The U.S. Air Force has more than 38,000 Security Forces officers, enlisted and civilian personnel at more than 200 organizations around the globe.  The MSU course is being provided under a contract with the Air Force and is designed to prepare persons already proficient in the security forces career field for the role of installation crime prevention and resources protection program manager. Course topics include information on cost effectiveness of alarm and locking systems, target hardening, risk management principles, use of crime data analysis, commercial and residential crime prevention, partnerships in crime prevention, marketing crime prevention concepts, information sharing and current issues.

September 2011 was the first time MSU offered the course.  Two groups of 25 students worked in five-member cooperative learning groups tackling complex, real-life Problem-Based Learning (PBL) problems.  PBL originated in the medical field as an approach for training new doctors at McMaster University Medical School in the late 1960’s (Barrows, 1994).  Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, problem-based learning has appealed to an increasing number of teachers and is now being practiced in numerous educational environments including, education, psychology, engineering, computer science and business (Brodie & Porter, 2009; Edens, 2000; Processer, 2004; Savoie & Hughes, 1994; Sendag & Odabasi, 2009, Week, Kek, & Kelley, 2003). 

In traditional education students have learned to repeat what their teachers have said in the classroom or lecture halls or what is printed in their textbook (Paul, 1999).  They are taught unrelated, often isolated and disparate facts and are then asked to apply that information at some later date.  It is difficult for students to learn how to apply that knowledge.  In PBL, learning takes place within the structure of solving the given problem and using learning groups to achieve it (Barrows and Tamblyn, 1980).  Thus, problem-based learning is seen as an integrated pedagogical approach to teaching critical thinking, rather than a specific teaching activity.

Under PBL the traditional teacher-student relationship is changed dramatically.  Increased responsibility is placed on the student for learning.  The instructor’s role also changes.  The instructor emphasis is placed on providing resources, mentoring and evaluating behavior.  The expected outcome is a student who is better prepared to think critically and analytically and to find appropriate learning resources.  When coupled with research-based brain-friendly instructional strategies, research shows that a student-focused teaching approach has a high impact factor that influences higher order thinking skills, in the form of deep learning and self-directed learning (Kik & Huijser, 2009, 2011).  This critical thinker is someone who possesses higher order thinking skills to analyze effectively and to be an able problem solver.

Other PBL professional development courses offered through the School include MSU’s Police School of Staff and Command and the recently developed 80-hour First Line Supervision source.  The School is currently working with other disciplines across campus to update the Michigan Victim’s Assistance Academy to a PBL format.  The first offering of that updated course is expected for June 2012.