An Overview Of Victim Support Criminology Essay

An Overview Of Victim Support Criminology Essay Victim Support is the oldest victim organisation with more than 35 years of experience and also the largest worldwide. There three aims are simply to support, help cope with crime and give any sort of information to victims (Marshall, 1999). They have many charity and witness service companies within them. There are many ways in which these programmes process. It can be a victim-offender mediation process, in which the mediators discuss the crime, the aftermath and the next steps towards making things right. Conferencing meeting is the same as the victim-offender mediation except that this meeting involves the family members and community representatives as well. Victim-offender panels take place with other victims and offenders with similar crime situations and the victim assistance support victims as they go through the criminal justice process and help them recover (Marshall, 1999). National Association of the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) is one of the most growing charities in the United Kingdom. NACRO trains up to 10,000 learners, helps approximately 20,000 people who call to enquire, assist 10,000 prisoners and work with 11,000 young people. They have about 1000 programmes which work with youths, present and ex-offenders, homeless people and many other disadvantaged groups. NACROs vision is a safer society where everyone belongs, human rights are respected and preventing crime means tackling social exclusion and re-integrating those who offend (NACRO, 1997). This charity program helps find positive alternatives to crime and reduce crime by changing lives. As well as these processes there are many other processes of restorative justice. All provide opportunities for the parties to meet, discuss what happened, the impact it had and what should take place in the future. A mediator prepares the meetings and helps both parties communicate with one an other, but the end solution is made by them only. All of these supporting mediations end with an agreement on how the offender will make amends for the harm they have caused by the crime (Marshall, 1999). In this process, four types of reparation are agreed upon. They are apology, restitution, changed behaviour and generosity. Apologies can be verbal or written. Acknowledgment, affect and vulnerability are three main parts which take place while apologising. The offending acknowledges the fact that he has committed a crime and takes responsibility for it. He also needs to accept he has caused harm to the victim and that the certain individual did not deserve to be hurt (Marshall, 1999). The offender expresses his deep feelings through words or body language and only when he feels regret or guilt will this process be effective. If the offender does feel regret, this could possibly repair and make a victim feel like a whole new person. This is not always possible as the offender may n ot be able to communicate properly even if they are feeling responsible for what has taken place (Marshall, 1999). Finally, vulnerability is in relation with both the offender and victim. The offender commits a crime because he or she has a control over the victim, but when apologising the control gets passes on to the victim. The victim has a choice to whether or not to accept the apology. Before the offender apologises, they have no idea what action the victim will take, so the offender apologizes and gives the power and control to the victim. Apology is one of the four types of reparation. The second type is restitution. Restitution is a sum of money or any other type of compensation for the damage that has been caused by the crime (Marshall, 1999). This can repair the victims damage and can be a method of holding the offender liable for the offence they have done. This is not only ordered by restorative justice mediators but also can be given by a judge. Another way to make an a mendment for the harm they have caused it to show their behaviour will change and they will not commit crimes. Some of the things which are negotiated are the change of environment, peers, and sometimes even schools. They learn new behaviours by using different types of programmes such as anger management classes, educational or drug-treatment programmes. Follow up meetings are scheduled to see the progress of change. Generosity is the last type of reparation where an offender can choose to agree upon. Its a way of showing they are deeply sorry. They agree to community service of any type chosen by the victim (Marshall, 1999). Theories of Restorative Justice There have been many criminological theories that have tried to connect with restorative justice. In 1985, Howard Zehr was the first writer to combine a theory with restorative justice in his book Changing Lenses (Zehr, 1990). He talked about all the advantages victims could receive by this justice system and also what offenders can achieve by accepting responsibility. There were many limitations of this theory as it spoke much about the private problems of the victims and offenders. Nonetheless, Zehrs work was very influential; many other theorists took his ideas and expanded. The main theory which had an impact on restorative justice was Re-integrating Shaming Theory. According to John Braithwaite, this theory summarises Crimes best controlled when members of the community are the primary controllers through active participation in shaming offenders, and, having shamed them, through concerted participation in ways of reintegrating the offender back into the community of law abiding citizens. Low crime societies are societies where communities prefer to handle their own crime problems rather than hand them over to professionals (Braithwaite, 1989). Braithwaite believes shame and punishment can be mainly achieved from the family. Family life helps us maintain relationships and teaches us to respect everyone. According to Bazemore (2007) re-integrative shaming theory does not include victim interests and justices issues which are the main components of restorative justice as a whole. Another theory which was linked to restorative justice was Matzas theory of neutralisation is (Mackay, 1998 cited in Newburn). Matza believes that one of the main reasons why offenders kept on re-offending was due to the positive image they had about what they did. Their actions need to be dismissed and told what is right and wrong. Many offenders responses are he deserved it, they can afford it, or they asked for it. Meeting with the victim makes it hard for the offender and makes them realise the harm they have caused but Marshall argues that no other criminological or justice theory can be