Search

A small university in rural Texas explored developing a criminal justice bachelor's degree curriculum through the lens of perspective transformation focusing on humanity courses, resulting in a paradigm shift away from a traditional criminal justice baccalaureate degree curriculum. This article addresses the university's journey in developing the new degree program and its value to students and future employers by incorporating humanities courses into the curriculum.

The role of emotion in the context of virtual reality learning environments (VRLEs) has lately received increased attention, though there is a gap in the research on VRLEs in criminal justice. The current study examines the impact of a virtual reality experience that focuses on mental illness occurring in those within the criminal justice system. A qualitative methodology was employed to examine student responses from 242 students in five criminal justice classes taught in two states between 2019 and 2020. Three themes emerged from the students' responses, including personal connections, empathy for others, and emotional responses to situational factors. Students experienced considerable presence and immersion during the virtual reality experience, and this generated emotional responses in them to the material. While the use of virtual reality in the pedagogy of social science is still emerging, the current study indicates that student can be provided a high degree of control and value in learning from the experience while simultaneously minimizing student exposure to risk.

The swift evolution of digital spaces challenges the established norms of ethical research policy. Ineffective ethical review diminishes researchers' ability to conduct cutting-edge and socially sensitive research, institutions' ability to engage at the forefront of technology, and the relationship between researcher and committee. In criminology and other disciplines that navigate sensitive research, especially when working with ephemeral data in digital field sites, researchers require fast ethical approval turnarounds and ethics committees that can navigate ethical issues that challenge norms of analogue research. Few publications consider the ethical challenges that digital research on topics of criminological interest encounter. This study appraises experiences of ethical review in published studies and draws on a survey of digital criminological researchers who faced rejections and roadblocks from ethical review. We show that, when researchers report a disconnect between their needs and their ethics committees' responses, roadblocks to ethics approval emerge and preclude research, that may be authorized in other comparable research institutions, from proceeding.

Teaching preparation is critical to success in graduate school, as many doctoral students across disciplines are expected to teach or assist in teaching undergraduate classes as part of a graduate assistantship or in the capacity of adjunct faculty. Many go on to enter their chosen fields in the academy with the expectation that they are fully prepared to develop and teach their own courses at the undergraduate and even graduate level. This paper explores the frequency and type of teaching preparation and professional development coursework in 40 criminology and criminal justice doctoral programs. Findings reveal that nearly half of these programs offered none of these courses whatsoever. Required coursework formalizes the knowledge and skills that are key to success in teaching during graduate school and beyond.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a cybersecurity and digital forensics enrichment program for gifted and talented students to determine students' perceptions of this enrichment course. We evaluated data from 25 secondary education students and one educator to examine their perceptions of the program. Responses from students and the teacher indicated that the cyber enrichment program was well-received by students. Findings demonstrated that authentic and hands-on experiences with cybersecurity and digital forensics were associated with students' perceiving the program as appealing and meaningful and perceiving themselves as highly efficacious when it comes to cybersecurity and digital forensics. Future research directions are discussed.

Because correctional facilities are closed environments, perceptions of prison and jails are largely informed by the media; unfortunately, those perceptions are often inaccurate. Faculty in criminal justice programs often strive to combat inaccurate media images, including offering criminal justice students the opportunity to tour a prison or jail. In this study, undergraduate criminal justice students were surveyed about the sources of their corrections information prior to attending a tour of a prison or jail. After the tour, students wrote a reflective essay comparing their perceptions before the tour to their actual experiences on the tour. In the survey and in their essays, students pointed to the media as a major source of their information about corrections. While a few students noted similarities, most students commented about the differences in what they observed on the tour versus what they expected to see. These findings indicate the important role the media plays in shaping student perceptions and how short-term experiential learning opportunities like field trips can counteract stereotypes. We discuss implications for instructors planning field trips in relation to the study results.

Auditing is the branch of accounting that allows exercising control over the operations carried out by the company and can be a prior or subsequent control and that is where the Forensic Audit appears, to make the appropriate subsequent review of the acts carried out in the entities in order to prevent or detect possible fraud and corruption within these. According to the above, this research was conducted in order to determine the perception that Public Accountants of the city of Cúcuta have about Forensic Auditing, a descriptive methodology was used where through the application of a survey to professionals affiliated to the Colombian Association of Public Accountants of the city of Cúcuta, it was possible to determine and analyze the perception they have on the subject, in addition to identifying which Higher Education Institutions teach this subject in their curricula.

