Case studies are for many of us the most fun we can have with education. That is in large part undoubtedly due to the happy fact that case studies pull us off our bums and into offices, zoos, hospitals, jungles or wherever else our particular brand of research may take us. Not sure this is true? Check out these crazy case studies from the British Psychological Society:

People with synesthesia experience odd sensations that make it seem as though their neural wires are crossed. A certain word might always evoke the same particular taste or a letter or numeral might call to mind a particular color. However, an emerging view among experts is that synesthesia is grounded in concepts, not crossed senses. By this account, it's certain ideas, regardless of which sense perceives them, that trigger a particular concurrent experience. Researchers believe this because case studies of two synesthetes who experience different swimming strokes, whether performing them, watching them or merely thinking about them, as always being a certain color.

On the other hand, if that case study doesn’t blow you away, how about these case studies:

Most of us are familiar with the developmental stammering that begins in childhood. However, recent case studies are showing us that stammering can also have a sudden onset, triggered by illness or injury to the brain. Far rarer still are case studies where a person with a pre-existing, developmental stammer suffers from brain injury or disease and is subsequently cured. A team in Birmingham has reported such a patient and are aware of only two prior adult cases in the literature – ever!

Still in the realm of psychological case studies is the woman whose memory was erased each night! Psychologists have documented a clinical first - the case of an amnesic woman whose memory for new material is erased each night when she goes to sleep. Referred to as case FL, the 48-year-old woman developed symptoms after she hit her head in a car accident in 2005. Brain scans and neurological exams revealed no signs of brain damage, suggesting the woman is exhibiting what's known as psychogenic or functional amnesia - that is, symptoms in the absence of any detectable organic cause – just imagine writing your research about this case study!

Not everyone is into psychology so let’s leave the lab and head out into the wild where gay bird behavior is studied, Scientists have found more than 130 bird species that engage in some sort of same-sex activity — and the males in some of those species, such as penguins and graylag geese, occasionally form long-term sexual relationships with each other. That presents a puzzle for some evolutionary biologists, because same-sex relationships would seem to reduce the birds' chances of reproductive success. Because of this, gay birds are quite a research topic

In fact, Geoff MacFarlane, a biologist at the University of Newcastle in Australia, reviewed case studies of 93 bird species and suggested that there was a relationship between the rearing of chicks (male and female!) and same-sex mating. Male homosexual behavior would be likelier if the females of the species took care of the young birds. "Homosexual behavior is more likely to be maintained and not be selected against than if you are a sex that cares a lot for offspring and only has one or few reproductivepartners," MacFarlane said.

So there aren’t enough pages to fill with the number of case studies that are truly are weird and wonderful. But hey, maybe next time you’re slogging through the more tedious aspects of your studies you can be cheered in knowing there may be some awesome research around the corner.

While on first sight the definition of the term essay seems fairly obvious and self-explanatory, once a student reaches tertiary level education the term can actually become quite confusing. At this level there are multiple uses of the term essay and each type carries a differing set of expectations. By far the greatest difference between different types of essays is the type of prose and presentation the teacher or professor will be looking for in the content. By style, we mean of course, the tone of the prose.

Once again, the names of the different types of essay are indicative of what is required in terms of style. However, like the term essay, each has other requirements and nuances which are not necessarily obvious in the term.

Definition Essay: Expository

The expository essay is a style of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate the evidence and expand on the idea. This type of essay will set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. The student achieves this through the presentation of comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect.

Definition Essay: Argumentative

An argumentative essay is so called precisely because it expects the student to be argumentative. To present a point, or points, and to argue that these claims are true. An argumentative essay must present the other sides of the argument as well but only to aid the argument put forth by the student. The student substantiates his or her argument by refuting the opposing points. An argumentative essay can actually be a lot of fun to write. Especially if you are the type of person who loves debate and banter.

Definition Essay: Narrative

Unlike an argumentative essay, the narrative essay expects you to tell your story in prose and it is typical to do this from a personal perspective. Anecdote, experience and personal opinion are all welcome in the narrative essay in contrast to argumentative essays or expository. Another significant difference is writing style or prose. In the narrative essay, students are expected to write following a story outline. This means including the usual story beginning, end and plot. The narrative essay also requires the student to develop characters and set a scene.

Definition Essay: Descriptive

The descriptive essay is a style of essay that requires the student to describe an object, person, place, experience, emotion or a situation. This type of essay hones the student’s ability to create a written account of a particular experience. In the descriptive essay, the student is afforded artistic license. He or she can, is expected to even, paint a vivid and moving picture for the reader.

Definition Essay: Term Paper

Term papers and research papers are often interchangeable and sometimes confused with an essay. In many respects, the term paper and the essay share much in common. Each must make a point and articulate that point clearly and concisely. The main difference between a term paper and an essay is usually the theme. A term paper generally requires students to exhibit understanding of aspects of everything they have learned within the term. An essay on the other hand will ask the student to investigate a specific topic and form an argument or thesis around a certain area within the subject.

As with all academic writing, the general rules of good content and organization apply. Understanding the differences in the types of essays required in tertiary study will go a long way to helping students format, organize and choose topics for their essays.