held to underpin Restorative Justice (Marshall cited in Newburn, 2009) but some theories can associate with the different steps of Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice vs. Criminal Justice Restorative Justice differs from the contemporary criminal justice system in several ways. The key characteristics of a retributive justice are; that it views the offence against the state, keeps the victim and offender separate, accepting responsibility is not pushed, the harm caused by the offender is given back to him as revenge, focuses more on offender and victims being ignored; offender has no say in decision, offenders relationship with community are weak, the relationship between the offender and victim are not focused on, and forgiveness is not mentioned (Leung, 1999). The outcome of this is a win-lose situation, it does not offer much to our criminal justice system. For a short period of time, it might satisfy some purposes of sentencing. It does not pay much attention to reparation, rehabilitation is left as a last option, clearly shows it has not helped reduce crime by sending the offenders to prison, but the criminal justice system has fulfilled two purposes, which is pu nishing the offender itself, and protecting the public for the time being. On the other hand, the key characteristics of a restorative justice are that it views the offence against the victim and community; victims are allowed to speak up and meet the offender, encouraging responsibility, the victims needs are most essential, offender is asked to solve the problem, focuses on re-integration, and forgiveness is encouraged (Leung, 1999). At the end there is win-win result. Restitution assigns a value to the material losses suffered by the victim and requires that the wrongdoer balance the scale by paying that amount to the sufferer. Restoration, on the other hand, looks beyond the material harm to non-material disruptions, such as the loss of a sense of security or the loss of trust (Leung, 1999). Also, restitution thinks about the damage done to the victim but does not give them a chance to say how they feel by this situation. In contrast, restorative justice tries to tackle the needs of the not only the victim, but also the offender, family members, the community, and others affected by the offence (Leung, 1999). Overall, restorative justice goes beyond the fact that a law was broken, and distinguishes the harm caused by offenders to victims and communities. Giving the situation into the government does not help in any way, all parties related to the crime needed to be included as well. Both systems measure success differently. One measures it by how much punishment is given to the offender and the other measure it by how much harm is fixed. Criticisms and Limitations of Restorative Justice Nothing is perfect, everyone has flaws and weaknesses. One of the major drawbacks of restorative justice is that the system mainly relies on the co-operation of the three parties. If either of them, do not co-operate the aim of this system cannot be achieved. Due to this, the system can be a complete failure. Another limitation which takes place is that is seems to only be applicable to minor offences. Allison Morris lists three criticisms of restorative justice (Morris cited in Newburn, 2009). She believes that restorative justice erodes legal rights as in failing to protect the offenders rights. The second criticism, not only Morris but many other major critics believe that restorative justice does not succeed in making a real change and reducing crime. Thirdly and lastly, restorative justice can cause discrimination issues while the process is taking place but this mainly depends on the location. Not only Morris but many other people have criticised restorative justice. Some other limitations which have been identified are that there is no agreed definition, a sincere apology from an offender is hard to achieve, and restorative justice sometimes lives in a dreamland, it assumes that the victim can openly speak to the offender in a kind manner. This can weaken the process majorly. Many theorists believe both systems should combine their aims and ideas together, so our criminal justice system can perform better and satisfy the purposes of sentencing. Conclusion Punishment as imprisonment should be used only for dangerous offenders. This will not only make it easier for the government, but also reduce the cost and time put into prisons, which can be useful for other developments for offenders and victims. The public is not fully satisfied with the criminal justice system, it seems as they have failed in achieving the goals of fairness between the offender and victim and also by protecting the public. Restorative justice pays attention to victims needs. It ensures the victim questions have been answered and they feel happily secure. Restorative justice help offenders take responsibility and make them understand the harm they have caused. Offenders are forced to feel guilt and shame, therefore this prevents them from committing future crime. By this the community accepts the offender back and helps him/her reintegrate back into society. This process can take place in many settings such as conferencing circles or offender-victim meetings. Every person harmed by a conflict should have the opportunity to resolve it through a restorative justice (Restorative Justice Consortium, 2002). Restorative justice is not perfect but it does offer a positive approach to this world which our current criminal justice system does not. It has shown to reduce crimes within youths in schools and even adults with domestic violence and stealing problems. Many countries have taken this seriously and amended many laws. Restorative justice assures to better social justice to victims, a secure community to all and to reform the offender which will help reduce the number of future crimes. Punishment of offender, the reduction of crime, rehabilitation of offenders, the protection of the public and reparation by offenders are the five main purposes of sentencing. Restorative justice argues they can satisfy these purposes, but for this to be proven, restorative justice needs a chance. The goal of reintegrating offenders into the law-abiding community has a better chance of being achieved if both systems are employed, in a coordinated programme, rather than if we reply upon one to the exclusion of the other (Hirsch, Ashworth Roberts, 2009). A fair and just response can only be determined by these two systems. Restorative justice has many advantages and claims to satisfy the purposes of sentencing hence its weaknesses. It needs to be practised more and the systems need to work together so justice can be determined.

