Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface

Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 1/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface by Karen D. King, RDH, MHeD and Dr. Rosalee Seymour, Associate Professor, EdD, RN Abstract This report presents the results of a usability evaluation of the Web design interfac e for an instructional unit prototype on Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers. Usability is defin ed as the measure of a product’s potential to accomplish the goals of its users (Dumas, 1999). The unit and the Web interface were designed to deliver instruction to undergraduate dental hygien e students.The three randomly selected users/subjects for this evaluation were from an undergrad uate class of dental hygiene students. This report describes the usability evaluation planning, im plementation, data analysis methods, and results. The results demonstrate that conducting usabilit y evaluations help to determine the organization and ease of navigation of an interactive, Web- base d, instructional unit. Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface Computers are used to educate, in many instances, with conventional interfaces that i nclude those used to create documents and manipulate data.A Web interface, which was tested in t his case, is very different from a conventional one. The Web is a domain that must be instantly u sable and support many communication modalities. Web designers must focus on the computer user whose goal is to gather information rather than to create documents or manipulate data (Raj ani & Rosenberg, 1999). It is critical that the accomplishment of the users’ goals be the primary objective o f a usability evaluation (UE) of Web site interface design.Users will not be able to access correc t pages unless the constructed site reflects their needs and contains a navigation scheme that allow s easy access to the desired information (Nielsen, 2000a). In Web interface designs the properties of color, sound, navigation, and place ment must be considered from a different perspective than with c onventional interfaces. Usability evaluation purposes. The faculty of the Department of Dental Hygiene, where this evaluation was conducted developed an oral pathology course for undergraduate student s in dental hygiene and wanted to deliver it via a Web design interface.The instructional unit o n Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers is the prototype for nine instructional units to follow. It was anticipated that conducting a UE, on the prototype instructional unit Web interface, would enable identification of any usability issues or problems relevant to this Web interface before the constru ction of subsequent instructional units. In keeping with Rajani and Rosenberg (1999), the primary purposes of this UE were agr eed upon as: 1) to determine if the Web-based Herpes Simplex and Apthous ulcer prototype is easy t o navigate 13/3/2013 0:50Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 2/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm and meets the goals of undergraduate dental hygiene students, 2) to use any identifie d problems to revise this unit, 3) to make recommendations on the construction of additional units based on this prototype, 4) to save faculty time, and 5) to insure students’ goals will be met in t he Web interface format. The Literature Usability evaluations include a range of methods for identifying how users actually i nteract with a prototype or completed Web site. Planning of a UE egins with a statement of the ove rall purpose and objectives for the investigation and a clear identification of the problem (Hom, 1999; Instone, 1999). In a typical approach a UE is conducted while users perform tasks and a modera tor watches, listens, and records for later data analyzes and reporting of results (Fichter, 2000) . The next steps are the identification of the subject/users and the design of the study. Graham (2000) describes many ways to get feedback about the usability of a Web site. Gra ham (2000) recommends that a moderator observe a user representing the site’s target audi ence as they navigate the site.Graham (2000) cautions moderators against the interruption of the subject/user while conducting any observations. Nielsen (2000a) also recommends that the user/subj ects be representative of the target audience and not colleagues or others who may know too m uch about the site. Nielsen (2000a) recommends that user/subjects perform specific tasks durin g a UE as opposed to asking them to just play on the test site. These test tasks need to be re presentative of the types of tasks that users will actually perform on the Web site within the Web in terface being tested.Nielsen (2000a) suggests that the moderator solicit comments from users as they progr ess through to task completion to help determine their thought process. Hom (2000) refers to thi s encouragement of user comments during the evaluation as the ‘think aloud protocol’. H om (2000) des cribes this technique as one in which the user verbalizes any thoughts, feelings, and/or opinions while interacting with the test site. The inclusion of the ‘think aloud protocol’ all ows the moderator to qualitatively measure how the user approaches the Web interface and what consideratio ns they keep in mind when using it.For example, a user verbalizing that the sequence of steps, d ictated by a task, is different from what was expected, could demonstrate an interface problem (Ho m, 2000). Hom (2000) recommends using the qualitative ‘think aloud method’ in conjunction with performance measures. The performance measures add to the data collected noting such things as: 1 ) the time it takes for a user to complete a task, 2) the number and type of errors per task, 3) the number of users completing a task successfully, and 4) the satisfaction of the user with the si te (Nielsen, 2000a).After determining the study design and identification of the users, Spool et al. (199 9) in agreement with Nielsen recommend development of specific tasks for users to perform during the UE. In addition to a task list, Hom (1999) advocates during the planning phase of UE that on e specify materials needed and the site evaluation environment. Rubin (1994) agrees that the U E process needs test users from the target population to evaluate the degree to which a product meets specific 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface /12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm criteria. Rubin (1994) describes six basic elements of a UE: 1) a clear statement of the problem and/or evaluation objectives, 2) a sample of users, which may/may not be randomly cho sen, 3) a setting representative of the actual work environment, 4) observation of users who either use or review a representation of the product, 5) a collection of quantitative performance and qualitative preferences measures, and 6) an analysis leading to recommendation for design of the product evaluated.When analyzing data from having conducted a UE, rather than supporting hypotheses one is looking for patterns to identify common problems, in the remarks or observations, between use rs (Dumas, 1999; Hom, 1999). Performance data is statistically analyzed while qualitative data, collected by observing the user’s actions and opinions, is analyzed for trends. The data analysis results should lead to identification of strengths and recommendations for improving the site or pro duct (Nielsen, 2000a; Spool, et al. 1999; Hom, 1999; Dumas, 1999). Usability Evaluation: The Case This UE was conducted because usability problems, within any prototype, are important to discover prior to the costly, time consuming, construction of a web interface for additional i nstructional units. The specific purpose of this UE was to determine if the Web interface presented the H erpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcer prototype interactive educational unit in a way that allowed underg raduate dental hygiene students to successfully achieve unit outcomes.Specific objectives for this usability evaluation were to determine: 1) navigational and/or organizational problems with the Web interface, 2) the presence of any confusing term inology in the site, 3) if the site meets the goals of the user, 4) if the users can complete the as signed tasks, and 5) user’s attitudes toward the Web site. Methods A description of the UE environment, user selection criteria and profiles, usability evaluation process, the task list, and evaluation measures for this study follow. Usability evaluation environment. The UE took place in the moderator’s private campus office.This is a quiet, well-lit room with a comfortable temperature, equipped with a Dell computer workstation, which was used for the evaluation. A sign reading â€Å"Usability Evaluation in Session. Please Do Not Disturb† was posted on the closed office door to prevent interruptions and distractio ns. The UEs were co nducted on July 2, 2001, at 1:00 p. m. , 2:00 p. m. , and 3:00 p. m. Subject/users interacted with the Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers Web interface one at a time. Each subject /user had 20 minutes to complete the usability evaluation. Subjectuser selection and profile.Three randomly selected undergraduate dental hygi ene students, from a target population of 24 (class of 2002), became subjectusers. All 24 students will be required to take the oral pathology courses including the instructional units reflect ing the results of this UE. Alphabetical order by user’s last name determined the order of subjectuser participation. In order to be selected the subject/users must have met the following criteria: 1) be an undergraduate 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 4/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm ental hygiene student, 2) have successfully completed one academic year of the Denta l Hygiene Program, 3) have previous experience with the Internet, and 4) have previous experien ce with Web browsers The demographic characteristics of the users for this evaluation were that: 1) they all were female, 2) ages 25, 22, and 43, 3) all had successfully completed on e academic year in the Dental Hygiene Program, 4) all had previous experience with the Internet, and 5) all had between 1 and 3 years experience with Web browsers. Administration protocol. Prior to the UE a training packet and session of 30 minutes were provided to each subjectuser.The training session included a brief description of the UE proce ss, purpose and objectives, and the UE protocol instructions. Each subject/user was given an opportun ity to review the packet and ask any questions before agreeing, by signing a consent form, to be a voluntary participant. The UE packet included: 1) a user profile questionnaire, 2) a task list , 3) a statement of the purposes of the evaluation, 4) evaluation instructions, and 5) a consent form. Prior to each actual UE every subjec tuser was again given a 10-minute review of the UE instructions and opportunity to ask questions.Subjects/users were told it would take one hour to complete the entire UE process; 20 minutes to complete the task list. According to Nielsen (2000a) , a UE time of 30 minutes or less is adequate to conduct a UE. An additional 15 minutes allowed time for the user to verbalize about the Web interface and to complete a follow up questionnaire to de termine their attitude towards the Web interface. The remaining 15 minutes of the hour the moderat or used to review notes of comments and observations and to make corrections so that no misunder standing would occur later in interpreting results.Shneiderman (1998) suggests the moderator rewrite UE notes as soon as possible, reducing moderator errors in note interpretation later. The subjectusers were required to use the’ think aloud method’ (Hom, 2000) to provid e subjective data in conjunction with the collection of various perfo rmance measures. The performa nce measures included: 1) the time it took the user to complete the task list; 2) the number of er rors per task, 3) the number of users completing the task list successfully in the allotted time, and 4 ) the attitude of the user toward the Web interface.In addition, the moderator collected qualitative data by observing each user during completion of each task and taking notes regarding their f acial expressions, opinions expressed, and verbalized thoughts while completing UE. The mo derator made notes on the opinions and thoughts of the user following UE. Finally, the subje ctusers completed a questionnaire to describe their attitudes about the Web interface. Implementation Piloting the UE administration protocol.A Department of Dental Hygiene professor, fa miliar with the Internet, Web browsers, and oral pathology pilot tested the UE administration protoco l one week prior to testing subjectusers. The moderator provided the pilot test user with the s ame pre UE instructions and task list that would be given to subject/users. The pilot test resul ted in no problems with the UE administration protocol. The moderator observed the pilot test subject/us er and collected the same quantitative and qualitative data that was to be collected from th e research 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 5/12 http://ojni. rg/602/usability. htm subjectusers. The results of the pilot test showed that the UE protocol could be use d with subject/users without revision. Pre-training for UE. At 12:30 p. m. July 2, 2001, the subjectusers arrived for the pr e UE training session. The moderator distributed the UE packet and described the purpose and proce dures of the UE. The users were given an opportunity to review the UE packet and to ask questions . Each of the three subjectusers signed consent forms before leaving the pre UE training. Administration of UE. Each of the three subject/users arrived at the moderator’s offi ce for the UE.The moderator reviewed the evaluation instructions and gave time for any additional q uestions to be answered. The following sequence of events occurred for the three users, each: a) beg an the UE , 2) completed the task list, 3) responded to questions about the evaluation experience, 4 ) added thoughts or opinions regarding interaction with the Web interface, and 5) left the mo derator’s office in 45 minutes each. The administrator used the remaining 15 minutes of each of the t hree hours to rewrite portions of notes taken during observation in preparation for the UE report o f results.Task list and description. The tasks were identified using the purposes and objective s of the UE. The task list includes 10 primary tasks for subjectusers to perform in navigation of the Website interface for the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers prototype. The task list beginning wi th accessing the Website via the interface and progressing through the instructional unit follows. Because many of the 10 primary tasks were repeated the actual count of performing tasks is 31. Task 1 – with the browser open go to www. etsu. edu/cpah/dental/dcte760.This task was chosen to determine if users, indicating they had between 1 and 3 years experience with a Web b rowser, would have a problem accessing a Web site when given only a Web address without a dir ect link. Task 2 – read the instructions on the first page of the Web site and click on the lin k that it directs you to go to first. This task was to determine the clarity of the Web interface in p roviding instructions for beginning the instructional unit. Task 3 – click on Assignment 1 Task 4 – access the discussion forum and enter your name and email address.This task helped determine the Web interface design, by allowing for observing if users had difficulty locating the discussion forum area and/or entering information into it. Task 5 – When done in discussion forum, re turn to Assignment 1. This task will ident ify if users have difficulty returning to the designated page using the Web interface. Task 6 – Click on Assignment 2 Task 7 – Read the content on Apthous Ulcers. This task requires users to read content on a Web page on the site. Task 8 – Click on the images on this page to enlarge them. This task determines the e ase of click navigation to enlarge thumbnail images. 