Course Syllabus

Below is a syllabus template that includes WSU's required syllabus elements. Please complete all items highlighted in yellow. 

 

Title of Course:  The Complex Social Interaction Bodycam Research Lab

Prefix and Number: CRMJ 498

Semester and Year [tbd]

Number of Credit Hours : 1-4

Prerequisites: By Instructor permission; CRM J 101.

Course Details

Day and Time: [tbd]

Meeting Location: [tbd]

 

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor Name: [tbd]

Instructor Contact Information: [office location, phone, email] [tbd]

Instructor Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]

 

TA Name: [tbd]

TA Contact Information: [office location, phone, email]: [tbd]

TA Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]

 

Course Description

The Complex Social Interactions (CSI) Lab at Washington State University provides students with hands-on experience in analyzing police and community interactions through video data. The course emphasizes understanding research ethics, data confidentiality, and the technical aspects of labeling video data to examine behavior patterns. The goal is for students to develop proficiency in labeling observational data while critically engaging with broader research questions in police-community interactions.

 

Course Materials 

Books: There are no required textbooks for this course.

Other Materials: All necessary training materials will be provided in the lab. 

Fees: There is no monetary cost associated with this course.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) [add more lines if necessary]

Course Learning Outcomes

(students will be able to:)
Understand and apply confidentiality and security protocols in handling sensitive video footage.

Become proficient in the technical skills required for coding and data entry related to body-worn camera footage.
Demonstrate the ability to assess and analyze police-community interactions critically.
 Develop professional research practices, including logging work hours and managing data integrity.

Course schedule

There is no set schedule for the class. Just make sure you complete the required coding hours by the Friday before finals week. 

It is easy to fall behind quickly. If you miss any time, you are responsible for communicating with both lab managers and planning your coding schedule after training. A helpful tip is to set-up a weekly coding schedule between classes (e.g., you have class on Mondays 10am-11am and 1pm-2pm, so you code every Monday 11am-1pm).

Expectations for Student Effort 

The number of coding hours is dependent on the number of credits you signed up for:

    • 4 Credits: 160 hours (an average of 12 hours per week)
    • 3 Credits: 120 hours (an average of 9 hours per week)
    • 2 Credits: 80 hours (an average of 6 hours per week)
    • 1 Credit: 40 hours (an average of 3 hours per week)

If a coder wants to change their credit load, they must email both lab managers and the Senior Academic Advisor, Sisouvanh Keopanapay at siskeo@wsu.edu to update their credit load as soon as possible. Please visit the WSU website for final dates to change credit load.

Grading [add more lines if necessary]

This course is graded using a pass-fail system. Grades are awarded based on the successful completion of coding hours and adherence to lab policies. Violations of policies may result in immediate course failure.

Attendance and Make-Up Policy 

  • The number of credits you enroll is indicates how many hours you must code every week: 4 Credits: 160 hours (an average of 12 hours per week); 3 Credits: 120 hours (an average of 9 hours per week); 2 Credits: 80 hours (an average of 6 hours per week); 1 Credit: 40 hours (an average of 3 hours per week).
  • If you fail to complete your hours for a week, you need to make them up (i.e., code for the number of hours miseed) at a different time. In this case, you are responsible for communicating with both lab managers and planning your make-up coding schedule. Coders must complete the total required coding hours (including make-ups) by the Friday before finals week.

 

Lab Rules and Expectations

  • The lab operates 24 hours, 7 days a week.
  • Coders must complete the required coding hours by the Friday before finals week. Failure to meet these requirements may result in a failing grade.
  • The number of coding hours is dependent on the number of credits you signed up for:
    • 4 Credits: 160 hours (an average of 12 hours per week)
    • 3 Credits: 120 hours (an average of 9 hours per week)
    • 2 Credits: 80 hours (an average of 6 hours per week)
    • 1 Credit: 40 hours (an average of 3 hours per week)
  • Research coders are required to take a 15-minute break after every hour of coding to maintain data quality. These 15 minutes are included in your credit hours.
  • You cannot code more than 13 hours per week without prior authorization from lab managers.
  • Coders must sign up on the computer sign-up sheet prior to coming into the lab with the expected hours they plan to code (e.g., coders cannot sign up for 12pm-6pm but plan to leave at 3pm).
  • It is the responsibility of coders to ensure their time sheets are accurate. Time sheets must only include time where the coder is actively in the lab working on projects. Any deviation, such as to work on individual research projects, must be
  • Coders must be accurate and truthful in their time tracking sheets. Failure to do so will result in making up the hours or failure for the course, and they may be denied taking the course in the future.
  • If a coder wants to change their credit load, they must email both lab managers and the Senior Academic Advisor, Sisouvanh Keopanapay at siskeo@wsu.edu to update their credit load as soon as possible. Please visit the WSU website for final dates to change credit load.

