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Report on Gwynedd Mercy University’s Experiential Learning Initiative and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Gwynedd Mercy University (GMercyU) has established an innovative experiential learning facility, the “Crime Scene House,” to provide practical, hands-on training for its criminal justice students. This initiative directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on providing quality education that leads to decent work, and fostering peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Facility Overview and Educational Methodology

The Crime Scene House is a repurposed two-story Colonial residence on the GMercyU campus, meticulously designed to simulate realistic criminal investigation scenarios. This facility moves beyond traditional lecture-based learning to provide immersive, skills-oriented training.

• The house is fully furnished and equipped to represent a typical suburban home, allowing for a wide variety of crime scenarios.
• Specific areas, including a kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and an adjacent vehicle, are staged with simulated evidence such as fingerprints, fake blood, and contraband.
• A dedicated interrogation room is available for students to practice interviewing skills.
• The facility is equipped with a camera monitoring system, allowing instructors, many of whom are former law enforcement professionals, to observe and record student performance for later review and feedback.

The educational process is structured to bridge theory and practice, preparing students for the complexities of professional law enforcement and investigative work. This approach is fundamental to achieving educational and societal goals outlined by the SDGs.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Crime Scene House initiative is a practical application of principles embedded within the SDGs, demonstrating a commitment to creating a more sustainable and just future through education.

1. SDG 4: Quality Education: The program directly addresses Target 4.4, which aims to increase the number of youths and adults with relevant technical and vocational skills for employment and decent jobs. By providing skills-based training that simulates real-world challenges, GMercyU ensures its graduates are not just theoretically knowledgeable but also professionally competent.
2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Experiential learning is crucial for closing the skills gap between academia and industry. This initiative prepares students for immediate entry into the workforce, enhancing their employability and contributing to a more productive and skilled labor force, in line with the goal of promoting full and productive employment.
3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: The core mission of the criminal justice program is to develop professionals who will uphold the rule of law. By training effective, accountable, and well-prepared investigators and police officers, the university contributes directly to building strong and just institutions, a cornerstone of peaceful and inclusive societies.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The university plans to extend the use of the Crime Scene House to local law enforcement agencies for their training purposes. This collaboration between an academic institution and public sector bodies exemplifies the partnerships required to achieve sustainable development.

Projected Outcomes and Institutional Impact

The implementation of the Crime Scene House yields significant benefits for students, the university, and the broader community, reinforcing the value of higher education in a competitive landscape.

Student and Workforce Preparedness

• Students gain practical experience and confidence, preparing them mentally and technically for the rigors of the police academy and their future careers.
• The program provides a safe environment to receive constructive feedback from industry professionals, accelerating skill development in areas like evidence collection, crime scene analysis, and interviewing.
• Graduates enter the workforce with a proven skill set that is highly valued by employers, who increasingly prioritize practical abilities over theoretical knowledge alone.

Institutional and Strategic Advantages

• Experiential learning opportunities serve as a key differentiator for universities, helping to attract and retain students by demonstrating a clear pathway to a successful career.
• Such programs enhance student engagement and a sense of belonging, which are correlated with higher retention and graduation rates.
• By repurposing an existing campus building, GMercyU has demonstrated a sustainable and resourceful approach to developing high-impact educational facilities.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article is centered on an innovative educational approach at Gwynedd Mercy University. It describes the “Crime Scene House” as a form of “experiential learning” designed to provide students with “practical skills beyond what they learn in a lecture hall.” This directly relates to the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.
2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The program’s primary objective is to “prepare students for the workforce.” The article emphasizes that companies are now focused “more on skills than degrees” and that experiential learning is essential for “finding a job in today’s workforce and narrowing the perceived skills gap.” This aligns with the goal of promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The program trains criminal justice students who plan to enter “state or federal law enforcement.” By providing high-quality, practical training for future investigators and police officers, the university is contributing to building more effective and capable justice institutions. The article states the goal is to teach students “front to back, what it was like to be an investigator or a police officer,” thereby strengthening the human-resource capacity of the justice system.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
     • The article directly supports this target by describing how the Crime Scene House provides “practical skills” and “skill-building opportunities.” The program’s director is quoted saying, “the closer we can get to showing them what they’re going to do, how they’re going to do it, the more prepared they’ll be.” This highlights the focus on relevant, vocational skills for employment in law enforcement.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
     • The article addresses the principle of this target by describing a program that bridges education and employment. It notes that companies are “looking for students who are ready to begin working, and don’t need to spend as much time training.” The experiential learning program is designed to make students more employable immediately upon graduation, thus reducing the likelihood of them being out of employment, education, or training.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions… for building capacity at all levels… to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime.
     • The Crime Scene House is a clear example of “building capacity” for future law enforcement professionals. The article explains that the program provides realistic training to solve crimes, with instructors who are “former police officers or detectives.” This initiative strengthens the future capabilities of justice institutions by ensuring new recruits are better trained and prepared to combat crime effectively.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Implied Indicator: The number and proportion of students participating in experiential, skills-based learning programs.
     • The article mentions there are “60 or so students in the criminal justice program” who will use the Crime Scene House. This number serves as a direct measure of students gaining relevant vocational skills.
   • Implied Indicator: Student preparedness and confidence for future careers.
     • A student, Jerome Mathew, is quoted saying the experience “makes [me] a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable knowing that I’ll have an idea of what to expect.” This self-reported increase in confidence and preparedness is a qualitative indicator of the education’s quality and relevance.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Implied Indicator: The employability of graduates and their readiness for the workforce.
     • The article states that such programs help students “stand out to employers” and that companies are looking for graduates who “don’t need to spend as much time training.” The success of the program could be measured by the employment rates of its graduates in the criminal justice field and feedback from employers on their job readiness.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Implied Indicator: The quality and extent of training provided to future law enforcement personnel.
     • The article details the realistic nature of the training, including a house with simulated crime scenes, an interrogation room, and a vehicle for drug-transport scenarios. The use of “instructors, many of whom are former police officers or detectives,” also indicates a high quality of capacity-building. The eventual plan to open the house to “local law enforcement for training and practice” is another measure of its contribution to strengthening institutional capacity.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: edsurge.com