College of the Redwoods
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE
Date: 10/2/14
1. Division: Health, Physical Education and Athletics
2. Course ID and Number: AJ 4
3. Course Title: Criminal Law
4. Please select the distance education method that describes how the course content will be delivered:
Online-internet based - Delayed Interaction: Students and instructor interactions are not
simultaneous, but are delayed or distributed over time.
Online-internet based - Simultaneous Interaction: Students and instructor interactions are
simultaneous, with immediate opportunity for exchange among participants.
Hybrid online-internet/classroom based: Students and instructor interactions are both classroom
and internet based, with classroom time reduced and replaced by required online participation.
5. What perceived need will this distance education course address?
These delivery methods will accommodate those students who are unable to come to campus for an
extended period of time. Some students working in the criminal justice field or other employment may
not be able to combine a four hour per week face to face (FTF) class with their own work schedules.
As to authorized DE class formats, this class may be offered only as a hybrid class. Students MUST EITHER
physically attend one "class-room based" ninety-minute face to face session per week OR participate via
the internet during the face to face classroom sessiosn. This hybrid delivery method will require students
to work in a face-to face OR live internet-based class setting for a ninety minute once-per-week time
period and complete the other class work on-line using the College's course management system (CMS).
6. Will approval of this course offer a certificate or degree program with 50% or more of its curriculum delivered
by distance education?
No
a. If yes, has this certificate or degree program been approved by the Curriculum Committee for 50% or
more delivery by distance education?
7. Describe in detail how the course design will ensure Regular Effective Contact (refer to Regular Effective
Contact Policy) and include:
b. Threaded Discussion Forums (or equivalent)
c. Weekly Announcements (or equivalent)
d. Instructor-Prepared Materials (e.g., text-based, video &/or audio files) in addition to publisher-created
materials to create a virtual equivalent of the face-to-face class.
All of the course documentation, such as syllabi and other assigned readings (in addition to textbook
assignments) are posted on the college's CMS. The face to face class session lectures are recorded and
archived via CCC Confer or other similar system. Students are directed to the textbook reading assignment
which besides coverage of a particular subject, may also include analysis of abbreviated versions of court
cases.
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
1 of 4
CCC Confer and and microphones may be used. This will enable any students not physically present during
the FTF portion of instruction to fully participate in the class by watching and listening to classroom
instruction and they will be able to participate in class activities such as classroom discussion, questions,
and small group work.
Students will respond to:
A. discussion questions which cover the chapter level,
B. "crime scenario" exercises which cover three chapters of course material, and
C. essay exams which cover five chapters of course material.
The students may pair up in teams to respond to the crime scenario exercises of which there are five for the
semester. Students work alone on the chapter discussion questions and the three exams. The crime
scenarios and exams are electronically submitted to the Turnitin website. Both assessment types are
graded electronically. Once graded, students can see any comments on their assignments which the
instructor has posted on their Turnitin portfolio.
8. To illustrate the description in #7, describe what students in this course will do in a typical week of this course.
In any given week, before the broadcast class session, students will have read the assignment for that class
session. Whether they phsyically attend the classroom session or participate in the live broadcast via CCC
Confer, they will watch a 90 minute lecture with powerpoint slides of the material. During the lecture, all
students attending in either mode, may ask questions and discuss the material with other students.
Students will be required to post to weekly discussion threads or crime scenarios.
9. What is the course “statement of expectations” to be included in the syllabus for instructor frequency and
timeliness of instructor-initiated contact and student feedback? (refer to Regular Effective Contact Policy)
The instructor is available during the class period for a period of time after the class session ends.
Additionally, instructors are expected to respond to questions or concerns posted via e-mail within fortyeight hours. Additionally, some instructors choose to make their home telephone number available for
students having problems completing assignments. If the instructor must cancel class, students are notified
via E-mail.
10. How is this course designed to address Student Authenticity? Preventive measures may include: multiple
assessment techniques, written assignments, threaded discussions, exams based on randomly drawn test
bank items, timed exams, and raising student awareness of the College’s Code of Conduct.
