Module Descriptors
CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
FORE40152
Key Facts
Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences
Level 4
15 credits
Contact
Leader: Rachel Bolton-King
Hours of Study
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: 24
Independent Study Hours: 126
Total Learning Hours: 150
Assessment
  • ASSIGNMENT weighted at 25%
  • EXAMINATION - UNSEEN IN EXAMINATION CONDITIONS weighted at 75%
Module Details
Module Additional Assessment Details
Additional Assessment Information:
Students will be required to complete 2 pieces of summative assessment.

Outcomes 1 - 4 Examination (2h) 75%

Outcomes 4,5 Reflective log to include learning achievements from practical demonstrations 25%

Students will be provided with formative assessment and feedback via
Tutorial and practical demonstration group sessions


Module Indicative Content
INDICATIVE CONTENT: The roles and duties of the forensic scientist and scenes-of-crime officer will be outlined, in relation to criminal investigations proceeding from the scene-of-crime to the forensic laboratory to the courtroom. The vitally important issues of quality control and continuity of evidence in the crime scene to laboratory to court chain will be introduced, and an overview will be given of the types of chemical, physical and biological evidence used in forensic science, and the essential requirements of analytical techniques used for forensic analysis. The practical considerations of the preservation of the crime scenes and the recovery, packaging, labelling and preservation of evidence from crime scenes will be covered as will the organisation of scientific support services in England and Wales. Case studies to illustrate collection of evidence from various crime scenes will be studied
Module Learning Strategies
THESE LEARNING STRATEGIES WILL OCCUPY YOUR TIME:

20 hours of lecture/tutorial sessions will provide for the delivery of the core material. 4 hours of practical demonstration to illustrate a range of forensic techniques

126 hours of independent study, much of which will be tutor-guided background reading, through textbooks, websites, etc, will help to consolidate the core material and broaden your understanding. A series of short tests will provide formative self-assessment.
Module Resources
YOU WILL NEED ACCESS TO THESE RESOURCES:
Standard lecture room facilities, suitable laboratory facilities, module handbook access to library and to computers with www and distributed learning access
Blackboard VLE
Module Special Admissions Requirements
none
Module Texts
AND REFER TO THESE TEXTS, TITLE, AUTHOR, PAGES:

Forensic Science: Andrew R.W Jackson and Julie M. Jackson, Pearson 2004
Crime Scene to Court: The Essentials of Forensic Science,
P White (ed), Royal Society of Chemistry, 1998