Peer Review

White-Collar and Corporate Crime

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Reviewed:: Jun 9, 2017 by Sociology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This is a course offered by the Distance Learning Center at UC Irvine. The course is fully structured as a self-paced project. It examines criminal activity within the professions, organizations, and businesses. Theories discussing the etiology of these acts are considered as well as perspectives regarding their control. These are taken from both historical and sociological perspectives and primarily regarding the U.S. The course appears to be linked to a learning management system but the content and structure of the course can be used by an instructor who may provide their own learning management or method of turning in assignments.
Type of Material:: Online Course. This would need to be linked to a learning management system.
Recommended Uses:: This course is intended to be an online and self-paced course with feedback given by the instructor as required. The course can also be used by the instructor as a supplemental resource for a course she/he may be teaching in a related subject. However, the students would have to have access to the textbooks (2) since the material from them is not otherwise accessible. This would also be a great outline for a syllabus on white collar and corporate crime. Many useful ideas and lines of thought are offered.
Technical Requirements:: High Speed internet and some type of learning management system.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The learning goals are defining and situating the history of white collar crime as a concept and providing multiple examples.
Target Student Population:: Students in criminology,sociology, and law classes.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Students should have an understanding of the sociological perspective, and should understand political economy, as well as notions of class and inequality.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: Well organized, well researched and well prepared. The course is divided into pertinent topics and has a number of examples within each chapter. It is well structured and easy to follow.
Concerns:: The material in each chapter appears to be a brief summary of the pertinent issues described in the texts. There a number of highlighted phrases that would signal hotlinks where the student can get further information. However, when clicked, these were not live. This basically makes the summaries more of an outline of the course and the assigned reading materials. It also has a strictly U.S. focus.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: It introduces concepts carefully, then builds on the understandings of them. Provides multiple and interesting examples. Introduces many other theoretical terms along the way, such as social constructivism. The course objectives are well laid out in terms of what materials would be studied. There are several theories mentioned to support the understanding of the examples.
Concerns:: There are lesson assignments. Without the connection to a learning management system, it is unclear how to post them and how one assignment may build upon the next. The assignments are more academic than practical. It would help to have some assignments connected with current events or local corporate or political issues. Currently, the reading and assignments appear dependent upon the textbooks. There are not additional references and webpages with links for each topic.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The interface is easy to use and seems to work well. The whole course is found on the first page. Navigation is achieved through the use of pull down menus.
Concerns:: Lack of hotlinks. No clear method of posting. Assignments are not listed in a special area so students can easily find them. Limited to U.S.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is a course that works for UC Irvine but in its current structure, might not be of great use to a student enrolled elsewhere unless the instructor bridged the gap of selecting what is relevant and applicable to the course they are teaching, providing a link to a learning management system, and obtaining the textbooks and other course materials. The suggested activities are mostly discussion questions and could use some variety.
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