Monday 31 August 2015

How Efficient are Women as Business Leaders ?

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Women at work? Well, the concept was not a prominent one in the earlier time but it is not, of course, an unknown matter nowadays. As opportunities continue to flourish in the professional platforms creating more ways leading to the fruitfulness of education in getting jobs, women are not agreeing to stay indoors and are willing to explore the responsible aspects of their nature in a broader expansion and not in homes. So, the fact of women employment just cannot be ignored.


Distinctive qualities of women

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Women possess other distinctive qualities quite different than that of men. It is a rare talent of the combination of several virtues that they have. Women implement these virtues and, eventually, they find out good results from them. Femininity is an aspect that is effectively utilised by a woman in order to get an equivalent progress in their families.

While a husband is normally responsible for the well being of the family from all ways, the wife is responsible for the betterment of the successful execution of the domestic operations. The husband provides financial and other securities to the family as well as being the guide and spiritual epitome of the family. The wife, on the other hand, is held responsible for the caring treatment.

Pastor/teacher John Piper writes, “God intends for all the ‘weaknesses’ that are characteristically masculine to call forth and highlight woman’s strengths. And God intends for all the ‘weaknesses’ that are characteristically feminine to call forth and highlight man’s strengths.”
This shows that women nurture more in the family as they care for their family members. So, women are more a nurturer and this quality, if used in leadership, can definitely produce good results.


Working women

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So, it is identified that the women are responsible almost equally with the men for the well being of their families. Now comes the point of working. Let us have a look at the common housewives of the domestic families at first. What exactly the women do in a family? Do they sit idle or are they busy in different kind of activities?

The answer obviously points to women working hard for the benefit for their own families. They are never observed to be ignoring household work. They perform the general domestic duties as well as they spend a particular amount of time nurturing their small children. Of course, they get a little bit of free time when there are no children or the children had grown up.

This experience of the women can well be applied if they are employed. With the help of their rare talent, mentioned previously, they will be able to successfully operate at their professional field.


Women as a leader in the business world


Leadership. Is it an impossible thing for women to do? Obviously not.

Women are born with leadership abilities. The difference of women leadership with the male leadership is that the women speculates the situation more emotionally than men and, by this way, they get a better grasp over the understanding of any problem which ultimately leads to the brisk and effective solution of the problem.

As a matter of fact, women look upon any situation in a caring and motherly attitude. This not only brings stability in their posts, in which they are employed, but also provides better estimation of the professional matters. So, ‘women as a leader’, leads them to various employment opportunities such as leadership in business management streams or vocational streams.


Effective business leadership with the women

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So, let’s unleash the women power in order to get effectiveness in business leadership. The interesting fact is that women already possesses rare skills in leading and if they take steps in applying such virtues, then both the employers and the employees will be benefited. Women should not waste this leading aspect of their psychology. They should rather solidify it by going into more business leadership opportunities.

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Saturday 29 August 2015

The Merits And Demerits Of A Digital Classroom

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The definition of the human society includes the involvement and the effect of technology in it. It is the reason of our development as well as the purpose to future improvement.
It has inculcated various innovative methods and tools that aim to the better effectiveness. One of these innovative and interactive tools is the ‘digital classroom’ that has become an important part of the methodology of the educational system.
But nothing is formed without certain disadvantages. Digital learning also possesses certain disadvantages as well as its advantages. Come, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of digital education:

Advantages


The digital learning enables various innovative and interactive privileges both to students and teachers. These are briefly discussed in the following:

Independent innovative students’ learning


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This is a particular type of innovative and interactive tool that the digital learning allows. In this system, students can be divided into separate groups to perform a single task. All of the students will try to perform their best in this way than they usually do alone. This independent tool enables students to produce their best efforts in completing a task.



Illustrations in a visual format


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This is one of the effective modes of the digital learning. The lessons; the lectures or the teachings of the teachers are shown in video format. It engages the learner’s mind more to education and they automatically become interested in learning. The concept of ‘Flipped classroom’ can also be considered as one of the innovative ways of the digital classroom.


Effective learning

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It is true that the interesting way of learning increases the range of understanding of the students. Digital learning also enables the learners to learn at a higher speed than usual ultimately saving time and bringing effectiveness.


Life Skills with the help of technology


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It is also evident that the life skills of the students are strengthened by the digital classroom. Making presentations; writing e-mails and various other skills of them are improved which will help them to perform better in their professional field.



Creativity

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Not all of the students are the same. Some of them are inclined towards the creative way of learning. Digital classroom also provides the creative manner of education which becomes successful in satisfying the students’ requirements of learning through creative aspects.