3/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 6/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Task 9 – Return to Assignment 2. This task determined if users could navigate the We b interface via a link taking them back to a designated page in the Web site. Task 10 – Answer the study questions in Assignment 2. The study questions direct the user through a series of multiple-choice items in a linear fashion. Correct responses allow the u ser to continue to the next question while incorrect responses require the user to go back to the que sti on and make another attempt to answer.Users cannot go to the next question until the previous q uestion is answered correctly. This task requires navigating through a series of questions with the potential for going back and forth if an answer is wrong. This task determined if users could succe ssfully navigate the Web interface to the study questions Task 11 – When the study questions are all answered, return to Assignment 2. This tas k again measures their ability to use the Web interface to return to a designated page in the Web site. Task 12 – Click Assignment 3. Task 13 – Read the entire case 2 Herpes Simplex.Again, users are required to read c ontent on the Web site but they must use the Web interface design to do it successfully. Task 14 – When you have finished reading Case 2, return to Assignment 3. This task de termined if users could navigate the Web interface to a case study contained within the instructi onal unit and return to a designat ed page in the Web site. Task 15 – Click on Assignment 4. Task 16 – Go to Case 1. Task 17 – Fill in the diagnosis form. This task required students to locate a case, fill in case study information obtained from previous exercises.This task measures the Web interface’s ease of navigation using forms to complete information. Task 18 – Submit the Form. This task demonstrates if the Web interface allows for ea sy form submission upon completion. Task 19 – Return to Assignment 4. User must complete a form by diagnosing the case s tudy patient in this assignment. This task determined if users could easily navigate the case stud y, fill in the appropriate form fields, submit the form, and return to the designated page in the We b site. Task 20 – Click on Assignment 5. Task 21 – Go to the reflection form.This task demonstrates if the Web interface all ows users to navigate to the reflection form. Task 22 – Write your reflections on the unit on the form. A form to reflect on the in structional unit is required for assignment 5. This task demonstrates if users will be able, through thi s Web interface, to make text entries in the appropriate form fields in the reflection form. 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 7/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Task 23 – Submit the form. The task determined if users could navigate the Web inter face to send the completed reflection form electronically.Task 24 – Return to Assignment 5. Determines if users via the Web interface, can eas ily return to a designated page in the Web site. Task 25 – Go to the course evaluation survey. An evaluation form is included in this instructional unit to determine student attitudes and satisfaction levels with the instructional un it. This task measures if the Web interface allows the user to easily locate a survey on the site. Task 26 – Complete the course evaluation survey. This task determined if users using the Web interface, could easily navigate a form to reply to the questions. Task 27 – Submit the survey.This task measures whether the Web interface allows use rs to easily submit form information electronically. Task 28 – Return to Assignment 5. This task measures the Web interface as it allows u ses to return to designated pages in the Web site with ease. Task 29 – Go to the discussion forum. This task determined if the users could open t he forum and is a test of the Web interface design and its ease of promoting discussion. Task 30 – Make a forum entry indicating that you have finished the usability evaluati on. This task measures the Web interface design’s success with entering comments into a discussion forum.Task 31 – Return to Assignment 5. This task measures the Web interface designs succ ess with returning users to designated pages in the Web site. (N=31 navigational tasks) Non-task performance measur es. Following Nielsen, (2000a) subjectusers were asked t o use the ‘think aloud method’ in conjunction with performance measures. The quantitative measu res to be evaluated included the: 1) amount of time to complete the task list, 2) number of err ors per task, 3) number of users completing the task list successfully in the allotted time, and 4) at titude of users toward the Web interface.In addition to the quantitative measures, the administrato r collected qualitative data during and after the usability evaluation by each user. This UE was designed to measure the ease of undergraduate dental hygiene student user s navigation through the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers instructional unit prot otype Web interface. Although all task completion or non completion allowed for tests of the in terface, the following three questions focus more directly on navigation of the prototype Web inte rface: Do all the navigational links in this Web site work correctly?Is the or ganization of this Web site consistent? Is there any confusing terminology regarding navigation and organization on this Web site? Results The success or failure on each task performed as well as the qualitative data collect ed from the 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 8/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm post-test interview and the post-test questionnaire are reported. Because the tasks in the UE were short, the quantitative data collected was based on the entire task list and not on each task independently. Users had adequate time to complete the enti re task list.There were 31Website interface navigation tasks completed by three subject/users with a total of seven navigation errors. 1. User #1 took 20 minutes to successfully complete the task list with one Web i nterface navigation error. 2. User #2 took 18 minutes to successfully complete the task list with three Web interface navigation errors. 