 1 can will vary from time to time. Spreadsheets also have Macros, which are a set of commands recorded by the computer, which then can be replayed whenever the user wishes. These are particularly useful for tasks that will over and over again. Excel (Spreadsheet program) is able to use database features such as querying this is called filtering. This is something, which only sophisticated spreadsheets have. Why you need to use a spreadsheet: A spreadsheet is a powerful tool for experimenting with different mathematical models and asking What if! It can calculate totals and averages in a matter of few seconds whereas a manual system will take longer and is more likely to carry a higher percentage of human error. A spreadsheet also has the ability of formatting and displaying the results in different ways. It also comes with a library of formulae and functions as part of the program. The formulaes assist us in financial calculations, handling dates and times, for mathematical and statistical work and for logical expressions (e.  g. the SUM function and IF statement). Recalculation in a spreadsheet can be set manually or automatically which is not possibly if we were to do this by a manual system. What spreadsheet offers the business? : Spreadsheets will offer the business a lot because it will be much easier and reliable than manual methods. Features such as being able to copy formulas, change data without redoing formulas or losing original figures, produce graphs and copy into other packages are just some reasons as to why my business will benefit from the use of spreadsheet programs. These programs will also be a great benefit to me personally seeing as I deal with the finances I will be able to do calculations much quicker than using manual methods i. e. calculators. I could also receive and give stock orders between the branches more easily by linking with the other branches via Internet or another networking system. Finally spreadsheets are a more accurate representation of real life unlike manual methods. This in affect means being able to view the data in forms of currency, weight, distance etc and also being able t print out this information for reference. Access: If you are going to run an organization like the one in hand then a database program will not be very help towards your purposes because it does not have the ability/function to work out in depth, sophisticated, long calculations which you the user will need to work out calculations e. g. wages, overtime, working hours, profits/losses. It is also hard to access and very complicated to use. However it does provide an easy access to every particular thing under any field. The table is accurate and neat and already created for you to use. It also prevents from time consuming in every area. Access is used for storing, sorting and being able to easily retrieve certain types of data, this type of software is used for compiling information on customers, items etc. and being able to track, change and even rearrange the data. Why not to use a Database: A database is a collection of related data items, which are linked and structured so that the data can be accessed. It is designed to hold information and extract the relevant information very quickly. This program is not fully designed to carry out calculations, which a spreadsheet can perform. Therefore both programs are highly specific in the type of jobs they are designed to do. Desktop publishing: This is used for designing templates and presentations, using colour, clipart, and photographs. In this application a mixture of word/writing and pictures or designs are used. This type of software is used mainly to layout newspapers or magazines and other presentations, it is also in use to design web pages.

Importance of Community Health Workers

Importance of Community Health Workers DEFINING THE PROBLEM Community Health Workers have been used in several countries dating back about 60 years ago, to address the gap experienced by the underserved members of these communities, with issues of access to health care. More importantly in Low and middle-income countries, Community Health Workers have particularly been helpful in reducing the impact of the shortage of skilled health workers. Community Health Workers can make valuable contributions to healthcare especially in the delivery of basic health care; however, across countries and individual programs there are varying and inconsistently established approaches on how they are recruited, trained, monitored, incentivized, as well as the roles and activities they perform. The lack of a standard structure globally and in CMMB countries creates several divisions of Community Health Workers, which may lead to poor monitoring, increased attrition, poor planning, budgeting and sustainable financing. The Effect on Women and Children Several programs have reported a high attrition rate which has led to the breakdown of the programs and is mostly due to problems with how these Programmes are structured or maintained. The initial purpose for which the CHW was set up was to link the communities with the formal health system, if the system fails, the underserved especially the vulnerable populations (women and children), in absence of quality health care are at risk of poorer health outcomes. BACKGROUND. Community health workers are adjunct health workers with a myriad of appellations across countries. According to WHO, they should be members of the community, selected by the community, trained and work within the community, answerable to the community, they should be supported by the health system but not necessary being a part of it, and have a shorter course of training than other professional workers. Although they function more at the peripheral of the health system, and their duties widely vary across countries and programs, their roles in the delivery of basic health care can not be overemphasized. In some countries, they also perform the role of record keeping. Over the years, the use of CHWs has gained prominence, with several countries adopting the trend to mitigate the growing proportion of infectious diseases and a shortage of health workers, migrating for green pasture, however, not all CHW programs follow the WHOs definition of CHW. In CMMB countries, the approach is also different across the in the individual countries. RECRUITMENT, TRAINING, AND INCENTIVES In Peru, the Ministry of health has