OATdb Archive - Sam Houston State University

OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

Criminal Justice, Victim Services Management MS

Goal

Assist Students In Developing Skills Required For Victim Services Delivery

Implement a capstone course (CRIJ 6338 Coordinating Victim Services) to serve as the summative and ACE course for completion of the MSVSM degree. This couse will prepare students for future victim-service related occupations.

Objective

Implement A Capstone Course That Will Be Required For The Completion Of The MS VSM Degree

Implement CRIJ 6338 Coordinating Victim Services course that will serve as the summative and ACE course during completion of the MSVSM degree. This course will prepare all MS VSM students for future victim service related occupations. Student will be able to:

Examine professional stakeholders in victims services delivery to ensure efficient, professional, and cooperative victim-centered responses to trauma and criminal victimization
Evaluate the preventative and reactive mechanisms available to a range of government and non-government providers and synthesize the management of these victims service provisions
Explore the challenges of coordinating efforts between different professional organizations and ways to critically and effectively address problems in the field by actively making a difference in the community to improve the quality of life by providing critical victim services information to agencies and organizations.

Indicator

Students Will Demonstrate An Ability To Address Client Needs And Create Coodinated And Victim-centered Responses

MS students will be able to

critically evaluate research methods for studying coordinated community response to criminal victimization through their weekly reading assignments
synthesize research from the literature and apply it to current issues in the field through their assigned weekly reading and field experiences
evaluate programs designed to address the impact of collaborative responses to victimization through their field experience

Criterion

Students Will Achieve 70 Percent Or Greater On A Cummulative Exit Exam

Students will complete a written exit exam at the conclusion of their degree in this course that includes a compilation of students’ community agencies/stakeholder field experience, theories learned in former MVSM courses and present course, and the most updated research regarding students’ selected area of interest in victimization.

Finding

All Students Successfully Met The 70% Criteria

Eight students were enrolled in this course and successfully passed the course. Of the eight students, all scored higher than the 70 percent criteria. The greatest weakness of the students who scored lower tended to be due to weak writing and/or grammatical errors.

Action

Student Referral To Academic Success Center And Related Services Is Needed

Additional emphasis on utilizing the reading and writing center is the recommendation for continuous improvement in this area for future students taking this course.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

A MSVSM committee which included a working group of faculty members who actively teach in the program engaged in monthly discussion and planning activities to assess the content and learning objectives of the program. The MSVM committee examined program assessment activities of the MS in CJ Leadership and Management program as a source of possible criteria for assessment due to the similarities in the target population insofar as attracting professionals who are active in victim service provider agencies. The development of criteria began in the 2014-2015 assessment cycle, and the goals were met through enhancing the assessment of the program specifically examining the CRIJ 6338-Coordinating Victim Services course.

Plan for continuous improvement As this is a newly developed degree plan, the MS VSM committee which is comprised of all faculty teaching in the program will continue to meet on a regular basis. The committee is tasked with continuing to assess the content and learning objectives of the program.

Moving forward, a refined organizational structure for the leadership of this program should be discussed. A program coordinator would be an ideal approach to ensuring stability in assessment, continued program growth and development of internal processes and policies regarding various aspects of this program.