3. User #3 took 19 minutes to successfully complete the task list with three Web interface navigation errors Task 1 –Users #1 and #2 completed task #1 easily and were able to successfully open t he designated Web site without Web interface navigation error.User #3 entered the Web site address in the search line of the Web browser, an error message was returned by the browser, and then the user entered the Web site address in the address line of the browser and was able to successfully access the home page of the instructional unit via the Web site interface. In this c ase the navigational error relates to lack of knowledge about where to type in a Web address in a Web browser. Task 2 – Read the instructions on the first page of the Web site and click on the lin k that your are directed to go to first.User #1 asked, â€Å"Do I make the decision myself to go to assi gnment 1 or to the course syllabus? † The administrator did not answer this question as the instruct ions on the Web page indicated the first link. Th is error, while not significant since both links ta ke the student to the appropriate Web page to begin the instructional unit as well as the usability evaluat ion, could add user frustration to the mix. Users #2 and #3 use the Web site interface on the first page of the Web site to readily access the needed location.Task 3, 4, and 5 – Click on Assignment 1 and enter your name and email address in the discussion forum. When this task is complete, return to Assignment 1. User #1 was unable to re adily use the Web interface to access the discussion forum. This user consistently scrolled to the bottom of any page before making any choices about where to go next. This scrolling is not consider ed an error in the prototype but could indicate that the Web interface design needs revision to stop this behavior. Once the discussion forum was accessed, this user asked, â€Å"Is this where I go to post my name? The administrator did answer in the affirmative and the user continued with the task. Upon completion of the discussion forum entry user #1 could not navigate back to the desig nated page. The administrator finally intervened and instructed the user to use the â€Å"back† button on the browser. The user then looked for the â€Å"back key† on the keyboard. Further instructi on from the administrator got the user back on task. When user #2 realized that the task involved a discussion forum, the user indicated n o previous 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 9/12 ttp://ojni. org/602/usability. htm experience with discussion forums of any type. Her response was â€Å"Am I being timed, b ecause here is the first problem? † The administrator reassured the user that there is as much ti me as needed to perform the task. Upon submission of the discussion forum entry, user #2 chose the â€Å" back† button on the browser quickly. User #3 got to the discussion forum easily, but then asked, â€Å"Am I the subject? † The administrator informed the user that the responses in the form fields did not matter and that any i nformation could be entered in any field.Upon submission of the form entries, user #3 used the â€Å"back† button on the browser but indicated that she thought only one click of the â€Å"back† button was sufficient. All users successfully completed the task. The Web interface design was not the culprit in these task struggles. Tasks 6, 7, 8, and 9 – Click on Assignment 2. Read the content on Apthous Ulcers. Cl ick on the images to enlarge the view. Return to Assignment 2. Users #1 and #3 did not click o n the images to view a larger version of the image. Both disregarded this portion of the task com pletely.Perhaps the images were large enough for them. User #2 opened the larger view of the images a nd returned to the designated page in the Web site indicating no problem with the Web interface d esign in the area of enlarging images. All users returne d to the designated page in the Web site, but only one user completed the entire task successfully. Tasks 10 and 11 – Answer the study questions in Assignment 2. When the study questio ns are all answered, return to Assignment 2. All users navigated through the study questions ea sily.User #1 expressed embarrassment, because the administrator of the UE is also a faculty member in the Department of Dental Hygiene, and the user did not want the administrator to know if the answers to the study questions were incorrect. The administrator reminded user #1 that the an swers to the questions were not the purpose of this evaluation. The Web site was being evaluated n ot the knowledge of the user. User #1 continued to navigate through the study questions, but indicated distress any time she chose an incorrect response to a study question.It is assumed this frustration related to having to go back and continue to answer until the answer was correct befo re going on. User #2 quickly re alized that the links chosen by user #1 were a different color. Sin ce all users participated in the UE on the same computer, the visited hyperlinks were apparent. U ser #2 easily navigated the questions with much less distress about incorrect responses, because sh e realized that her peers had chosen incorrectly as well. User #3 also noticed the visited hyperlinks and navigated the questions without incident.However, user #3 had a problem choosing answers beca use the hyperlink was on only one letter, the user had trouble positioning the mouse pointer exactly over the single letter link. The user clicked several times before realizing that the link ar ea was very small. This indicates an area of the Web interface design that needs improvement. All users successfully completed these tasks. Tasks 12, 13, and 14 – Click on Assignment 3. Read Case 2. When you have finished re turn to Assignment 3. Users #1 and #3 quickly read the case and returned to the designated We b page.Use r #2 appeared to have accidentally clicked the wrong link and could not locate Cas e 2. The administrator provided instruction because the user seemed frustrated. After the user located the correct page, there was no problem completing the task. Here it is hard to distingui sh if this is a 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 10/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Web interface design error or not. Tasks 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 – Click on Assignment 4. Fill in the form. Submit the form. Return to Assignment 4. This was the first form in the Web site.User #1 began with â€Å"OK, what is this? † The user had never filled in a form and submitted it through a Web site. Users #2 and #3 both accessed and filled in the required information in the form fields and returned to the designa ted Web page easily. User #1 took more time, but successfully completed the task. Tasks 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 – Click on Assignment 5. Go to the reflection fo rm. Fill in the form. Submit the form. Return to Assignment 5. This was the second experience with the Web interface using a form. All three users accessed, filled in the form, and submitted the form wi thout a problem.Task 25, 26, 27, and 28 – Go to the course evaluation survey. Complete the course eva luation survey. Submit the survey. Return to Assignment 5. Users #1 and #2 had difficulty loc ating the survey link on the page. Once the survey evaluation link was located, no user had any difficulty completing the task. User #3 completed the task easily, but after submission of the form, the user clicked on the â€Å"back† button to return to the designated Web page in the site. As use r #3 clicked on the â€Å"back† button she said, â€Å"Is it erasing the form information if I am going back wi th the back button? The moderator assured her the action of the â€Å"back† button would not erase fo rm input after submission. Task 29, 30, and 31 – Go to the Discussion Forum. Make a forum entry indicating that you have finished the UE. Return to Assignment 5. By task 31, all users were familiar with th e site and had no trouble navigating the discussion forum and returning to the designated page in the W eb site. Upon completion of the task list, each user had the opportunity to comment on the Web site and offer suggestions and opinions. The following were offered:User #1 indicated that she would be more comfortable if the administrator had not bee n watching her progress. She indicated being watched so closely made her very nervous and she th ought the site would have been much easier to navigate on her own. She indicated that she like d the set up of the Web interface and asked if there were going to be other sites like this for her u se in the dental hygiene curriculum. User #2 indicated that she liked the site and thought it was easy to use. User #3 lik ed the site and would like similar sites for other topics in the dental hygiene curriculum.She indi cated that she did not like using the ‘back button’ after all the forms. All three users