Game-Changing Online Criminal Justice Courses Now Offered at Georgia State University

ATLANTA — Three undergraduate courses already popular with criminal justice majors — Crime Scene Investigation, Cybercrime Investigations and Technology in Criminal Justice — are now offered online at Georgia State University. The courses, specifically designed for the Bachelor of Science in Criminology and the Digital Criminology minor, can be used as upper-level electives by students in any degree program.

“By design, these courses are absolute game changers in the online space,” said Ellen Ballard, a clinical instructor and undergraduate online coordinator for the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. “As a department, we have been challenging ourselves to raise the bar in online learning. AYS Open and the online space have allowed us to reimagine how we do our jobs. Now, the sky is the limit.”

Instructors William “Will” Ballard (Crime Scene Investigation), Don Hunt (Cybercrime Investigations) and Assistant Professor Thaddeus Johnson (Technology in Criminal Justice) developed the courses in partnership with instructional designers led by Karah Hagins and Garrett Dehart and a multimedia team led by Alec Leverett from the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Online Education (CETLOE).

Johnson appears in a short video developed with CETLOE to describe their work.

“Technology is the way,” he said. “Artificial intelligence is the way. Students understand how to navigate technology. These courses utilize the skillset that makes this cohort of students special. They bring gaming into the pedagogy and embrace student engagement.”

The design team was meticulous about making sure the interactive courses set students up to be challenged and successful. One of the earliest questions they explored was how to have meaningful, engaging conversations with students when it comes to online work.

“Students have ownership because their decisions have consequences,” Johnson said. “Their decisions and choices matter in this online learning experience.”

Those who teach the courses approached them with a wealth of real-world career experiences.

Will Ballard has spent the majority of his nearly three decades in law enforcement in investigations. He is a certified crime scene technician in Georgia and a graduate of the National Forensic Academy. In his Crime Scene Investigation course, he discusses everything from overarching principles down to tools and techniques that are important to preserve the integrity of a criminal investigation.

Hunt, a cybersecurity expert with two decades of experience in banks, credit card companies, startups and the government, now holds a senior role for a large financial institution. In his Cybercrime Investigations course, students explore the most often deployed methods of cybercrime and study the best processes for addressing these attacks. They learn how to prevent future incidents and communicate this work to key stakeholders. Hunt holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Georgia State University.

Johnson was a ranking law enforcement official in Memphis, Tenn., before attending Georgia State, from which he now holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology. His course looks at the growing prevalence of AI in society, governance and public safety to make more informed and efficient decisions, emphasizing important equity considerations for using AI-based technologies.

“If we can dream it, the CETLOE team can do it,” Ellen Ballard said. “Developing each new online course has been a giant lift, but it has paid off in spades. Student engagement is through the roof.”

Johnson, too, has noticed students responding favorably to the new courses.

“I get feedback from students like, ‘I didn’t know that coursework could look like this,’” he said. “If we don’t start taking this approach to pedagogy, we’re going to miss out on a lot of talent and miss out on many opportunities to embed important lessons.”

These three courses are a terrific illustration of where the department is going with online learning, Ellen Ballard said, while recognizing they’re only the beginning.

“Faculty innovation and engagement in the breaking down of barriers to develop more courses online is programwide,” she said. “I’ve been pushing all of our faculty to reach for the stars, and they have risen to the challenge.”

She encourages students interested in learning more about undergraduate courses in criminal justice and criminology to contact her at [email protected].