Analysis of Communication Barriers to Distance Education Essay

The meaning of the communication in education and distance-learning are best understood, when the types of communication among the participants involved in distance education and some related communication theories are mastered thoroughly. The communication among the students and the communication between the members and the content should not be underestimated even though the communication between the teacher and the student is a vital element of successful distance education. If it is important to attain success in teaching and learning, barriers between the sender and the receiver of the message should be eliminated. Consequently, all strategies of learning and teaching during the delivery of instruction should not reflect any barrier (Nasseh, 1997). Different types of communication are employed in the network educational environment, such as: †¢ Work in collaboration with a teacher; †¢ Work in collaboration with other students; †¢ Work in collaboration with online course through a mass media. Telecommunication technologies offer a new scope to the mentioned communication types. They make it possible to travel beyond the physical distance and time. Nevertheless, it is essential to investigate communication via telecommunication technologies in detail besides the communication theories related with education, mass media, group interaction, knowledge and skill differences of users, and the preferences and the use ability of the involved members. Human beings need to create effective communication and establish contacts in order to survive. In other words, they need communication to provide connections and create effective understanding, get information and express feelings. Therefore, the effectiveness of the communication is measured by the message sent and feedback received. Furthermore, people’s personal, social and economic needs are also affec ting communication. Communication is a learnt activity and is provided by the media which forms a bridge between the sender and the receiver (Dimbleby, et al., 1992). The quality in communication and its effects on people’s lives can be improved once we clarify its meaning and also the meaning of education which is the major concept on which a structured society is based. Communication is a process that includes linear, interactive and transactional views from different perspectives barriers (Ä °Ã…Ÿman et al., 2003). One-way communication where the sender cannot get any feedback is the linear view. On the other hand, the interactive view is the existence of a two-way communication which includes feedback as well as nonverbal communication, but it does not include simultaneous sending-receiving feedback that transactional view underlines. Therefore, when creating mutual understanding in communication physical, psychological and semantic barriers are all eliminated. (Ä °Ã…Ÿman et al., 2003). As said before, communication is an important element of life. In order to increase productivity at work, organizations and schools should have effec tive communication. This is more important when it comes to education which is a tool for the welfare of the society. People socialize via communication and thus perform desired behaviors. Because of these reasons, preventing the barriers in communicating will provide a clearer field of experience between the sender and the receiver. People should find shared points by analyzing our encoding, decoding stages and channel by eliminating our unfairness about the backgrounds in order to create meaningful understanding. There is no perfect communication; this is almost inevitable and creating a qualified communication process is essential to create a permanent understanding especially in the teaching-learning process and establishing reasonable communication to improve meaningful learning of the students. Today, e-learning or distance education are the result of technology. As a result, traditional teaching styles are transformed to technology-based teaching. Distance education is a new trend in education which makes it possible for everyone to learn better and provide options under the constructivist ap proach. Technological devices like audio cassette, telephone, compact disc, etc become a major necessity for distance education. Students have a more flexible education opportunity because of distance education. But, on the other hand, lack offace-to-face contact with teachers may result in a loss of motivation. Besides, there are many barriers in teaching and learning process of distance education (Galusha, 2001). Most common barriers are the unawareness of the roles as teachers and students. Studies show that the barriers of distance education fall into such categories as cost, motivators, feedback and teacher contact, student support and services, alienation, lack of experience and training. Moreover, due to the lack of information about their roles in distance education there is faculty and organizational barriers. In addition, course content on the other hand constitutes another barrier and should be modified in distance education (Galusha, 2001). Therefore, to create effective and qualified distance education all barriers must be realized and eliminated. There are some differences between the types of communication in distance learning and classroom-based learning. Firstly, due to resistance to change and anxiety while engaged in distance education, students and teachers can have psychological problems. Technical barriers during communicating, on the other hand, can be experienced by students and teachers due to a lack of experience about technology and they may have semantic barriers in their communication by misunderstanding announcements (Perreault, et al., 2002). Therefore, it is important to eliminate communication barriers if qualified and effective distance education is aimed at. CHAPTER II BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION For communication to be effective, senders must accurately communicate their intended message, and receivers must perceive and interpret the message accurately. Anything that gets in the way of the accurate transmission and reception of a message is a barrier to effective communication. We should understand these barriers so that you can be aware of their existence and try to reduce their impact. We have identified the elements of communication as the communicator, the encoding, the message, the medium, the decoding, the receiver, and the feedback. If noise exists in these elements in any way, complete clarity of meaning and understanding does not occur. The following barriers to effective communication are: frame of reference, selective listening, value judgments, source credibility, semantic problems, filtering, in-group language, status differences, proxemics behavior, time pressures, and communication overload. These sources of noise can exist in both organizational and interpers onal communications. Barriers Created by the Sender There are five specific barriers created by senders of communication. 