Background: For many years, the lived experiences, knowledge systems and histories of previously colonised people have been misinterpreted, removed and devalued in university teaching. The present curricula of African universities are predominantly Eurocentric and Criminology is no exception. In the wake of the #RhodesMustFall student protest action, there is a recognition and need to include African epistemology within the discipline of Criminology. Aim: The study investigated the views of lecturers and postgraduate students regarding the content, transformation and decolonisation of Criminology curricula. Setting: South African universities offering Criminology as a degree and/or academic subject. Methods: A total of 87 respondents, 42 lecturers and 45 postgraduate students, voluntarily participated in an online survey. Lecturers were purposively selected whilst postgraduate students were recruited via snowball sampling. Results: Nearly all the respondents had heard of decolonisation before, with the majority of the academic staff members being aware of it prior to #RhodesMustFall. Respondents agreed that the Criminology curriculum needs to be decolonised, with statistically significant differences emanating between black lecturers and white lecturers. Conclusion: Decolonisation and transformation have been debated for many years without meaningful translation in and changes to Criminology curricula.

This study aimed to explore the perceived factors that influenced the success and challenges experienced when taking licensure examination among Bachelor of Science in Criminology graduates of a state university in the Philippines who failed in the Criminologist Licensure Examinations (CLE). Descriptive-correlational research design was utilized to analyze quantitative data, and Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenology was used for the thematic analysis of qualitative data. The quantitative findings revealed that home and family factor has a high influence on the success in CLE, while student factor, school factor, review center factor, and personal factor have average influence. Further, ten clusters of themes emerged as factors that influence the success in CLE. Among them were interest and focus on the program, and availability of qualified and dedicated faculty. Among the themes that emerged as challenges were lack of preparedness for the exam because of one's work, and personal and social pressures. There is a significant difference on the respondents' perception towards the factors that influence the success in CLE when they are grouped according to sex. Regarding the challenges associated with preparing for and taking the CLE, a significant difference is only observed when respondents are grouped according to their civil status. Generally, married respondents have higher weighted means than the single ones. This implies that the identified challenges affected married respondents more than the single ones. These results can be used to make policies and initiate programs that would enhance graduates' success in the exam by providing appropriate interventions and early remediations.

One of the challenges of 21st-century academia is meeting the often-competing demands from students, universities, and professional associations. Among many diversities, students at regional universities, such as the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), often have higher rates of first-in-family learners than metropolitan counterparts. Law academics at regional universities, then, must address the challenges of maintaining high-quality teaching to fulfil student satisfaction for a diverse student demographic, while both meeting university and professional requirements and supporting students' personal satisfaction. One avenue to support academics in enhancing teaching practices while aligning with university and professional obligations is through peer discussion, review, and enhancement of learning and teaching practice. Peer discussion, enhancement, and review of learning and teaching practice occurs regularly on an informal basis in most academic settings. However, opportunities to engage in structured and meaningful peer review and enhancement of teaching are neither prevalent nor popular. Academic staff in the School of Law and Criminology (SLC) at USC instigated and developed an interdisciplinary, formalised framework for enhancing teaching and learning practice within the SLC, in accordance with the SLC's mission: to provide a personal, inspiring, and rigorous learning environment that empowers graduates to be career-and future-ready and able to make significant contributions to their communities. This framework, termed Peer Review and Enhancement of Practice (PREP), delivers a teaching-enhancement best-practice structure that is informed by evidence-based pedagogy and involves shared experience, self-reflection, and peer review. PREP is innovative in nature through its ground-up approach, which is driven by academic staff within the SLC, to create a collaborative space that is relevant and suitable for academic staff to address learning and teaching challenges and opportunities. Accordingly, PREP is flexible, voluntary, and organic, tailored to suit the needs and wants of academic staff. PREP also provides an opportunity for academic staff to develop portfolios that collate authentic evidence of effective learning and teaching.