Disadvantages


So, the advantages are mentioned. Now let’s look at the disadvantages of the digital classroom:

The question of distraction

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Students are easily distracted by technology because of their growing interest to it. If technology becomes handled in a wrong way by them, then ultimately they become tremendously affected by it. Proper security and supervision on educational technology is chiefly required for recovering from this problem.


Less communication

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The digital classroom makes the students to communicate less as their minds get normally busy to the ‘interesting’ education. In this way, verbal communication gets hampered and the students can become weak in social skills. The teachers should encourage verbal communication among the students. This will enable their social skills and interaction to be increased.


Security and safety

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The students should not gain access to any unwanted content or material. Security regarding the improper materials must be maintained in the digital classroom.




Ignoring the traditional way


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As students will get to know more about the technical aspects of education, they will normally want to fulfil education through the technical way and not the traditional one. This has a tendency of students not applying their intelligence of studying as technology engages the most of their minds.




Overwhelming technology

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As technology entered the educational system, it does have an inclination towards trying to eradicate the normal or traditional learning because of its rapid use and expanding popularity.


To know more about the cons of online learning click here.


Proper education


Science and technology do affected education at a huge extent. But the increasing effect of technology should not surpass the purpose of actually getting educated and not getting technologically improved. We should keep in mind that technology should fulfil the goal of education and not education fulfilling the aim of technology.

Here is some more for you.

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Monday 24 August 2015

6 Common Online Learning Mistakes That You Must Know About

Are you planning on pursuing an online business course? Gearing up to build your career with a business diploma? Then you are at the right path my friend. Studying a postgraduate business diploma can help you to boost your career and steer it towards success in the long run. But if you think that studying online is going to be an easy task, then you need to think again.
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If you want to study an online postgraduate diploma then you cannot afford to take it for granted. It is imperative that you are serious about your studies and remain dedicated, disciplined and self-motivated throughout your course. One of the biggest challenges you will face while studying online is time management. If you are unable to balance your time effectively, you will feel like you have gotten entangled in a mess and will soon lose interest in your course.


To help you out, here are some common mistakes that you will encounter while pursuing an online postgraduate diploma in business-

1.Keep your family out :
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Before you begin your online course, you need to discuss with your family and make them understand that you will need to invest a lot of time to focus on your studies properly and also need the necessary space to complete your assignments, according to Jennifer Fraone, associate director of marketing and communications at the Boston College Center for Work & Family.


2.Not following your schedule :
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If you are an online learner and are unable to prepare and stick to a specific schedule for your courses work, whether in early morning or night or in the weekend, then you will be surely doomed for failure. Christina Robinson Grochett, former territory vice president for the Gulf Coast for University of Phoenix, claims online learners require structure as well as study calendar.


3.Waiting for the final moments :
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Do wait till the last minute to complete your assignments and projects? Are you on the brink of missing submission deadlines? Then you need to change this right now. You must stay focused on managing your time better.


4.Wasting time on social networks :
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If you wish to utilise your time the best then you need to keep only those tabs open on your browser which are necessary. Wasting your time on Facebook, Twitter or online shopping sites will not get your projects done.


5.Missing out on classes regularly :
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If you think you can catch up to your studies even without logging in to your classes frequently, then you will end up way off track. Tamara Popovich, former associate director of student services for ASU Online says it is important that you check your classes daily to avoid any pressure related to studies and missing out on changes in curriculum.


6.Studying in a distracting atmosphere :
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Make sure you keep yourself away from distractions if you wish to spend your time effectively on studies. So you need to find a peaceful and quiet place where no one will bother you while studying.


Now that you know what pitfalls you must avoid, make sure you utilise your time best to make the most out of your postgraduate diploma in business management course and earn an accredited qualification to give your career the right push.


What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us by commenting below.

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Monday 17 August 2015

Women Students Are Ruling The Online Learning World

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Online education has become the need of the hour for many aspiring learners and professional who want to earn a higher education qualification and gain relevant skills for career development. Today, you can find a wide range online programmes and courses offered by various universities and online platforms. By expanding the reach of education, online learning has increased the accessibility of education and enabled millions across the world to build their careers by gaining required skills. However, experts have observed that globally there are more female online learners as compared to men.

Why do women dominate the Online Learning Scene?


