CRIM%101/Introduction%to%the%American%Criminal%Justice%System%
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Queensborough Community College/CUNY
Department of Social Sciences
Individual Course Assessment Report
Date Submitted: September 16, 2104
Course No./Title: CRIM 101/Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System
Course Description (from QCC Catalog or course Master Syllabus)
This course is an introductory survey of the American criminal justice system with a view to its
social and institutional context, and its structure and functioning. The course provides an
overview of the foundations and components of the criminal justice system, including
(substantive and procedural) criminal law, police, courts and corrections. The main emphasis
will be placed on the criminal justice process, and how the various institutions of criminal justice
interact. Key issues will be addressed as they arise at different stages of the process, such as the
conflict between crime control and due process, and conflicts related to, for example, gender,
class and ethnicity. This course will satisfy the Social Sciences elective requirement for all QCC
degree programs.
General Education Objectives (GEO) Assessed (from course Master Syllabus)
1. Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to
make informed decisions.
2. Differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on multiple value systems.
3. Use historical or social sciences perspectives to examine formation of ideas, human
behavior, social institutions, or social processes.
Pathways Common Core Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Assessed (from CUNY
Common Core Course Submission Form)
1. Gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources and points of view.
2. Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support conclusions.
3. Evaluate evidence and arguments critically or analytically.
4. Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a discipline or
interdisciplinary field exploring the relationship between the individual and society,
including, but not limited to, anthropology, communications, cultural studies, history,
journalism, philosophy, political science, psychology, public affairs, religion, and
sociology.
5. Examine how an individual's place in society affects experiences, values, or choices.
6. Articulate and assess ethical views and their underlying premises.
1%
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CRIM%101/Introduction%to%the%American%Criminal%Justice%System%
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Participants
No. Sections Assessed: 2
No. Students Assessed: 3
Course Assessment Method (attach copy of instrument as an attachment)
The assessment instrument was distributed to students in two sections of Introduction to
Criminal Justice during spring 2014. A total of 32 students participated in the assessment. The
assessment instrument consisted of a 16- question survey on a short five-paragraph excerpt of the
“Executive Summary of the 911 Commission Report.”
Course Assessment Results
I. General Education Objectives Results
All but two of the students would have received a C or higher on this assessment of General
Education objectives. Students tended to score better on GEO 1 because the answers were found
explicitly in the reading., e.g. 1) In the article above, which of the following government
agencies could be considered federal? and 10) According to the article, which of the following
agencies responded to the events of 9/11 in New York City?
The questions that students got most incorrect involved GEO #3 (#s 6 and 14) was when the
answer was not directly given in the reading but involved the reading’s implied meanings and
tone, e.g. 6) What event is implied by the authors’ to have occurred a week after Richard
Clarke’s comment of September 4, 2001? and 14) Which of the following best describes the
general tone of the article?
Gen Ed Objectives (GEO) Results Summary Table
Gen%Ed%%
Objective%%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
3%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
Survey%
Question%%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
7%
8%
9%
10%
11%
12%
Agree%N%
(%)%
100%
81%
84%
84%
84%
53%
81%
78%
91%
99%
91%
97%
2%
%
CRIM%101/Introduction%to%the%American%Criminal%Justice%System%
%
1%
3%
1%
1%
13%
14%
1%
16%
94%
69%
91%
87%
Conclusions and Action Plan
If questions are to be included that involve implied meanings that address GEO 3, instructors are
encouraged to practice these types of questions in their lectures to encourage an enhancement of
these critical thinking skills.
It is also recommended to make the assessment surveys mandatory for criminal justice
instructors to distribute.
This survey was handed out to six sections but only one was returned. If the survey can’t be
mandatory then instructors should be personally asked why they are hesitant to distribute the
survey, in an effort to have their needs personally addressed.
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Appendix:)Reading)and)Questions)
Excerpt:)“Executive)Summary)of)the)911)Commission)Report”)
September)11,)2001!#!The)day)began)with)the)19)hijackers)getting)through)a)security)checkpoint)
system)that)they)had)evidently)analyzed)and)knew)how)to)defeat.)Their)success)rate)in)
penetrating)the)system)was)19)for)19.)They)took)over)the)four)flights,)taking)advantage)of)
aircrews)and)cockpits)that)were)not)prepared)for)the)contingency)of)a)suicide)hijacking.)
On)9/11,)the)defense)of)U.S.)air)space)depended)on)close)interaction)between)two)federal)
agencies:)the)Federal)Aviation)Administration)(FAA))and)North)American)Aerospace)Defense)
Command)(NORAD)…A)shootdown)authorization)was)not)communicated)to)the)NORAD)air)
defense)sector)until)28)minutes)after)United)93)had)crashed)in)Pennsylvania.)Planes)were)
scrambled,)but)ineffectively,)as)they)did)not)know)where)to)go)or)what)targets)they)were)to)
intercept.))
In)New)York)City,)the)Fire)Department)of)New)York,)the)New)York)Police)Department,)the)Port)
Authority)of)New)York)and)New)Jersey,)the)building)employees,)and)the)occupants)of)the)buildings)
did)their)best)to)cope)with)the)effects)of)almost)unimaginable)eventsZunfolding)furiously)over)102)
minutes.)Casualties)were)nearly)100)percent)at)and)above)the)impact)zones)and)were)very)high)
among)first)responders)who)stayed)in)danger)as)they)tried)to)save)lives.))