Globally, statistical analyses have found a range of variables that predict the odds of first-year students failing to progress at their Higher Education Institution (HEI). Some of these studies have included students from a range of disciplines. Yet despite the rise in the number of criminology students in HEIs in the UK, little statistical research has been carried out on this cohort. This paper reports on survey data gathered from three consecutive cohorts of first-year undergraduate Criminology students (n = 165) enrolled at a university in the North of England from 2014 to 2017. Twenty-five per cent (n = 42) of these students did not progress onto the second year of their programme. Binary logistic regression was carried out to identify variables that predict the odds of students failing to progress beyond their first year on their programme of study at their HEI. Results show that three variables positively indicated students failing to progress i) moving to study at their HEI, ii) thinking about dropping out towards the end of their first year and iii) being referred in assessments throughout the year (i.e. having to do assessments again because of grading below the pass-mark or non-submission). These findings can be used by HEIs to identify 'at-risk' students to implement safety nets of support throughout the whole of the students first year at university to decrease the odds of students not progressing with their programme of study beyond their first year.

This teaching note presents a required proseminar for sociology and criminology and justice studies majors. The American Sociological Association reported that about half of U.S. sociology program curriculum integrate career resources and about one-third offer a course. On a spring 2021 proseminar pilot self-assessment pretest, 18 students indicated it was important to them to get help on developing professional skills and materials. On that same pretest, most indicated that already developed materials would not support their professional needs for the next one to three years, and few were confident about soft skills related to networking, searching for jobs, or in translating major skills to job needs. Data based on proseminar assignment completion indicate students mitigated these shortfalls by engaging heavily in resume building, networking, and soft skills development. The author argues this work may mitigate first-generation inequities in both the type of jobs secured and related satisfaction.

Building on the recent intensified calls to decolonise the curriculum in higher education in the UK and beyond, and on my modest initiatives amongst some colleagues, this paper explores the impact of the dominant Eurocentric curriculum on minoritised ethnic students, and their perspectives of our decolonising initiatives, with the aim of refining them. To do so, I exercise 'affective awareness', and 'decolonial reflexivity', working with my discomforts whilst engaging with 10 minoritised ethnic students in criminology purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews after completing self-administered questionnaires. Based on the findings of this work, I argue that for 'decolonising the curriculum' beyond the box-ticking exercise, it should involve more than broadening the canon and revising reading lists. It should engage in an uncomfortable unpacking of asymmetrical power relationships and a shift in the practices of knowledge production, in ways that include the students' perspective more closely.

Universities value the provision of opportunities for students to undertake international mobility experiences. Contemporaneously, they often highlight their commitment to social justice through international experiences, though it is not always clear how their educational activities fulfil this commitment. There has been little focus to date on the intersection of student mobility and the desire to include socially just pedagogy into university curricula. Drawing on narratives from semi-structured interviews with academics and professional staff, we explore the utilisation of study abroad within criminology. We argue that student mobility experiences have the potential to be "socially just pedagogy" through increasing access to new forms of education for a broad range of students. In turn, this positions mobility as a "pedagogy for social justice" by providing experiential learning opportunities that encourage critical engagement of students and increase their capabilities to act on social justice when in their home country.

School delinquency in public elementary, middle, and high schools has decreased in recent years, but is still a major issue that has negative mental health and academic implications for adolescents. Although research has focused on both individual-level and school-level explanations of school delinquency, it is not yet clear which macro-level criminological perspectives best explains it. Using 656 effect sizes nested within 75 studies and 30 unique datasets, this study addresses two questions using meta-analytic methods: Which macro-level criminological perspectives explain between-school differences in delinquency? Are effect sizes invariant across samples and research design? Results indicate that only concentrated disadvantage and social cohesion are significantly related to school delinquency. With the exception of concentrated disadvantage, effects are homogenous. This suggests that some school-level explanations are useful and future research should not exclude these factors. Practical implications suggest that improving social cohesion in schools may be more effective at preventing violence than target-hardening efforts.

