Realization of the Mission, Objectives and Competencies of the School of Criminal Justice and Public Safety

The cultivation of future-ready skills in students enables them to serve as catalysts for positive change, actively addressing challenges and contributing to the betterment of their communities. This commitment aligns directly with the School of Criminal Justice and Public Safety's mission and objectives, emphasizing the graduation of well-rounded individuals equipped with essential competencies for success in an ever-changing world. To assess the level of fulfillment of these mission and objectives, as well as the attainment of required competencies, a quantitative descriptive study was conducted. A questionnaire was administered to 964 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Forensic Science and Bachelor of Science in Criminology programs. The findings revealed a high level of fulfillment of the school's mission and objectives, with a weighted mean of 3.59. Additionally, the competencies required for each year level in both programs were fully attained. For the Bachelor of Forensic Science, the overall mean is 3.29, specific findings revealed that for the First-Year level, the competencies "Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak" and "Respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values" both received the highest mean score of 3.60, indicating they were Fully Attained. The competency "Utilize time and manage workload efficiently" received a mean score of 3.03, which is Highly Attained. For the Second Year Level, the competencies "Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams" and "Apply professional, social, and ethical standards in the practice of martial arts" both received the highest mean score of 3.34, indicating they were Fully Attained, while the competency "Develop leadership, confidence, maturity, responsibility and dependability" received a mean score of 3.20, which is Highly Attained. For the Third-Year level, the competency "Understanding crimes and penalties" received a mean score of 3.33, indicating it was Fully Attained, while the competency "Ability to assess and provide care in first aid situations" received a mean score of 3.00, which is Highly Attained. For the Fourth-Year level, the competency "Evaluation and management of gender-based violence against women, child maltreatment, and children in conflict with the law" received the highest weighted mean of 3.46, indicating it was Fully Attained, while the competency "Able to competently write and interpret laboratory reports" received a mean score of 2.90, which is Highly Attained. While for the Bachelor of Science in Criminology the overall mean is 3.36, specific findings revealed that for the First Year Level of Bachelor of Science in Criminology, the competency on "Manifest a desire to continuously pursue personal and professional development" got the highest mean which is 3.44 (Fully Attained), while the competency "Have a thorough Understanding on the provisions of RA 11131" got the lowest mean which is 3.06 (Highly Attained). For the Second-Year level, the competency on "Understanding the duties and responsibilities of the first responder, investigator and SOCO team at the crime scene" has the highest weighted mean of 3.34 (Fully Attained). The competencies "Know the organizational set-up, procedure and guidelines and relevant laws regarding the different law enforcement agencies" and "Apply concepts of photography in documenting the crime scene and other forensic evidence" got the lowest mean of 3.17 (Highly Attained). For the Third-Year level, the competency on "Understand the types of leadership and management" has the highest weighted mean of 3.40 (Fully Attained), while "Make a complete and detailed police report" has a mean of 3.11 (Highly Attained). Lastly, for the Fourth Year Level, the competency "Propose and defend Criminological research" has a weighted mean of 3.43 (Fully Attained), and the competency "Enhance knowledge on Forensic Science subjects in preparation for the board examination" has a mean of 3.22 (Highly Attained). These findings indicate that the school is effectively instilling desired values and adequately preparing students for their future roles.