Imagine that you have been asked to present a brief presentation about the incident depicted in the video segment to a small citizen group. Everyone in the group has watched the segment and remains objectively neutral to the content. For purposes of this presentation, no other details or information are known other than those observed in the video. Then, prepare a multimedia presentation (e.g., PowerPoint) that answers the below prompts and follows listed instructions for each topic slide. Include a separate slide for each prompt – more than one may be used for each topic if needed. Use proper grammar and be sure to proofread several times prior to submitting to catch small errors. In general, most every response should be provided in narrative format using full and complete sentences. Bullet points should be used sparingly, but may be used in some circumstances when providing longer responses. In such cases, provide bullets to introduce the idea and place the corresponding narrative in the notes section. The use of direct quotes should be extremely limited – most all of your narrative should contain original and/or paraphrased text.
NOTES: Please take time to carefully read the requirements and notes for each slide. The closer you are when finished to hitting each of these requirements, the more likely you will receive a passing score on the first submission attempt. To further help you be successful on your first submission, there is a list of instructor-informed tips for success that can be found following these instructions that provides helpful advice on how to prevent multiple resubmissions (if submitted in time for review) or not meeting expectations on the first attempt (if submitted too late for review and resubmission). You will genuinely find there is a direct relationship between the level of effort you provide toward meeting these instructions and tips with how well you maximize points during the instructor’s assessment. To that end, you are encouraged to follow these instructions, notes, and tips with sincere and deliberate intention toward maximizing every available point.
While this assignment is designed more as a presentation than a “formally written paper,” please note you are still required to present information in a well organized (headings, subheadings) and logical (clear and makes sense) manner and you must absolutely still provide appropriate APA citations and references for anything that serves as the source for any thought, idea, concept, data, etc. you used in formulating your responses. All citations must be provided in strict accordance with the requirements of APA (7th ed.). For reminders or initial assistance regarding when, what, and how to cite using the APA style, please consult first the APA manual, OWL Perdue, and/or any other of the many online sources that are available to you at no cost. Even seasoned academic writers and researchers must consult these resources when completing their manuscripts, so there is no need to memorize every aspect – simply consult the guidelines and mirror those formats and structures when creating your in-text citations and references.
SLIDE TITLES, PROMPTS, & INSTRUCTIONS
Title
On this slide, provide an applicable title that includes your name, course information, and submission date.
Introduction
On this slide, provide a brief, professional biography about yourself.
NOTE: While being informative is great, please be mindful that this question does not call for sensitive personal information. All information on this slide should be written in narrative form in your own words. You should not need to use bullets on this slide.
Background
On this slide, briefly describe the incident observed in sufficient enough detail as to permit a person unfamiliar with the circumstances to understand the general nature of what is believed to have occurred during the encounter. Be objective, clear, informative, and succinct.
NOTE: While this information would normally require at least one in-text citation with a corresponding reference listed on the last slide to properly support use of the video content, this one slide/topic will be exempt for this assignment. All information on this slide should be written in narrative form in your own words. You should not solely use bullets on this slide. Your response should not contain direct quotes.
Biases
On this slide, discuss what biases may be involved in the incident. Upon considering all relevant information, take time to properly analyze and reflect upon what you observed in the video in relation to what you have learned in the course. Then, discuss all biases you believe were involved in this incident. Discuss what information you might want to convey to your audience about the potential biases they too might observe in the video. Discuss how citizens can help navigate the delicate balance between effective law enforcement practices and the prevention of biased profiling. Discuss what evidence specifically supports your conclusions. Ensure that you clearly connect the dots between your assertions and the evidence provided so your audience will not fill in the gaps with their own assumptions.
NOTE: This section will require at least one in-text citation with a corresponding reference listed on the last slide to properly support your statements and provide proper attribution for the information you considered or consulted when formulating your response. All information on this slide should be written in narrative form in your own words and/or paraphrased from information developed from referenced sources. As such, you must still cite your sources in the text. You should not solely use bullets on this slide. If bullets are used on the slide, then keep them topical and place the lengthy related narrative in the notes section. Your response may contain a direct quote to capture the vision statement.