specific regulations on how the CHWs program should be structured. CHWs in Peru are usually volunteers, they could receive incentives but they do not have contracts or salaries. They are appointed by the community organization at the general assembly or the social grassroots organization to which the community health agent belongs. There is variation in the duration of training the CHWs to receive in Peru. In South Sudan, there are no specific regulations in terms of services, CHW could receive incentives and could also be employed. They are trained in Basic health care service for 6 months whereas, in Zambia, the Implementing partners have different policies for training, recruitment, remuneration, and incentives for CHWs. Programs funded and managed by implementing partners are typically on contracts of two-to-five year but their remuneration and incentives vary across programs. The training also varies between 2-11 weeks depending on if it is af filiated with government health facility or an NGO and the Ministry of healths CHW handbook, 2005 is used as a guideline. ROLES AND ACTIVITIES Several kinds of literature have grouped the CHWs as being either generalist or specialist in the way they are trained or work. Generalist perform a wide range of functions while the specialist has a program specific focus. In the CMMB countries, the CHWs are more generalist than they are a specialist or obscured in between. They are generally involved in implementing promotive and preventive health activities especially in providing family planning and immunization. In south Sudan, CHWs perform addition roles of supporting primary health care units as health staff to clerk patients and also work in the pharmacy. They follow up pregnant women receiving ART while in Zambia, CHWS, also provide basic curative services and refer cases if complicated, they performfollow-up care including home visits for patients with TB, AIDS, pregnant and postnatal mothers, tracing for malnourished children. Most literature about CHWs and what they do, agree that they are important in improving access to care especially in areas where they are most needed. However, it is important to consider the local context where the CHW program will operate(culture, language, social norms, and values etc.) for the program to excel. The mode of selection of the CHWs, duration of training as well as the roles the CHWs would be performing should also be considered and possibly be unified across programs. In order to extrinsically motivate CHWs, it is important to also Incentivize them and a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating their activities would help assess problems in the program and health care delivery. APPROACHES AND METHODOLOGIES In order to encourage behavioral change and improve the quality of health care using CHWs, CMMB will be focusing on theses 3 approaches which have been applied in public health and have improved health outcomes: Positive deviance approach, Integrated community case management approach and make me a change agent approach. Positive Deviance: This is an approach based on the belief that unusual behavioral practices in communities among few members of the community who are called the positive deviants, help them find a better solution to problems and improve their outcomes compared other members of the same community that share similar exposures and resources, but poorer outcomes. The positive deviance is based on the principles that: (Pascale, Sternin, Sternin ,2010) Communities possess the solutions and expertise to solve their own problems. Communities are self-organizing and possess the human resources with necessary assets to solve community problems. communities have a Collective intelligence which is evenly distributed and is not dependent on the leadership of a community alone or in external experts.This collective intelligence is what the approach aim to draw out and capitalize on to solve community problems. The bedrock of the approach is sustainability. The community is encouraged to observe and develop sustainable solutions based on observed positive deviants within the community. Practicing encourages behavior change. This approach has been used successfully in communities in the management of malnutrition and has contributed immensely to reducing the burden of malnutrition in communities where it is being practiced. The community health and families after an observation made by a positive deviant inquiry, practice better ways to cook their food with a particular interest in quality, feeding, and hygiene when managing malnourished children using local resources and technologies. It is a proactive measure; harnessing the strength, knowledge, human resources locally available within the community to solve their community health problems. This approach ensures fast, sustainable, affordable, culturally acceptable solutions to solve community health problems and it also encourages local participation. Integrated community case management: This approach was adopted by WHO and UNICEF. The ICCM has been piloted in many underserved countries, where there is a major gap in access to care. The aim is to bring health care closer to the doorstep of these population and strategically increasing coverage of treatment using Community health workers who are appropriately trained, supervised and monitored. The CHWs are adequately supported with medical supplies. They are trained to identify, promptly and correctly manage or refer cases of common community diseases like malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea and malnutrition in children under 5 years. ICCM uses interventions that are evidence based and it focuses on diagnosis, the community health workers are trained to make a quick diagnosis using portable diagnostic tools and appropriate treatment. common interventions used are antibiotics for dysentery and pneumonia, ORT for diarrheal diseases, antimalaria for malaria, nutritional rehabilitation for malnutrition. The approach employs the use of CHWs who are members of the community and perform their duties either from their homes or selected community building, which is easily accessible to members of the community. Using CHWs from the community encourages trust and sustainability. Make me a change agent: To effectively improve the quality of health by encouraging behavior change, this approach which is used multi-sectorally will help