Western Illinois University Professor Extends Online Teaching into Summer Courses, CSI Experience
Christopher Bitner
MACOMB, IL – As Western Illinois University transitions into its summer course sessions, its faculty continue to reach students through alternative methods, extending beyond traditional coursework to reach more people.
Educators across the University’s various academic schools and departments have worked together, collaborating to make each student’s educational opportunity a valuable one. In the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, as in other WIU offices, professors have shared teaching and research ideas, including helping each other adjust to the technology needed to put their classes out to students.
Over the spring, and now the summer semesters, LEJA students have studied criminal justice online with professors who have a wide variety of backgrounds, from police officers and administrators to working in Homeland Security and the study of terrorism. One of those LEJA professors is Christopher Bitner, who said he has made an effort during his teaching this spring and summer to keep students informed and safe, and have relevant information for them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ll regularly re-post or share information released by the University on issues related to COVID-19, such as WIU’s Student Emergency Fund, health and wellness, protocols, and operations during the stay-at-home order, housing reminders, registration information and summer learning procedures,” he said.
Bitner said he has been able to work with students and make accommodations in learning for those who are facing struggles related directly to the coronavirus, such as providing care for a sick relative.
“I like to think professors are not unreasonable people,” he said. “We understand each student has unique circumstances in their lives, whether they’re traditional students or continuing education students, and we try to meet the students where they’re at while working within any rules of the University and standards for good instruction,” he said. “That being said, we also have room for creativity in delivery of learning materials.”
The biggest course modification Bitner said he made for his students during the pandemic is increasing his availability. Transitioning classes to an online format mid-semester and during the summer means they have to be taught differently than traditional online classes.
“Typically, online classes are not designed for one-on-one instruction either, like an in-person class can be,” said Bitner. “However, I did treat my online classes like in-person classes and responded to students in a one-on-one fashion, which isn’t always feasible. However, I wanted to minimize stress for our students, so I committed to dedicating a lot of time to respond to students individually and put an emphasis on responding as fast as possible, even during the night and weekends. I also had phone calls with students who had urgent academic needs.”
Bitner added that he is continuing these practices for the summer semester. In Bitner’s experience, students were able to transition to the online format easily. In the beginning, he said he made a lot of contact by email and sharing announcements, but he was impressed by students’ flexibility and attentiveness.
The transition to online learning wasn’t difficult for most LEJA students, Bitner said, because of the “abundance of support and services” offered by the School of LEJA and WIU.
“Our School devotes a lot of energy into developing a robust online platform, and many of our LEJA students have previously taken advantage of that format for learning,” he said. “LEJA faculty also dedicate a considerable amount of time developing their courses to be suitable for online learning, and have strong a capacity for delivering instruction online. LEJA wants to reach as many students as possible – in places convenient for them – and this is part of the reason why we’ve committed so much energy to our online program. Plus, the University offers a lot of support services, such as CITR, the libraries, UTech, tutoring, medical and counseling as needed for faculty and students. All of these things have made delivering education to our students less challenging during the pandemic.”
Bitner, a decorated retired police sergeant, said he doesn’t want his students to become frustrated and give up on their academic time at WIU. He said the response to the pandemic has validated his esteem for the University community.
“I have seen how all of us come together, respond and focus on our values and standards for working collectively to ensure the well-being and the success of all Leathernecks,” Bitner said. “They’re why we teach.”
Bitner is not only teaching WIU students this summer, but is also helping put on a free, virtual crime scene investigation experience. The CSI camp, offered June 15-18, is open to students in grades 11 and up and ages 15 and up, and replaces the typical residential summer camp on campus. A lineup of 10 LEJA faculty (all experienced criminal justice public safety professionals, including a former behavioral analyst from the FBI, retired state police commanders, former police chiefs and a prosecutor), as well as a certified K-9 officer (graduate of the LEJA program) have volunteered to create this interactive experience and demonstrate basic methods and procedures for investigating a crime.
“The LEJA professors will be presenting specialized topics online to students who are interested in law enforcement or coming to Western,” said Bitner. During this online summer virtual experience, the professors will lead participants in recovering and comparing latent prints, developing tire and shoe casting molds, sketching crime scenes, interviewing witnesses, detecting deception during interrogations, collecting evidence, drafting and serving search warrants, and participating in exercises geared for practitioners to become fit for duty.
“I’ll be making a presentation on blood pattern analysis,” Bitner said of his role. “I’ll use Zoom to interact with participants online, and teach them about identifying blood stain patterns and the usefulness of blood stain pattern analysis in criminal investigations.”
Currently there are over 125 registered participants from 13 states set to interact with the School of LEJA’s experienced professors.
For more information about the CSI Virtual Experience, visit here.