Ethics
On this slide, discuss what other ethical considerations may be involved in the incident. Upon considering all relevant information, take time to properly analyze and reflect upon what you observed in the video in relation to what you have learned in the course. Then, discuss what other ethical considerations you believe might be involved in this incident. Discuss what ethical responsibilities aw enforcement officials have in terms of upholding justice, fairness, and equal treatment under the law? If none, argue why there are no other ethical considerations involved in this situation. Discuss what ethical responsibilities organizations have in implementing comprehensive and ongoing training programs that promote awareness and address bias within their ranks. Discuss what evidence specifically supports your conclusions. Ensure that you clearly connect the dots between your assertions and the evidence provided so your audience will not fill in the gaps with their own assumptions.
NOTE: This section will require at least one in-text citation with a corresponding reference listed on the last slide to properly support your statements and provide proper attribution for the information you considered or consulted when formulating your response. All information on this slide should be written in narrative form in your own words and/or paraphrased from information developed from referenced sources. As such, you must still cite your sources in the text. You should not solely use bullets on this slide. If bullets are used on the slide, then keep them topical and place the lengthy related narrative in the notes section. Your response may contain a direct quote to capture the vision statement.
Situation Management
On this slide, discuss a specific strategy you might recommend to the officer to better manage similar situations in the future. Discuss what evidence specifically supports your recommendation. Ensure that you clearly connect the dots between your assertions and the evidence provided so your audience will not fill in the gaps with their own assumptions. In other words, tell readers some proven strategy officers can use to successfully advance and/or improve some aspect of this type of situation. Your recommendation must include some level of proof or validation for why that recommendation should work in this particular set of circumstances.
NOTE: This section will require at least one in-text citation with a corresponding reference listed on the last slide to properly support your statements and provide proper attribution for the information you considered or consulted when formulating your response. All information on this slide should be written in narrative form in your own words and/or paraphrased from information developed from referenced sources. As such, you must still cite your sources in the text. You should not solely use bullets on this slide. If bullets are used on the slide, then keep them topical and place the lengthy related narrative in the notes section. Your response should not contain any direct quotes.
Policy & Practice
On this slide, discuss a policy or strategic practice you might recommend the police organization adopt to help mitigate similar incidents in the future. Discuss the benefits of this policy or strategy. Discuss why you believe this would be important for the organization and to the community. Discuss what evidence specifically supports your strategy or practice. Ensure that you clearly connect the dots between your assertions and the evidence provided so your audience will not fill in the gaps with their own assumptions. In other words, discuss some proven policy or practice that can be used to successfully advance and/or improve some aspect of these situations in the future that would help to solidify and/or reaffirm the community’s trust in the organization in the wake of such an incident. Your recommendation must include some level of proof or validation for why your recommendation should work in this particular set of circumstances.
NOTE: This section will require at least one in-text citation with a corresponding reference listed on the last slide to properly support your statements and provide proper attribution for the information you considered or consulted when formulating your response. All information on this slide should be written in narrative form in your own words and/or paraphrased from information developed from referenced sources. As such, you must still cite your sources in the text. You should not solely use bullets on this slide. If bullets are used on the slide, then keep them topical and place the lengthy related narrative in the notes section. Your response should not contain any direct quotes.
Conclusion
On this slide, discuss a proper conclusion that captures the essence of what you are trying to communicate in the presentation. Provide an overview of each of the preceding slides to capture the “big picture” in a succinct synopsis. In other words, briefly tell your audience again in a clear and direct manner what you have been telling them in your presentation. This can be as easy as providing one sentence for each of the main topic slides compiled into one well-aligned paragraph that basically condenses everything into narrative form that you have presented.
