MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration Course Syllabus Course Description A comprehensive course that introduces students to the concepts of information system fundamentals, systems analysis and design methods, database design and modeling, structured query language, crime analysis and geographic information systems, and computer law. Course Textbook Vermaat, M. E. (2014). Microsoft Office 2013: Brief. Boston, MA: Cengage. Course Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1. Utilize the fundamental features of Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access) to develop professional documents and presentations and manipulate and efficiently organize data utilized in the criminal justice field. 2. Identify the major elements that comprise computer-based information systems. 3. Apply computer security principles and terminology, including ethical standards and privacy expectations. 4. Identify the key concepts associated with relational and spatial database theory and the related systems. 5. Describe the various file types, multivariate research design methods, and analysis programs used in geographic information systems (GIS). 6. Develop a familiarity with legal and evidentiary issues that relate to computers and technology. Credits Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit. Course Structure 1. Unit Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit. 2. Unit Lesson: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses unit material. 3. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook or resources found in the CSU Online Library. 4. Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are a part of all CSU term courses. Information and specifications regarding these assignments are provided in the Academic Policies listed in the Course Menu bar. 5. Unit Assessments: This course contains two Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of Units V and VI. Assessments are composed of written response questions. 6. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in each unit. Specific information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with the Unit I-IV, VII, and VIII Assignments. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below. 7. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions. 8. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 1
CSU Online Library There is a virtual library with resources, including both journals and ebooks, to support your program and your course at Columbia Southern University. eresources are accessible 24 hours a day/7 days a week from the CSU Online Library gateway page. To access the library, log into mycsu, and then click on CSU Online Library. Resources are organized in the library by title, but if you click on Research Guides, you will find eresources arranged by subject. The Library Reference service is available 7 days a week; you can reach CSU s virtual librarians by emailing thevirtuallibrarian@columbiasouthern.edu. These professional librarians will be glad to help you develop your research plan or to assist you in any way in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information. Librarian responses may occur within minutes or hours, but it will never take more than 24 hours for a librarian to send a response to the email address you have provided. Replies to reference requests may include customized keyword search strategies, links to videos, research guides, screen captures, attachments, a phone call, live screen sharing, and meeting room appointments, as well as other forms of instruction. Unit Assignments Unit I Project Course Project, Part 1 In Unit VIII of this course, you will be required to present a finalized course project, which requires you to apply your knowledge of computer applications for criminal justice. The material that you gather from this assignment and from your assignment in Unit II will be essential in assisting you in developing your final course project. You have been introduced to a couple of scholarly articles that explore various areas of technological advances in the field of criminal justice in the Unit I required reading. However, the topics covered in those articles are not exhaustive. To further explore the topics covered in this unit s lesson and required readings, you are required to do the following: Provide a brief summary about your knowledge concerning computer applications in the field of criminal justice prior to enrolling in this course. Provide a brief overview of the new material you have learned about computer applications in the field of criminal justice by working through this unit. o Be sure to include specific references to assigned readings and/or to incorporate information from additional peer-reviewed scholarly journals, which can be accessed through the CSU Online Library. Provide a brief statement about some of the topics that you want to further explore in the area of computer applications in the field of criminal justice. o Be sure to include a sound justification about why these additional topics are of interest to you. o Remember that you must cite any sources that have influenced your thoughts concerning the further exploration of these topics. Locate three current events that either address those new things that you learned in this unit or the future things you want to learn related to computer applications in the field of criminal justice. Provide a brief summary of the key points addressed in the current events you located. Complete one of the following tasks: o For current events that address those new things you learned in this unit, compare and contrast the key points identified in the current event with those that were discussed in this unit. o For current events that address future things that you want to learn related to computer applications in the field of criminal justice, discuss how you anticipate such topics to be addressed in subsequent units in this course. This part of your course project should be four to eight double-spaced pages in length, excluding the title page and reference page. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 2
Unit II Project Course Project, Part 2 In Unit VIII of this course, you will be required to present a finalized course project, which requires you to apply your knowledge of computers and technology in criminal justice to the discussion of future trends in this area. The material that you gather from this assignment will be essential in assisting you in developing your final course project. The final course project will require you to explore the future of computing and technology in criminal justice using at least two Microsoft Office applications, integrating scholarly research, and including sections on the current status, expected future status, and the overall impact on the criminal justice system. You will also have to incorporate related feedback from Part 1 and 2 of the class project into the final course project. In Part 1 of the class project, you were required to complete several tasks, including providing a brief statement about some of the topics that you wanted to further explore in the area of computer applications in the field of criminal justice. You were also encouraged to locate current events related to the future areas you wanted to explore. Part 2 of the class project will allow you to use the resources you gathered in Part 1 of the class project. For the purposes of this part of the project, you are required to prepare a detailed outline of your proposed class project. It