the CHWs to become an effective change agent by developing their skills of effective communication, showing empathy, individual counseling. It also teaches the approach of using their individual testimonies and storytelling ability to encourage health behavioral change. CHWs after acquiring skills from health training, have to effectively communicate their training to the community which is critically important in encouraging the patient to adhere to treatment and adopt preventive health behaviors. The CHWs are engaged in several activities that include role playing to help them understand the importance of respecting patient, good communication, active listening during conversations. There are several barriers that mitigate against behavioral change, the ability to circumvent these barriers would help the CHWs reach their target population and help them make them make the right behavior change. In order to effectively do this, the CHWs needs to be able to put themselves in the perspective of their audience, sharing their experiences which help foster a personal relationship and makes the change easier to communicate. The approach also emphasizes the importance of storytelling and the use of individual testimonies to promote a particular health behavior by changing preformed misperceptions about the particular health behavior. The testimonials offer the audience the chance to appreciate changes made by someone else who is not different from them, who has had a positive result. These approach as a skill for encouraging behavioral change is easily remembered, the audience can relate to the story and have a pictural understanding of what the change is about. Moreso, it can be a source of external motivation to encourage change. INTERVENTIONS: The growing adoption of community health workers as part of the health system as a means to reach the underserved communities is met with the need to understand how to implement a sustainable CHW program in different countries across different programs. As field workers in underserved communities, we would also be employing the services of the CHWs in executing our goals. An effective process for managing (recruitment, training, supervision and support, Incentives) community health workers will help sustain the program. RECRUITMENT: Recruiting community health workers is dependent on the proposed health need they are supposed to meet. Some ministries of health have an established protocol for recruiting health workers. It is important to note that to sustain the program, several papers as well as WHO has suggested that community health workers should be selected by and from the community they are to work in. However, the primary criteria in selecting CHWs is that they should be members of the community they serve. This to harness the establish connections within the individual members of the community and the individual interest of the health worker towards the community. The recruitment process may require the use of different social structures or organization within the communities like the clinics, community-based organizations e.g market women association, religious organizations, the ruling council, other CHWs etc. as sources of referral for the appointment of community members into several CHWs position. Recruitment should be formal, individuals should follow a process of recommendation, interview, and screening. General characteristics of CHWs vary across countries and programs. Literacy is an important criterion for recruiting a CHW. Although not all programs require their CHWs to have any form of education, most programs require a primary level of education while some require a higher level of education. The least literacy level should be required; however, the higher the level of education the more preferable the CHW. The gender of the CHW should meet the cultural norm especially in places where there are limited interactions between males and females. The age of CHWs differ across programs but ranges from 20 45years. Finally, marriage status is an encouraging criterion for selection. CHWs with a married status are more likely to remain in the society for a longer period of time than those that are single. TRAINING The Success and quality of a CHWs program also depend on the process of training and continuous assessment of training. Training program varies across programs which depend on the length, depth, element, approach and authority. In some countries, a manual for training of CHWs have been developed; where necessary, it should be employed. The length of training varies across programs and it is based on the services the community health worker would be rendering. It could be from days to weeks to years; however, it is important to space the training so that the CHW can have time in between training to have an in-depth review of the material. A process of a continuous training after the initial training can help improve the performance of CHWs through supervision and adding additional knowledge to the CHW. The use of an interactive, skilled based setting that encourages participation should be employed as a style for training considering the varying educational background among the CHWs. The training material could be categorized into three major topics: skilled- based knowledge, relevant health knowledge, and research implementation knowledge. Training authority may vary, although WHO prefers the government of the countries to be involved in the training but more experienced CHWs, nurses and doctors can be part of the training team. SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT Long term sustainability of health programs involves active supervision and mentorship of the CHWs.The supervisors also provide support to CHWs. In most cases, the supervisor will be provided by the programs main authority. They are usually of different professional backgrounds but have an understanding of the program, the roles of the CHWs and the aim of the program. They evaluate the performance of the CHWs, define their roles and expectations and also answer questions raised by the CHWs. The frequency of supervision which is variable across programs depends on the target goal of the program, the available funds e.tc. Supervision as a general term could be practice in different styles and approaches. Group supervision involves a group of CHWs with a supervisor and has been implemented in many programs. Community