Introduction

This course serves as an introduction to the relationships between attorneys, scientific experts, and law enforcement from the time of the initial investigation to the courtroom. The student will be exposed to the various types of forensic experts and the differences between civil and criminal trial preparations. This course will offer insight to how the multiple players in science and law work together for a common goal.

Background
Attorneys, forensic scientists, and law enforcement, while in constant interaction, may not fully understand the daily responsibilities of one another. This course has been developed to give an awareness of the different cultures within forensic science. West Virginia University Extended Learning and WVU’s Forensic Science Initiative presents these learning materials and this course to you on-line.

Objectives

Course Goal
The materials in this course have been gathered to assist you in learning the preliminaries of the different roles within forensic science and are in no way meant to be a complete sociology/criminology course. They are strictly provided for educational purposes.

Course Objectives
By completing this course, the student will learn:

• Different investigative regions and investigator roles.
• Basics of ethnomethodology and how it relates to forensic investigations.
• The relationship between science, law, and law enforcement.
• Differences between forensic experts.
• The Rules of Evidence.
• Differences between criminal and civil cases.

Overview

Course Structure and Schedule
This is a non-credit course offering 2.1 ILUs.  Average completion time for the course is 16 hours. The instructor should be notified if an extension is required. The course cost is $199 per registration, and a certificate for course completion will be issued to the student.

Public Laboratory Employees are funded by NIJ Award 2001-RC-CX-K003 and 2003-RC-CX-K001. A $30 processing fee will be charged to the Individual for any student that doesn't access or finish the class in the time alloted.  See below on how to register.

Overview/Subject Matter

Topics covered in this course are:

• Investigative Regions
• Investigator Roles and Informational Control
• Team Formation and Organization
• Ethnomethodology and Forensic Investigations
• Professional Vision
• Jurisdictions of Knowledge
• Divisions of Labor
• Relations between the Institutions of Science and Law
• Forensic Experts and the Rules of Evidence
• Mistakes at Work and the Pecking Order of Forensic Investigations
• Historic Roles and Moral Dilemmas
• Preparing Cases:  Criminal vs. Civil

Requirements

Prerequisite(s)
No prerequisites or course materials are required for the course.

Computer Requirements

• Internet Explorer
• Adobe Acrobat
• QuickTime Player
• Macromedia Flash Player
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.5

(Free software plug-ins are available in the Getting Started area of the course.)

Basic computer skills required (i.e. turning on your computer, navigating to websites, etc.)  The course is user-friendly but support is available if needed.

Materials
All required readings are provided in PDF format. There is no required text.

FAQs

Q: Do I qualify for NIJ funding?If you are in any type of forensic public sector, you qualify. NIJ provides funds so that forensic scientists, law enforcement, crime scene personnel, and related professionals can receive proper training. The exceptions are individuals working in the private sector, federally funded employees, and individuals working in academia.
Q: Do I need to be technically savvy?As long as you have basic computer skills (i.e. turning on your computer, navigating to websites, etc) you will be fine. The course is user-friendly but support is available if needed.
Q: How long will it take for me to complete the course?On average, the course can be completed in approximately 16 hours. Students work at their own pace and convenience and may work as much or as little as they would like during each session.  The student has until the end of the semester to complete the course, although extensions may be granted upon request.
Q: What level is this course geared toward?This course is useful for anyone interested in the learning about the various roles and interactions within the field of forensic science.
Q: Who should I contact for more information?Instructor: Samantha.Neal@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-5836

Registration Information

To Register
Public laboratory employees are funded by NIJ Award 2001-RC-CX-K003 and 2003-RC-CX-K001. Please fill out the Supervisor Approval Form and fax or mail it. No other form is required to register. Students that submit a Supervisor Approval Form will receive registration confirmation by email showing a charge of $199.  Please disregard this charge if you are a public laboratory employee funded by the NIJ Award. When WVU Extended Learning receives the Supervisor Approval Form, you will receive class access information by email within 5 business days. If you are not notified, please contact WVU Extended Learning at (800) 253-2762 or (304) 293-7570.

Others: Register online through our secure server or fill out this form and fax or mail it to Extended Learning. You will be given class access by email within five working days. Call 1-800-2Learn2, or email WVUEnrich@mail.wvu.edu if you have questions. Major credit cards and electronic checks are accepted.

Refund Policy

For all students: A $30 processing fee will be charged to the individual for any student that does not access or finish the class in the time allotted.

Others: All requests for cancellations/refunds must be in writing. Requests must be made within one week from when the class access information was emailed to the student. Mail to: WVU Extended Learning, P.O. Box 6800, Morgantown, WV, 26506 or email to WVUEnrich@mail.wvu.edu.

More Course Information

Contact
Forensic Science Initiative at fsi@mail.wvu.edu or (304) 293-6214.