US 325
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
ONLINE COURSE
Instructor: Mark Stevens, J.D.

Course Description

This course is an in-depth look at the application of the procedural requirements of the US Criminal Justice System as mandated by the US Constitution, State Constitutions, the Federal Rules of Criminal  Procedure, and the State rules of Criminal Procedure.  The course covers the procedures required by the Criminal Justice system, and the courts, from initial suspicion of a crime to post-conviction. The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment safeguards of the US Constitution are emphasized, with a particular focus upon the purposes of Arrest Law, the law of Warrants, Search and Seizure, the Exclusionary rule, Trial procedures, and other process remedies.

Campus Cruiser:  After you have registered for this course you will be added to the NCWC Campus Cruiser website within 48 hours.  To log on to Campus Cruiser you will need to go to the Campus Cruiser homepage.  Scroll down the page and there are instructions on the homepage for first time users.  You should read these instructions completely prior to trying to log in.  Campus Cruiser is not administered by the instructor, and you should not contact the instructor if you have problems with Campus Cruiser.  For Campus Cruiser assistance contact the Information Systems help desk at help@ncwc.edu or 252-984-5000.
 

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR THIS COURSE

Communications with the Instructor:  

Your primary means of contact for this course is through NCWC's Campus Cruiser.  Campus Cruiser will be used to inform you of any instructions, announcements, or assignments from the instructor.  Campus Cruiser includes an E-mail function to communicate with the instructor. The e-mail should be your primary means of contacting the Professor.  If you call and leave a message on the phone it is sometimes not received for 24 - 48 hours.

Exams and written assignments:  All exams and written assignments will be administered using Campus Cruiser.  Exams and written assignments will be posted under the "My assignments" function of campus cruiser.  When you open the assignment page which contains an exam or a writing assignment you will see that it is attached as a file.  A writing assignment may be attached as a file or described in the body of the assignment.   In this class there will be 3 or 4 objective exams and several writing assignments. .  In addition, there will be four discussion topics  These discussions will take place using the Message Board function of Campus Cruiser  All written assignments and exam dates will be posted at a minimum of a week in advance of the due date.  The final grade for this course will be calculated as follows:

  Exams......................40%
   Writing Assignments......40%
Message Board...............20%

 Grading System:

Submitting Exams and Written Assignments:  Your exams and written work will be submitted (online) using the Campus Cruiser submission function.   The following is the procedure for submitting your assignments.

• Complete your assignment or exam using MS Word. If you use any other word processing program you must convert it to a txt file before sending it, or the Professor will not be able to read your assignment.

• Make sure your name is on the assignment.

• Save your assignment on your computer.  When you save your assignment include your last name as part of the title.  For example, StevensExam #1.doc

• Go to the Campus Cruiser home page and log on.

• Select the Criminal Procedure Course and click on the course

• Go to the left side of the page under student tools and click on "my assignments"

• Find the assignment with the exam or writing assignment and open the assignment by clicking on it.

• At the bottom of the assignment under Submission you will see a link "Submit Your Assignment" click on this link.

• A window will appear with a browse button.  Click the browse button to locate your exam or written assignment on your hard drive or disk. 

• Upload the exam answers or written assignment and close the window.

• Click submit your assignment.

Your assignment page will now tell you the date and time that your assignment was posted.

You can only submit an assignment once so don't try to send parts of the assignment at different times.  Also, if the due date has expired you will not be allowed to submit the assignment.

    When you submit the answers for an objective exam you would send your exam answers (ANSWERS ONLY) in a list format  For example, your answers should be in the form that lists the question number and your answer:  e.g.,

1-C,
2-A,
3-B. 

Do not cut and paste or mark up the exam in other ways.  Do not make any written comments.  Do not include page numbers or internet addresses.  Grading rubrics consist of one and only one correct answer (for objective exams).  Sometimes, there is a second best or even third best answer. There are no "red herring" or distracter ITEMS IN AN answer set. 

    For written assignments you must submit the entire assignment at one time.  For example, if you had a 5 page writing assignment you MUST submit all 5 pages at one time.  You can NOT submit 3 pages, and then try to submit the other 2 pages.  Also, remember that you will NOT be able to submit an assignment past the due date.
 

Plagiarism and Cheating:  (as per the College Catalog) are prohibited.  Plagiarism is defined as taking or using the thoughts, writings, or inventions of another as one's own.  It also means using direct quotations without credit and quotation marks, as well as using the ideas of another without proper credit.   In this course, pay special attention to gleaning information off the Internet, and do NOT pass it off as your own, or without proper citation.  Learn to paraphrase ideas in your own words.  Do not purchase, borrow, or revise another student's work.  Do not "double dip" an assignment you did in another class to turn it in for this one.  The following penalties are applied, as per the College Catalog.

MAKEUP POLICY:  All work is due on the assigned date.  Late work will not be accepted without prior approval of the Instructor

INCOMPLETE POLICY: (and Withdrawals):
    Incompletes (a grade of "Inc") and Withdrawals (a grade of "W") are not automatic, and never given as a substitute for missing makeup periods or low scores.  To receive an incomplete, a real emergency must exist for which the student misses a series of adjacent assignments, such as the last quiz, final exam, and 4th practicum, but this is only an example, as circumstances vary, and in all cases must involve notice beforehand and instructor approval of the emergency. Incompletes must be removed before eight weeks after the semester ends (otherwise they convert to a grade of "F").

    Withdrawals arranged between the student and Registrar are allowed up to the midpoint of a semester (or whenever scheduled in the college's Academic Calendar). After that date, any withdrawal is processed as a grade of "F" unless extenuating circumstances exist which are discussed with the instructor, the Registrar, and/or VPAA. Withdrawals do not compute into grade point averages, but do appear on transcripts, and may affect academic standing and/or financial aid. Tuition refund policies are set by the Business Office, with strict deadlines. 

Institutional Student Support Resources:
For matters relating to your admissions status at the college, please contact the school's admissions office at adm@ncwc.edu or the site director at the location where you were first processed for admission to NCWC.  For matters relating to financial statements, credit hours, transcripts, articulation and transfer credit, please contact the school's business office or the school's Registrar by calling the Business Office during regular working hours at 252-985-5104.

Student Support Center:  If you find the need for tutoring or any other support need you should contact the Student Support Center at the main campus.  Tutoring is available by appointment at the Rocky Mount campus Mon-Thurs 8am -9pm, and Fri 8 am -5pm.

Advising and Course Offerings:  Your online instructor is not responsible for information on future courses or degree audits.  For matters relating to advising, scheduling, upcoming courses, or courses needed for degree completion you should contact your advisor.  If you do not have an assigned advisor you can contact the following personnel at each campus:  Rocky Mount smdavis@ncwc.edu, for Goldsboro goldsboro@ncwc.edu, for Raleigh/Durham Raleigh@ncwc.edu

Disabilities: North Carolina Wesleyan is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and affirmative action in education and employment and complies with the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  If you have a disability and need assistance you may contact the student support center for assistance.

Writing Lab:  You are encouraged to use the NCWC online writing lab for assistance with writing assignments. You may contact the NCWC Writing lab at writinglab@ncwc.edu or visit the writing lab web site http://annex.ncwc.edu/writing_lab/

Library:  For library assistance please go to the NCWC library website at http://annex.ncwc.edu/Library/.  You can obtain access to NC Live through the NCWC library.

Online Classes at NCWC:  For general information about online classes at NCWC—including policies, access to library services, etc.—please visit http://faculty.ncwc.edu/jstubblefield/online2/onlinecourses1.htm.  

8-Week Calendar: