Promoting Career Development through Teamwork and Mastery Learning Course Requirements in Criminal Justice Research Methods Courses

An innovative semester long small group research project, that required collecting and analyzing original data, regular written reports, and an oral presentation, was included in a senior level criminal justice research methods course to promote career development for those close to graduation. Over five years approximately 446 students were surveyed at the end of their classes to assess their response to the group project. Results suggest senior level students are capable of sustained small group participation where they utilize strategies that reflect practitioner group processes, such as decision- making autonomy, planning, and coordinated activities. Mastery learning techniques resulted in high quality project outcomes and associated competences.