1.Semantic Problems Communication has been defined as the transmission of information and understanding through the use of common symbols. Actually, we cannot transmit understanding. We can merely transmit information in the form of words, which are the common symbols. Unfortunately, the same words may mean entirely different things to different people. The understanding is in the receiver, not in the words. Because different groups use words differently, communication can often be impeded. E.g. When your boss tells you, â€Å"We need to complete this project right away,† what does it mean? Does â€Å"we† mean just you? You and your coworkers?Or you, your coworkers, and the boss? Does â€Å"right away† mean today, tomorrow, or next week? These are examples of semantic barriers. Semantics is the study of words. Thus, because words mean different things to different people, a communicator may speak the same language as a receiver but still not achieve the intended goal of the communication. 2.Filtering Filtering, a common occurrence in upward communication in organizations, refers to the manipulation of information so that the receiver perceives it as positive. Filtering may involve deleting or delaying negative information or using less harsh words so the message sounds more favorable. For example, subordinates â€Å"cover up† unfavorable information in messages to their superiors. The reason for such filtering should be clear; this is the direction (upward) that carries control information to management. Management makes merit evaluations. Grants salary increases, and promotes individuals based on what it receives by way of the upward channel. The temptation to filter is likely to be strong at every level in the organization. 3.In-Group Language Occupational, professional, and social groups often develop words or phrases that have meaning only to members. Such special language can serve many useful purposes. It can provide members with feelings of belonging, cohesiveness, and (in many cases) self-esteem; it can also facilitate effective communication within the group. The use of in-group language can, however, result in severe communication breakdowns when outsiders or other groups are involved. Management, in this case, should provide communication skills training to affected individuals to facilitate effective communication between involved parties. 4.Status Differences Organizations often express hierarchical rank through a variety of symbols (titles, offices, etc.). Such status differences can be perceived as threats by persons lower in the hierarchy, and this can prevent or distort communication. For example, not wanting to look incompetent, a nurse may remain quiet instead of expressing an opinion or asking a question of the nursing supervisor. 5.Time Pressures The pressure of time presents an important barrier to communication. Managers don’t have time to communicate frequently with every subordinate. However, time pressures can often lead to far more serious problems than this. Short-circuiting is a failure of the formally prescribed communication system that often results from time pressures. What it means is simply that someone has been left out of the formal channel of communication who would normally be included. For example, suppose a salesperson needs a rush order for an important customer and goes directly to the production manager with the request, since the production manager owes the salesperson a favor. Other members of the sales force who get word of this become upset over this preferential treatment and report it to the sales manager. Obviously, the sales manager would know nothing of the â€Å"deal† having been short circuited. In some cases, going through formal channels is extremely costly or even impossible from a practical standpoint. Consider the impact on a hospital patient if a nurse had to report a critical malfunction in life support equipment to the nursing team leader, who in turn had to report it to the hospital engineer, who would instruct a staff engineer to make the repair. Barriers Created by the Receiver In some situations barriers are created by receivers. 1.Selective Listening In this form of selective perception, the individual tends to block out new information, especially if it conflicts with existing beliefs. Thus, in a directive from management, the receiver notices only things that reaffirm his beliefs. Things that conflict with preconceived notions are either ignored or distorted to confirm those preconceptions. For example, a notice may be sent to all operating departments that costs must be reduced if the organization is to earn a profit. The communication may not achieve its desired effect because it conflicts with the perceived â€Å"reality† of the receivers. Thus, operating employees may ignore or be amused by such information in light of the large salaries, travel allowances, and expense accounts of some executives. Whether such preconceptions are justified is irrelevant; what’s important is that they result in breakdowns in communication. In other words, if we only hear what we want to hear, our â€Å"reality† canâ€℠¢t be disturbed. 2.Value Judgments In every communication situation, the receiver makes value judgments. This basically involves assigning an overall worth to a message prior to receiving the entire communication. Value judgments may be based on the receiver’s evaluation of the communicator, previous experiences with the communicator, or on the message’s anticipated meaning. For example, a college professor, perceiving the department chairperson as not being concerned enough about teaching quality, may consider a merit evaluation meeting with the chairperson as â€Å"going through the motions.