The)terrorist)danger)from)Bin)Ladin)and)al)Qaeda)was)not)a)major)topic)for)policy)debate)among)
the)public,)the)media,)or)in)the)Congress.))As)late)as)September)4,)2001,)Richard)Clarke,)the)White)
House)staffer)long)responsible)for)counterterrorism)policy)coordination,)asserted)that)the)
government)had)not)yet)made)up)its)mind)how)to)answer)the)question:)"Is)al)Qida)a)big)deal?"))A)
week)later)came)the)answer.)
Since)long)before)9/11Zand)continuing)to)this)dayZthe)intelligence)community)is)not)organized)
well)for)joint)intelligence)work.))The)structures)are)too)complex)and)too)secret…But)no)agency)can)
solve)the)problems)on)its)own)Z)to)build)the)network)requires)an)effort)that)transcends)old)
divides,)solving)common)legal)and)policy)issues)in)ways)that)can)help)officials…)Again,)in)tackling)
information)issues,)America)needs)unity)of)effort.)
1. In!the!article!above,!which!of!the!following!government!agencies!are!considered!federal?!
a. Port!Authority!of!New!York!and!New!Jersey!
b. North!American!Aerospace!Defense!Command![NORAD]!
c. Fire!Department!of!New!York!
d. New!York!Police!Department!
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2. Based!on!paragraph!3,!what!would!be!the!definition!of!a!“shootdown”?!
a. A!police!shooting!of!an!unarmed!suspect.!
b. Hijackers!shooting!airplane!passengers.!!
c. Government!officials!authorizing!the!shooting!down!of!an!airplane.!
d. Airline!passengers!shooting!their!hijackers.!
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1!
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3. Which!of!the!following!statements!would!be!the!main!conclusion!of!the!article?!
a. Terrorism!was!a!major!concern!of!the!American!public!before!the!9/11!events.!
b. Cooperation!between!federal!agencies!is!necessary!to!avoid!another!terrorist!attack.!
c. Security!checkpoint!systems!at!airports!need!to!be!improved.!!
d. Remembering!the!victims!of!9/11.!
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4. In!paragraph!4,!why!had!first!responders!“stayed!in!danger”?!
a. They!tried!to!save!lives.!
b. They!tried!to!arrest!the!hijackers.!
c. They!could!not!find!fire!escape!exits.!
d. None!of!the!above.!
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5. It!is!implied!in!the!article!that!Flight!United!93!crashed!due!to!____________.!
a. The!actions!of!the!hijackers.!
b. The!government!shooting!down!of!the!airplane.!
c. Mechanical!failure!of!the!plane.!
d. A!lack!of!flying!experience!of!the!pilots.!
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6. What!event!is!implied!by!the!authors!to!have!occurred!a!week!after!Richard!Clarke’s!comment!on!
September!4,!2001?!
a. A!conference!on!counter#terrorism!sponsored!by!the!federal!government!!
b. Richard!Clarke!left!his!position!at!the!White!House.!
c. Richard!Clarke!ran!for!political!office.!
D.!!The!9/11!hijackings.!
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7. According!to!paragraph!2,!what!were!the!weapons!used!by!hijackers?!
a. Guns!
b. Knives!
c. Airplanes!
d. Ice!Picks!
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8. According!to!the!last!paragraph,!what!was!true!about!the!intelligence!community!prior!to!9/11?!
a. The!intelligence!community!was!too!secretive.!
b. The!intelligence!community!did!not!share!important!information.!
c. The!intelligence!community!was!disorganized.!
d. All!of!the!above.!!
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9. According!to!paragraph!one,!how!many!hijackers!are!implied!to!have!existed?!
a. Three!
b. Twelve!
c. Nineteen!
d. Eight!
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2!
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10. !!According!to!this!article,!which!of!the!following!agencies!responded!to!the!events!of!9/11!in!New!
York!City?!
a. Port!Authority!of!New!York!and!New!Jersey!
b. Fire!Department!of!New!York!
c. New!York!Police!Department!
d. All!of!the!above!
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11. !!According!to!the!article,!how!many!flights!were!hijacked!on!9/11?!
a. Nineteen!
b. Two!
c. Three!
d. Four!
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12. !According!to!this!article,!why!is!Richard!Clarke!important!to!the!discussion?!
a. He!authorized!the!shootdown!of!flight!United!93! !
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b. He!was!one!of!the!9/11!hijackers!
c. He!was!responsible!for!White!House!counterterrorism!policy!coordination.!
d. He!was!responsible!for!New!York!City!first!responder!coordination.!
13. !In!the!fourth!paragraph,!which!events!are!implied!to!have!“unfolded!furiously!over!102!minutes”?!
a. The!hijacking!of!flight!93.!
b. The!hijackers!getting!passed!security!checkpoints!on!9/11.!
c. The!falling!of!New!York!City!buildings!on!9/11.!
d. The!press!conference!with!Richard!Clarke.!
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14. !Which!of!the!following!best!describes!the!general!tone!of!the!article?!
a. Thoughtful!and!reflective!!
b. Mad!and!angry!!
c. Joyful!and!happy!
d.! Sad!and!bitter!
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15. !What!does!the!term!“old!divides”!refer!to!in!the!final!paragraph?!
a. Past!arguments!and!rivalries!between!agencies!!
b. Old!airplanes!and!screening!machines!
c. Past!Presidents!of!the!United!States!
d. Bin!Ladin!and!al!Qaeda!
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16. !According!to!the!article,!which!of!the!following!agencies!is!responsible!for!the!defense!of!US!air!
space?!!
a. Federal!Aviation!Administration!!
b. North!American!Aerospace!Defense!Command!
c. New!York!Police!Department!
d. Both!A!&!B!
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