Departmental learning objectives

Columbus State University students who have declared criminal justice as their intended major and course of study are required to fulfill several specific departmental learning objectives in order to successfully earn an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice degree and-or a Bachelor of Science degree from this institution. Six objectives have been identified by the criminal justice faculty as key elements necessary in the preparation of students for employment in the criminal justice system:

1. Reading comprehension
2. Critical thinking abilities
3. Writing skills
4. Research skills
5. Oral communication skills
6. Professionalism and a high ethical standard

1) Reading comprehension - Students shall be able to demonstrate, or learn to demonstrate, an adequate or above adequate ability to read and comprehend specific, assigned material that is directly and indirectly applicable to the field of study in order to qualify for graduation from the Columbus State University criminal justice degree program.

• The student must be responsible for completing all reading assignments and be prepared to demonstrate and/or discuss the material read.
• Students should be able to take the initiative on their own to read and continue their own education and inquiry into pertinent subject matters and topics of interest in their own mind in order to strengthen their studies.

2) Critical thinking abilities - Students shall be able to demonstrate, or learn to demonstrate, an adequate or above adequate ability to read and study assigned and pertinent subject material and then develop their own opinions and perspectives on a subject through critical thinking abilities that then allows them to defend their perspective. This objective is also necessary for the student to qualify for graduation from the Columbus State University Criminal Justice degree program.

• Students must be able to think for themselves and not rely simply on the opinions and perspectives of their professors and-or classmates.
• Education is about learning. Learning helps the student to continue their own personal development. Critical thinking on the part of the individual student is one essential element in the process of learning and personal development.

3) Writing skills - Students shall use, or learn to use, clear and concise written communication to qualify for graduation from the Columbus State University criminal justice degree program.

• Written work must have a clear and appropriate beginning, development and conclusion. Paragraphing and transitions are also clear and appropriate.
• The length of the written work provides in-depth coverage of the topic, and assertions are clearly supported by evidence.
• Written work has no major errors in word selection and use, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

4) Research skills - Students shall use, or learn to use, inquiry, quantitative, and qualitative research and analytical reasoning to answer questions and solve problems in order to qualify for graduation from the Columbus State University criminal justice degree program.

• Student must state the problem and-or research clearly and identify underlying issues.
• Student must develop a clear and concise plan to research and-or solve the problem, with alternative strategies, and follow the plan to conclusion.
• Student must collect information from multiple sources and analyze the information in-depth.
• Student must provide a logical interpretation of the findings and clearly solve the problem, offering alternative solutions.

5) Oral communication skills - Students shall use, or learn to use, clear and concise oral communication to qualify for graduation from the Columbus State University criminal justice degree program.

• Presenter follows logical sequence and provides explanations/elaboration.
• Presenter seldom returns to notes, maintaining eye contact with audience throughout the presentation.
• Presenter speaks clearly and loud enough for all in the audience to hear, makes no grammatical errors, and pronounces all terms correctly and precisely.

6) Professionalism and a high ethical standard - Students must be able to demonstrate an obvious sense of professionalism and a high ethical standard to qualify for graduation from the Columbus State University criminal justice degree program.

• The field of criminal justice demands a very high level of professionalism
  and an extremely high ethical standard. The student must possess and-or develop a natural and visible sense of professionalism and ethical integrity.
• Students must continue to build on their sense of professionalism, integrity and ethical conduct as they continue their own personal development through continued education and training.