† A cohesive work group may form negative value judgments concerning all actions by management. 3.Source Credibility Source credibility is the trust, confidence, and faith that the receiver has in the words and actions of the communicator. The level of credibility that the receiver assigns to the communicator in turn directly affects how the receiver views and reacts to the communicator’s words, ideas, and actions. Thus, subordinates’ evaluation of their manager affects how they view a communication from her. This, of course, is heavily influenced by previous experiences with the manager. Again, we see that everything done by a manager communicates. Union leaders who view management as exploiters and managers who view union leaders as political animals are likely to engage in little honest communication. Barriers Created by the Sender and/or Receiver Senders and/or receivers also create barriers in organizational communication. For example, there are three specific types of barriers. 1.Frame of Reference Different individuals can interpret the same communication differently, depending on previous experiences that result in variations in the encoding and decoding processes. Communication specialists agree that this is the most important factor that breaks down the â€Å"commonness† in communications. When the encoding and decoding processes aren’t alike, communication tends to break down. Thus while the communicator actually speaks the â€Å"same language† as the receiver, the message conflicts with how the receiver â€Å"catalogs† the world. The interior areas represent the accumulated experiences of the participants in the communication process. If they share a large area, effective communication is facilitated. If a large area is not shared – if there has been no common experience – then communication becomes impossible or, at best, highly distorted. Communicators can encode and receivers can decode only in terms of their experiences. Distortion often occurs because of participants’ differing frames of reference. Teenagers perceive things differently than do their parents; college deans perceive problems differently than do faculty members. People in various organizational functions can also interpret the same situation differently. A business problem may be viewed differently by the marketing manager than by the production manager. Different levels in the organization also have different frames of reference. First-line supervisors’ frames of reference differ in many respects from those of vice presidents. Their different positions in the organization structure influence their frames of reference. As a result, their needs, values, attitudes, and expectations differ, often resulting in unintentional distortion of communication. 2.Proxemic Behavior An important but often overlooked element of nonverbal communication is proxemics, defined as an individual’s use of space when interpersonally communicating with others. According to Edward Hall, a prominent researcher of proxemics, people have four zones of informal space – spatial distances they maintain when interacting with others: the intimate zone (from physical contact to 18 inches), the personal zone (from 18 inches to 4 feet), the social zone (from over 4 to 12 feet), and the public zone (more than 12 feet). For Americans, manager-subordinate relationships begin in the social zone and progress to the personal zone after mutual trust has developed. An individual’s personal and intimate zones make up a â€Å"private bubble† of space that is considered private territory, not to be entered by others unless invited. Proxemics creates a significant communication barrier when the proxemics behaviors of the sender and receiver differ. For example, assume that, like most Americans, you stand in the social zone while interacting at a social gathering such as a cocktail party. However, in the South American culture, a personal-zone distance is considered more natural in such situations. When a South American businessperson you’re talking with at a cocktail party assumes a personal-zone distance, how do you feel? Typically in such situation, an individual feels so uncomfortable with the person standing â€Å"too close† that any verbal communication isn’t heard. Conflicting proxemic behavior can also affect each individual’s perceptions of the other – you may view the South American as pushy and aggressive; she may see you as cold and impolite. 3.Communication Overload One vital task performed by a manager is decision making. One of the necessary factors in effective decisions is information. The last decade has often been described as the time when information technology radically changed the corporate landscape. Technology has great potential to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational communication. Because of the advances, the difficulty does not lie in generating information. Rather, manager often feel buried by a deluge of information and data. As a result, people can’t absorb or adequately respond to all of the messages directed to them. They screen out the majority of messages, which in effect means that these messages are never decoded. Thus, in the area of organizational communication, â€Å"more† isn’t always â€Å"better†. CROSS-CULTURAL AND GENDER COMMUNICATION Language is the most obvious cross-cultural communications challenge. Words are easily misunderstood in verbal communication, either because the receiver has a limited vocabulary or the sender’s accent distorts the usual sound of some words. Voice intonation is another cross-cultural communication barrier, because how loudly, deeply, and quickly we speak sends secondary messages that have different meaning in different cultures. Communication includes silence, but its use and meaning varies from one culture to another. In Japan, silence symbolizes respect and indicates that the listener is thoughtfully contemplating what has just been said. Similarly, Japanese people usually stop talking when they are interrupted, whereas talking over the person’s speech is more common in Brazil and some