 

Lab Confidentiality and Security

  • Coders must maintain strict confidentiality, adhering to the Confidentiality Agreement and CJIS Security Addendum. Violations can result in civil or criminal liability and immediate course failure.
  • Coders must not record or distribute video footage, incident identifiers, or any other confidential information from the lab.
  • If a coder learns of a breach of confidentiality, they must inform the lab managers immediately.
  • If a coder sees another coder on their phone in the lab for non-authorization purposes, they must inform the lab managers immediately.

 

Lab Access and Data Management

  • Lab access is restricted to approved research coders and faculty. Students must not allow anyone in the lab who has not swiped their Cougar Card to gain access.
  • Coders must swipe their Cougar Card every time they enter the lab. Coders must also ensure that the door fully closes and locks when they enter and leave.
  • Data must be stored and accessed only within the physical CSI lab.
  • Phone use outside of authentication purposes is strictly prohibited in the lab and may result in failure for the course and disciplinary action.
  • Research coders must close all programs and log out of computers before taking a break or completing a coding session. Coders should at a minimum lock their computer when leaving their workstation for short periods of time.
  • Coders should ensure no WSU email and website passwords are shared or compromised.
  • If the website for accessing videos is down, coders must do the following:
    • The coder signed up on the computer sign-up sheet prior to entering the lab
    • The coder immediately informed the managers that the website was down
    • The coder checked the status of the website every 15 minutes to see if it was back online
    • Email the lab managers that the website is down so they can see if the website has a time estimate for coming back online.
    • Wait 15 minutes to see if the website is back up. If it is not, the coder will wait another 15 minutes to see if the website is back up. This process will be repeated until the website is back up, the lab managers email back with an update, or until the coder’s sign-up coding time is complete, whichever comes first.
    • Coders will receive hours for when the website is down under predetermined conditions.

 

Course Policies and Procedures

Ensure you understand course requirements, policies, assignments, and your responsibilities as a student.  These are not up for re-negotiation at the end of the semester.  Ask questions as they arise if you are confused about anything on the syllabus.

 

Attendance

 

It is easy to fall behind quickly. If you miss any time, you are responsible for communicating with both lab managers and planning your coding schedule after training. A helpful tip is to set-up a weekly coding schedule between classes (e.g., you have class on Mondays 10am-11am and 1pm-2pm, so you code every Monday 11am-1pm).

Help

If you have questions or need help, please communicate with both lab managers immediately.  Do not wait until the last week of the semester if you are having trouble.  There is little either of us can do at that point.

Etiquette 

Please respect other students, professors, and lab managers by arriving and leaving on time for the scheduled sessions.  If circumstances require that you arrive late or leave early, please update both lab managers if it is for a group session or revise the computer sign up sheet for individual coding sessions.

  • TLDR version: Follow the KIP principle – Keep It Professional.
  • Cell phones- Cell phone use, other than for multi-factor authentication, is STRICTLY PROHIBITED and may result in being dropped from the class with a failing grade and additional legal consequences depending on the severity.
  • Email- Email is a beneficial communication method, and we try to respond to crucial emails promptly. However, we ask that you respect our time and positions as lab managers by doing the following:
    • Please sign off with your name so we know how to address you (e.g., your name is Katherine but you go by Katie)
    • If you have an attachment, include what the attachment is in the body of the email.
    • Before sending an email, proofread carefully to fix grammar and tone issues.
    • Emails should be respectful of everyone in our community, including us.
    • Emails should reflect your professionalism. Allow sufficient time for a response.
  • In support of fruitful and open academic discourse, we are all expected to engage in courteous, civil, and mutually respectful exchanges focused on and relevant to the materials. Students should not engage in disruptive behavior that obstructs or disrupts the learning environment. Students engaging in disruptive behavior that violates the course objectives may be asked to leave or referred to the appropriate disciplinary process. I am similarly committed to creating a civil and productive environment for the free exchange of ideas; students who have concerns about this should contact the department chair or director for CJC (department chairs and directors are available in the academic catalog: https://catalog.wsu.edu). 

 

Academic Integrity Statement

You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat in your work in this class you will:

-Have to make up the hours or fail the class and may be denied taking the class in the future

-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards

-Have the right to appeal my decision

-Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished

If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.

If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of the decision.