Blog #21: Independent Component 2

LITERAL
(a) I, Gawen Grunloh, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) The ALEKs website, with the various assessments and practice problems that were explained to me, were my best teaching and learning source for this component. 
(c) Log of my time spent on ALEKs. 
(d) I completed 30 hours of course work on the ALEKs course for Statistics of Behavioral Science, which is outlined here. 

INTERPRETIVE 
I have screenshot of different intervals of myPie progress as well as the attendance report for the course work. My initial assessment was at 18%, my first checkpoint assessment showed that my acquired  knowledge had doubled to 36%, and my second assessment showed an increase to 44%. I consider all of this good considering that I learned all of the material from ALEKs as I went along. 

My Pie chart when I first began the Behavioral Science course. 

My Pie chart at 15 hours, about halfway through my work. 

My Pie chart when I completed the 30 hours. 

My total time spent each day as well as each topic mastered.

My progressed on the assessments in between topic lessons. 

This list shows the total amount of hours I spent on Aleks  as well as the topics that I mastered in that time. 

APPLIED
The course work at ALEKs helped me to understand how statistics work and how to best interpret statistical reports. Probability in populations is a large part of understanding crimes that could be committed within a certain community. Furthermore, this course work gave me a head start on understanding the work that I want to major in while in college; Political Science. 

Blog #15: Independent Component 2 Plan Approval

1) I plan on completing my 30 hours on the Behavioral Science Statistics course of ALEKs.
2) I will record how long I spend on the course and, hopefully, have the final certification to show at the end.
3) The course that I hope to take will improve my knowledge of criminal investigation as a whole and will show that I have put extensive time into training myself for understanding the statistics of behavior.

Blog #14: Independent Component #1

Literal:

1. I, Gawen Grunloh, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30.5 hours of work.
2. An article I found called “What is the best pistol for police officers?” on a site called spartan cops helped me complete this component because it gave a criteria for what criminal investigators would value most in a sidearm so I knew what to consider.
3. Work Log
4. I analyzed which sidearm would be the most reliable and most efficient protection for an investigator to take in the field to maintain safety.

Interpretive:

1. My charts and graphs of the data I found that shows my analysis of the various firearms. My analysis states that the Glock 22 model of sidearm is the ideal weapon for criminal investigators. I also spent time at a shooting range to get an idea of what each of the categories I researched actually meant and found that they made quite a difference. 

Pictured is a .38 I had a chance to take a picture of at the shooting range. I didn't analyze this sidearm because it isn't often used by investigators.

Applied:

1. From this component, I understand that a lot of thought has to go into the tools that a criminal investigator must consider to get the job done. Here alone, I had to consider 7 different aspects of each gun before coming to a reasonable conclusion. When in the field, investigators can't afford to not make an educated decision in which tools they take with them to maintain safety. I now understand how much investigators have to consider in choosing their tools on the job. 

Blog 10: Senior Project Update

1. I am currently trying to find the best way to show how reading case files has enriched my knowledge of criminal investigation.

2. This video on criminal investigative careers showed me all of the different professions that are actually involved in the criminal investigation field. I want to get the opportunity to get in touch with each job that is involved in the investigative field.

3. Here are notes that I took from that video and now I would like to begin trying to get in touch with each of the experts mentioned in the video to get to know their side of the investigative process.

Blog #7: Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

1. For my independent study component, I plan to analyze the different firearms that investigators would carry in the field. I will research certain aspects of each firearm such as capacity, sight radius, and weight. I would also like to visit a shooting range to experience the use of these firearms first hand.

2. I believe that this component will fulfill the 30 hour requirement because of the research and presentation put into the data of the different firearms as well as time spent at the shooting range.

3. This component would serve as foundation research for my working EQ to understand how much thought must go into an investigator choosing his or her tools in the field.