supervision is another approach for CHWs. The innovative approach involves communitys participation by providing feedback and guidance to CHWs and their supervisors. Other methods that can be used are the peer supervision, clinical mentoring and mobile electronic devices. It is also important to note that the supervisors also needs to be actively supported by the programs main authority by providing material support e.g medical supplies, transportation etc. supporting the supervisors will help them perform their functions regularly. INCENTIVES The incentives for CHWs is one of the most controversial topics but it plays a significant role as it has been shown to be associated with CHWs performance, motivation and retention. many studies have debated on how compensations should be structured for the most effective way to incentivize CHWs. There are two categories of CHWs: the Volunteers and Full-time employees. Some countries have a process for how the community health workers should be paid based on the type of appointment and who employs them. CHWs employed by the government on a full-time basis are on paid salaries while most, especially the volunteers are given either monetary or non-monetary incentive; however, it is important to recognize that an opportunity for career advancement in this field can be an incentive. Full-time CHWS are comparatively rare to the part-time CHWs because of the financial implication on programs. A small amount of incentive is more commonly implemented in community-based programs. common monetary incentives are small monetary compensation for their time and transportation subsidies. How much monetary incentive is enough is unknown but it is important to give the CHWs some monetary incentives. The non-monetary incentive is also common. CHWs could get meals during training, bicycles for transportation, umbrellas etc. like the monetary incentive, there are no rules on how the authorities should incentivize their CHWs, or what item will effectively attract CHWs and motivate them. ROLES AND ACTIVITIES IN MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH The CHWs globally have been very effective in improving maternal and child health as well as reducing mortality especially in low-income countries. Their function varies across countries and programs; while in some countries, it is just preventive, in others it also involves diagnosis and treatment. The table below highlights how and areas where CHWs can work effectively to promote maternal and child health. PREVENTION DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT OBSTETRIC CARE Anemia *Nutrition Supplement, *Routine Haematinics Nutrition Supplement HIV *HIV Counseling *Distribution of condom Routine Followup on PMTCT Malaria *Distribution of Insecticide-treated net *Prevent therapy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine Rapid Diagnostic kit Antimalaria Obstetric Care Routine Tetanus toxiod Routine ANC Visit Post partum care PPH *Breast feeding counselling *Distribution of misoprostol at home births. GYNAECOLOGICAL CARE Family planning *Use of contraceptive PEDIATRIC CARE Diarrhea *Health education on handwashing, food preparation and packaging ORS Zinc supplement Malaria *Distribution of Insecticide-treated net Rapid Diagnostic kit Anitmalaria Antipyretics Pneumonia Antibiotics Malnutrition *Breast feeding Education *Growth monitoring Nutrition supplement Routine Immunization of Children INFECTIOUS DISEASES Tuberculosis Direct observation of tuberculosis treatment CHWs roles and activites are not limited to the above, there are also actively involved in diseases surveillance, home visits, record keeping, community health education, monitoring people with chronic diseases e.g hypertension , diabeties. INTEGRATION INTO CMMB PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS References: Pascale, Sternin, Sternin. (2010) The Power of Positive Deviance: How Unlikely Innovators Solve the Worlds Toughest Problems. Harvard Business Press. Print.

Forever Failure :: essays papers

Forever Failure Everything was peaceful in my Haudenosaunee village. There were some disputes on land from time to time with other villages, but they were never as greedy as these white bearded monsters. They not only took away our homes, but also the land of our ancestors. I am one of the last ones who survived from their attacks for I led the back up warriors. Not one person from my tribe was able to defend themselves from the white men's gun, not even my father, Mountain-Lion, the bravest worrier of our village was able to survive. This was all a nightmare for me, a nightmare in which I would never wake up from†¦ These white men had already killed more than half of our bravest worriers. As the son of the courageous warrior, I must lead the rest of the 20,000 men for an attack against the French and Algonquins. I still remember the night before the attack. I sat in my longhouse for a long time. There was so much that I wanted to say, but just not enough time to say them all. Nevertheless, the silence remained, except for a few soft noise of my wife crying. It was hard to believe that two weeks ago, I had believed that I would live happily ever after with my wife. I could give up anything to go back in time and share those brief happy moments with my wife again. I held my tears back as I may not be able to grow old with my wife. I wouldn’t be able to make her smile when she’s sad, or look after her when she is sick. But in the longhouse I sat till dawn, until my wife, Pink Butterfly helped my dress for my battle. She tied a piece of soft leather around my waist, tied a knife around my leg, and lastly, braided my hair again and tied a large colorful feather around my head. She kissed me gently on my forehead and turned away. The touch of her soft lips made me want to cry, but I knew better. An Indian brave must never shed a tear, I am no longer the Little Bull I was two weeks ago. Now I must lead my people to fight the evil spirits of the White men. Forever Failure :: essays papers Forever Failure Everything was peaceful in my Haudenosaunee village. There were some disputes on land from time to time with other villages, but they were never as greedy as these white bearded monsters. They not only took away our homes, but also the land of our ancestors. I am one of the last ones who survived from their attacks for I led the back up warriors. Not one person from my tribe was