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CRJ 645
Instructor:
Bobby Moore, Ph.D. Course Goals and Objectives: It is the goal of this course to introduce the student to the various technologies and their impact on the criminal justice field. Topics to be addressed include:
Classroom Attendance: This course is being offered in an online summer session, and therefore the materials will be presented in a compressed format. Students are not required to attend a physical classroom, but this should in no means be construed to mean that students will spend less time on the materials. The course is designed in such a manner that students will devote the same amount of time to preparing materials that is expected in a classroom-based summer session course (10 hours per week). Grading: Please note that submission of papers, assignments, etc. should be sent to the professor in either Word format (*.doc) or Rich Text Format (*.rtf). If you have any questions about how to save files in these formats, please see the end of this document. Each student’s final grade will be composed of the following: EXAMS: There will be 2 exams given throughout the semester; 1 exam at the midpoint of the summer term and a final exam to be administered at the conclusion of the course. The exams will consist of a series of short answer and essay questions. Short answers should be no longer than 3 or 4 sentences, while essay questions should be no shorter than ½ page single spaced (Times New Roman font) or 1 page double spaced. Use of any font other than Times New Roman requires 1 ¼ page responses. This exam will take a minimum of 1 and 1 ½ hours to complete and a maximum of 2 hours. Examinations will be graded on depth of content, as well as grammatical and organizational presentation. The examinations will account for 30% of the final grade. These exams will be posted on WebCT for a period of several days. You may download the exam any time during the open period (see the calendar for the last day you may turn in exam – NOT DOWNLOAD). You have 3 hours from the time you download the exam to complete the exam and upload the final project. You should not use your textbook in answering these questions and should instead study as if this exam was being given in the classroom. FINAL PAPER: Each student should select a technological device that is of interest to them and prepare a paper that addresses the advantages and disadvantages to using the technology. This paper should be a minimum of twelve pages (not including title page and abstract). The APA format of citations should be used in preparing this paper. Plagiarizing is of course unacceptable and anyone caught doing so will receive a grade of “F” for the course. Please check the course calendar for the due date of the paper. The paper will account for 30% of the final grade. If you have any questions or concerns relating to how to write the paper, how to develop a topic, or what to cover in your paper, please feel free to contact the professor. Also, the professor’s personal webpage (web address listed above) contains a guide to graduate study at Delta State University. This guide contains an overview of APA style writing, which is the accepted format for submitting papers in the Criminal Justice program. ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS: Each week students will be provided with a series of questions designed to measure the student’s reading of the assigned materials. These questions are due by the Friday of the week in which they are posted. These assignments will account for 20% of the final grade and will be graded on the quality of the answers to the questions. These readings are technical reports in many cases, originating from the Department of Justice. It would benefit you to read the questions, and then read the materials. As you encounter what appears to be an answer, reread the question and then formulate your answer. DISCUSSION POSTINGS: There will be two threaded discussion boards operating during the course. Ø Board One: Each week students will be provided with a thorough reading list composed of works prepared by scholars in the criminal justice field, or professional agencies that evaluate technology for criminal justice agencies. After reading these materials, each student will be expected to prepare a brief response relating to how they perceive the technology to be impacting the field of technology and what are some advantages and disadvantages of the technology’s use. These responses should be no less than 400 words and no more than 1000 words. Each student is to select, at a minimum, one of their classmate’s essays and prepare a 100 word comment concerning whether they agree or disagree. The 400 word initial essay is due the Friday the assignment is posted, while the 100 word response is not due until the Tuesday following the assignment’s due date. Students are welcome to continue discussing a posting beyond the initial required postings. If you believe that someone has countered your essay with something that is wrong or that you disagree with, then you are encouraged to post a follow-up, and so forth. Ø Board Two: Throughout each week the professor will post questions and comments concerning the upcoming week’s readings. Twice a week (Wednesday and Friday) the professor will check the course’s message board to ensure that students are in fact responding to the questions. Along with responding to the professor’s questions, each student will respond to one fellow student’s response. These responses to the professor’s questions should be no less than 200 words, while responses to fellow students can be no less than 150 words. Questions must be answered by the Friday of the week in which they are posted. Student responses may continue on into the middle of the following week. Posting grades will take into account the quantity of postings, as well as the quality of these postings. For example, did you meet only the minimum number of posts, were the posts thought-provoking, etc? These postings will account for 20% of the final grade.
A Note on Graduate Online Courses Online courses provide students the opportunity to engage in advanced study in a more convenient manner, meaning that students have the ability to choose when they wish to conduct their studies. However, students should not believe that taking an online course means that deadlines are arbitrary and non-binding. There will be no late papers and no late assignments accepted. Each student will have 5 days, the same as a student in the classroom would have, to complete assignments. Also, students who take advantage of the discussion boards will find that they can acquire almost the same level of interaction with fellow students as if they were in the classroom setting. In fact, having the opportunity to read and reread postings can provide students with the chance to reflect on concepts and then respond with more thought-provoking responses. It if for this reason that grades on postings evaluate the time, effort, and thought that go into posting comments on the online discussion board. Finally, students who are having trouble with any of the materials in the course are encouraged to contact the professor concerning the possibility of scheduling a time to engage in instantaneous chat sessions. Should students determine that there is something that they are having trouble understanding, or should they merely want to engage in a deeper discussion of a particular concept, then the professor is more than willing to set up a time in which a live chat session can be used to meet these requests. Grading Scale: A = 90% - 100% B = 80% - 89% C = 70% - 79% D = 60% - 69% F = Under 60% Students with Disabilities: If a student has a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Saving Files with .rtf and .doc Extensions If you are typing in Microsoft Word, then disregard these instructions, as .doc is the default file type. However, if you are typing in Microsoft WordPad, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Notepad, Corel WordPerfect, or any other similar typing software, then please adhere to the following directions. When saving a file, a dialog box should open asking you what you wish to name the file. Somewhere inside this dialog box will be the option of “Save as type” or “File type” or some similar phrase. By clicking on the arrow, a drop down box should appear. Scroll down until you find the type, “Rich Text Format”. Type in your file name and choose the save button. This should save the file in the rich text format. If you have any problems or questions please feel free to contact the professor.
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