OATdb Archive

2012 - 2013

Criminal Justice, Security Studies MS

Goal
Application Of Security Content / Principles In Real World Settings
Application Of Security Content / Principles in Real World Settings

Objective
Students Will Demonstrate The Ability To Security Principles In Vivo
Students preparing to graduate with a Master of Science will demonstrate the ability to apply security principles in the real world.

Indicator
Written Demonstration Of Application Of Principles
As a part of their assessed work, students will be required to apply the leadership and management principles presented in their courses to real world environments. This will take the form of essay exam questions or learning journal entries. This indicator will not be based on the examination or journal entries as a whole, but rather, on those aspects of the assignment that focus directly on the application of principles.

Criterion
At Least 85% Of Students Will Obtain A Rating Of Satisfactory Or Better
At least 85% of the students will demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge to their own working environments to sufficient depth as to receive a designation of “satisfactory” or better from the instructor.

Finding
Application Of Security Principles In Vivo.
This criterion was met as evidenced by student performance in the capstone course which requires application of theory to practice and integration of theory and practice; as well as by students' written work at their internship sites where students directly apply theory to practice and integrate the two. These were based on subjective ratings by the relevant instructors. For the 2013-2014 academic year, instructors will be asked to develop a rubric to assess these domains specifically. Rubrics developed for the M.S. program in Leadership and Management will be offered to the instructors as samples.

Finding
Evaluation Finding
More than 85% of the students evaluated received a rating of "satisfactory" or better.


Action
Develop Of Rubric To Assess Application Of Leadership & Mgmt. To Practice.
We will develop and implement a rubric assessing the application of leadership and management to practice and will employ that rubric instead of the 85% criterion.

Goal
Integration Of Theory And Practice
Integration of Theory and Practice

Objective
Students Will Demonstrate The Ability To Integrate Theory And Practice
Students preparing to graduate with a Master of Science will demonstrate the ability to integrate theory and practice.

Indicator
Written Demonstration Of Integration Of Theory And Practice
As a part of their assessed work, students will be required to integrate theory and practice. This will be in the form of essay exam questions or learning journal entries. This indicator will not be based on the examination or journal entries as a whole, but rather, on those aspects of the assignment that focus directly on the application of principles.

Criterion
At Least 85% Of Students Will Obtain A Rating Of Satisfactory Or Better To Apply Knowledege
At least 85% of the students will demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge to their own working environments to sufficient depth as to receive a designation of “satisfactory” or better from the instructor.

Finding
Integration Of Theory And Practice
This criterion was met as evidenced by student performance in the capstone course which requires application of theory to practice and integration of theory and practice; as well as by students' written work at their internship sites where students directly apply theory to practice and integrate the two. These were based on subjective ratings by the relevant instructors. For the 2013-2014 academic year, instructors will be asked to develop a rubric to assess these domains specifically. Rubrics developed for the M.S. program in Leadership and Management will be offered to the instructors as samples.

Action
Develop Rubric Assessing Integration Of Theory With Practice
We will develop and implement a rubric assessing the integration of theory and practice and will employ that rubric instead of the 85% criterion.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement We have hired a full-time security studies faculty member, John Payne, who specializes in national security issues. Moreover, we have begun a database of alumni and internship placement sites to facilitate job searches for our graduates.

Plan for continuous improvement With two new full-time faculty members and a revamped program we are in the process of developing assessment tools for student outcomes and faculty outcomes. We hope to implement those so they are in place by Fall, 2014. The aforementioned rubrics will be part of that process.