Drawing on self-report data from a Learning Criminology Inside initiative bringing together BA Criminology students from the University of Manchester with prison-based students from a category C resettlement prison, this article will consider the process of studying desistance "together" in this collaborative setting. It will discuss the complexities of facilitating an external University course in a category C resettlement prison and illustrate how many of the expected and observed behaviours of both sets of students and staff involved reflected themes common to research in reintegration and desistance. The experience of taking part in a prison-based university level course incurs setbacks, as does desistance, and to overcome these, subjective and structural elements similar to those identified in research around desistance from crime are required. Consequently, while discussing desistance, students (and staff) were also practicing elements of it, especially internal factors such as self-determination and persistence and structural factors in terms of support. This paper will also show the possibilities of learning desistance together for both traditional university-based and prison-based students, including, contact with people who can see the new version of "self", a support system, and ideas for new pathways to follow.

Student engagement plays a central role in teaching and learning, given its impact on students' retention and ability to actively participate in the learning process. This study evaluates the impact of an Interactive Action-Oriented Learning (IAOL) and teaching style on improving students' engagement in the Explaining Punishment module in a UK university by adopting McNiff's model of action research. Furthermore, it aims to fill a gap in the existing literature regarding the paucity of research on improving student engagement within the Criminology and Criminal Justice discipline. Two focus group discussions, each comprising eight students, were conducted. Additional data were collated from module evaluation, end terms results, and peer-feedback. Based on the end-term results, it was found that the inclusion of the IAOL contents and teaching style improved student engagement and student performance. Hence, this study suggests a model that provides practical outcomes that inform best practices in teaching and learning.

This mixed methods study explores college biology students' perceptions of the utility of evolution knowledge. In Phase I, 14 college biology students from an upper-level Evolution course were interviewed about their evolution acceptance and perceptions of the utility of evolutionary knowledge. In Phase II, findings from Phase I were used to develop a 28-item quantitative Usefulness of Evolution Knowledge Survey. Then, 472 college biology students enrolled in three biology courses were given the Usefulness of Evolution Knowledge survey to identify (1) evolution topics that have the highest utility value for evolution learners, (2) careers for which evolution knowledge is deemed most useful, and (3) relationships among evolution utility value and other constructs. The most useful evolutionary topics were genetic variation and adaptations of particular organisms to particular environments. Evolutionary knowledge was deemed most useful for conservation careers, with less utility for medical and forensic careers, and far less utility for careers in physics or chemistry. Significant relationships were found between perceptions of the usefulness of evolution and evolution acceptance, understanding of evolution, and intended career. Findings are discussed within the framework of the Expectancy Value Theory, and implications for future pedagogical interventions and associated research are provided.

There has been little examination of how criminological theory may help to inform library practice in correctional settings. This article takes steps to address this deficit by presenting a new and timely approach to prison library research. It suggests that situating prison library research within the disciplines of librarianship, education and criminology can lead to a deeper understanding of the contribution made by libraries to the lives of those in prison. The authors propose a theoretical model which draws on theories of desistance, informal learning theories and critical librarianship. This model can be used by both library and education researchers and practitioners to build a body of evidence on the value of the prison library and may act as a roadmap to good practice. It is an initial framework, intended to be adapted and refined as more empirical evidence is collected in this area.

During the past decade, web-based distance education has created a profound impact on education and learning. It has increased access and expanded educational opportunities of many students. The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that over 50% of post-secondary institutions now offer a number of web-based courses. Peterson's Guide to Distance Learning programs reported that over 75 programs in criminal justice or criminology. Although increasing number of courses are being offered through the web-based distance modality, it is however important to determine the perceptions of students to its use. The study therefore attempted to determine the perceptions on web-based distance education by students in the justice studies department at a Historically Black University. The Chi Square and correlational analysis revealed that age-group, gender, year in school and study time were statistically significant. A binomial regression with student's major as the outcome was most robust with an R-Square of 0.522. Gender, study time and year in university were statistically significant at the 0.05 level and having done a web-based distance course. There was therefore a statistically significant variation in the perceptions of the students in justice studies towards web-based distance education.

In Canada there are growing discussions concerning the role of publicly funded universities and the impact of academic research. The integration of neoliberal practices and market rationalities place pressure on universities to "go public" in order to demonstrate relevance and accountability. Researchers are encouraged or even required to engage the public through knowledge mobilization activities. Our study provides an empirical analysis of knowledge mobilization in order to understand its perceived impact on public criminology, and more broadly the production and dissemination of criminological research. We argue that the institutional shift toward knowledge mobilization is perceived as a tool of institutional governance to demonstrate organizational accountability that shapes the production and dissemination of criminological knowledge.