is expected that you will outline the content of your project in its entirety. The outline must include: a project topic (related to computer applications for criminal justice), a thesis statement, two or more summary statements for each section of the outline, and an annotated bibliography with references that are in APA format. The annotated bibliography must contain a minimum of 10 sources. Five of those sources must be from scholarly and peer-reviewed works (e.g., books, journals, reports). The other five sources must come from periodicals (e.g., magazines, newspapers, videos) that are no more than five years old. Students may exceed the minimum number of required sources as long as the aforementioned criteria are met. Click here to view a condensed example of Part 2 of the class project. Unit III Project Database Design Project With this project, you will be required to apply the information that you acquired from the unit s readings to assist you in designing a relational database. For the purposes of this project, choose from one of the following agencies: a sheriff s department with less than 75 employees, a municipal court in a county with a population of 100,000, a medium-security transitional center with 500 beds, or a juvenile probation office in a large metropolitan community. Once you have chosen your agency, consider the following items. Your agency has recently created a specialized unit within its information technology department. You are the database administrator (DBA) who supervises that specialized unit. The sole purpose of the newly created unit is to organize the numerous types of data that are utilized by the agency into one database. The secondary objectives of the new unit are to ensure that the created database meets the needs of the agency, is user-friendly, is expandable, and is capable of addressing future organizational needs. Your task is as follows: Identify the agency you chose. Prepare a brief summary of the types of relations that are represented in the database that you are creating. Prepare an actual visual representation of the proposed database design. This can be accomplished by either o using the diagram options provided in programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint OR using various drawing software OR by neatly hand drawing the diagram. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 3
o Note: when using the diagram options in the Microsoft Office programs, you have to be careful to make sure that the diagram is not distorted as spacing changes throughout the document. When using drawing programs or the hand-drawing option, you have to make sure that the final product is captured as an image and inserted into your word processing document. o For conceptual guidance, you can refer to the Murthy Project chapter (pp. 267-271) and the Teorey, Lightstone, and Nadeau reading in its entirety. Prepare a brief discussion about the expected issues associated with implementation of the database (e.g., enduser concerns, cost, and implementation timeframe), measures implemented to address the issues associated with implementation, and measures implemented to ensure the database is expandable and able to address future organizational needs. Your discussion should be composed in a three- to four-page paper. All sources used, including the textbook, should be cited and referenced appropriately. Unit IV Project GIS Project In this unit (in addition to the assigned readings), you have been provided with several supplemental and suggested further reading resources to assist you in a continued exploration of geographic information systems (GIS). All three types of resources will assist you in completing this project. For the purposes of this project, choose from one of the following agencies: a sheriff s department with less than 75 employees, a municipal court in a county with a population of 100,000, a medium-security transitional center with 500 beds, or a juvenile probation office in a large metropolitan community. Your task is to create a presentation that will inform community members and your colleagues (who have no knowledge about GIS) about what GIS is, why GIS is different from the traditional maps that we are used to, how GIS can benefit the community and agency, and why GIS is important to the field of criminal justice. During your presentation, you are required to discuss at least one current event and at least three scholarly sources that support your point. Your presentation should be no longer than 15 to 20 minutes. Your final product must either be a PowerPoint presentation that includes a verbatim transcript of what you would say to the community (transcript would need to appear in the notes section of each slide and would need to contain only the verbiage related to each slide) OR a recorded video of yourself giving a mock presentation as outlined in the instructions. You also need to prepare a transcript of your video presentation. Keep in mind that if you choose to do a video, you will have to use an external video host such as YouTube or Vimeo. You will have to upload a word document of your transcript, which would need to include a link to the actual video. Unit V Lab Assignment The lab assignments for this course require students to complete exercises outlined in the textbook. Please be aware that the Clip Art feature from earlier versions of PowerPoint and Word have been discontinued. If a lab assignment instructs you to insert a clip art, students should do the following: 1. Click Insert, Online Pictures. 2. In the Image Search box, enter the type of picture you're looking for, and press Enter. 3. Navigate to the image. 4. Click to select the file, and then click Insert. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 4
Complete the following four-lab exercises as outlined in your textbook. Lab 1: WD 58-60, WD 128-131, PPT 61-65, PPT 135-138 OR Lab 2: WD 60-61, WD 131-133, PPT 65-68, PPT 138-142 Once you have finished, submit your documents by uploading them in Blackboard. Unit VI Lab Assignment Microsoft Office Lab: Excel and Access Complete the following four lab exercises as outlined in your textbook. Lab 1: EX 59-60, EX 123-124, AC 68-69, AC 129-131 OR Lab 2: EX 61-62, EX 125-126, AC 69-70, AC 131-132 Once you have finished, submit your documents by uploading them in Blackboard. Unit VII Project Computer Crimes Project In this unit, in addition to the assigned readings, you have been provided with a couple of suggested reading resources to assist you in a continued exploration of computer crimes, computer security, and associated ethical considerations. Both types of resources will assist you in completing this project. For the purposes of this project, choose from one of the following agencies: a sheriff s department with less than 75 employees, a municipal court in a county with a population of 100,000, a medium-security transitional center with 500 beds, or a juvenile probation office in a large metropolitan community. Your task is to create a presentation that will inform community members and your colleagues who have little to no knowledge about what constitutes a computer crime, the available computer security options, or the related ethical considerations about the 1) various types of computer crimes, 2) various types of computer security available from private and government entities, and 3) ethical considerations associated with defining computer crimes and securing computers. During your presentation, you are required to discuss at least three current events and at least three scholarly sources that support your point. Your presentation should be no longer than 15 to 20 minutes. Your final product must either be a: PowerPoint presentation that includes a transcript of what you would say verbatim to the community (transcript would need to appear in the notes section of each slide and would need to contain only the verbiage that is related to each slide). OR recorded video of yourself giving a mock presentation as outlined in the instructions. You also need to prepare a transcript of your video presentation. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 5
