The promise and perils of asynchronous learning: how faculty, students, and administrators can collaboratively increase retention and satisfaction in the online classroom

This paper explores some of the major challenges faced by faculty, students, administrators, and support staff in retaining online students, and doing so while earning high marks for the quality of each course. A number of strategies are explored beginning with the need to carefully consider effective mixes of technology, structure, and content in the classroom environment. With an emphasis on social presence and careful consideration of how students use technology to access the class learning management system (LMS), the paper offers a variety of options to build classroom spaces that foster a sense of community and collaboration. Thereafter the paper addresses best practices to turn well‐ considered design elements into a classroom experience which addresses issues related to retention, achieving learning outcomes, and ensuring students and faculty invest in the learning process from day one. By addressing concerns shared by the major actors in the field of online education, realistic best practices can be identified to help ensure online learning achieves, if not exceeds, retention and satisfaction levels seen from brick‐and‐mortar classrooms

Evaluating Rawls: Equality in the Family

This paper examines the latest developments in feminist critiques of the seminal Theory of Justice, written by John Rawls, the late preeminent American moral philosopher. Rawls is recognized as one of the most influential moral political philosophers of the twentieth century and is increasingly relevant because of his discussions on pluralist societies. With the current diverging of liberal, conservative and libertarian philosophies among Americans, as well as the fragmentation of parties to accommodate an increasingly diverse public, a clear philosophy and understanding of liberal theory is necessary for its future in American politics. The current pressure to address the needs of oppressed groups such as women and sexual minorities has created a philosophical tipping point. What is to be considered equality, how the government should involve itself, and how this will be done feasibly and throughout generations need answers defined on all sides of the discussion. Gender and sexual inequality, when considering what should be done, is one of the most significant challenges because of its effect on the traditional family, on centuries of preconceived notions of gender and sexuality, and the heavy commitment it may take to extinguish. To analyze the social contract approach and the theory of justice as fairness, I will examine and then follow Rawls’ own method of the original position to determine in which manner the family should be situated within society to result in the best accordance to the two principles. Furthermore, the arguments on the reasonability of religion in a political conception will be used to promote a fair and stable society. The overall aim is to develop a Rawlsian solution to gender equality in society that is both fair and sustainable in a pluralistic society. Focusing on the role of the family in society, I argue that Rawls’ fundamental concept of justice – “justice as fairness” – does not develop a clear and convincing stance on how gender equality will be produced (and reproduced) in a pluralistic society. Debate has risen between feminist and liberal philosophers in distinguishing the relationship between Rawls’ two principles of justice and their intervention in family hierarchy, duties, and responsibilities. The two principles are known as: First Principle: Each person has the same indefeasible claim to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic liberties, which scheme is compatible with the same scheme of liberties for all; Second Principle: Social and economic inequalities are to satisfy two conditions: They are to be attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity; They are to be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged members of society (the difference principle). (JF, 42-43) The distinction between an indirect and direct interaction between principles of justice and the basic structures of society (family being one of them) will shape the way the political arena promotes equality. This is the case, provided that the procedure in which Rawls utilizes is fair in itself, which has come into contention among feminist thinkers. Once the family is situated in the original position, the feasibility of the theory will be discussed within the parameters of a property-owning democracy as well as, more specifically, a deliberative democracy. This solution should bring a reflective justification for the principles abilities to deal with injustices outlined by feminists

Contingencies of Self-Worth and Social-Networking-Site Behavior

Social-networking sites like Facebook enable people to share a range of personal information with expansive groups of "friends." With the growing popularity of media sharing online, many questions remain regarding antecedent conditions for this behavior. Contingencies of self-worth afford a more nuanced approach to variable traits that affect self-esteem, and may help explain online behavior. A total of 311 participants completed an online survey measuring such contingencies and typical behaviors on Facebook. First, exploratory factor analyses revealed an underlying structure to the seven dimensions of self-worth. Public-based contingencies explained online photo sharing (beta = 0.158, p < 0.01), while private-based contingencies demonstrated a negative relationship with time online (beta = -0.186, p < 0.001). Finally, the appearance contingency for self-worth had the strongest relationship with the intensity of online photo sharing (beta = 0.242), although no relationship was evident for time spent managing profiles.Radio-Television-Fil

Book review: Islam and the future of tolerance: a dialogue by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz

Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue is a transcript of a conversation held between US New Atheist, Sam Harris, and Maajid Nawaz, a British Muslim reformer who runs the counter-extremist Quilliam Foundation. While this dialogue provides a nuanced discussion of how to confront Islamic extremism between two scholars approaching the issue from considerably different perspectives, Devan Hawkins questions the emphasis placed on ideological over political motivations

KAJIAN YURIDIS SANKSI PIDANA TERHADAP TINDAK PIDANA PENYALAHGUNAAN NARKOTIKA OLEH PEGAWAI NEGERI SIPIL (Studi Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Jambi Nomor : 155/Pid.Sus/2014/PN.Jbi.)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaturan tindak pidana penyalahgunaan narkotika yang dilakukan oleh pegawai negeri sipil. Serta untuk mengetahui pertimbangan hakim dalam menjatuhkan sanksi pidana terhadap pelaku tindak pidana penyalahgunaan narkotika oleh pegawai negeri sipil (Studi Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Jambi Nomor : 155/Pid.Sus/2014/PN.Jbi.). Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian hukum normatif bersifat preskriptif. pendekatan penelitian menggunakan pendekatan perundang-undangan dan kasus. Jenis bahan hukum yang digunakan adalah bahan hukum primer dan bahan hukum sekunder. Teknik pengumpulan bahan hukum yang digunakan adalah melalui studi kepustakaaan. Analisis bahan hukum menggunakan metode deduktif. Pengaturan tindak pidana penyalahgunaan narkotika yang dilakukan oleh pegawai negeri sipil tidaklah berbeda dengan penyalahgunaan yang dilakukan oleh masyarakat umum, sesuai dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 35 Tahun 2009 tentang Narkotika. Pegawai negeri sipil yang melakukan tindak pidana penyalahgunaan narkotika juga mendapatkan sanksi administratif yang sudah diatur oleh Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 2014 tentang Aparatur Sipil Negara. Pertimbangan hakim dalam menjatuhakan sanksi pidana terhadap pelaku tindak pidana penyalahgunaan narkotika oleh pegawai negeri sipil (Studi Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Jambi Nomor : 155/Pid.Sus/2014/PN.Jbi.) Pertama, unsur setiap orang. Kedua, unsur tanpa hak atau melawan hukum memiliki, menyimpan, menguasai, atau menyediakan narkotika golongan I dalam bentuk bukan tanaman. Unsur ketiga dalam pertimbangan hakim yaitu melakukan percobaan atau pemufakatan jahat. Sesuai dengan keterangan saksi, keterangan terdakwa, barang bukti serta adanya pertimbangan-pertimbangan yuridis, hal-hal yang memberatkan dan hal-hal yang meringankan telah sesuai. Kata Kunci: Pegawai Negeri Sipil, Penyalahguna Narkotika, Sanksi Pidan