Colorado Tech Online Faculty
Meet Mark Heim, BS, MS.
School of Criminal Justice
Students who enroll in some of the criminal justice degree programs offered through Colorado Tech Online may get a chance to virtually "meet" instructor Mark Heim. Mr. Heim is there to help you succeed and make your educational experience as rewarding as possible. "After working in the criminal justice field for 12 years in both community and institutional corrections, I wanted to expand my horizon and perhaps, strike a better balance in my career. I want to facilitate social success as well as correct social failure. The many success stories that I have heard from my students may turn out to be the most rewarding thing about teaching for me."
Mr. Heim brings a wide array of knowledge, skills and experience to the criminal justice courses he teaches through Colorado Tech Online. Mark earned both a Bachelor's and Master's degree through Longwood University and has worked not only in corrections, but also case management, treatment programming, substance abuse counseling, inmate classifications, pre-sentencing evaluation and reporting. He also has participated in writing a curriculum for anger management counseling that was implemented in the Virginia Department of Corrections. He is currently a Correctional Officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as well as a sociology instructor for a community college in Virginia…and possibly your instructor if you are fortunate enough to be placed in the Corrections Solutions or Capstone in Criminal Justice courses he teaches through Colorado Tech Online.
Mr. Heim's educational philosophy, however, is not corrective in nature, it is facilitative. "I believe that the most important thing is for me as an instructor is to teach my students the ability to make a sound and valid argument in order to support their point of view. I may not agree with their conclusion, but if they present factual evidence and reach their conclusion in a logical manner, they have succeeded in their task. I expect them to not only demonstrate knowledge of the course material, but also to be able to apply it to real-life scenarios. True learning is much more than memorization and understanding concepts, it is also demonstrating the ability to apply those concepts to your career. That ability, ultimately, is the difference between success and mediocrity."
According to Mr. Heim, the Virtual Campus at Colorado Tech Online provides the perfect forum for facilitation and discussion among a usually very diverse student roster. "The rewards of education work both ways. I have learned a lot from the experiences of some of my students and they learn from one another. My class roster with Colorado Tech Online may consist of students with years of experience in criminal justice along with younger students who have never worked in that profession. I feel the most effective teaching method is to facilitate interaction not only between my students and myself, but also among the wide diversity of students. It is very exciting and rewarding to see students interact and learn from one another in the discussion boards and live chats. Colorado Tech's online format combined with the real life scenarios used in project-based learning provides a great forum for that."
Teaching courses online also has other benefits for Mr. Heim. "I am not handcuffed to a physical location and I do not have to spend time commuting because the Virtual Campus is just a few clicks away. That gives me more time to spend preparing for the presentation of course materials and more time for evaluating my students' work. It also gives me more time to spend with my family and more flexibility in both my personal and professional life. I can travel to meetings or seminars without having to worry about missing live class sessions. The flexibility that online learning offers for working students is also advantageous for instructors who work in other careers besides teaching. Online education requires dedication, discipline, good organizational skills and effective time management for both students and instructors, but the rewards are well worth it."
When Mark is not working with inmates at the correctional institution or working with students online, he can be seen hiking the trails of the Colorado wilderness or enjoying a Colorado Rockies game. "I also enjoy scuba diving, but since I live in Colorado, that is difficult to do without traveling. If the opportunity for travel comes, however, it is nice to know I can get away without having that interfere with my commitment to my students as an instructor with Colorado Tech Online. I enjoy teaching courses through Colorado Tech Online and that makes it easier for me to help my students enjoy learning."
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