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Amanda Tutlewski wanted to finish her master's degree in nursing, but as she has 2 small kids and regularly travels a long distance for work, pursuing a traditional course simply did not seem feasible to her. Hence, she decided to study online and began looking for suitable courses offered by online platforms and universities. Eventually, she opted for the online master's programme offered by Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. After Amanda moved to Key West, Florida from Indiana with her family after a few months for her husband's career commitments, the move seemed smooth and seamless. After completing more than half of her programme, she claims that she would opt for an online course again without a second thought.
Amanda said “It's convenient and it's flexible.”
The fact is, female learners like Amanda Tutlewski are currently dominating the online learning sphere on a global scale. In spring 2015, more than 70 per cent of online undergraduate level learners were women as per a recent study. At the graduate level, over 72 per cent of learners were women.

Growing volume of Female Online Students


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Latest data from the U.S. News reveals that some online courses at bachelor's level comprise of almost only women. During 2013-14, many online institutions across the US like D'Youville College, Sacred Heart University@stephenscollege , Dakota Wesleyan University, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, University of Missouri-St. Louis, saw the highest percentages of undergraduate students who were women. This was observed from the 224 ranked courses from which data were collected, excluding programmes that are female-only. Academic experts believe that there are a number of probable reasons for this evident gender inequality in online education. One of the most feasible reasons is that more women are now keen on earning higher education qualifications in general. A new report released by the National Center for Education Statistics in May 2015 reveled that girls comprised around 56 per cent of undergraduate students and over 59 per cent of graduate learners in fall 2013.

Empowering Women Professionals


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Carol Aslanian, senior vice president of Aslanian Market Research and author of the new research of online learners, believes that another probable reason for the growing number of women in online learning courses may be related to the type of career they have.
She said “Women tend to enter professions where continuous education is needed and degrees and certificates are valued and even required. Education, the social services, the health professions - all have requirements for further education to move up the career ladder.”
Linda L. Strong, associate professor of nursing at Sacred Heart University, Connecticut, supports this claim and believes it is one of the primary reasons why 94 per cent of online undergraduates at the institute are women. Another prominent reason for this trend is the fact that online education allows women to effectively balance their jobs, studies and family commitments, irrespective of their career type.
What do you think? Feel free to share your own thoughts, opinions and experiences with us by commenting below.

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Friday 7 August 2015

Student Or Employee: What Is Better For PhD Candidates ?

Recently, it was announced that Queen Mary University of London is planning to modify the status of their PhD students and identify them as employees. However, this has resulted in some confusion and concern among both students and educators. Let's take a look....


Is being a student better?


Most of the current students at the university are now getting concerned regarding how this decision will affect their pay. Presently, the stipends of these students are exempt from tax. As a result their acceptable but not excessive income can be easily compared to the salaries of other graduates. If the students lose out on their student status then it will surely mean a cut in their earnings via taxation or may be through an offsetting rise increase in their funding. Hence, training for PhD student will become much more costly and sponsors and funding units will be able to facilitate lower number of PhD candidates. This is surely not a favourable outcome.

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Tom Livermore, PhD Student at University College London, said “While I recognise that there are advantages associated with employment, I believe that remaining a student provides significant benefits of its own and better reflects the training element of a doctorate.”

How it will affect PhDs :


However, Queen Mary University of London, along with Eurodoc, which represents European PhD candidates, believe that shifting the status of students to employees would help in improving recognition of the contribution made to research by PhD students.

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Livermore added “Perhaps I have been fortunate, but I don’t feel that my status as a student affects either the recognition or treatment that I receive. I do not feel that being a student discourages me from contributing to the scientific debate in my lab, my department or at conferences.”
“The benefits of remaining a student outweigh those associated with employment. If by becoming employees we risk reducing access to PhD training through fewer available places, visa restrictions or simply putting off those not destined for academia, then I fail to see the advantage,” he said.



Is being an employee more beneficial?

However, the fact remains that there are two sides of a coin and while some are worried about the changing status, others believe that it will be truly a beneficial move for current PhDs. Many experts believe that pursuing a PhD in a broad sense gives the feeling of being employed, but only until things are going right. Although current PhD students tend to work throughout the day for 4 years on a specific and fixed salary, they do not get any added benefits like pensions, sick leave or even maternity/paternity leave.

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Jamie Gallagher, postdoc and public engagement officer at the University of Glasgow, said “I spent four years working over 40 hours a week in a lab. I turned up every day, I wrote papers, I did experiments, I had duties and responsibilities – except I wasn’t “working” I was “studying”. That distinction is significant. I took home £1,150 a month, about the same as an administrative assistant, but I didn’t pay tax. In exchange for not paying tax on the few thousand earned above the tax free income allowance I handed over my employment rights.”

He concluded by saying “If a PhD student can write papers, present their data and work alongside academic staff, it is time to acknowledge their work as work.”

What do you think about PhD students getting recognised as employees? Share your views and opinions with us by commenting below.

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