able to defend themselves from the white men's gun, not even my father, Mountain-Lion, the bravest worrier of our village was able to survive. This was all a nightmare for me, a nightmare in which I would never wake up from†¦ These white men had already killed more than half of our bravest worriers. As the son of the courageous warrior, I must lead the rest of the 20,000 men for an attack against the French and Algonquins. I still remember the night before the attack. I sat in my longhouse for a long time. There was so much that I wanted to say, but just not enough time to say them all. Nevertheless, the silence remained, except for a few soft noise of my wife crying. It was hard to believe that two weeks ago, I had believed that I would live happily ever after with my wife. I could give up anything to go back in time and share those brief happy moments with my wife again. I held my tears back as I may not be able to grow old with my wife. I wouldn’t be able to make her smile when she’s sad, or look after her when she is sick. But in the longhouse I sat till dawn, until my wife, Pink Butterfly helped my dress for my battle. She tied a piece of soft leather around my waist, tied a knife around my leg, and lastly, braided my hair again and tied a large colorful feather around my head. She kissed me gently on my forehead and turned away. The touch of her soft lips made me want to cry, but I knew better. An Indian brave must never shed a tear, I am no longer the Little Bull I was two weeks ago. Now I must lead my people to fight the evil spirits of the White men.

Article Analysis - Gun Control :: Constituton Bill Rights Right To Bear Arms

Article Analysis - Gun Control The article, Taking Aim at Gun Control by Daniel D. Polsby and Dennis Brennen was written October 30, 1995 for the Heartland Executive Summary. The article deals with current gun control issues, and uses both statistical information, and emotional ideology to convince you of the authors’ opinion. The article is broken down into five sub topics, that are each supported by statistical information. In the first sub topic the main heading claims, "There is no relationship between the number of privately owned guns and the amount of violent crime in the United States." It is then supported with the statistics that gun ownership has increased by forty-five percent, and the homicide rate fell by ten percent. The article also quotes various studies taken from criminologists, such as Gary Kleck and E. Britt Patterson. The authors tend to begin their argument with factual information. They then use that information to cultivate their emotional argument. This can be seen in each of the sub topics. The first three topics, "There is no relationship between the number of privately owned guns and the amount of violent crimes in the United States," "There is no relationship between gun control laws and violent crime," and "Data from the City of Chicago cast further doubt on the effectiveness of gun control laws," use studies and statistics to prove their point. The last two sub topics, "Why do gun control laws fail?" and "What do we do about crime and violence?", offer the authors’ emotional argument. This is the section of the article where the true opinion of the two authors is seen. They sum up their beliefs, with what they consider to be a better solution to improving society without gun control. They suggest that by educating the public on proper gun safety and handling, fewer people would be hurt. It is also their belief that by making guns more accessible to responsible citizens, criminals would be less likely to commit acts of violence. They speculate that an armed society would be able to prevent criminals from perpetrating a crime before it is even committed.

Cry The Beloved Country and Apartheid Essay -- Cry the Beloved Country

The novel Cry the Beloved Country was a prophecy for the future of South Africa. It alludes to and sometimes even blatantly states the conditions necessary for the end of apartheid and the beginning of peace. South Africa in the 1940's was in trouble. Kumalo, a priest, was able to see through the prejudices of the world and assess the situation. When inconvenient to involve Kumalo in the investigation, the depth of South Africa's disparity was illustrated directly through the stories of horrifying happenings in character's conversations. Finally, we see that Msimangu was Paton's voice in the novel. When certain conditions were met Msimangu [and Paton] theorized that peace would finally be plausible in South Africa. As the reader begins to observe the problems, so to will they begin to realize the solutions, and such is the goal of this prophetic novel. Kumalo's constant questing helped to reveal the conditions that plagued South Africa. His particular naivete and trust in mankind was shattered as he was robbed upon first arriving in Johannesburg. We also see that, because of his strong commitment to being a priest, he was not afraid to "dig deep" and talk people into going in directions they didn't want to go. When he was talking to his brother when he first met him in Johannesburg, he continued to reproach him about the customs of Johannesburg, which consequently were revealed neatly. For instance, after asking a few questions, Kumalo requested to know how Johannesburg could be so radically different that it's existence should nullify all the customs of their people. John's response laid out the freedom and slavery being presented by the white man. On one hand, the people of Ndotsheni "are nobody", but when mov... ...eriences of Johannesburg, with a few exceptions. These are the ones who break the customs because they do not believe in them: The man who helped Msimangu and Kumalo when they were walking without a bus, Jarvis and his about face, and the young boy who talked so interestedly with Kumalo. These exceptions are highlighted by Msimangu's words and represent the hope of South Africa. South Africa's fate under the hammer of segregation was uncertain as of the writing of Cry the Beloved Country, and yet Alon Paton was still sure change would come. Kumalo witnessed the disparity of the people and objectively presented these facts to the reader. Stories present in conversation brought up directly issues that would otherwise be difficult to come about in normal conversation. Paton expressed his views and solutions to the problems through the character Msimangu.