expressed nervo usness about being watched by the administrator. Discussion A sample of three users completed this UE. Nielsen (2000b) indicates that three to f ive participants in a UE are adequate. Usability problems were identified in some part of nine of the ten primary tasks on the task list. In addition, some of the problems as told by the users, rela ted to: 1) the administrator present during the UE was also a professor in the Department of Dental Hygiene in 3/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 11/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm which the user is a student, 2) the evaluation was conducted during the summer school session, and 3) all users were also students in the administrator’s class. Users reported being mo re nervous about the site content in the presence of this administrator. In future UE studies th e us ability administrator should be a neutral observer The questionnaire completed by the users following the usability evaluation demonstra ted user satisfaction with the site.Shneiderman (1998) suggests users should give their subje ctive impressions of the Web interface. All but one of the responses indicated that the us ers were satisfied with the site’s navigation and organization. The users indicated that the t erminology used in the site was clear, they were able to complete the assigned tasks easily, the site me t their needs, and the users liked the appearance of the site. The only responses not scored as sati sfactory were related to using the â€Å"back button†. Overall, all three users indicated the ease of na vigating the Web site interface was satisfactory. RecommendationsIt is evident from the results of this UE that Web-based interfaces for instructional delivery should be evaluated for usability problems. Corrections, suggested by the results, to the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers instructional unit prototype and Web interface should be made and the site re-tested before continuing development of the remaining nine courses in the oral pat hology Web-based instructional unit series. The usability evaluation of the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers Web-based inst ructional unit prototype resulted in the following recommendations for improvement to the Web site n avigation and organization. . This may be one time when the use of standard link colors should be violated. Students using the same computer to complete an instructional unit would be able to discern the answ ers chosen by the student previously using the computer. Changes in the Web interface design for te sts so that the link color does not change when a user chooses a particular response is recommended. 2. When assigning form submissions, provide a link to take the user back to the designated page in the Web site. The users in this UE did not like using the brow ser’s â€Å"back† button after completing the forms nor following entries to the discussion forum.The Web site interface desig n will be changed so the confirmation pages following discussion forum postings and submission of forms will take the user back to the page accessed immediately prior to the form or discussion f orum. 3. The hyperlinks for the answers to study questions were not large enough. Cli cking on a one letter link made users have a hard time identifying the link. This Web site interfac e design will be corrected so that the entire cell in which the letter choices are located will be the hyperlink. ConclusionsThe UE conducted on the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers instructional unit pro totype Web design interface proved to be a successful method for the determination of usability problems in a 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 12/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Web-based instructional delivery method. The users identified usability problems with the Web interface as well as with their own skill or lack of skill with using any browser. Re commendations for revision have been identified by the researcher and will be implemented. Authors NoteShould anyone wish to examine the Website and review the Herpes Simplex and Apthous U lcer instructional unit prototype it can be accessed at http://www. etsu. edu/cpah/dental/dcte760/. References Dumas, J. , & Redish, J. (1999). A Practical Guide to Usability Testing. Portland: In tellect Books. Fichter, D. (2000). Usability Testing Up Front. Online, 24 (1), 79-84. Graham, J. (2000). Usability Testing Basics. INT Media Group. Retrieved June 30, 2 001, from the World Wide Web: http://clickz. com/print. jsp? article=2053. Hom, J. (1999). The Usability Testing Toolbox.Retrieved June 10, 2001, from the Wo rld Wide Web: http://www. best. com/~jthom/usability. Instone, I. (1999). User Test Your Web Site: An Introduction to Usability Testing. Retrieved July 1, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://instone. org/keith/howtotest/introduction. html. Nielsen, J. (2000a). Designing Web Usability. Indianapolis: New Riders Publishing. Nielsen, J. (2000b). Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users. Jakob Nielsen’s Alertb ox. Retrieved June 12, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www. useit. com/alertbox/20000319. html. Rajani, R. , & Rosenberg, D. (1999).Usable? Or Not? Factors Affecting the Usability of Web Sites. CMC Magazine. Retrieved June 23, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www. december . com /cmc/mag/1999/jan/rakros. html. Rubin, J. (1994). Handbook of Usability Testing. New York: Wiley. Shneiderman, B. (1998). Designing the User Interface. Strategies for Effective Huma n-Computer Interaction. Third Edition. Reading: Addison-Wesley. Spool, J. , Scanlon, T. , Schroeder, W. , Snyder, C. , & DeAngelo, T. (1999). Web Site U sability: A Designer’s Guide. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc. 13/3/2013 0:50

Damn Mussolini; Now We cant Do Anything essays

Damn Mussolini; Now We cant Do Anything essays At this point in 1930 it would be difficult to switch from fascism. For the past decade fascist ideas have constantly been reiterated in almost every aspect of society and it has become a part of every Italians life. Democracy would have worked if we had kept it going in the right direction after 1919. Instead we never really established a strong democracy and it ended up leaving people something to be desired. Mussolini stepped up and provided exactly what Italians wanted, combining ideologies from a few different political parties. It wasnt hard for Mussolini. He started his political life as a socialist, eventually editor of the socialist magazine Avanti, but was expelled when he supported intervention in World War I. He then started a group called the Fascio di Combattimento (League of Combat), which at first didnt gain much popularity. In 1919, a three-party government was formed, leaning toward a democratic side of government. Because there were three parties, it didnt work and wasnt able to govern Italy. The socialists started to talk of a need for revolution, which scared conservatives; numerous strikes in industry and agriculture scared the middle class. Mussolini took advantage of all this and started to preach against communism, against strikes, and for nationality. Mussolini now had a good middle-class following. By forming a militia called squadristi, he attracted many veterans of World War I and students attracted to the idea of unrestricted violence. Mussolini knew that fascism is best accepted when society is chaotic, and therefore created chaos in everyday life. He preached that fascism is a party of order, and drew mostly from the fears of socialism, communism, and disorder that the middle-class, upper class, and students had. Mussolini took office in the government in 1922 when the King made him prime minister. He still lacked fascist power in parliament, but he h...

