Date of Award
4-3-2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
John Beineke
Committee Members
Ahlam Lee; Daniel O'Meara; Joseph Nichols; Thomas Raliff
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2015 L24
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a model syllabus template for use in community college criminal justice programs. Additionally, the model syllabus proposes a framework upon which an ethics course in criminal justice could be constructed. Syllabi were collected from criminology instructors who teach criminal justice ethics courses at Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredited community colleges. Key components of these criminology syllabi were reviewed for common words, phrases, and concepts for incorporation into the model syllabus template. The initial step was the development of a rubric, based on a grounded theory, open coding research tool. The open coding rubric was based on the development and labeling of words, phrases, and conceptual ideologies from gathered syllabi. The rubric content was gleaned from multiple texts and website samples. As syllabi were received, a review process to include common words, phrases, and concepts took place, examining the content for each rubric component. Once this information was identified, it was documented, and the findings coded according to the developed rubric. The words, phrases, and concepts identified were specific to the categories considered in the rubric and necessary for the accurate development of a model syllabus template. The intent of the rubric was to identify both objective categories and subjective learning outcomes. After the model syllabus template was completed, a panel of experts was asked to review the model syllabus and provide recommendations, which were then integrated into the final model syllabus product. After the initial recommendations were returned from the participating experts, the results were consolidated into the model template and adjustments were made. The updated model was returned one additional time to the experts for any follow-up recommendations. The learning-centered approach used in the syllabus template creation was explicitly apparent within the collected syllabi, regardless of the scaffolding procedures used to attain individual learning outcomes. The results included 64 syllabi requested from 70 community colleges within the HLC that were identified as having criminal justice programs and curricula that included an ethics course. Three attempts were made for each of the 70 community colleges to obtain ethics syllabi. Sixty-four syllabi (91%) were obtained for analysis. During the analysis of each syllabus, several areas of concern were noted. First, less than 10% of the returned syllabi included instructor web contact information, which seemed unusual given the technology in today's society. Second, one area of notice, embedded within the evaluation and grading criteria in collected syllabi, was the lack of indicated methods of evaluation and grade breakdown at the midterm point. Only 3% of the returned syllabi included a grading scale for midterm grade analysis. This item seems critical for tracking student progress. Third, only 3% of the returned syllabi included information concerning rubrics for presentations, even though 27% of group activities included some type of individual or group presentations. The implications of this study brought several things to light. First, of the 172 community colleges offering criminal justice degree programs within the HLC, only 70 required an ethics course as part of their criminal justice curricula. Second, considering the nature and abundance of corruption within the criminal justice system, it would appear that the number of ethics classes incorporated into criminal justice program curricula is inadequate. Third, minimal guidance concerning student progress at the midterm evaluation point leaves each student with the responsibility to assess his or her own progress. This lack of midterm guidance gives the appearance that faculty regards a midterm evaluation of student progress insignificant. Fourth, this study included ethics courses offered in criminal justice curricula with both philosophy and criminal justice prefixes. Regardless of the ethics course prefix, classes must rigorously address the origin, depth, and relationship of ethical decisions to relevant paradoxes in criminal justice.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Larkins, Douglas Ray, "The Development of a Model Syllabus for Use at the Community College Level in Criminal Justice Programs with Ethics Courses" (2015). Student Theses and Dissertations. 704.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/704