Developmental homology between man and animal Essay

According to Owen R (1848) as cited in one of the lecture notes, homology can be defined as the structural similarities found in species. According to him the organisms had a common ancestor hence a common plan was used to create them. For instance, proteins have a universal genetic code in all species. It is believed that the common ancestor had a similar genetic code hence the premise that species such as man and animal had a common ancestor. This has been used in the explanation of why animal and man have some similar physiological processes such as respiration and reproduction. Man and animal have been found to have similar plasma membrane. The plasma membrane has a phospholipids layer that is similar in both species hence strengthening the theory that man and animal have a common ancestry. Man and frog for instance have pentadactyl limbs. These are five digit limbs hence providing physical evidence of this common ancestor. Towels J and Nelson P. (1997), argued that before Darwin came into the picture, homology was morphologically defined using intelligent designs. It is then cited that Darwin modified the homology concept by introducing theories about common ancestry hence making it possible to understand the theory of homologous evolution. It rendered the intelligent design impossible. Acccording to findings found in the textbook Accuracy Society Organization it is argued that before homology came into the picture, the argument about the possibility of species coming from a common ancestor was not even on the table. According to Szarki (1949), Darwin only introduced the basics about homology and then many scientists were able to pick it from there and modify the concepts. According to research carried out by Geosciences Research Institute (1976), Man and animal were related structurally, physiologically, biochemically and embyologically. This is a homologous trait that supports the theory of man and animal originating from a common ancestor. According to an article in â€Å"Was Darwin Right? † website, evolution biologists argued that the homologous theory was the most powerful source of evidence of evolution since 1859. According to Jones E S (2003-2006), differences between man and ape are not explained. Scientists only argue about the issue of common ancestry. Evolution is basically seen as a fact and not a theory. According to information gathered from Agnosticism/atheism article, homologous structures enabled scientists and evolution biologists to trace the evolution tree of different species. Structural similarities The homologous limbs found in man and animal enabled to be classified as animals in general. This illustrated that they originated from a common ancestor hence explaining the homologous evolution theory. This illustrated that the pattern of bones in the hands of man and the wings of the bat were similar but played different roles which went on to confirm the theory of homologous evolution. It is believed that they had to come from the same ancestor for them to show such similarities. A good example is in a family where children look exactly like their parents. Similarity in development of the embryo. The embryos of both man and animal have been found to develop in a similar pathway hence lending weight to the theory of homologous evolution. Physiological pathways Man and animal have been found to share physiological processes hence the argument that they have a common ancestor. According to Fiscer W F, animals have been found to share physiological processes such as cell respiration, the generation of energy, and even the growth process. (p. 372). This argument basically focuses on the day to day physiological processes such as breathing and the generation of energy. Man and animal have structures that have a similar function hence enabling them to breath in a similar manner. It is believed that the breathing process of man and chimpanzee is indistinguishable. This fact is also used to give credence to the theory of homologous evolution. In addition, their growth and reproductive processes are also similar. Both man and animal have different gestation periods but of similar nature. It takes nine months for man to give birth while in some animals like elephants it takes two years to do the same. They share similar reproduction process and it also involves the embryo. Man and animal have been found to have milk glands in their sytem. this explains why after birth they are able to breastfeed their young ones. The young one of man and animals such as cow always suck milk from their mother’s tits. This again points to likelihood of a common ancestry and this gives even more weight to the theory of homologous evolution. These physiological factors are commonly found in man and animals. They also use related metabolic pathways in the process of generating energy. The liver is seen as the organ that plays a role in the production of energy in man and animal. The process of glycolysis takes place in the liver hence leading to the generation of energy. Information gathered on Glycolysis describes it as process that takes place in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. According to research done on Metabolic Pathways, chemical reactions were found to be taking place in cells hence the Biochemical relationship. The structures and functions of the cells found in man and animal are found to be similar. This can be illustrated by the presence of chromosomes which are found in deoxyribonucleic acid in both man and animal. The organism’s structure and functions depend on DNA and is determined by the genetic code located in the DNA molecule. The classification system always put homologous organisms close together. Darwin as cited by Wells J (2000) was able to explain the