Purpose: One of the most consistent predictors of punitiveness is education, with more educated individuals expressing less punitive sentiments. While much of the earlier research focused on the level of education, some researchers have recently begun to look more closely at the nature of that education such as examining the effect of specific majors on punitiveness. This paper goes even further by also analyzing more broadly the effect of a social science education on punitive attitudes. Methods: This article presents results from an online survey of 4,000 undergraduate students attending a United States' university. Ordinary least squares analysis is used to examine the effect of majoring in the social sciences on support for punitive criminal justice policies, while controlling for a number of theoretically relevant variables. Findings: We find that more educated students and those majoring in social science disciplines are generally less punitive than their counterparts. If we are to unburden ourselves of the intricately intermingled economic and social costs of mass incarceration, it will require a re-visioning of how we do justice in America. Social scientists can play a crucial role in this regard through focused research and in educating young people to be critical thinkers and thoughtful citizens.

Teaching and research are often the most focused upon aspects of working within academia in criminology and criminal justice (Sitren & Applegate, 2012; Jonson & Moon, 2014; Pratt, 2014), but an overlooked and underappreciated part of an undergraduate's overall higher education success is academic advising (Light, 2001). There has been scant research on advising within criminology and criminal justice, and this paper seeks to fill this gap by detailing reflections on the advising process within a successful and growing criminology and criminal justice program. Strategies for advising overall will be presented as will particular situations and student needs. Lastly, a case study of how advising works for a criminology and criminal justice department from a large, public institution located in the Southeastern United States will be discussed and demonstrate how the strategies, situations, and student needs apply.

This article argues that cross-disciplinary linkages -- that is, relationships among phenomena studied by those in different disciplines -- often serve to destabilize, at least temporarily, systems of stability that are theorized to operate within the sets of phenomena studied within most disciplines. It surveys across disciplines both systems of stability and mechanisms of instability, and derives several implications for interdisciplinary and disciplinary research practice. In particular it argues that systems of stability deserve to be included within conceptions of disciplinary perspective. It speculates on how a general connection between stability and instability might be explored. The article thus informs our understanding both of what interdisciplinarity is and how it is best performed.

This article explores the lived experiences of two academics in a UK Higher Education Institution who have embedded digital learning approaches within their curriculum delivery. Achieving student excellence can be impeded by a lack of engagement and sense of identity on large courses. Digital learning strategies can offer opportunities to overcome these challenges by empowering students to engage self-confidently. Through an evaluation of the authors' own experiences of using social media, polling and web-conferencing software, the article shows how interacting with students via a range of learning technologies can create more inclusive and engaging learning environments. Including feedback from students within this article provides evidence that diversification of communication within teaching and learning practice gives students more choice and opportunity to interact with both their peers and teaching staff. The article concludes with recommendations for embedding technology, whilst acknowledging the well-established value of face-to-face interaction.

Universities are increasingly focusing on the employability of students after they graduate from their studies. While practicums is one way of enhancing students' employability, the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice embeds employability throughout its degree programs using a range of strategies. These methods are based on the student lifecycle approach embedded into the Employability Framework. Therefore, students are able to undertake activities that enhance their employability as they transition into university, transition through their degree program and then transition out of university and into the workforce. Alumni are involved within approaches located in the transition up and back stage of the student lifecycle. This paper uses the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice as a case study for how employability can be scaffolded throughout an undergraduate degree program. It clearly indicates that students can begin to develop their understanding and skills in the area of employability within criminology before they start their degree, throughout their studies and after they graduate.

