Assessing the Effectiveness of Reality-Based Focusing Events Across the Curriculum
Abstract
A mythical Democratic-Republican National Convention (DRNC) was created as a focusing event which serves as the overarching theme for all newly redesigned courses for the graduate Criminal Justice Department at Saint Leo University. The study examines the effectiveness of focusing events in a graduate level curriculum. Students in the newly redesigned DRNC courses were surveyed. The results indicate that the overarching theme was perceived as being a valuable learning tool. The respondents indicated that the DRNC based scenarios were highly realistic and would help them in their individual criminal justice careers. Somewhat surprising was the finding that the newly designed courses were perceived as not being any more interesting than the non-DRNC courses. Another concern was that some of the students did not seem to be aware that an overarching theme existed at all. This finding may indicate a weakness in the initial presentation of the concept to the students.
Location
Room 115
Recommended Citation
Nunez, Eloy; Vendrell, Ernest; and Ryan, Nancy, "Assessing the Effectiveness of Reality-Based Focusing Events Across the Curriculum" (2013). SoTL Commons Conference. 62.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2013/62
Assessing the Effectiveness of Reality-Based Focusing Events Across the Curriculum
Room 115
A mythical Democratic-Republican National Convention (DRNC) was created as a focusing event which serves as the overarching theme for all newly redesigned courses for the graduate Criminal Justice Department at Saint Leo University. The study examines the effectiveness of focusing events in a graduate level curriculum. Students in the newly redesigned DRNC courses were surveyed. The results indicate that the overarching theme was perceived as being a valuable learning tool. The respondents indicated that the DRNC based scenarios were highly realistic and would help them in their individual criminal justice careers. Somewhat surprising was the finding that the newly designed courses were perceived as not being any more interesting than the non-DRNC courses. Another concern was that some of the students did not seem to be aware that an overarching theme existed at all. This finding may indicate a weakness in the initial presentation of the concept to the students.
