Essays --

Purpose The transition from teaching-centered to learner-centered paradigms has left few corners of higher education untouched, and study abroad is no exception (Vande Berg, Connor-Linton, & Paige, 2009). This focus on learning environments, assessment, and outcome-based learning has resulted in a call for robust quantitative research in study abroad that goes beyond traditional program evaluations and anecdotal feedback from students, faculty, and parents (Vande Berg et al., 2009; Graban, 2007; Engle & Engle, 2004; Sutton & Rubin, 2004). Whalen (2009) notes that the simultaneous trends of budgetary challenges facing U.S. higher education and institutional and national calls for the expansion of study abroad have placed paramount importance on the assessment of program learning outcomes to justify what was previously assumed to be the inherent educational merits of studying abroad. The complexity of international education and study abroad, however, creates challenges in conducting research with significant and comparable findings – especially in conducting research that goes beyond simple statistical evidence of the rapid growth of study abroad participation (Wisniewski Dietrich & Olson, 2010; Engle & Engle, 2004). These complexities include both the standardization of references to terms, program types, and learning outcomes being measured (Engle & Engle, 2003). The rise in study abroad research in the last decade (Vande Berg et al., 2009) has predominantly focused on measuring acquisition of intercultural skills, language proficiency, learning within a discipline, and specific program outcomes (Braskamp & Braskamp, 2009). However, several authors note the need for more assessment in study abroad on holistic student developm... ...ative measurement of factors that contribute to holistic development of students in study abroad programs using TQ scales. The emphasis on quantitative assessment of study abroad programs and participants in recent years has largely been led by research published in Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, making it an ideal candidate for submission for publication. Several issues are still at large in the development of this proposal. Several of the questions present in the TQ scale refer to campus-specific items, which may be confusing to students being surveyed in a third-party study abroad provider model, because they are neither currently studying on a campus, and enrollment in the program is derived from multiple institutions. Additionally, approval for the number of program participants and program locations to be surveyed is still pending.

Changes Kennedy brought to American Foreign Policy

Eisenhower believed that there could not be a military solution to Cold War problems and that America could to shape the world's destiny. He accepted limitations on America's role. Kennedy did not. The changes he brought to American Foreign Policy were active and bold. This contrasted Eisenhower passive and cautious approach. Kennedy sought to restore the prestige and primacy of the presidency. His recurring theme was â€Å"l think it is time for America to start moving again†, and his actions sought to reveal a dynamic militancy.He set to dramatically increase American strength including increasing the defense budget ($40 bill to $56 b†), and arms production (missile launchers, long range bombers, submarines, and CUBISM). This ignited the greatest arms race in the history of mankind. In hindsight we can now see that the more missiles America built, the less secure the country was. However, his changes extended far beyond nuclear delivery weapons. Kennedy wanted to Incre ase America's conventional war capableness and guerrilla warfare forces. Unlike Eisenhower, he wanted the ability to intervene anywhere; this new strategy was called flexible response. The Third World provided the key to Kennedy's new American Frontiers. He wanted to be able to respond to Communist aggression at any level and set out to build a interdependency force that could stamp out revolutions in Third World countries. The force came to be called the Green Berets, and its aim was to apply American techniques and know-how in guerrilla warfare situations to solve the problems of national liberation.Its greatest appeal was that It avoided direct confrontation with the Soviet Union. Vietnam was an Ideal battleground for the Green Berets. The US Increased economic and military aid In South Vietnam. However under the SEATS Treaty the US was not able to get involved in a civil war. Kennedy was not willing to and opposition to the government came from within. He carted the removal of f orces through a coup of a South Viet leader that was not effective enough. America's active role in Vietnam was a culmination of the policy of containment rather than a military- industrial complex conspiracy.Kennedy also initiated the Alliance for Progress program. It was a significant aid program to Latin American countries, many of which were at the stage of authoritarian military dictatorships. These were the kind of friendships that the United States attempted to foster. Kennedy's commitment to be part of the new frontier was to combat third world liberation efforts. The USA wanted to ensure that there would be a degree of social and economic development. Through aid and investment, he believed that the Latin American countries would benefit.However, the Alliance was a failure primarily because there was significant underdevelopment and those who controlled the land, were the ones that benefited from such aid. Unlike Eisenhower, Kennedy initially believed that there was room fo r peaceful coexistence between the free capitalist world and communism. He attempted to compromise with the Soviet Union but when faced with aggression within Berlin, he returned to containment policies. Berlin was a problem for Kennedy. As a result of his foreign policy decisions, what had occurred was the emergence of a divided city by war.The Soviet building of the Wall and the eventual Western acceptance of it signified something about Kennedy's diplomacy. It indicated that the Germans did not want liberty and demonstrated that the intentions of the Soviet to push the West out of Berlin were firm. However, failure to do so lead his search for opportunity elsewhere. He found it Cuba. The issue of Cuba was something of a bear trap by departing Eisenhower. The United States had significant investments in Cuba. But it had undergone a revolution that was led effectively by Fidel Castro, who began to nationalism American properties.The American response under Eisenhower was to underta ke effective covert actions to sabotage Castro. The United States was determined to oust the Castro regime by training, organizing and equipping Cuban exiles in Guatemala and exporting them to the Bay of Pigs. This was an absolute disaster for the United States because Khrushchev saw this as an opportunity to place nuclear warheads close to the east coast of the United States. This crisis represented a direct threat to the United States.Rather than to listen to military advisors or the CIA (as had been done during the Bay of Pigs), Kennedy's response was to convene Coxcomb, an executive committee of national security counsel. The Committee initiated a minimalist naval blockade to prevent the Soviets from sending any further material into Cuba. This quarantine on all offensive military equipment then allowed Kennedy to warn the Soviet that any missile launched from Cuba would require a retaliatory response. Through meetings with Soviet official, a deal was made to remove Soviet missi les from Cuba. This was a satisfactory ending

