Pedagogic and Course Structure Adaptations in Communication and Criminal Justice Courses

This narrative was published and then reviewed in 2024 by the High Impact Teaching and Learning Practices (HIOTLP) offered by the Gardner Institute in 2020.

The project stemmed from a study during the Covid-19 crisis, examining the adaptation of pedagogical approaches to teaching strategies in the synchronous/asynchronous context of virtual learning for adult students enrolled in higher education degree programs.

An associated presentation was delivered at the Conference on Academic Research on Education in 2020. An updated presentation was offered in an academic context in 2024.

Excerpts –

“Using a qualitative direct observational method, and through a purposeful sampling process, participants from a homogeneous context were considered to reduce the opportunity of extreme variations.’

“Communications and criminal justice courses involve the acquisition and the refinement of critical, creative, and practical thinking abilities. The challenge in assisting students achieve a superior level of performance in these three areas was overcome by utilizing a framework of change that primarily covered pedagogic and course structural changes.”

“Supporting principles were gathered from Gagne’s Conditions of Learning and Knowles’ Active Adult Learning Concepts.”

“From preparation to self-actualization through developmental endeavors, the students were introduced to a variety of guided activities that allowed them to  implement a process of metacognition expanding from the experience at hand and the necessary regulation practice.”

“Research outcomes showed [the students’] enhanced ability to synthetize contents, an increase in creativity, and a betterment in critical thinking skills geared to cases analysis and problem-solving.”

© 2026 Dr. Rita Pavone | OnPoint Research and Consulting 

National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) is from April 6 through April 12, 2025. This is the time to recognize and honor the victims and survivors of crime, along with the people who offer critical services for the same.

In September of 2024, the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs published information from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which showed that in 2023 nonfatal violent victimization was 22.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons ages 12 or older.

This year, the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) is implementing the KINSHIP initiative for advocacy and services interface with a heling goal. The OVC has also issued a NCVRW Resource Guide. The National Institute of Correction (NIC) observes the NCVRW through its continuous work that includes training and commitment to the victims of crime. The NIC gives value to victims’ rights and offenders’ accountability.

Brief History and Legal Milestones

For centuries, society did not identify and characterize the harm inflicted by criminal actors and the laws reflected the lack of consideration towards the people affected by the phenomenon. The focus was on the perpetrator of the crime under the common belief that simply punishing the offender would somehow positively affect the victims’ healing process. “The forgotten [persons] of the system” was finally applied to victims per the 1970s Crime Victims’ Rights Movement. Over the course of the years, advancements have been made in the legal and legislative arenas.

To name a few:

• The 1980 Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights in Wisconsin
• Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U.S. 808 (1991)
• The Violence Against Women Act of 2000
• 18 U.S.C. § 3771 Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) of 2004
• H.R. 9444 - Courtney Wild Crime Victims’ Rights Reform Act of 2022
• In progress, in 2025: H.R. 909 - Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act.

An important tool to search for victims' rights legal provisions at the federal, state, and territorial level is VictimLaw.

The Clinical Aspect

Victimology is considered a subfield of criminology. From a clinical psychological standpoint, the field of victimology is involved with studying the traumas the victims have experienced. Under general victimology, a broader approach is devoted to various negative circumstances victims have encountered, whereas penal victimology considers the legal framework and angle to assess the victims’ ordeals.  

Poly-victimization refers to multiple forms of victimization opportunities. Victims of crime undergo psychological harm by reliving the dramatic details of their experience, whether in the clinical setting or during legal proceedings. Furthermore, plea bargain cases may prevent victims from being adequately heard. Rescheduling trials and conflicting schedules may also expose victims to additional stress and delay the healing process. A potential setback is due to an impediment for the victims in regaining control over the events connected to the initial trauma. Additionally, some may be reluctant to share personal information and the details of the incident when in fear that the very information could one day be used against the victims’ interests or safety.

It is also crucial to recognize the distinction between the impact of a crime and the effects. Impact refers to the “perceived intensity of the effects plus their duration from a victim’s (subjective) viewpoint.” This is an indication that both the effects and the impact may vary depending on individual victims and circumstance. Furthermore, aside from neurological effects, as the result of an overstimulation of the brain-guided defense mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus areas, victims go through a coping mechanism process in an effort to overcome the anguish and protect themselves from future dangers. Under extreme pressure, victims may adopt an emotion-focused approach and discard the problem-solving method. Thus, they end up relying on techniques that provide immediate relief only, without tackling the actual underlying issue.

Some Recommendations

Life skills can be affected by traumatic experiences. Aside from the acquisition of basic skills and new approaches to navigating through various personal and professional areas, victims need help with readjusting to life in society in a post-victimization phase. A victim-oriented approach will include an examination of the victimization history and the identification of gaps in service and/or treatment. A report published in 2017, and available on the OVC site, indicates both the needs and the gaps in services, along with recommendations. Additional attention should be devoted to the establishment of a multidisciplinary team that can be a catalyst for finding the appropriate strategies to teach victims effective coping skills and to help them build resilience through their healing process.

So, why should we honor the victims and survivors of crime? Because it is the right thing to do in a civilized society. Because it is not only important to bring to justice the perpetrators. It is crucial that we continue to support legislation and programs that bring back a sense of safety and set forth a path to healing.

- This article was published on LinkedIn in April 2025.

© 2025 Dr. Rita Pavone | OnPoint Research and Consulting

Working Our Way Towards Significantly Decreasing Meat Consumption

September 2019

Revised August 2020

I want to encourage us all to stop being dependent on animal flesh for nutrition or, at least, work on significantly decreasing its consumption.

We keep reading about meat recalls, salmonella and other harmful factors, farm-raised, GMOs, contaminated food from China, torture leading to slow death.

Yet, we continue to display shock at the news. 

Why do we continue playing the meat industry’s game at our expense? The meat industry has no compassion towards animals. It gets rich off the flesh and blood of innocent creatures. What makes you think that it would take a strong interest in our wellbeing?

Stand out in the crowd of gullible masses. Honor your body and life. Honor the body and life of animals.

Additional attention has been given to the link between (red) meat consumption and the onset of a series of chronic diseases: Colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Areas of study include the compounds already present in the meat (such as Heme-Fe or Heme Iron), compounds developed during processing and preparation of the meat, and digestive chemical processes (i.e., TMAO).

Heme Fe is part of a protein attached to an iron atom in a porphyrin ring. Although more research needs to be done to establish the exact link between Heme iron’s activity and the onset or development of chronic diseases, De Smet, Demeyer, and Van Hecke (2018) indicated that its involvement in metabolic processes affects gastric health and the degree of inflammation opportunity. Heme Fe is found in many types of meat, as well as animal-based iron supplements. A high intake amount may be linked directly to cardiovascular diseases, colorectal cancer, and other gastrointestinal conditions.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) is an anabolic hormone responsible for normal bone and tissue growth and development in young people. In adult age, however, a high level of IGF-1 may disrupt the regular cell division process and lead to the production and metastasis of cancerous cells. The consumption of animal protein appears to increase the levels of this hormone. 

© 2020 Dr. Rita Pavone | OnPoint Research and Consulting