other countries. Indeed, Brazilians are more likely to view interruptions as evidence that the other person is involved in the conversation. Nonverbal communication represents another potential area for misunderstanding across culture. Many nonconscious or involuntary nonverbal cues (such as smiling) have the same meaning around the world, but deliberate gestures often have different interpretations. For example, most of us shake our head from side to side to say â€Å"No,† but a variation of head shaking means â€Å"I understand† to many people in India. Filipinos raise their eyebrows to give an affirmative answer, yet Arabs interpret this expression (along with clicking one’s tongue) as a negative response. Men and women have similar communication practices, but there are subtle distinctions that can occasionally lead to misunderstanding and conflict. One distinction is that men are more likely than women to view conversations as negotiations of relative status and power. They assert their power by directly giving advice to others (e.g., â€Å"You should do the following†) and using combative language. There is also evidence that men dominate the talk time in conversation with women, as well as interrupt more and adjust their speaking style less than do women. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The following literature review shows work done by researchers. All are related with communication barriers to distance education and the important communication theories which explain the diffusion of innovation with telecommunications, the knowledge gap between the members involved in distance education and the uses and gratification of the users of the mass media. According to Galusha(1997) distance education gives people (students) greatest possible control over the time, place and pace in education; however, it has problems due to loss of student motivations since there is no face-to-face contact, startup cost and lack of faculty support. Such problems are categorized into three main groups as student barriers, faculty barriers, and organizational barriers. Problems and barriers encountered by students are costs and motivators, the feedback and teacher contact, the student support and services, the alienation and isolation, the lack of experience, and training related. Barriers related with faculty are the result of the lack of staff training, the lack of support for distance learning, and the inadequate faculty selection for distance training. Barriers encountered by the organization are the infrastructure and technology related problems, and the present challenge. Heidi et al. (2002) examine the ideal combination of self-paced learning and interactivity is offered by distance education. Such learning requires online discussions, email support collaboration and interactive presentation of the students. All of which are possible through a healthy communication between participants and design groups for overcoming barriers to a successful delivery of distance learning courses. Asirvatham(2000) points out that opportunity to educate work force for all companies and industries could not be always possible in a classroom-oriented learning atmosphere for all to participate. Therefore, distance education becomes a powerful advantage to overcome great dis tance problems among the education institutions and people. Alternative ways oftechnology provide sufficient tools to establish a healthy communication and interaction among members in distance education. And regardless of all its problems, distance education is a good opportunity to compete with traditional classroom format. Eisinger(2000) points out that that education showed an evolution from chalk and blackboard education to distance online learning activities. The study defines adult educators and the importance of understanding learner’s autonomy as being instructors. In addition to this, there are some aspects like the lack of non-verbal cues which creates misunderstanding through the global interaction. Also, challenges to distance education are created due to the different needs and expectations of every learning environment. According to Berge (1998), impediments to online teaching and learning can be situational, epistemological, philosophical, psychological, pedagogical, technical, social, and cultural and include faceless teaching, fear of computers replacing faculty, diffusion of value traditionally placed on getting a degree, faculty culture, lack of an adequate time-frame to implement online courses. It is easy to go wrong when learning system is technologically advanced, there is resistant to change, and the lack of technological assistance is present. The most critical barriers, as Berge found in his survey, appear related to person’s resistance to or fear of the many changes that must occur at the individual and organizational level, the lack of support for the changing roles of students and teachers, and other barriers arising from difficulties in assessment. Berge (2001) also points out that toward the use of distance education organizations or administrations face different barriers. The study tries to find out if there is any unknown barrier to distance education which is different from technical and interaction problems. The emphasis of the research study is on designers or organizations of distance education and their reflective action to distance education. Muilenburg and Berge (2001) point out the underlying constructs that comprise barriers to distance educatio n in their exploratory factor analysis research. The ten factors found are administrative structure, organizational change, technical expertise, social interaction and quality, faculty compensation and time, threat of technology, legal issues, evaluation/effectiveness, access, and student support services. To determine these ten factors,they made a survey with sixty four different barrier items to 2054 members, and concluded that some barriers overlap with one or more different factors. Truman (1995) concludes that the methods and techniques to accomplish learning will be the most important. Those that eliminate communication barriers confront by nontraditional learners or students. In her study, that the delivery system in distance education may not be so important, she discussed