evolution theory using the homologous trait found in different organisms. Aristotle, as cited by Wells J (2000) had earlier noticed that different organisms had the same similarities in that they performed the same functions. The different organisms had functional similarities. He also noticed the structural similarities between different organisms. The structures had similar patterns but were able to perform different functions. This is described as homologous evolution theory and it is the most preferred theory used in explaining evolution. Similarly, forelimbs of both man and animal have been found to have a similar pattern bone patterns yet they perform different functions. Man uses his hands to grasp things while a bat uses its wings to fly. The wings found in bats and the hands of man have similar bone structure hence explaining the evolution theory efficiently. There also skeletons have similar features. Even if they have structural similarities that perform different functions, they are regarded as warm blooded mammals and they also have the ability to produce milk. All these facts point to the homologous evolution. Man and animals have different external appearances but their forelimbs are found to be homologous. Homolgous trait was thus defined as a trait of different organisms which have a common ancestor. It went on to explain that man and animal were of the same ancestry even if their forelimbs performed different functions. Similarities in strictures between man and animal According to study published by the â€Å"Answers in Genesis† Organization, homology has been used by botanists to describe organisms with similar structures. A good example is the pattern of bones in the forelimbs man and animal are similar but they conduct different functions. Various questions have been raised about the similarities in the pattern of the bones. One of the possible theories is that man and animal do have a common ancestor. The bones found in arms of humans have a similar structural pattern with bone found in the wings, of a bat. This is described as homologous trait even if they serve different functions. These similarities mean that they have a common ancestor hence explaining the developmental homology between man and animal. They even argue that they were created using a common plan hence the similarities in structures. The hand of a human and that of a chimpanzee are classified as homologous structures. Relationship of blood groups in man and animal Darwin as cited by Sohail K suggested that man and animal also have similar behaviors. The children of human beings always play a lot more so when they feel happy and are healthy. The young and healthy animals who feel happy also play a lot and they can seem to fight sometimes. A good example is that illustrated by puppies or kittens. Puppies and kittens are found to be very playful. They both show that they can be able to be happy and enjoy good life and they can be able to play. These common behaviors found in both man and animal further provides evidence of homologous evolution. Animals like humans can also be sad and afraid. This can be illustrated by the way they both react when in danger. Their muscles tremble and the heart beat faster hence the reason why they always flee from danger. Animals also feel sad when they lose a dear member of the family and most take care of the offspring(s) left behind. Darwin as cited by Sohail K suggested that both man and animal had a similar embryo. Similarities in the brain capacity of man and animal was also put into perspective hence further confirming the homologous evolution theory this illustrates that both man and animal share mental functions. These facts illustrate that both man and animal had a common ancestor hence the similarities in structures and behaviours. These traits are only found in organisms that share a common ancestor. Physiological processes Both man and animal share physiological function such as eating, digestion and so forth. They both have to put food through their mouth which is a common trait. According to the article published by Science and Evolution, man and some animals were found to have similar organs in their body. Some of the organs include the liver, appendix, and also the intestines. This illustrates that they were from a common ancestor hence a solid argument about homologous evolution. The liver play a similar role in both man and animal in the process glycolysis. Glycolysis pathway has been found in both man and animal hence further providing evidence of them having a common ancestor in the family tree. The study starts by illustration that homologous structures basically mean similar structures hence very important when it comes to the topic about evolution. Fossils. According to an article on Fossils and Evolution, fossils have been defined as prehistoric remains of organisms. As cited by Gore J. W. P, William, Smith in the 17th century was able to discover that fossils piled in sedimentary rocks in a vertical order in the whole world. This was an important clue in the explanation of the process of evolution. The fossil species were able to appear and disappear in different times. This illustrated that those species used to look for favorable environments in order to survive. They move from unfavorable places to those places tat they could survive. The recovered fossils of both man and animal have been found to be similar in appearances. Some animal’s fossils showed that they had a dental formula similar to those of humans hence providing evidence of homologous evolution in man and animal. The rocks found in the surfaces the earth have been found to be having animal remains. These animal remains have been described as fossils. These fossils have been used to explain and prove that there is a similarity between