Keep in mind that if you choose to do a video, you will have to use an external video host such as YouTube or Vimeo. You will have to upload a word document of your transcript, which would need to include a link to the actual video. Unit VIII Final Project Course Project, Part 3 You are required to present a course project in which you apply your knowledge of computers and technology in criminal justice to the discussion of future trends in this area. The material that you gather for the Course Project Part 1 and Course Project Part 2 (as well as the related feedback you have received) will be essential in assisting you in developing your final class project. In Part 1 of the course project, you were required to complete several tasks, including providing a brief statement about some of the topics that you wanted to further explore in the area of computer applications in the field of criminal justice. You were also encouraged to locate current events related to the future areas you wanted to explore. Part 2 of the course project allowed you to use the resources you gathered in Part 1 of the course project by preparing a detailed outline. The outline included the project topic (related to computer applications for criminal justice), thesis statement, two or more summary statements for each section of the outline, and an annotated bibliography in APA format. The final class project will allow you to finish the project you developed in the outline prepared for Part 2 of the class project. In order to complete the final part of the course project, you must incorporate the following components: Explore the future of computing and technology in criminal justice by addressing the: o current status, o expected future status, and o overall impact on the criminal justice system. Use at least 10 scholarly sources in your discussion of the future of computing and technology in criminal justice. Five of those sources must be from scholarly and peer-reviewed works (e.g., books, journals, reports). The other five sources must come from periodicals (e.g., magazines, newspapers, videos) that are no more than five years old. Use at least two Microsoft Office applications covered in this course (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access) to visually present and/or support the assertions you are making. Your final project must be presented in one of three formats: a word processing document, a PowerPoint presentation, OR a video. Word processing documents should include all visual and/or supporting elements (e.g., images, spreadsheets, diagrams, reports) within the body of the document. There should only be one file uploaded. PowerPoint presentations should also include a transcript of what you would say if you were presenting your project in front of an audience. The transcript will need to appear in the notes section of each slide and will need to contain only the verbiage that is related to each slide. The PowerPoint presentation should also contain all visual and/or supporting elements (e.g., images, spreadsheets, diagrams, reports) within the body of the document. There should only be one file uploaded. The video should be either a recording of yourself presenting your final project as if you were presenting it in front of an audience OR a media creation (e.g., drama, brief documentary) that includes all the required components of the final project. You also need to prepare a transcript of your video presentation. You will have to use an external video host such as YouTube or Vimeo, and you will have to upload a word document of your transcript that includes a link to the actual video. There should only be one file uploaded. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 6
APA Guidelines The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU s Citation Guide in the mycsu Student Portal by clicking on the Citation Resources link in the Learning Resources area. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center. Grading Rubrics This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities. Rubric categories include: (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments). The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I s Discussion Board submission instructions. The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment. Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting Tools and then My Grades. Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades. Communication Forums These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below. Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums. Ask the Professor This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students. Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a nonpublic nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the professor within 48 hours. Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 7
Student Break Room This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers. Grading Discussion Boards (8 @ 2%) = 16% Unit Assessments (2 @ 6%) = 12% Lab Assignments (2 @ 10%) = 20% Unit I-IV and VII Projects (5 @ 8%) = 40% Unit VIII Final Project = 12% Total = 100% Course Schedule/Checklist (PLEASE PRINT) The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 8
MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration Course Schedule By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. Please keep this schedule for reference as you progress through your course. Unit I Computing Trends in the Criminal Justice System Unit Study Guide Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Project by Tuesday, Unit II Computer-Based Information Systems Unit Study Guide Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Project by Tuesday, Unit III Databases: Spatial and Relational Unit Study Guide Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Project by Tuesday, MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 9
MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration Unit IV Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Unit Study Guide Course Schedule Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Project by Tuesday, Unit V Microsoft Office: Word & PowerPoint Unit Study Guide Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Assessment by Tuesday, Lab Assignment by Tuesday, Unit VI Microsoft Office: Excel & Access Unit Study Guide Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Assessment by Tuesday, Lab Assignment by Tuesday, MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 10
MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration Unit VII Computer Security Unit Study Guide Course Schedule Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Project by Tuesday, Unit VIII Computers & Technology: Legal & Evidentiary Issues Unit Study Guide Required Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Final Project by Tuesday, MCJ 5078, Computer Applications for Criminal Justice Administration 11