SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2011 - 2012 : Educational Programs :
Criminal Justice, Security Studies MS
Criminal Justice, Security Studies MS
2 Goals 2 Objectives 2 Indicators 2 Criteria 2 Findings 2 Actions
| GOAL: Practical Application Of National Security Principles |
| Objective |
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Students completing the Master of Science degree in Security Studies will be able to provide comprehensive analysis and apply problem solving techniques to complex issues applicable to defense of the Homeland. |
| Indicator |
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Integration of theoretical approaches to problem solving with practical analytical solutions is a primary indicator of the success of the program. During the Internship students routinely receive critiques and personal evaluations from both the faculty member monitoring the student and the employer who supervises the student intern. In addition, students provide periodic written progress reports during the internship. Immediate performance feedback is provided to students so that the student will be able to improve their performances if warranted. |
| Criterion |
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It is not enough to perform well in the classroom. Nearly each course students take in the Security Studies program requires successful completion of some measurable out-of-class project. Students will score greater than 85% on these exercises. Moreover, successful completion of the required Internship with an 85% score provides a critical evaluation for students seeking to graduate from the program. |
| Finding |
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As noted in the indicator section, security studies students are routinely engaged in out of classroom exercises that task their imagination and creativity as well as their organizational and briefing skills. In addition, during their internships students are evaluated by faculty as well as the intern’s employer. As faculty we strongly stress this level of student participation as preparation for entering the workforce. During this reporting period, students exceeded our expectations with 87% of our students scoring greater than 85% on their out of class projects and internship evaluations. Successful completion of the required internship with an 85% score provides a critical evaluation for students seeking to graduate from the program as it expands their base of experience and potential employers evaluate their employability. |
Actions for Objective:
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Even though the goal of 87% of students meeting our performance objective was achieved more work needs to be done to improve the quality of our outside projects. To this end, additional practical exercises supported by the cooperation of other classes will be introduced. Moreover, the faculty responded to student input to provide a wider variety of electives available to them in order to achieve this variation in project variability. For example, one new elective is a two part course that spans two semesters of instruction and, following completion, students are qualified to receive certificates in crisis management. |
| GOAL: Demonstrate Core Competency |
| Objective |
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Students graduating with a MS in Security Studies will demonstrate comprehensive assessment of the major issues and principles related to Homeland Security through integration of core knowledge and core competencies. |
| Indicator |
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The Capstone course, CJ688, for Security Studies students requires substantial research and integration of theories and principles of completed coursework in order to successfully complete the Paper’s requirements. The project requires students to state a Homeland Security or related issue and put it in context of the related security field; conduct a comprehensive literature review of the issue and analyze the issue in terms of a security problem or situation and explain how the situation was resolved and provide thoughtful insight into how the issue may have been resolved differently. Through this analysis of the problem’s solution, strengths and weaknesses in the mastery of core competencies emerge. |
| Criterion |
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| 80% is considered a minimum standard and students will receive incremental feedback during the research process to ensure appropriate topical progress is being made. As we noted in 2010-2011, we seek to determine if our revisions improve the areas of writing, analysis and research techniques, weaknesses that emerged last year. |
| Finding |
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Successful completion of the Capstone course is a graduation requirement, but, more than that, it provides the student an opportunity to expand the knowledge base in a topic that is specifically interesting to them. In evaluating the quality of these compositions it is easy to determine who has put in the work and done the research. Students are encouraged to choose topics that will generate self-interest and those students that do this score better. Students are afforded the opportunity to not only expand their knowledge base but also their writing and analytic skills. An evaluation of their writing shows that over the course of their two years in the program, that, for most students, their ability to express themselves on paper has markedly improved. We believe this is a result of greater emphasis on writing skills in all security studies courses. |
Actions for Objective:
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The Security Studies faculty places a premium on the ability of students to express themselves on paper and to demonstrate certain analytical skills that complement their research capabilities. In this regard we are working to hire an analysis instructor who will have the mandate to teach the analytic writing style and analytic research methods that will complement the research methods course. The payoff for this will be better quality student papers and a better Capstone course result. |
| Closing the Loop |
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Student goals for the MS in Security Studies were largely met for this reporting period; however, additional work needs to be done in order to assure that each student receives maximum benefit from the program. During the last reporting period, student comments regarding quality of instruction were very favorable; however, students suggested the program could include additional and more focused national security-related content. To this end, in Fall 2011 semester a visiting professor was hired who taught four classes this past academic year covering subjects not normally available to students. We will continue this practice in the coming academic year in order to seek additional quality course content pertinent to the Master of Security Studies program.
Also, greater emphasis needs to be placed on following students' progress as they seek their first jobs. In fields as variable as Homeland Security or Private Security students are often lost when it comes to beginning a job search. A well maintained follow-up database of successful student job searches would be a positive step to creating an in-house capacity for getting current students in touch with former students who are already in the job market. In summary, while we are generally pleased with our students’ performance in the Security Studies program, we are constantly seeking ways to improve the curriculum’s overall quality, thereby enhancing the overall educational experience for Security Studies students. |