AP0401 - Process and Practices in Forensic Science

You will learn from experienced forensic practitioners through lectures and practical laboratory sessions designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills required to conduct a basic forensic examination. The module will be delivered through a series of lectures and practicals designed to emphasise the practical application of theory within a forensic casework context. Throughout the module case studies and scenarios’ will be provided which provide ‘real-world’ experiences that reinforce the potential of individual evidence types to a forensic investigation.

You will be supported through active participation and discussion during laboratory practical sessions. These offer a unique opportunity to fully understand the scientific theory underpinning the laboratory tests and the interpretation of your scientific findings.
All lecture and practical material will be available on the University’s eLearning Portal, supplemented with guidance on further reading relevant to the subjects.
Written assessment feedback will also be provided to allow you to understand how you performed and how you can build on this performance in subsequent assessments within your programme.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• You will demonstrate an understanding of the forensic principles and practices associated with difference evidence types in forensic science

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• You will demonstrate an ability to locate, recover and accurately record details of material of forensic note
• You will identify appropriate methodology for the preservation and evaluation of core forensic materials

There will be two components to this assessment
• Unseen exam (50%) MLO 1
• Practical assessment (50%) MLO's 1,2,3

The unseen examination will allow you demonstrate the depth and breadth of your knowledge and understanding of essential facts, theories and concepts of forensic science

The authentic practical assessment is designed to assess your ability to locate and recover material of forensic interest and make an accurate record of your examination.

Formative laboratory practicals will develop your laboratory skills in individual aspects of forensic examinations and situate the theory delivered within lectures. These will enable students to gain confidence in the laboratory in advance of the summative laboratory assessment.

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In this module you will discover the key principles, process and practices of forensic science and the forensic scientist. You will discover the role forensic scientists play within a forensic investigation and how they interact with police, pathologists, crime scene investigators and the criminal justice system. Not only will you study the specialisms within forensic science and learn how they can fit together in an investigation you will also develop your laboratory skills to enable you to search and recovery key evidential material such as hairs, fibres and blood. A practical assessment and examination will assess your knowledge, understanding and skills which you have gained during the course of this module.