Finely formed words that illuminate and inform are the foundation of the delightful descriptive essay. Seriously, that is a bit over the top but it is true that the descriptive essay wants more creative prose than other kinds of essays. The nature of the descriptive essay lends itself to essays about experience or case study rather than pure fact.  As such successful descriptive essays frequently center on themes of personal drama or growth or a cathartic event.

The top 10 descriptive essay topics are about:

1. Important people
2. Unique experiences
3. Significant events
4. Emotional events
5. Historic reenactment
6. Pets or family members
7. World events
8. Life’s lessons
9. Fictional places or characters
10. Future places or people

No matter what the subject a great descriptive essay is created using all the senses to compel the reader to experience the event as if they were there. A good rule of thumb is to say that if the reader is unable to clearly form impressions of what you are describing you have not yet done your job. Other tips for creating a descriptive essay are:

Organize and Outline

Like all prose, the descriptive essay must be easy to follow and the surest way to make sure this happens is to create an outline that logically takes the reader through the course of events. Some students think that creative license is equivalent to tangential and that is a big mistake. A descriptive essay is still an academic document and research, grammar and syntax remain as important as ever.

Brainstorm ideas

Mind mapping is a super technique for getting creative juices flowing. If for example you are choosing to write about a day at the beach you might start with beach and branch off into sand, shells, and other things you might find in the sand. You might then move onto the water and then the interaction of the sand and the water. Jotting down words in a stream of consciousness style will take you down some interesting paths and provide some great ideas for your descriptive essay. From these words compile descriptive lists and before you know it, you will have ample information to research and write from.

Edit for grammar and language

Chose words carefully, particularly for their relevancy in relation what you are describing. Attempt to show the reader what you are describing rather than telling them what is there. Adjectives are welcome in descriptive essays and should be used to make events and people interesting.

Employ the senses

Remember, if you are describing something, you need to be appealing to the senses of the reader. Remember show don’t tell the reader what the sensory experience is like, help them to smell the air, feel the chill, listen to the foghorns in the distance while they taste the saltiness on the wind and see the ships in the harbor

Illuminate

Use vivid language to form tangible images in the mind of the reader. Choose words that offer nuance that leads the reader to anticipation and then revelation.

Appeal to the readers emotions

If you can describe emotions or feelings related to your topic, you will connect with the reader on a deeper level and prompt them to want more. Tap into the reader’s emotional reservoir to create a moving descriptive essay

Finish with a bang!

Complete the descriptive essay with a revelation, a cliffhanger or a moral dilemma and they will think about the meaning and story of the descriptive essay long after they have finished reading it and you will have achieved literary success.

Leading the world in vocational education TAFE NSW are the pioneers in the field. The TAFE system was founded in Australia in the region of New South Wales (NSW) and since that time Australia has been leading the world in this innovative teaching system. This system works remarkably well with international students.

Facts about TAFE NSW Courses:

TAFE NSW is Australia’s leading provider of vocational education and training with more than 500,000 enrolments each year. 

TAFE NSW offer 1,200 plus vocational qualifications from Certificate to Advanced Diploma level, as well as Graduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas, and Statements of Attainment and TAFE NSW statements.

TAFE NSW also offers higher education qualifications at Degree level. A wide range of short courses provide professional development opportunities and career acceleration options.

TAFE NSW delivers a range of long and short courses that offer a choice of industry areas, learning styles and qualifications to suit individual needs. Courses are offered full-time, part-time and flexibly through distance and online learning.

This is all really good stuff but even better is that TAFE NSW courses are available internationally through The Open Training and Education Network (OTEN). OTEN work with TAFE NSW courses to provide the same internationally recognized Australian credentials to students around the globe. In fact, through OTEN, Australian Nationally Recognized Training in a range of vocational areas is offered by distance learning to people living anywhere in the world. Almost all of the TAFE NSW courses available are offered internationally through OTEN?

In addition to the range of certificate and diploma courses offered through TAFE NSW there are a number of courses that fall under a category of TAFE Plus and these courses are unbelievably flexible and they are offered primarily online so again, you can take these courses wherever in the world you are. One of the most unique advantages of TAFE Plus courses are that students can enroll at any time of the year. That is a big plus for many people. In particular, students who want to enroll to up skill for work or employers wanting to increase worker skill sets find that being able to jump into a program at any time is a major benefit.

TAFE NSW courses do not stop there when it comes to being aligned to the needs of industry. In fact, nationally recognized qualifications offered by TAFE NSW are developed in consultation with industry. Courses are updated regularly to ensure their currency and relevance so that when students graduate with a TAFE NSW qualification, they have skills and knowledge that are relevant and closely linked to industry needs. Employers of TAFE NSW course students are confident employees can perform tasks to a required industry standard.

TAFE NSW courses also offer modern and traditional apprenticeships and traineeships. The differences between these are the type of work and the length of study. Apprenticeships usually last three or four years and cover 'traditional' trades such as carpentry, electrical, hairdressing and plumbing. Traineeships typically last one or two years and provide training in vocational areas not usually covered by apprenticeships. Traineeships are available across a diverse range of emerging careers in most sectors of business and industry.

TAFE NSW courses provide amazing opportunities to improve, up skill or improve career prospects no matter what kind of lifestyle you have or where in the world you live. They are worthwhile investigating especially if you want the flexibility these courses offer.