An Assignment weighted at 20%; an Exam length 1.5. hours weighted at 50%, and a portfolio of tasks to assess PDP activities (30%).
These tasks will include completing an initial record of skills and aspirations, updating this log towards the end of semester 2, a library questionnaire, an executive summary of a forensic-related television programme and a group poster presentation.

Outcomes 1 - 4: 1.5 hour written examination (50%)
Outcomes 3 - 6: Coursework assignment (~1000 words) (20%)
Outcomes 6 & 7: PDP portfolio including reflective summary of skills development (30%)

Students will be provided with formative assessment and feedback via in-class quizzes and examination of case-studies and feedback on skills-related activities.

Module handbook, standard lecture room facilities, access to library and to computers with www and distributed learning access, and to standard forensic laboratory facilities.
Blackboard VLE

Entry to level 1 of a forensic award

'Forensic Science', Jackson and Jackson, Pearson (2004)
'Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science', 8th edition, Safrestein, Prentice-Hall (2003)

36 hours of lecture-tutorial sessions will provide for the delivery of the core material. 4 hours of laboratory practical sessions will illustrate a range of important forensic laboratory techniques, and wider issues such as continuity and quality control.

260 hours of independent study, mainly through tutor-guided background reading of lecture handouts, textbooks and web pages, will help to consolidate the core material and broaden your understanding, plus sessions with personal tutors to develop skills and produce material for assessment.

The module begins with a discussion of the various definitions and public perceptions of forensic science, a review of the historical development of forensic science, and overview of the current structure and function of forensic science and police scientific support services in the UK. The roles of the FOA and SCI at the crime scene will be discussed, along with the fundamental principles of crime scene investigation and the importance of continuity of evidence, and an introduction to crime scene processing - protecting and documenting the scene, search, recovery, packaging and labelling of physical evidence. Crime scene management issues, and complexities such as multiple linked scenes, will be discussed, along with specialist types of crime scenes, such as fire and bomb scenes and clandestine laboratories.

An overview will be given of the types of physical evidence submitted for forensic analysis, the analytical techniques used to examine them, and the types of information that this can reveal. The important issues of laboratory quality control and quality assurance will be discussed in context. The use of forensic evidence in serious crime investigation will be discussed, including the structure and function of the incident room and the HOLMES computer system, and corroborative versus intelligence-led approaches to forensic investigations.

A brief introduction will be given to the legal system and the courts of law in the UK, the course of a criminal trial, and the use of forensic evidence in court, will be outlined. The different roles of the scientist appointed by the prosecution and defence will be discussed, along with written reports and the role of the expert witness.

Alongside the content above, students will develop their study skills and develop their PDP in a series of tasks.