animal and man. They have been able to use these fossils evidences in order to determine the pattern of evolution. The fossils have been used to explain homologous evolution which suggested that animal and man had similar structures which performed different functions hence shared a common ancestor. According to research findings published in â€Å"All about Creation† article (2002-2008), fossils have been found to be buried in a sequential manner. This enabled the scientists to explain effectively the theory of evolution. Molecular homology According to the study published by the University of Waikato, it was found that living organisms have similar genetic code pointing again to a common ancestor. This evidence can also be used in man and dog. They have the same genetic codes . The bases responsible for molecular homology include are adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. These bases are found in man and animals. These bases are able to encode instructions using a chemical language hence making the organisms respond to the instructions such as reproduction. The bases combine hence instructing the cells responsible to use amino acids to manufacture proteins . these manufactured proteins enable the cells to function. Without the proteins the organism has no life in it. The similarities in the genetic codes hence provide evidences of man and dog having a common ancestor. Fossils were used by scientists to prove that organisms changed from time to time. They did this by examining them and trying to determine their ages. This was very important in the study of evolution. They compared the theories of common ancestry, the structural similarities, the biochemical similarities, and the way the organisms developed. They were able to prove that man and animals had a common ancestor even if the organisms changed from time to time. They argued that man and bat had a common ancestor. The forelimbs of man and bat have similar bone patterns hence possible prove of common ancestry. They even used biochemistry to argue illustrate their theories. They singled out cytochrome c, which is a protein found in both man and animal. cytochrome c assists in anaerobic respiration. The similarity in cytochrome c in both man and animal helps in explaining the theory of homologous evolution. It illustrates that man and animal have a common ancestor. Conclusion According to evidence illustrated in this research paper, conclusions can be made regarding the developmental homology in animal and man in relation to evolution. There are similarities in structures in man and animal. These structures do perform different functions but they have similar bone pattern. An example to support the claim is the similar bone pattern in the hands of man and the wings of bat. They have a similar pattern but serve different functions. Man uses hand to grasp while bat uses wings to fly. This illustrates that man and animal have a common ancestor hence supporting the process of homologous evolution in man and animal. They also have similar physiological processes such as reproduction and respiration. Similarities in reproduction can be explained by the similarities in the embryos of man and animal and also by the different gestation periods they have and their ability to produce milk. Man, cow and dog can be able to produce milk for their young ones. This has been seen happening physically when mothers are breastfeeding their babies. Young calves have also been seen sucking tits of cows for milk. Man and cow plus other animals have mammary glands which are responsible for the production of milk. This fact enabled many evolution biologists put their arguments on the table about the possibility of man and animal having a common ancestor and they were able to convince many with their argument. Man and animal are believed to have a single ancestor hence the similarities in some of the characteristics. This makes the theory of them having a common ancestor possible. Man and animal have similar physiological pathways that produce energy and also their breathing pattern is the same. Chromosomes have also been found in the DNA of man and animal hence chromosomal similarities hence high chances of them having a common ancestor. The study has also led to the conclusion that man and animal could be having same blood groups. This is due to detection of A and B antigens in the saliva of horses. Fossils have also been used to explain homologous evolution in man and animal. Different fossils have been discovered with the almost similar formula as that of man. The dental formula of man and dog differ slightly hence the possibility of them having a common ancestor. Man and animal have also been found to have similar behaviours. When still young they play a lot and they are always happy when they enjoy life. both man and animal become sad when hey lose a loved one and the always take the responsibility of taking care of the orphans . these similarities lead to the conclusion that there is a man and animal have a common ancestor. Homologous structures are therefore very important in the illustrations of evolution theory. References Agnosticism/atheism retrieved on December 6, 2008 from http://atheism. about.com/library/glossary/evolution/bldef_analogous. htm All about creation organisation. Fossil Evidence for Evolution retrieved on December 6, 2008 from http://www. allaboutcreation. org/fossil-evidence-for-evolution-faq. htm Brand R (1976). Geoscience Research Institute. Homologies. Retrieved on December 6, 2008 from http://search. bio-medicine. org/more. asp? m=evolution Evolution. Evidences from living organisms retrieved on December 6, 2008 from http://bioweb. cs. earlham. edu/9-12/evolution/HTML/live. html Fischer F. W. P. (1997) Trace element in both animal and man—9. USA. NRC Research