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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDAFORENSIC SCIENCE
DISTANCE EDUCATION
Mary EdwardsSpring 2010Distance Education Leadership & Management
Contents
Introduction Program Overview Accreditation and Oversight Marketplace Context Leadership Program Features Success Factors Conclusion
Introduction
The recent growth in popular television shows like CSI, NCSI highlights the work of forensic scientists and popularized the field:“Interest in forensic science has increased dramatically in the past 10 years.” – From the below referenced Technical Working Group on Education and Training in Forensic Science Report
Forensic Science Education programs are at the Undergraduate and Graduate (primarily Masters) level
Introduction
University of Florida offers Masters Degrees and Certificate Programs in general Forensic Science and specific concentrations
Students refer to themselves as “investi-Gators”
An interdisciplinary program based out of the Colleges of Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine
Library Support: Provided by the Health Science Center Library
Program Overview Program Website: http://www.forensicscience.ufl.edu/ Offerings:
Certificates (12 credit hour) Master of Science
Certificates: Environmental Forensics Forensic Death Investigation Forensic Toxicology Clinical Toxicology Drug Chemistry Forensic DNA & Serology
Degrees: MS in Forensic Toxicology MS in Drug Chemistry MS in Forensic DNA & Serology MS in Forensic Science
Program Overview
Has demonstrated continual growth including a 50% enrollment increase over last year
Currently 928 students enrolled Students are working professionals in
a variety of settings including crime & industry labs and schools
Many students are currently deployed active duty military personnel
Program Overview Global Forensic Science Education =
Partnerships with the University of Edinburgh and the University of Canberra
Demonstrates an interest in incorporating technology to enhance teaching and social networking to enhance the community of practice
Won the 2006 (Association for Distance Education) ADEC Excellence Award
Success Factors
Success factors include:A specific niche market
experiencing growthA visionary leaderContinual expansionGlobal partnershipsSolid curriculaA strong sense of student
community
Accreditation and Oversight
From the Technical Working Group on Education and Training in Forensic Science (of which Dr. Ian Tebbett was a member)“To ensure that these programs adequately prepare practitioners for their careers in operational laboratories, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has supported West Virginia University’s establishment of the Technical Working Group for Education and Training in Forensic Science for the purpose of recommending best practices for educational curriculums in forensic science. “
Recommendations for Graduate Degrees
What the report says about graduate degree programs:“Graduate programs can move students from theoretical concepts to discipline-specific knowledge. Exemplary curriculums can include such topics as crime scenes, physical evidence, law/ science interface, ethics, and quality assurance to complement the student’s advanced coursework…By emphasizing written and oral communication and report writing, graduate programs can prepare students for future courtroom testimony. “
Marketplace Context
Forensic Science education is growing and there are an increasing number of face-to-face programs that provide undergraduate and graduate degrees (taskforce report)
The UF program leads the market for online Forensic Science Education
Makes use of a third party tools including google analytics, google ads and a marketing service
Marketplace Context
A positive employment outlook results in growth of educational programs.
From the Occupational Outlook Handbook:Jobs for forensic science technicians are expected to increase by 20 percent, which is much faster than average. Employment growth in State and local government should be driven by the increasing application of forensic science techniques, such as DNA analysis, to examine, solve, and prevent crime.
Leadership
Program co-directors: Ian Tebett and Eileen Oliver
Ian Tebbett is a visionary leader and under his leadership the program has: Added degrees and concentrations Experienced continued phenomenal enrollment
growth He is an advocate for global partnerships
and models this ideal in his programs His forensic programs are self-funded and
profit generating
Leadership
Dr. Tebbett is involved with distance education leadership initiatives on campus and beyond
Examples of campus involvement: Campus wide distance education taskforces Self-funded program approval committee
He constantly seeks technological solutions to improve the learning experience of his students, but is mindful of pedagogical value and doesn’t adopt “cool tools” for their novelty
Examples of Technological Innovation
Example: Pedagogical Problem – Recreating a crime scene and introducing elements of interactivityTechnology Solutions – Second Life and virtual worlds were trialed but were rejected because of graphic qualityWorking with a developer to create an interactive 360 degree camera view mobile application
Program Faculty
Faculty come primarily from 2 UF Colleges: Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine
UF faculty are campus based and also teach in other programs
Other program faculty come from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and University of Canberra University (Australia)
Leveraging expertise by the use of excellent adjunct faculty
Program Features Overview
Curriculum Global Goals Collaboration Student Community Engagement
(high levels of student-student interactions)
Program Features: Curricular
All programs require a few core courses and electives in the area of concentration
It is expected that students have prior knowledge and use of equipment from undergraduate lab courses
Many of the students are working in lab settings (state or federal crime labs, private forensic labs, corporate and industry labs) and use the lab access to build upon the theoretical knowledge in coursework
Core Courses
Literature Survey in Forensic Science (or Forensic Toxicology, DNA Serology, etc. based on area of concentration – requires a literature search and review
Principles of Forensic Science Special Topics (includes a face-to-face
component with oral and written comprehensive exams) – usually taken in the final semester
Students can substitute other experiences (like workshops for the literature class) but Special Topics is required for graduation
Program Features: Global Goals
Global Goals: “The goal is to make quality educational materials in forensic science available internationally and in multiple languages in an effort to develop an international network of organizations involved in training and education in crime detection and prevention” (Dr. Ian Tebbett, Program Director)
Collaboration and Partnerships
Partnerships with a variety of international institutions and organizations to develop and deliver their programs : the University of Edinburgh in Scotland University of Canberra Canberra Institute of Technology Australian Federal Police Silpakorn University in Bangkok Feevale University in Brazil
Program Features: Community
Anecdotal evidence (from student quotes, comments, and forum participation) indicates a strong sense of community and connectedness with peers regardless of the distance
Many students continue to participate in program communication after leaving the program via the program announcement discussion boards
Students get together at conferences and meetings whenever possible (from periodioc observation of the discussion boards)
Program Features: Community
See the following slides and screen captures for examples of the community and participation of forensic science students:Elearning announcement sectionForensic Science BlogFacebook group
Current and past students provide positive feedback regarding their overall learning experience
Students comment on the sense of community within the program
The Forensic Science Blog leverages web 2.0 philosophies of RSS news feeds, interactive web design, and the participatory web
Social networking tools like Facebook are utilized to increase student engagement and provide a social outlet for prospective, current, and past students. Anecdotal evidence from the program director (Ian Tebbett) suggests that the facebook group has served a secondary function as an effective (and surprising) marketing tool
Conclusion
Program growth and feedback from students is evidence of success
Strong and Innovative leadership Relevant curriculum The UF Forensic Science Program is
responding to a market place need in 2 ways: By offering graduate level forensic science
education By offering high quality distance education
geared toward working professionals
References
American Academy of Forensic Sciences –http://www.aafs.org/pdf/NIJReport.pdf Society of Forensic Toxicologists – http://www.soft-tox.org/ Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau
of Labor Statistics - http://www.bls.gov/oco/
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ONLINE LEARNING - http://online.education.ufl.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=49285