Knowing how to approach a crime scene is imperative for all forensic practitioners to maintain integrity and ensure the delivery of justice. In this module, you will develop your ‘toolkit’ of core practical skills needed to process an incident scene and aid a crime scene investigation. Alongside this, you will work through a range of exciting laboratory sessions to teach you the fundamental chemical techniques that a forensic scientist needs to excel in all areas of the profession, from chemical synthesis to forensic chemical analysis. Through hands-on practical sessions, you will learn the core techniques needed to collect evidence, and develop the problem solving skills needed to identify, interpret and evaluate several evidence types, including firearms ammunition & fingermarks. Following this, you will learn how to map out a crime scene, search a series of varied crime scenes and learn the best practices for documenting and acquiring photographs.
Lecture 1 hours, Practical 108 hours
1,500 words Portfolio. Assessment Details: Autumn Laboratory Assessments (x 2) worth 15%.
1,500 words Portfolio. Assessment Details: Spring Laboratory Assessments (x 2) worth 15%.
1,500 words Portfolio. Assessment Details: Summer Laboratory Assessments (x 3) worth 30%.
1,500 words Short Writing Piece. Assessment Details: Investigation Assessment worth 20%.
VLE Quiz. Assessment Details: Ballistics Laboratory Assessment worth 10%.
1,000 words Short Writing Piece. Assessment Details: Scene Mapping Assessment worth 10%.
N/A Practical Competency. Assessment Details: Laboratory Attendance worth Pass/Fail%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment Method: 100% Written Assessment (1,500 words).
* Students must repeat the module in attendance the following academic year if they fail the laboratory attendance Pass/Fail component. This is due to PSRB laboratory practical hours requirements.
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1. Apply practical skills safely across a range of forensically relevant settings, to include incident scene mapping, evidence collection and processing, and applied ballistics-related investigations.
2. Analyse a range of evidential samples collected from an incident scene..
3. Apply fundamental standard laboratory procedures involved in synthetic and analytical work across the full spectrum of core chemical disciplines, whilst managing multiple tasks to develop time management skills.
4. Evaluate the safety considerations and hazards for practical chemistry experiments leading to the safe handling and utilisation of chemical materials, taking into account their physical and chemical properties.
5. Apply core chemical and forensic concepts to practical work, leading to competent analysis and discussion via scientific reporting conventions.
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