Both exams and crime scenarios are submitted to the Turnitin.com website, both for plagiarism checking
and grading of those assignments.
11. This course will have proctored exams. (refer to College Proctoring Policy)
No
Yes
Optional
12. Describe how assessments are used in this course to ensure that the student work is evaluated effectively,
accurately, and in a timely manner.
Students are graded via their responses to:
a. chapter discussion questions (first level),
b. "three-chapter" crime scenario exercises (second level), and
c. "multi-chapter" exams (third level)
Students must actually do more writing in the hybrid version of this course than they would in the fully FTF
course delivery method. The FTF method typically relies on in-class crime scenario work and two or three
exams throughout the semester.
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
2 of 4
13. Describe the contingency plan for this course if there is an unexpected instructor absence (refer to Regular
Effective Contact Policy).
The instructor or a desinated person would notify students via E-mail of class cancellation. Also, in an
extreme situation, students could send in via postal mail, hard copies of their scenarios and/or exams.
Because there are three or four different server sites involved, e.g. CR, the current CMS, Turnitin, Google,
there usually are available alternatives. As much course work as needed could be shifted to the FTF portion
of the class. That work which cannot be done during that time may conceivably be delivered via the post
office.
14. Both state and federal law require community colleges to design courses to ensure access for students with
disabilities, including compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Please indicate the steps taken to
ensure accessibility by checking the Yes, No, or NA boxes below. For further assistance with accessibility and
assistive technology, please contact DSP&S.
Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
1. The course delivery provides a text equivalent for all non-text elements such as
images, animations, applets, audio/video files and art. This will enable a screen reader
to read the text equivalent to a blind student.
2. The course delivery provides descriptions for important graphics if they are not fully
described through alternative text or in a document’s content. The description would
inform a blind student of what a picture represented.
3. The course delivery ensures that information conveyed by the use of color is also
understandable without color. For example, so a blind or color-blind student could
understand a color-coded representation of DNA.
4. The course delivery provides textual equivalents to audio information (captioning).
The text will enable deaf students to know what others are hearing.
5. The course delivery provides an alternative audio description for multimedia
presentations. The sound will enable blind students to know what others are seeing.
6. The course delivery ensures that moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects
or pages may be paused or frozen. The movement can be distracting for students with
certain disabilities.
Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
7. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web
site identifies, by labeling or other appropriate means, row and column headers. The
identification will enable screen readers to discern the headers, which disclose the
purpose of the data in the rows and columns.
8. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web
site provides title frames and includes sufficient information as to their purpose and
relationship to each other. This will help blind students understand the organizational
purpose of the frame.
9. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the
instructor has ensured, through HiSoftware’s “Cynthia Says”
http://www.cynthiasays.com/ or other appropriate verification, the usability of
pages, and will attach to this proposal evaluation printouts of Section 508 and
WCAG—Priority 1 compliance.
10. If interactive software for homework/instruction is used, the company has provided a
current 508 statement of compliance ensuring accessibility to students needing the
use of a screen reader. This ensures that publisher provided programs to supplement
or augment textbooks are as accessible as the class website.
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
3 of 4
11. My course syllabus recommends that students who require accommodations for a
disability, such as accessible formatting of course materials, contact me immediately.
Example: “In compliance with equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate
academic accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability.
Students are encouraged to contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S)
for disability verification and for determination of reasonable academic
accommodations.”
Submitted by: Gary Sokolow
Tel. Ext: 4540
Approvals:
Distance Education Faculty Appointee Mark Winter
Division Dean or Director: Joe Hash
Date: 10/2/14
Review Date: 10/07/14
Review Date: 10/08/2014
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE USE ONLY
Approved by Curriculum Committee: No
Academic Senate Approval Date: 11.07.14
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
Yes
Date: 10.24.14
Board of Trustees Approval Date: 12.09.14
4 of 4