Nelson Surname Meaning and Family History

Nelson Surname Meaning and Family History Nelson is a patronymic surname meaning son of Nell, a form of the Irish name Neal, from the Gaelic Niall, which is thought to mean  champion. In some situations the surname could also be matronymic, meaning son of Eleanor, a female given name with the same origins as Neal. Nelson could also be an Anglicized spelling of similar sounding  Scandinavian surnames such as Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson. Surname Origin:  Irish Alternate Surname Spellings:  NEILSON, NEALSON, NILSON, NILSEN, NILSSON, NIELSEN Famous People with the Surname Nelson Willie Nelson - American country music artist and songwriterHoratio Nelson - great English naval leader during the Napoleonic WarsJohn Allen Nelson - American actor Where the Nelson  Surname Is Most Commonly Found Today, the Nelson surname is most common in the United States, according to surname distribution data from Forebears, ranked as the 34th most common surname in the country. WorldNames PublicProfiler profiles Nelson as most popular in the northern midwest and northwestern states- especially Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana- possibly due to large numbers of Scandinavian immigrants to those areas. Nelson is also a fairly common last name in a number of African countries, according to Forebears, including Uganda and Mozambique, and in the Caribbean. Based on 1901 census data, Nelson was not very common in Ireland, with the exception of the Northern Ireland county of Antrim, followed by Down, Londonderry, and Tyrone. Irish surname mapping tools from John Grenham indicate that the Nelson surname is especially common in Northern Ireland, particularly in the counties of Down and Antrim. This was true in the mid-nineteenth century based on Griffiths Valuation (1847–1864), as well as into the twentieth century based on a mapping of Nelson births between 1864 and 1913. Genealogy Resources for the Surname Nelson 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their Meanings: Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?Nelson DNA Project: Join up with other Nelson descendants who are using DNA to help sort out their various family lines.Nelson  Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Nelson  family crest or coat of arms for the Nelson surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.Nelson Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Nelson surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Nelson query.FamilySearch - NELSON  Genealogy: Explore over 11  million  historical records which mention individuals with the Nelson  surnam e, as well as online Nelson family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. NELSON Surname Family Mailing Lists: RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Nelson surname.DistantCousin.com - NELSON Genealogy Family History: Free databases and genealogy links for the last name Nelson.GeneaNet - Nelson  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Nelson  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.The Nelson  Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Nelson  from the website of Genealogy Today. References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997

Assignment Exploring the Issues Related to the Management

Assignment exploring the issues related to the management of change within clinical practice In this essay I aim firstly to attempt to identify a change in practise I would wish to make and secondly, link this to the theory of change management and leadership management. The vision I would like to implement would be for the Worcester Royal Hospital psychiatric wards to have access to on site gym facilities, and for the psychiatrists to prescribe exercise to all inpatients. Currently exercise is not used widely as an intervention in psychiatric nursing. The Labour government acknowledged that the physical health needs of people with mental health problems had been neglected and that this group need support to access appropriate healthcare and health promotion services (Department of Health, 2009). Over the last ten years there has been progress made regarding the use of exercise in mental health services. In 2004 a research team asked GPs if they would consider prescribing exercise instead of antidepressants for low mood. Only 5% said they would. In a recent follow-up survey in June 2011, the proportion of those willing to prescribe it had risen to 22 %, reflecting a clear shift in attitudes and beliefs (Baker 2001) . However, I personally do not feel this is a large enough rise. From my experience in working in psychiatric wards at this hospital I have observed that exercise is much underused. For example there are no gym facilities and no exercise groups at all. I propose that all psychiatric inpatients should have access to and encouragement to attend physical exercise facilities. This is despite a large body of evidenced based research that has proven exercise can be an intervention to prevent and alleviate mental illnesses. For example, one study of the effects of physical exercise on depression concluded that after sixteen weeks exercise was just as effective as SSRI’s but without any of the side effects. Physical exercise also had the benefit of improving physical health and improving self-esteem through socialising (Craft et al 1997). In order to do this I will need to use change management theory and leadership theory. Change management  is a structured approach to shifting or transitioning  individuals,  teams, and  organizations  from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment In order to implement my change there would be a number of things I would need to consider. Firstly, I would need to consider how my change will be implemented. Ackerman (1997) has distinguished between three types of change: developmental, transitional and transformational. I would need to decide which strategy of change would best suit my vision. I feel it would be best to attempt to carry out a planned transitional change. This is an implementation of a known new state; involving the management of the interim transition state over a controlled period of time. My interim transition stage would be the process of building gym and exercise facilities while training staff capable to work in both psychiatric and exercise fields. This stage would also involve negotiating and finding a way around the administrative, health and safety and policy barriers which I estimate would be the biggest difficulty. My known new state would be encouraging psychiatrists to prescribe exercise and encouraging the service users to make use of the exercise facilities during their time as inpatients. I would define my change as episodic rather than continuous. Episodic can be defined as ‘infrequent, discontinuous and intentional’ (Weick and Quinn 1999). Sometimes termed ‘radical’ or ‘second order’ change, episodic change often involves replacement of one strategy or programme with another. However, once my intervention of exercise has been established I plan to make continuous change to it so as to make incremental improvements to ensure it is as an effective intervention as possible. Another, reason why I plan to use Ackmann’s transitional strategy as a basis for my change is because it has its foundations in the work of Lewin who conceptualised change as a three-stage process which I will explore later (Lewin 1951). When planning a change in the NHS such as this it is necessary to look at change theory models. These will be very relevant when implementing my change. The majority of contemporary research originates from the work of social psychologist Kurt Lewin in the mid-twentieth century. Lewin identifies three stages through which change must proceed before any planned change will become embedded in an organisation or system of working. These are unfreezing, movement and refreezing. I will base my change upon this model. Unfreezing is when I as a change agent proposes a plan for change to the team or organisation. During this stage I will attempt to win over team members who are not keen on my change, I will aim to resolve any anxieties or concerns regarding the change. Cummings and McLennan (2005) claim that an essential leadership role is to understand the different perspectives of individuals and stakeholders and to ‘align the changes to be meaningful for them’. During this stage I will attempt to access the relative merits of the forces for against change such as extent of the proposed change, nature and depth of motivation of stakeholders, and the environment in which change will occur. It is necessary for the driving forces for change to exceed the opposing forces for change, this is essential for change to be successful. As part of this stage it is considered necessary to conduct a force field analysis which I include in my appendices. In