NOTE: This section will require at least one in-text citation with a corresponding reference listed on the last slide to properly support your statements and provide proper attribution for the information you considered or consulted when formulating your response. All information on this slide should be written in narrative form in your own words and/or paraphrased from information developed from referenced sources. As such, you must still cite your sources in the text. You should not solely use bullets on this slide. If bullets are used on the slide, then keep them topical and place the lengthy related narrative in the notes section. Your response should not contain any direct quotes.
Questions
On this slide, identify one or two questions you would anticipate receiving from the audience based upon the information contained within the video or your presentation and then present a brief response in your own words.
References
On this slide, provide references in alphabetical order that correspond to the in-text citations you used within the previous slides. All references should be provided in proper format using APA (7th ed.). From the instructions provided in the preceding slides, it should be apparent that this slide will contain several APA-styled references.
NOTE: Consult the APA guidelines for each reference/in-text citation you provide as there are specific requirements and styles for each types. There are many APA resources, including OWL Perdue, that provide you with very specific examples of how to format these sources correctly. Aside from very limited scenarios that you will likely not encounter for this assignment, there should not be any reason for these not to be incredibly close to being accurate.
Instructor Pro Tips
- Ensure your slides are presented logically, neatly, and professionally. Creativity helps in the long-run, but that is up to you and your preferences and capabilities.
- Ensure your presentation includes at least one slide per topic listed above – In this case, no less than 10 slides.
- Do not overcrowd information on each slides – A slide itself should never include 2,000 words. Bullets are permissible only when lengthy items are being provided. In such cases, a bullet to identify the item topically should be provided on the slide with the related narrative provided below in the notes section.
- Written narratives should include full and complete sentences with proper grammar and punctuation.
- Proofread multiple times for spelling, grammar, and comprehension. Sometimes reading it aloud to yourself in a quiet place helps to identify errors of information that sounds confusing when read. It might also be helpful to have another trusted source review it to further ensure there are no minor issues remaining with spelling or grammar. As they read it, they can also tell you if something sounds confusing. Always proofread again after editing. After proofreading, proofread again.
- Unless a subjective opinion is called for within the instructions, then every sentence should be an objective and necessary statement that is grounded in some legitimate and factual basis.
- Every sentence and/or group of related sentences should be provable by pointing directly to some attributable source. In other words, you must qualify every comment, statement, and/or remark. Especially in a global world when speaking to a global audience, it is generally safer (even more so at the undergraduate level) to provide some level of citation and attribution for nearly everything you write and say in academic writing (minus very limited exceptions or writing types). There is a unique line between what is and what is not considered common knowledge.
- Remember, please do not make assumptions unless called for in the instructions – stick to provable facts. Just because we want to believe something is most likely accurate does not mean we can say it with academic or professional certainty. Think about all the times an organizational leader has made some assertion about staff members because we would generally expect that to be true in a perfect world just to learn they made an assumption that was wrong – it is sometimes hard to recover from such missteps in the real world. As such, we should practice the same fundamentals in these courses. The best way to overcome issues with this concept is to examine every sentence independently by asking if what you wrote is an objective fact or subjective assumption.
Example: A student once commented on a similar assignment that the officer involved had not acted inappropriately because the officer treats every person the same way regardless of their race in similar circumstances. While we WANT to be believe that is always true, we are not qualified to make such a statement without proof. I am also sure the student did not know the officer personally, they were making a statement based upon their perception of the right thing to do. The only way the student could otherwise legitimately make this statement with any level of academic or professional confidence is if they had personally witnessed every other similar encounter with that officer or if someone had conducted a review of all the officer’s records with Human Resources and published a supporting report. Even then, the student could only legitimately say that based upon some explicit level of evidence or observation that there was no known history of such behaviors. While this may seem very minor, words do clearly have important meanings and what you say in the real world in such matters can have notable consequences, especially if it becomes a matter for the courts. It is for these reasons that we practice such things in these courses.
