PAD 3821 Contemporary Issues in Public Safety

Instructor: Shefali Tripathi Ph.D. GISP

Instructor Page: None

Office Hours and Location: Extremely flexible. Since this class is online with occasional on-site assignments, office hours are flexible and responsive. No set specific hours, but will be available within 24 hours, though typically less, either by phone or remote connection. This has worked very well for students for the preceding several years.

Contact Information: Email shefali.tripathi@sfcollege.edu, direct via Canvas

Description: 3 credit hour course related to providing a common foundation to students in contemporary issues related to public safety management and organization. Public safety for this class is defined as fire, law enforcement and corrections, emergency medical services, emergency management, and homeland security organizations. This class has a significant amount of reading, writing, research, and video review.

Rationale: The Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Organizational Management (BAS SOM) is designed to equip students with technical and applied management skills, enabling them to enhance the productivity and efficiency of organizations. PAD 3821 is a required course for completion of the Public Safety Management concentration in the BAS SOM program and will introduce students to practical competencies and attitudes necessary for effective leadership and management across public safety organizations. Students will typically enroll in this course during their second year in the program. It is not necessary to be in a public safety field nor have public safety experience to enroll in this class.

Impact Assessment: This is a required course for students focusing on the Public Safety Management concentration. Recommended but not required prerequisites: MAN 3930, at minimum an AA or AS degree, college admissions requirements, and admission to the SOM degree program, or with department permission.

Course Learning Outcomes (SOM Program Outcome): Prepare organizations and manage structures, processes, and personnel for high performance, including organization, design, teamwork, goal setting, strategic planning, organizational development, and values management. Understand current and future concerns in public safety fields and develop planning and strategies for adaptation and resolution. Recognition of structural and management differences between typical public safety organizations and private business models.

 

General Business Programs Organizational Management Objectives:

Communications	Convey and understand ideas effectively and efficiently through oral and written communication, including the appropriate use of presentation technology
Leadership	Use appropriate leadership styles and continuously improve leadership knowledge and skills in a wide variety of settings with a diverse spectrum of personalities.
Teamwork	Use appropriate blend of teamwork, leadership, and communication techniques to manage employee behaviors, expectations, and shortcomings.
Problem Solving	Plan, organize, resource, lead, and monitor a business project from incept to successful completion, include an evaluation of the experience.
Ethics	Evaluate ethical and legal decisions in management, accounting for social responsibility, regulatory and liability issues.
Informed Decision Making	Evaluate quantitative data to from sound financial, accounting, and economic decisions to sustain the financial well-being of an organization.
Strategic Planning	Manage the strategic planning process, from mission statement to the creation of measurable goals, objectives, and activities.

 

Public Safety Concentration & Course Objectives: 

1	Prepare organizations and manage structures, processes, and personnel for high performance, including organization design, teamwork, goal setting, strategic planning, organizational development, and values management
2	Evaluate the organizing principles, policies, standards, and state-of-the-art techniques of effective emergency management, including the future challenges and developments in local, state, federal and international arenas
3	Review current issues and management practices in public safety disciplines, homeland security, and impacts to criminal justice, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management and homeland security
4	Develop skills to successfully present information and procure and manage grant funds for resource development.
5	Research structural differences between typical public safety organizations and traditional business or private operational models.

 

Methods of Instruction: Lecture, case studies, reading, research and review, video instruction, online resources, public safety agency familiarization / tours, and group discussions amongst others.

 

Methods of Evaluation: Reading & lecture material critiques, presentation projects, public agency ride-alongs, public safety administrator interviews, class discussions, and quizzes, amongst others.

 

Resources and Textbooks: Since this class content will change dynamically in response to "contemporary issues in public safety," textbooks and resources will change from semester to semester and even within a semester. There are no materials or textbooks which need to be purchased.

Resources will likely include contemporary periodicals in public safety disciplines, relevant government websites such as the Department of Justice and Federal Emergency Management Association for example, and local and media periodicals. Students in this class will also be expected to identify relevant sources during the course of the class. See the "Page" titled "Resources" for more information.

 

Assignments Overview

This overview is designed to assist the student in determining the total amount of coursework necessary in this class, point totals, and when those assignments are due. As stated in the course syllabus, this class has a significant amount of reading, writing, research, and video review. 

This overview is designed to help in "pacing" yourself and keeping on task during the semester.

Realize that this overview is general in nature. Students should go to the individual assignments listed to see actual due dates, assignment criteria, and how they will be graded. Due dates for assignments are also very strict so work which is turned in late results in severe points reduction. Writing assignments have "rubrics" which guide students in assignment specifics and late assignment grading. Discussions and Posts will always list deadline dates and posts after the deadline are not counted. In most Discussions, posting early in the Discussion week results in maximum points available. As an online class, attendance on campus is not tracked. However, there are assignments such as an EOC tour and shadow project that require the student to attend somewhere or the assignment can not be completed.

Postings / Questions / Comments  - Please ensure any postings are constructive and will benefit the class. You can also email instructors directly if you have specific questions.

The instructors want you to be successful so this overview if offered purely for your benefit.

Assignments in this class are divided into "Groups" including -

- Group discussions

- Video reviews of expert guest lecturers

- Research and writing papers

- Quizzes - There are NO exams or a final exam.

 - Introduction/acknowledgment assignment

- Shadow / ride-along assignment

- Presentation project assignment

- Periodic project update

Individual assignments are listed roughly in the order they are due. All are listed under the "Modules" section of canvas & all modules correspond to weeks and dates. You can also look at the "Assignments" tab for more complete information about each one. 

The course is set up over an approximately 15-week schedule, and each assignment has a point value. Grades will always be posted in the Grades tab, allowing students to view their progress. The final class grade will be based on these values.

Grading:

A = 90% or greater

B = 80-89%

C = 70-79%

D = 60-69%

F = Below 60%

 

College Policies

This class will provide you opportunities that enable you to grow, learn, and succeed in the public safety areas of fire, law enforcement and corrections, emergency medical services, emergency management, and homeland security. Your instructor is Dr. Shefali Tripathi. Let me know how I can help.