summary, I had several large forces for change. One being that exercise in alleviating the symptoms of mental health is supported by a large amount of evidence based research. Another large force for change is that people in mental health services suffer far worse physical health problems than members of the general population. I believe that my planned change or intervention will improve the physical health of this group. In my opinion the biggest force for change is that in times where health care cost demands are outpacing any rise in healthcare budgets, exercise is an intervention that can reduce the demands on the budget. After researching the topic I have concluded that the biggest force against this change would be the set up costs in terms of building facilities and training staff. Provision of physical activity also requires trained and qualified personnel; there is no data on availability, skills and training of staff with competence as exercise specialists and the expertise to treat people with a multitude of mental and physical problems as well as the skills to work in psychiatric settings. (Jones et al 2004). Another force against change would be navigating around administrative and policy rules. In the present culture of our society, procedures including health and safety, liability, manual handling and risk assessments may not allow ‘hospitals’ and ‘on site exercise facilities’ to be compatible. However, despite these concerns I believe I would be able to build up a good degree of teamwork within my team as I believe those I would be leading would be enthusiastic and motivated to make this change a reality. I will also conduct a SWOT analysis as part of this stage. This involves thinking about an organisation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and using the result to identify priorities for action (Ansoff, 1965). SWOT analysis is a ubiquitous feature of business strategy texts and courses. In a survey of 113 UK companies, Glaister and Falshaw (1999) found that SWOT was one of the most widely used strategic planning tools in current use across a range of sectors. The basic theory of using a SWOT analysis is because it helps an organisation to think about the reasons why they may need a change. I have included a SWOT analysis in my appendices. As part of this initial ‘unfreezing’ stage I will need to be able to gain support of the workforce to make my change successfully, I will need to gain and maintain this support through a mixture of good communication, good interpersonal skills and developing a sense of achievement. Scholtes, (1998) in his trust, respect and affection model identifies trust as arising out of the feeling that leaders or managers both care for their staff and are capable of doing the job. At this unfreezing stage it will my job as leader to help those team members who are not keen on the change to resolve their anxieties or concerns so that they become committed team members. Senge in ‘The Fifth Discipline’ (1990) talks of the difference between commitment, enrolment and compliance, suggesting that while it is more pleasant (and reassuring) to have considerable commitment, it is not necessary for everyone to be as fully signed-up as this. There exist a number of positions along a continuum, along which players may position themselves in response to proposed action and change. These are, in reducing order; commitment, enrolment, genuine compliance, formal compliance, grudging compliance, non-compliance and apathy. Senge suggests analysing what level of support is required from each of the players and directing energy to achieve that, rather than at trying to persuade everybody to ‘commit’ The second stage is movement; this is movement towards accepting the change. At this point I will need to formulate a plan of action and implementation. I would use a Gantt chart to effectively communicate my change management plan. A  Gantt chart  is a type of  bar chart  that illustrates a  project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a  project (Gantt 1910). Terminal elements and summary elements comprise the  work breakdown structure  of the project. I would also set up a small project or reference group to help manage the project with me. I will aim to include everybody whom would be affected by the change in the planning. I will set goals and objectives and set target dates and timelines. I will also be available to support others and offer encouragement throughout the change process. I believe that the multidisciplinary team work and layers of management, already established in the NHS will be an important lever to help implement and embed the change. Throughout this process, I will be constantly evaluating the changes and making modifications if necessary. The third and final stage is refreezing. This stage involves supporting others so that the change is sustainable and remains in place to achieve improved outcomes. My role as leader will be to help the continued integration of the change into practice to ensure refreezing-that is, the change becoming part of normal practice; if this does not occur the previous behaviours will occur. There are a wide range of different theories of motivation in business management. These are of importance because the style of management theory adopted could potentially make the process of change a smoother transition. The core models are McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y model, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model, Herzberg’s Motivation – Hygiene theory, Taylor’s scientific model and Mayo’s Human Relation model (Maslow 1970): (Herzberg 1966); (Taylor 1911); (Mayo 1933). Attempting change management under one of the more autocratic management models such as Taylor’s or McGregor’s Theory X model would have very different consequences when compared to Mayo’s or McGregor’s Theory Y model. Under Taylor’s model the workforce may resist change. This is because in such a work environment theory managers will make all of the decisions and simply give orders to the employees below them. In this working environment change would not be a smooth transition as there would be a barrier between management and workers, change occurs smoothly when the workforce work together to lead change. These models would not create motivation amongst the workforce. Alternatively, change may be more successful in an organisation culture based upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Maslow 1970). Maslow put forward a theory that there are five levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work. All of the needs are structured into a hierarchy, and only once a lower level of need has been fully met, would a worker be motivated by the opportunity of having the next need up in the hierarchy satisfied. A business should therefore offer different incentives to workers in order to help them fulfill each need in turn and progress up the hierarchy. Therefore to implement my change and to e successful at doing so this model suggests I should delegate responsibility to employees to ensure they achieve self actualisation in the workplace. This could potentially ensure a smooth transition of change. However, there are problems with looking at management models when implementing changes. Every workplace, particularly the NHS is very complex and has a range of different management styles within each workforce. To state that management should use Maslow’s hierarchy of change to ensure a smooth transition of change is too simplistic. Although in theory it appears to be a solution, in reality there are lots of faults of this model in the workplace place. The theory makes crude assumptions that simply don’t apply to everyone. Most importantly Maslow states people attend to basic needs first and progressively deal with more complex matters until they reach  a point he calls self-actualisation at the top of the  hierarchy’s  pyramid. However in reality not everybody gets that far. This criticism is especially relevant in the practice I wish to change. In the NHS it is widespread knowledge that there are a large number of managerial positions, but to implement my change once exercise facilities are available I would need the support of the nurses and support staff to actualise my change. My point being that not everybody involved in my change would be able to reach self actualisation in their particular job or role. Another criticism of Maslow’s theory which equally applies to all of the theories is that Maslow’s idea belongs to a time and place. Maslow was American and he first suggested the  hierarchy  in the 1940s. It’s highly specific to America’s individualist culture where middle-class people worry about their personal needs rather than any collective needs. This may not be so relevant in a less right ring country with public health care and with a workforce with such diverse ethnicities and cultural