Higher education institutions want to develop rounded, independent learners equipped with the required skills to embrace the challenges of post-graduation (European Commission, 2013). Vygotsky suggests learners are interdependent, born as social beings with emotional intelligence. Experiential learning is created by direct participation in life events (Houle, 1980). Learning which incorporates reflection upon everyday experience creates deeper learning, therefore this study aimed to explore the use of a "scaffolded" learning environment combined with 'experiential' learning environment on students' experiences of engaging with a challenging level 6 topic in forensic psychology: MAPPA. The session consisted of 80 level 6 students. The session was constructed around one basic scenario about a boy called Harvey. This scenario provided the basic foundation for students to begin to explore, reflect and problem solve. The basic scenario was accompanied by a number of work based scenarios, which contained specific information. Key themes emerged around Actual Learning Outcomes; Barriers; Solutions; Experience. These themes are discussed in the context of students learning and theories surrounding learning.

One year ago, Baltimore citizens took to the streets to protest not only the death of Freddie Grey, but the structural inequalities and structural violence that systematically limit the opportunities for working-class African Americans in Baltimore. The protests, though, were not just confined to Baltimore City. Borne on sophisticated understandings of intersectionality and political economy, the moral imperatives from the Baltimore Uprising resonated with students at our university in Baltimore County, where campus activists moved to both support the people of Baltimore while using the moment of critical reflection to critique racial inequalities on campus. Since students were displaying a holistic, anthropological understanding of race and inequality in Baltimore, we decided to structure our classes accordingly and brought together several courses in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice in order to examine the interrelationships between power, race, class, public space and urban development. We taught common texts, visited each other's classes, and planned events that brought students together with community leaders in Baltimore to discuss common concerns and to learn from each other. This paper reports on that experiment and suggests that a pedagogical model premised on drawing thematic linkages between existing courses is one way to address current events that impact us all while allowing students to direct the course of their own education.

Background: Police-academic partnerships have developed significantly over the past decade or so, spurred on by the expansion of the evidence-based policing movement, the increasing value attached to impactful research in the academy, the ascendance of the professionalisation agenda in the police, and the growing necessity of cross-sectoral collaborations under conditions of post-financial crisis austerity. This trend has given rise to a burgeoning literature in the discipline of criminology which is concerned with charting the progress of these partnerships and setting out the ideal conditions for their future expansion. Aims and objectives: we advance a sympathetic critique of this literature, adding a note of caution to its largely optimistic outlook. Methods: we do this by combining a narrative review of the literature on police-academic partnerships with insights from elsewhere in the social sciences and observations from our experience of running the International Strand of the N8 Policing Research Partnership. Findings and discussion: while we recognise that police-academic partnerships have certainly come a long way, and have the capacity to make important contributions to police work, we argue that they remain 'fragile' alliances, beset with fractious occupational cultures, unreliable funding streams and unsustainable inter-institutional relationships. We also reason that the structures underpinning this 'fragility' do not represent problems to be overcome, for they help to protect the integrity of the two professions. Conclusion: we conclude by offering pragmatic measures for sustaining police-academic partnerships during those difficult periods characterised by cultural dissonance, a paucity of funding and the turnover of key personnel.

This study explores the impact of professional doctorates in the workplace in the specific context of the criminal justice sector, through a qualitative study of practitioners who have graduated from professional doctorates in criminal justice and security risk management. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 25 graduates was undertaken to identify the nature and extent of impact on their workplaces. The study suggests that professional doctorates may potentially have a significant impact on the workplace, but the actual extent is shaped by three interrelated factors: the motivations of students, the role of their employer and the nature of the programme in which they are enrolled. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for how institutions could design and deliver professional doctorate programmes in order to extend workplace impact.

This article argues for the incorporation of library instruction into research methods courses to foster information literacy skills important to disciplinary specialization. The evidence in support emerges from a collaborative teaching and assessment project conducted by a research methods instructor and a faculty instructional librarian. The project evaluated the effectiveness of library instruction in two ways: One, essays in which students described their research process before and after library instruction were evaluated qualitatively for dominant themes. Two, students' postinstruction literature review projects were assessed using a rubric to determine the degree to which students met learning outcomes. These assessments indicate that library instruction led to several positive outcomes. In the essays, many students described increases in skills and confidence as well as appreciation for the new research tools introduced. In sampled literature review assignments, students demonstrated skills that met or exceeded expectations.

The current project conducted an assessment of specific, directed use of student-centered teaching techniques in a criminal justice and criminology research methods and statistics class. The project sought to ascertain to what extent these techniques improved or impacted student learning and engagement in this traditionally difficult course. Overall, the results indicate a modest but notable increase in student engagement and subsequent learning. Results provide empirical evidence that students were significantly engaged with the course and therefore benefited from these pedagogical techniques.

