Integrating Service Learning and Simulation in an Undergraduate Criminology Course

• In Event: Rethinking Traditional Notions to Improving Practices in Criminal Justice Education

Abstract

There is evidence that certain pedagogical approaches can help students move beyond individual explanations of crime. Service learning allows students to learn about criminology and justice by contributing to the betterment of the justice process, and the lives of those who may have contact with the justice system. Simulation, on the other hand, allows otherwise unexposed students to model the institutional and social processes that have implications for crime and justice. While many courses have invoked elements of one or the other, there are no studies that document the concurrent use of both. This paper considers whether service learning and simulation may be able to serve as complementary components within an undergraduate criminology course. Specifically, weekly student journal entries are analyzed to determine if service learning and simulation experiences reinforce what is learned in the classroom, and if both components differentially and/or complimentarily contribute to meeting learning outcomes. The paper also considers obstacles to this sort of learning design, and identifies promising solutions.

Authors

• Cyndi Rickards, Drexel University

• Lallen Johnson, Drexel University