Reviewing criminal justice baccalaureate curricula: The importance of student input

While criminal justice undergraduate enrollments continue to burgeon, rarely do criminal justice departments conduct comprehensive surveys of their majors as part of the baccalaureate curriculum review process. This paper describes one such survey completed by 238 criminal justice majors at Wayne State University in Detroit. Major survey findings are presented along with their implications for student and faculty diversity, curriculum design, teaching and grading methods, student advising, and department administration.     

Assessing computer technology in the criminal justice classroom: A case study

Previous research examining computer-assisted teaching is inconclusive. Some studies find enhanced student performance while others find no difference from traditional-approach pedagogy. This case study compares student performance and course evaluations for computer-assisted and traditional-approach sections in three criminal justice courses: crime theory, criminal courts, and inequality in the justice system. Overall results indicate a significant difference between student performance in computer-assisted and traditional classes. Yet differences are not the same for each course. The theory course shows the least difference while the courts course had the greatest difference. Student evaluation data indicate computer-assisted activities are enjoyed, yet differences from traditional-approach sections are not significant. Questions for future research on the use of technology in teaching are raised.     

One-person criminal justice programs: An exploratory study

This article examines the issues that confront one-person criminal justice programs. These programs, operated by only one full-time faculty member, have both advantages and disadvantages. Identification, categorization, and analysis of the many relevant issues are the focus of this exploratory study. Nationwide more than one-third of the community college criminal justice programs are staffed by only one educator, as are some four-year college programs. It is important to ensure that the negative points inherent in one-person programs do not impair the quality of criminal justice education.     

Does majoring in criminal justice affect perceptions of criminal justice

Research continues to show that the public holds misperceptions about crime and criminal justice. The media influences the public in many of these misperceptions, often shaping beliefs and ideologies. Higher education gives criminal justice majors the opportunity to gain much more accurate knowledge than the general public. Nonetheless, it is the public that heavily influences the development of the criminal justice system. It is important, therefore, to examine the influence of criminal justice education. Criminal justice majors and non-majors in a Midwestern university were surveyed with regard to demographics and perceptions of crime and criminal justice. Results indicate that criminal justice majors have significantly different perceptions about criminal justice issues than non-majors. Implications for educating the public are discussed.     

The international criminal court: A guide for criminal justice educators

The International Criminal Court formalizes a legal system which transcends national boundaries. This paper provides instructors desiring to incorporate discussions of the court into their classes with a summary of key topics. Among the topics covered are a brief history of the establishment of the court, its structure, operation, and jurisdiction, U.S. opposition to the court, and the limited role the court can play in combating terrorism. Appendices provide a timeline of the development of international criminal law, information on other sources of law regarding terrorism, and a list of selected sources for further information on the court.     

The pedagogical use of internships in criminal justice programs: A nationwide study

Internships have been viewed as an important component of many disciplines, including criminal justice. Most studies on the use of internships in criminal justice, however, have been program-specific discussions and have not focused on how they are used in general. This study uses a nationwide survey of 99 programs to ascertain the organization, application, implementation, and evaluation of internships in criminal justice. The data reveal that although there are some differences in how programs use these internships, there are also a number of similarities. Implications for changes based on these results are addressed.     

The graduate record examination as a predictor of graduate student performance: The case of criminal justice

Research on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a predictor of graduate student performance has been marked by much debate. Thornell and McCoy (1985) have found that the relationship between student performance and the GRE may be sensitive to the discipline being studied. While unexplained to date, this disciplinary variation may be related to the differences in means and/or relative dispersions of GRE scores among disciplines. Further, there has been only one study (McKee, Mallory, and Campbell, in press) for criminal justice, the field with the lowest mean GRE score. This paper focuses on this neglected field. Data were collected from the files of 70 criminal justice majors in a master's program at a large midwestern urban university. The results indicate that GRE scores are largely unrelated to indicators of graduate student performance (GPA, grades in specific classes, and the completion of the M.A. degree). The one exception is a strong relationship between verbal GRE and graduate GPA. This relationship may indicate a nonlinear ceiling effect wherein verbal GRE scores affect GGPA, mainly in disciplines with means at the low end of the verbal GRE score distribution.     

A commitment to justice at a jesuit university: A comparison of criminal justice majors to non-majors

While both criminal justice programs and Jesuit institutions claim commitment to the realization of justice, their conceptions of justice differ. This exploratory survey of 31 criminal justice majors and 51 non-majors compares criminal justice majors' concept of justice with that of non-criminal justice majors. We find that criminal justice majors and non-majors generally do not differ in their views of justice or their rank of goals for specific criminal justice professionals, regardless of the number of theology/philosophy or criminal justice courses taken or other demographic factors.     

Restorative justice in the criminal justice curriculum

A perennial challenge for criminal justice educators is deciding which reform movements in criminal justice are worthy of coverage. Restorative justice is one such new movement that has made significant inroads in both criminal justice policy and practice. In this article, we argue that there are numerous benefits to including coverage of restorative justice in a criminal justice curriculum. We also offer a number of concrete suggestions for helping students learn about this radically different approach to dealing with crime.     