the important barriers like money, equipment, time, student information perceptions and their understanding how the technology itself shapes the information it carries to differentiate junk information from facts. Pajo (2001) finds that the different roles of personal and attitude wise barriers predict current use and future intentions to adopt web-based technology. Current use of the technology is closely associated with personal barriers of those who lack competence in skills needed to use web-based delivery in their distance education. These personal barriers may hinder the individual from transferring his/her intentions into behavior. Leach and Walker (2000) argue that the instructor’s feedback to students is vital in distance education for their self-evaluation, task orientation, instructor support, and flexibility. Also they point out that the amount of student’s experience with technology is directly correlated in determining if technology used in distance education is a barrier. All technology concerns must be minimized, and the programs offered must be designed accordingly if a successful online education is to be attained. Cucek(2001) in his research study on distance education students he asks questions to Boise State University students in order to measure students` satisfaction with their distance education classes, perceived access to support services, and differences in their â€Å"classroom† behaviors in distance education and traditional face-to-face classes. The answers are mainly concentrated upon main problems (barriers) to the successful completion of their distance education courses. Almost all responses are related to course issues, time issues, personal issues, administrative, and technical issues. Course related barriers are the lack of interaction, course structure and accessing resources. Barriers related with time were the lack of time, personal commitments, and course work that takes too much time. Motivation and self-discipline comprised personal issues. The lack of expertise made up the technical problems.Finally, administrative problems are related to cost, course availability, obtaining course materials, and administrative support.

If Only She Had Listen to Me- Short Story

Friendship is a feeling of love of one person for another. Its not necessary to choose whom to be your friend,your best friend. The friendship between one person and another are always in different ways. The feelings, the sentiments are not similar.. I knew her since kindergarten. Her name is Kristen, she came from a rich family. She can easily have whatever she wants because she was the only child in her family. Her father is a successful business man. And her mother was a great spender. And I'm her best friend. She used to be a stubborn one and never listen to others.She always think that she is the perfect one and she was right. She would never listen to the advice. She is so herself. Because of her behavior , she seemed to be so lonely among friends. I bet nobody likes her in school , especially the discipline teacher. People were wondering how i could stand her behavior and still so good to her. What did she meant to me? Friend. I treat her as my best friend, because I knew that her attitude is different from her personalities. I knew that She has everything exept love. Kristen always turn up to amusement park instead of tuition class. he was lost in a materialistic life. Then she met a guy. She fell in love with a jobless guy. In my mind, true friend should involve in inspiring their friends to walk on the right path, no ridiculous mistakes. I've begging her not to simply fall I love with pleasure seeking guys. And I'm extraordinary sured that she was stepping on the thinnest ice. Which could ruin her in anytime. I told her to promise me that she would not do the wrong things, also respect her mother. â€Å"i promised, i will. † she had said. Of course, she wont. She started to absent for school. I were in her house on the day that her mum found out she played truant . Her mum loose control, then they scream and shout to each other after starting a conversation. The relationship between she and mother was very bad. No discussion between them but on ly quarreling all the time. I've been trying so hard to persuade her to be a obedient daughter , respect her mother. But she would never listen. Time after time she was trying to leave her house. I used to visit her so often , because I knew what she really lacked of. She was loosing her weight day after day. Get thin and thinner . Feature Article – Short Story  The Plane of the Sleeping BeautyI wondered why she dont satisfied of her body size. Until one Saturday night ! She hug and cried on my shoulder and babbling on everything's. That was the first time she did this to me since we met. I thought she was strong , but she wasn't . She felt she gain no love   but relatives and friends that looked down on her and parents that shouted to her oftentimes. The next morning, i had a sudden phone call from her mother, saying that she was missing. We tried so hard to find her on every single day. About one year later, Kristen returned in a thin, sick physical conditions.The scene in my mind is still so clear . Kristen was squatting on the floor in the kitchen,with hands on head. Her skin and lips were dry and her unfocused eyes filled with tears. She never stop snivel , and her nose was dripping like a water tap. I guessed I knew what had happened to her. My heart was suffocating , her mum cried on her :â₠¬  Kris ! I told you to behave ! And you! Why? Why did you do this ? † and I added , † I know you doesn't intend to become a drug addict . Kristen , come back back please. We will help you and your father is on the way home to help you !We will be with you. †Ã‚   Kristen spoke with a smile of despair † thank you ,my friend ,for everything. But , but it's too late , I'm pregnant . † she picked a knife from behind and stabbed herself on the stomach and blood ame out and she fell , faced Dow the floor. My heart stop beating for a few seconds and I heard she whispered . † I'm sorry , mother . † she close her eyes , blood dripping from her lifeless body . Death is simple , easy . Life is harder. What im thinking is, This incident won't go so bad if only she had listen to me.

