SAGE

SAGE CJ LINK 5 Innovations in Teaching Recipients of the 2019 Ken Peak Innovations in Teaching Award share their teaching and learning strategies. About seven years ago, I began providing video feedback to respond to student papers. Screencast videos allow you to record the screen (which shows the paper) and your voice to show students exactly what areas need improvement or more details. There are a variety of free platforms that allow you to record such videos, but my favorite is screencast-o- matic.com. I started this approach because my students' writing was not improving throughout the semester, and grading their papers was time consuming due to the amount of detailed written comments I was providing. Almost immediately, I received comments like, "I understand exactly how I received my grade," and "this eliminates the confusion of random marks and comments on papers." Feeling encouraged, I began to do this for all of my classes. Overall, using video feedback has significantly enhanced my ability to connect with students and to improve their writing effectiveness. If you decide to try it out, here are a few tips that may be helpful. Start with one class and one assignment. This could be an upper- level, writing intensive course, or a lower-level introductory course. Take the overall workload into consideration. This may be especially useful for hybrid or online courses. Set a schedule and stick to it. I recommend grading six or seven papers at a time and then taking a break; the screencasts make it a bit strenuous to record all at one time. Make a brief outline of notes to discuss. I typically record the video right after I have read the paper and submitted the grade so that it is easier to recall the strengths and weaknesses of the paper. Once you try it, ask students for their input. After all, I do this because students view it as more effective and they learn more from it. Students who enroll in "Strategies to Corrections Administration," a 300-level civic engagement course at Pace University, have the opportunity to study and practice innovative approaches to criminal justice administration in a corrections environment. In addition to their regular coursework, students complete 20 service hours as we teach an evidence-based parenting class that is integrated with animal-assisted therapy to female prisoners at two different jails. Students help coordinate and instruct group activities, working on the housing blocks directly with prisoners, for eight weeks. Students witness the challenges and benefits of implementing programming and the difficulties of conducting research in the corrections setting. Corrections is often the least preferred career of criminal justice students but this experience has changed their opinions about corrections as a possible career and debunked many myths about those who live and work behind bars. Professors interested in implementing this type of project should: Choose a topic and service you are passionate about; this passion translates to our students. Choose a service that provides students with resume-enhancing opportunities. Cultivate relationships with strong community-based partners. Our program involves a partnership with the Westchester County Department of Correction, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, and The Good Dog Foundation. Properly connect service with the course. Civic engagement is most effective when the service is integrated and connected to the course material in a substantive way. Be patient. It takes time to properly design this course, forge community partnerships, and obtain all the necessary approvals. Take satisfaction that you designed a project that incorporates teaching, research and service - the Holy Grail of academia! Be sure to publish your work in this area. Most importantly, have fun. Forrest Rodgers Gonzaga University Kimberly Collica-Cox Pace University

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