Part-time faculty status and student evaluation of teaching: An analysis of criminal justice classes

Although part-time (p/t) faculties constitute a growing proportion of college instructors, there is little work on their level of teaching effectiveness relative to full-time (f/t) faculty. Previous work on a key indicator of perceived teaching effectiveness, student evaluation of teaching (SET), and faculty status (p/t/ vs f/t) is marked by a series of shortcomings including lack of a systematic theoretical framework and lack of multivariate statistical analysis techniques to check for possible spuriousness. The present study corrects for these shortcomings. Data consist of SETs from 175 sections of criminal justice classes taught at a Midwestern urban university. Controls are introduced for variables drawn from the literature and include ascribed characteristics of the professor, grade distribution, and structural features of the course (e.g., level, size). The results of a multivariate regression analysis indicate that even after controlling for the other predictors of SETs, p/t faculty receive significantly higher student evaluation scores than f/t faculty. Further, faculty status was the most important predictor of SETs. The results present the first systematic evidence on faculty status and SETs.     

Belief in a just world,teacher justice,and student achievement: A multilevel study

The meaning of belief in a just world and students' subjective experience of the justice of their teachers' behavior toward them personally for academic achievement was examined. Sample 1 involved 947 secondary school students from 67 classes (grade levels 9 to 11), and Sample 2 718 students from 48 classes (grade level 9). Multilevel analyses revealed that the more the students believed in a personal just world, the more they felt their teachers' behavior toward them personally to be just and the better grades they received; the association between BJW and student achievement was fully mediated by teacher justice experience. It was concluded that personally experienced teacher justice is a key feature of a school environment that is conducive to student achievement.     

Mastery learning,rewriting assignments and student learning of criminal justice research methods

This research examines the application of mastery learning theory to the teaching of criminal justice research methods. Mastery learning has students learn each module before proceeding to the next one. Criminal justice research methods is amenable to mastery learning because the course content is cumulative; students need to know each step before proceeding to the next one. Mastery learning was implemented by having students rewrite exercises until they obtained perfect scores. It was tested in three classes taught by the same instructor. Student learning was measured by comparing the difference in scores on a pretest examination with scores on a post-test examination. The results indicated that the better students performed on the exercises, the more they improved on the final examination over the initial examination. The more students rewrote assignments, the better they performed on the assignments and subsequently, the more they improved on the final examination. Students who averaged between one and two rewrites maximized improvement on the examination. The results suggest that mastery learning theory is an effective method of teaching research methods. Although it is more time consuming than traditional methods, it is beneficial to students who are trying to learn difficult material for the first time.     

A model for teaching criminal justice ethics

Questionnaire data from 137 panel chairs at the 2003 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences meeting in Boston reveal respondent perceptions of the conference site, overall impressions of the conference, as well as panelist attendance, and the quality of information presented by panelists. The findings reveal high marks for the conference space, hotel rooms, and the city of Boston itself, resulting in an overall positive conference experience, but responses also highlight several areas of concern, including panelist attendance problems and presentation etiquette. Recommendations are provided, which may foster positive, incremental change at future ACJS annual meetings.     

A preliminary study of student attitudes on juvenile justice policy

The philosophy and practice of juvenile justice have experienced significant transformations in the last 100 years. A shift to “get tough” attitudes has prompted various legislative reforms and has changed if not hardened attitudes toward youth. In context of these policy developments and social attitudes, this paper summarizes a preliminary study of 1104 undergraduate students on their attitudes on juvenile justice policies in the United States. Student perceptions of school violence, and attitudes toward zero tolerance and drug testing are reported. The authors discuss the responses of criminal justice majors and consider the implications of their academic experience on knowledge and attitudes about juvenile justice.     

A criminal justice contribution to a general education diversity requirement

In the United States, colleges and universities have recently increased attention to diversity of faculty, staff, and student populations. Among the manifestations of the diversity movement are calls for modifications of general education courses to include coverage of cultural or human diversity. At the University at Albany, one of the first human diversity courses was offered by the School of Criminal Justice. The authors review the objectives of the course, the teaching materials selected, and students' reactions to the first offering of the course. Among the most troubling reactions was students' resistance to history, to explorations of context of criminal justice practice, and to examination of current discriminatory policy and practice.     

Student satisfaction with distance education in a criminal justice graduate course

As distance education becomes more widespread and sophisticated, a key concern should be how well programming meets the needs of its student clientele. The present study examines student satisfaction across learning environments (studio versus remote) and over time. Survey questionnaires were administered in a distance education course, and scales were constructed for (1) evaluation of the instructor and (2) specific aspects of distance education. Attitudes were generally favorable, although most students would still prefer a “traditional” classroom and satisfaction ratings significantly declined over time. Implications for improving services are explored regarding technological aspects of the classroom that pose difficulties for some students.