How to Do a Science Fair Project for School

Okay, you have a subject and you have at least one testable question. If you havent done so already, make sure you understand the steps of the scientific method. Try to write down your question in the form of a hypothesis. Lets say your initial question is about determining the concentration required for salt to be tasted in water. Really, in the scientific method, this research would fall under the category of making observations. Once you had some data, you could go on to formulate a hypothesis, such as: There will be no difference between the concentration at which all members of my family will detect salt in water. For elementary school science fair projects and possibly high school projects, the initial research may be an excellent project in itself. However, the project will be much more meaningful if you can form a hypothesis, test it, and then determine whether or not the hypothesis was supported. Write Down Everything Whether you decide on a project with a formal hypothesis or not, when you perform your project (take data), there are steps you can take to make the most of your project. First, write everything down. Gather your materials and list them, as specifically as you can. In the scientific world, it is important to be able to duplicate an experiment, especially if surprising results are obtained. In addition to writing down data, you should note any factors that could affect your project. In the salt example, it is possible that the temperature could affect my results (alter the solubility of salt, change the bodys rate of excretion, and other factors I might not consciously consider). Other factors you might note could include relative humidity, the  age of participants in my study, a list of medications (if anyone is taking them), etc. Basically, write down anything of note or potential interest. This information could lead your study in new directions once you start taking data. The in formation you take down at this point could make a fascinating summary or discussion of future research directions for your paper or presentation. Don't Discard Data Perform your project and record your data. When you form a hypothesis or seek the answer to a question, you probably have a preconceived idea of the answer. Dont let this preconception influence the data you record! If you see a data point that looks off, dont throw it out, no matter how strong the temptation. If you are aware of some unusual event that occurred when the data was being taken, feel free to make a note of it, but dont discard the data. Repeat the Experiment To determine the level at which you taste salt in water, you can keep adding salt to water until you have a detectable level, record the value, and move on. However, that single data point will have very little scientific significance. It is necessary to repeat the experiment, perhaps several times, to achieve significant value. Keep notes on the conditions surrounding a duplication of an experiment. If you duplicate the salt experiment, perhaps you would get different results if you kept tasting salt solutions over and over than if you performed the test once a day over a span of several days. If your data takes the form of a survey, multiple data points might consist of many responses to the survey. If the same survey is resubmitted to the same group of people in a short time span, would their answers change? Would it matter if the same survey was given to a different, yet seemingly, a  similar group of people? Think about questions like this and take care in repeating a project.