If work-integrated learning (WIL) improves students' work self-efficacy (WSE), are students who do not participate in WIL disadvantaged? This study answers this question by examining differences in WSE between final-year criminal justice students at Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia) who elected to undertake WIL and those who did not. Contrary to expectations, WIL students did not report higher WSE upon the completion of a work placement compared to non-WIL students. Further investigations revealed pre-existing differences between the two groups, whereby students who elected to undertake WIL had significantly lower levels of WSE prior to placement than students who chose not to undertake a placement. These students were also significantly younger and less likely to have had prior criminal justice work experience. Findings highlight the importance of offering WIL as an elective to give students with lower levels of WSE the opportunity to develop greater confidence in managing the professional workplace.

In this article reviewed problems of the criminalistic classification building of a person. In the work were used legal formal, logical, comparative legal methods. The author describes classification kinds. Reveal the meaning of classification in criminalistic systematics. Shows types of grounds of criminalistic classification of a person. Identified and substantiated grounds of classification of a person in criminalistics. On the basis of conducted research by the author, it is proposed to insert changes in the previously used definition of the first-order basis of classification of a person in criminalistics. The author analyzed and showed correlation between criminal law of republic Kazakhstan and republic Mongolia with the goal to make a parallel of a second-order basis of criminalistic classification of a person. Contained conclusions can be used in the work of law enforcement authorities to increase in efficiency, and also during specialists training in disclosure and investigation of crimes in juridical educational establishments. Correctly made criminalistic classification will help to make reforms in prevention, investigation and disclosure of a crime.

This research presents the overview of the origin of fingerprint biometric technology, the opinion of the public on the acceptance of fingerprint biometric technology and the means of instilling confidence on the public for the total acceptance of the technology. Data was collected with the aid of a lecture and structured questionnaires distributed to 50 respondents in NewLine Computer training Center Ltd. Abakpa. There were lectures and interviews conducted by the researcher and questionnaires completion by the selected population of 50 people comprising of age between 18 and 65 years. The 50 people consist of individuals from education, technology and government organisations. The organisation was done by the Researchers and three members of staff of NewLine Computer training Center Ltd. Abakpa Nike Enugu. The lectures enlightened the 50 participants/respondents that fingerprint is a discontinuous variation and that no two persons have exactly the same fingerprint. The study revealed that it is obvious that confidence will be instilled in the public if there is public enlightenment as the number of respondents who believe that fingerprint cannot be stolen or copied is 92% although 8% of the respondents is still biased after the lectures. The research will instil confidence in the use of fingerprint biometric technology and will break the shackles of currently being a misunderstood novelty to a widespread, mainstream personal identity authentication tool.

The main purpose of the article is to ensure further modernization of the educational activities in law universities based on the use of multimedia technologies as well as development of tools for legal education through implementation of the project of international student film festivals. The methodology is based on the concept and methods of use of multimedia technologies in education, as well as the methods of inter-branch legal studies and comparative law. The most important findings and their meaning: the article analyzes theoretical and methodological, didactic and practical means and results of three international festivals of student films on criminalistics "Golden Trace" held by Novosibirsk Law Institute (branch) of National Research Tomsk State University (Russia) in 2014-2016. The importance of the festival is underlined as a bright example of successful application of the methodology of use of multimedia technologies in education of lawyers. The results of this youth forum are indeed invaluable for solution of problems related to legal education of minors, young people and general public as well. In 2016, the Third Film Festival received even broader representation of leading universities of Russia and other countries, compared to previous years: from Egypt to Mongolia, which has contributed to the increase of massiveness of participation and entertainment of the youth event. The organizers are planning to hold this forum every year (in April) and invite institutions of higher education from around the world. The authors conclude that such international and local film festivals should be initiated and held by universities of other countries, focusing on various legal sciences and academic disciplines. The findings obtained provide a conclusive proof that clear and scientifically grounded organization of the educational process in a higher education institution is a prerequisite for the formation of a professionally orientated psychologist as an individual. The contents of the educational process must be interrelated, complementing each other, which will allow for comprehensive and purposeful development of the process.