heritage as is in the United Kingdom. However, despite the criticisms that are directed at theories of motivation it will be important for me as a leader to have the knowledge regarding how to motivate my workforce. When thinking about how I as a manager would go about implementing this change I feel it is important to consider what type of leader I would be. Leadership will be very important if I am to be able to work with conflicting views to build up trust in the change proposal’s worth and the value of putting effort into my proposed change. House (2004) describes leadership as the ability to motivate and enable other people to achieve the goals of the organisation they work for. There are many different theories of leadership styles, the two main ones being transactional and transformational leadership. Transactional leadership is leadership at its most basic. The followers do what the leader asks of them in return for a reward. The role of the leader in this model is to state what needs to be done and who will do it and then allow them to get the job done, hence it focuses on getting a task done rather than on the person undertaking a task. In nursing this approach was traditionally used in previous years when task allocation was the role of the ward manager when patient care was perhaps less holistic than it is today. When implementing my change I aim to be a transformational leader. This will involve being able to share and communicate my vision of change effectively to others. Transformational leadership theory suggests there needs to be a relationship of trust between the leader and the follower. Bass (1985) suggested four essential components of effective transformational leadership. First, leaders must provide intellectual stimulation, challenging the way things are and encouraging creativity among the team. Second, they must demonstrate individualised consideration and by using good communication skills make followers feel able to share ideas and gain direct recognition for their unique contributions. Third, they need to demonstrate inspirational motivation which enables followers to experience the same passion and motivation as the leader to meet the team goals. Fourth, they need to have idealised influence; that is, they must act as a role model who followers wish to emulate whole taking on the values of the leader. As a leader I will also need to possess emotional intelligence. This refers to the ability of the leader or manager to understand the role that their emotions play in their decision making and the ability to recognise the emotions of the individuals within the team and how this affects the work they do (Goleman, 1996). Goleman’s emotional intelligence framework comprises five elements: self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, empathy and social skills. Possessing emotional intelligence will be important if I am to be able to work with conflicting views to build up trust in my change proposal’s worth and the value of putting effort into my proposed change. As a leader I will also need to be assertive. This is as opposed to being submissive or aggressive. Assertiveness can be defined as ‘expressing opinions or desires strongly and with confidence so that people take notice’. (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary). Ruiz, M. (2004) The Voice of Knowledge argued that there were four factors involved in being assertive. These were to be impeccable with your word, not to take anything personally, not to make assumptions and for a person always to do their best. In conclusion in order to make my change successful there are many things I will need to do. Firstly, I will need to use theories of motivation to ensure I am able to motivate my workforce so that teamwork will be successful. I will then need to use Levin’s change theory model to ensure that I can gain support from my colleagues and to accurately plan my change. During my freezing, movement and refreezing stages there are lots of qualities I will need to display as a leader. I have identified I would consider it must appropriate to be a transformational leader as identified by Bass (1985). As a leader it would also be vital for me to display emotional intelligence and to be assertive. What I have learned from this module is that the business management theory behind making and implementing a change can be as important as the actual subject of change itself.

Eithics reflection paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eithics reflection - Research Paper Example This goes to prove that people always care about their own than that of others when these two choices conflict, and people also always tend to be concerned not with their own greatest good but with the pursuit of something that they know or believe to be to their own detriment. While relativism is the philosophy that denies absolutes of either validity or of truth, while claiming that all things are relative and subjective depending on consideration and perception (Kreeft 28), there are no absolutes anywhere in reality. For example, religious relativism states that there is no absolute religion, no absolute truest or best religious relationship with the Absolute Being. While as metaphysical relativism states that there is no Absolute Being, God and no absolute anywhere in reality (Kreef 28). On the other hand, utilitarian ethics is the discipline that asserts that the moral worth of an action is only dependable by its contribution to the overall utility. This means that the end justi fies the means (mill vii). Some philosophers hold the view that at times, the illegality of an action makes it morally wrong, even if the action would otherwise have been morally acceptable.

Self Fulfilling and Self Sealing Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self Fulfilling and Self Sealing Theory - Essay Example The essay "Self Fulfilling and Self Sealing Theory" discusses the self-fulfilling and self-sealing theory, the concepts of â€Å"Power Visible† and â€Å"Power Invisible†, the spray diagram of virtual classroom support system, the system and subsystem diversion in the banking system and system thinking in the light of self-sealing doctrine.Many a time, what we think or vouch, by coincidence, appears to be true. It is called as ‘Self Fulfilling’ which was coroneted as ‘Prophesy’ in the  earlier era. The myths of yesteryears, defying the geographical boundary, had stood for this theory. The mythology of different civilization bears the testimonies of the self-fulfilling prophecy. In fact, our own action many a time makes this theory come true. For example, an average student, discouraged from every corner, ends up with a firm belief that he can never do well in the examination. Eventually, his grade slides and he keeps on losing faith, resultin g much more decay in his career.On the other hand, â€Å"Self Sealing† as a theory leads to the cherished mental set that clings to a particular belief or taboo. Prevailing in the orthodox religious group or in different cults this theory prevents the believer to act normally as he gets paranoid in respect to the outside world order. The hideous crime done by some Jihad groups in terms of culpable loss of human life and resources shows us how a person under the grip of severe self-sealing doctrine can mow down innocent lives.

Structural Inequality in the American K-12 System Essay

Structural Inequality in the American K-12 System - Essay Example This essay stresses that one of the best features of American public schools is that they embrace religiosity. Muslim children may find themselves accepted by their teachers and classmates, unlike in other countries where there is a prejudice among Muslims. The only prejudice that these children may face is the political prejudice because of the homeland security incidents that have happened in the last decade. This paper makes a conclusion that researchers have found that the grades of students improved when their school facilities are improved. This also improves the absenteeism rate among students. Allergies and blood pressure of students improved when their school facilities were improved. But not all schools are able to make ground improvements and this has been the subject of some litigation cases regarding public funding of schools. If we put all factors together using a systems approach, the task of making changes in the current k-12 system seems enormous. Educators, parents and students are aware of these problems and are looking for possible solutions. Cultural diversity in classrooms will not decrease in the next few years because of the globalization. Like the concept of k-12, changes should be made to unify education concepts across the board. The training and education of teachers themselves should also be changed in order to make room for cultural diversity handling. This inc ludes issues of student segregation and discrimination.