AP0405 - Scientific Support

You will learn through a series of lectures, laboratory activities and attendance at our bespoke crime scene facility. The lectures will cover the concepts and principles encountered within the scientific support department. You will be able to apply this information in a practical manner in the laboratory environment to consolidate this knowledge. Attending the crime scene gives you the opportunity to undertake a crime scene examination for example as a CSI or specialist practitioner and apply the taught principles of evidence location, recovery and documentation in an authentic environment. Formative feedback will be given in lectures with the use of embedded questions and audience polling software and in seminars and practicals by academic staff and peer-review and written feedback provided via eLP as appropriate.

Support will include feedback from tutors during the laboratory and crime scene activities. Module content will be made available using the virtual learning platform, Blackboard and your learning experience will be enhanced by using module group discussion boards facilitated by the module tutor as well as using other electronic communication mechanisms (e.g. wikis/journals/email) for response to individual questions. You will also be supported with the inclusion of a digital reading list.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role the scientific support department and specialist practitioners have in a criminal investigation (MLO1)
• Demonstrate an understanding of the techniques used to locate and recover materials that have value in a criminal investigation and record information in an appropriate manner (MLO2)

Personal Values Attributes
• Show an awareness of the wider context of quality assurance and regulation in forensic science (MLO3)

Your learning and student experience will benefit from undertaking formative assessments and discussions prior to your summative assessment. You will have opportunities to undertake self assessment quizzes, participate in (e-)group discussions and opportunities for the recovery, visualisation and documentation of evidence (scene and laboratory exercises).Formative feedback will be provided through questions embedded within the lectures and the use of audience polling software. Formative feedback will also be provided by academic staff during laboratory practicals and additional post-lab materials provided on the eLP.

There are two summative assessments in this module:

Assessment 1 – online exam – MCQ and short answer questions 50% MLO's 1,2,3

Assessment 2– online exam – short answer questions 50% MLO's 1,2,3

Individual written feedback will be provided for the summative assessments. All feedback will be provided within the university timeline guidelines.

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This module will introduce the contribution of police scientific support departments and specialist scientific disciplines to contemporary forensic investigations. You will explore how the use of specialist techniques by crime scene investigators and practitioners both at the scene and in the laboratory can exploit the evidence available at a crime scene to further an investigation. Topics such as, but not limited to, scene recording, latent mark enhancement and digital evidence will be considered. In addition, the methods and techniques studied will be considered within the context of accreditation and quality assurance regulation with Forensic Science Regulator oversight. Case examples ranging from volume crime to serious crime will be used to demonstrate the valuable contribution of scientific support departments and specialist practitioners in crime scene investigation.