This qualitative study assesses students' perceptions about electronic portfolios. A survey including two open-ended questions focusing on what students learned and what they would recommend to others about electronic portfolios was administered to current enrolled students majoring in criminal justice, cybersecurity, or leadership. We analyzed the responses of participants who reported creating an electronic portfolio for their course or program. Five themes were identified related to discovery ("technology," "e-portfolio as a process", "e-portfolio as a product," "age and e-portfolios," and "the multifaceted nature of e-portfolios") and four themes were identified characterizing the tips students had for developing electronic portfolios ("showcase tips," "technological advice," "process guidance," and "just say no to electronic portfolios"). In addition, older students appeared to have less favorable attitudes about electronic portfolios. Implications for future efforts using electronic portfolios include clearly demonstrating the purpose of the tools, making sure students see portfolios as a process and not an event, providing faculty and students the support they need, and involving qualified students as tutors/mentors to other students doing electronic portfolios for the first time. In addition, future research regarding the enhancement of electronic portfolios is recommended.

Active learning, with students engaging in research or activities within the community, is a favoured approach in contemporary higher education. To support this approach, the Criminology and Forensic Studies programmes at the University of Winchester have included student research into miscarriages of justice. The students interrogate evidence from a criminal trial to attempt to establish if there has been a wrongful conviction. This article discusses the importance of this work for students of Criminology. It considers the contribution to the learning experience of the range of opportunities available to undergraduate and postgraduate students and evaluates the potential impact on curriculum and learning development during the degree programme, in addition to the benefits for future employment.

This study uses a quasi-experimental design to assess how the incorporation of an embedded writing centre tutor in the experimental class affects student achievement in comparison with the control class which had limited involvement with The Writing Centre. Data were collected from 43 students enrolled in two classes who completed a total of 158 papers in a writing-intensive criminological theory course. Using ordinary least squares regression, we find that paper grades and final grades in the course were affected by student GPA while enrolment in the experimental class did not affect grades. In addition, students' perceptions of their writing ability improved from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester in the experimental class. These findings indicate that while grades may not improve in one semester due to working with tutors, perceptions of writing ability did improve which will likely impact achievement in future courses.

This article assesses how an interactive simulation game, a modified version of Simulated Society (hereinafter 'SIMSOC-modified'), was used for teaching a theoretical criminology course in a Hong Kong university. Its use was intended to enable students to experience inequalities, in terms of wealth and power. The primary focus was to observe how participating in SIMSOC-modified impacted students' knowledge of and attitudes toward crime causation and their intentions to engage in activism and radicalism. The findings showed that SIMSOC-modified promoted students' active learning, resulting in cognitive and attitudinal changes toward the social causes of crime and increased intention to radically support the social groups they closely identified with. Rather than solely relying on didactic lectures and tutorials, we found strong support for the use of SIMSOC-modified in teaching crime causation and responses.

This article reflects on the authors' experiences and those of their students in teaching and learning during a Learning Together course on The Good Life and the Good Society (GLGS) held in an English high security prison involving students serving sentences in the prison and students from the University of Cambridge. This article is based on data that has been collected as part of the ongoing action-research initiative, Learning Together (see Armstrong & Ludlow, 2016, 2020), and based on the authors' own ongoing personal and academic reflection on this teaching and learning practice. Here the authors examine the convergence of transformative pedagogy, the content of the course (ethics at the intersection of philosophy, theology, religious studies, and social anthropology), and the lives and experiences of all the course participants.

Perceptual experts have learned to rapidly and accurately perceive the structural regularities that define categories and identities within a domain. They extract important features and their relations more efficiently than novices. We used fingerprint examination to investigate expert-novice differences in feature choice. On each fingerprint within our set, experts and novices selected one feature they thought was most useful for distinguishing a particular print and one feature they thought was least useful. We found that experts and novices often differed in the features they chose, and experts tended to agree more with each other. However, any such expert-novice difference appeared to depend on the image at hand typically emerging when salient or more conspicuous features of a fingerprint were unclear. We suggest that perceptual training ought to direct attention to useful features with the understanding that what is useful may change depending on the clarity of the stimuli.