Lost Generation - 2335 Words

Jack Kerouac and Ernest Hemingway represent their inner state and feelings at the time they lived through their novels. Ernest Hemingway corresponds to the â€Å"Lost Generation† of 1920’s and Jack Kerouac corresponds to the â€Å"Beat Generation† of 1950’s. Both of these generations were after wars. It is not coincidence, wars make people devastated and lost. People tried to overcome problems and pain through literature and music. Writers put all their emotions on the paper, musicians wrote songs, which described the hard time they had. These two generations produced the most talented writers of our days. For us it seems that there was no big deal to write such openly, but if we try to go back to the time of these authors, we will understand how†¦show more content†¦I’d just tromper you with everybody. You couldn’t stand it† (p.62). Jake is lost; he could not fully realize himself as a normal man. This problem means that he co uld not have sex, he could not marry, and finally he could not have a normal family with children. All of these problems made him get drunk often, as alcohol helped him to forget about problems for a little time. Once, Robert Cohn asked him: â€Å"Don’t you ever get the feeling that all your life is going by and you’re not taking advantage of it? Do you realize that you’ve lived nearly half the time you have to live already?† and he answers, â€Å"Yes, every once in a while.† (p.30). So, alcohol was an escape from his problems and he said: â€Å"Under the wine I lost disgusted feeling and was happy† (p.150). When he is drunk, life seems better and easier. But when he wakes up next morning, he regrets it, but he never tries to change his life, he just accepts it as it is. Hemingway presented Jake and Brett to portray people with lost believes and nothingness. Both of them accepted their lives as it was and did not try to change anything. H emingway is not optimistic about the future, for him and his characters the meaning of life is lost. Similarly to Hemingway, Kerouac shows readers how people wanted to escape reality, as to forget about war young people traveled across the country in order to find the lost meaning of the life and have fun. Kerouac chooses a different path and describes the characters of theShow MoreRelatedThe Lost Generation844 Words   |  4 Pagesmen experienced the let down affiliated with the war, and discovered there fight for admiration and loyalty led to nothing more than a expulsion of lost values, thus leading to the â€Å"lost generation.† The lost generation was a group of writers who gained much popularity and grew in their literary expansion post WWI from 1918 through 1930. (Lost Generation) Prior to enlisting in the war, Americans were promised an upbringing of patriotism and honor for serving one’s country. They found returning homeRead MoreThe Story Of The Lost Generation1661 Words   |  7 Pages Brodie Wiener PIB LA 10 Period 3 Hensley 3 April 2015 The Story of the Lost Generation Living an spontaneous, carefree life like the characters in The Sun Also Rises do sounds like fun but it isn t what it seems. Ernest Hemingway writes a piece of literature that when looked upon through a new historicist critical perspective exposes the underlying truth and an uglier reality that is normally suppressed presents itself. New historicist criticism in a nutshell is arguing that the literature isRead MoreThe Personal Struggle Of A Lost Generation1482 Words   |  6 PagesStruggle of a Lost Generation Ernest Hemingway, author of The Sun Also Rises uses a variety of settings in order to show various characters attitudes regarding life, which in turn exemplifies their stance as a lost generation. 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Its horrors embed themselves like an infectious disease in the minds of the survivors, who, when left to salvage the pieces of their former existences, are brushed into obscurity by the individualsRead More In Our Time and the Lost Generation Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesOur Time and the Lost Generation Ernest Hemingways In Our Time is a true representation of his lost generation for the simple reason that all generations are eventually lost as time goes by. Hemingway focuses on a generation he knows about, his own. It becomes apparent throughout the novel that Hemingway is deconstructing the world without overly using vast amounts of description. All of the â€Å"messages bring the reader to an understanding of a generation, the lost generation that appearsRead MoreThe Lost Generation Analysis920 Words   |  4 PagesThe Lost Generation was a time of sadness and remorse the authors used these emotions in their literature. 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