Teaching Research Skills to Forensic Science Students by Drinking Coffee

Hamnett, H. and Korb, A.-S. (2016) Teaching Research Skills to Forensic Science Students by Drinking Coffee. 12th Annual Forensic Research & Teaching (FORREST) Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, 5-7 July 2016. (Unpublished)

Abstract

This case study will describe an active, student-led method of teaching research skills to forensic science students. Students taking the MSc in Forensic Toxicology at the University of Glasgow are required to complete a 20-credit module known as Research & Laboratory Management, which aims to prepare them for their summer projects and for future forensic science research. The aim of this educational research project was to re-design this module in response to feedback from both students and staff, and to evaluate its effectiveness. The newly designed module has moved away from memorization of content towards more active engagement. The key component of this is a hands-on, student-led experiment called the Coffee Project, where the effect of certain variables on the perceived taste of coffee is investigated by the students. Over the course of 10 weeks, the students cover relevant research concepts (e.g. project management, method validation, health & safety, ethics etc.) and apply these to the planning of each element of the coffee experiment as a group. At the end of the course they carry out the experiment they have designed together, and use the results as the basis for an individually assessed journal article. The implementation of this new module will be described, along with the results of the reflection of 15 students on their confidence and development of key research skills during the course. This work has implications for the teaching of research skills to forensic science students, particularly those undertaking taught programmes.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Status: Unpublished
• Refereed: No
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hamnett, Dr Hilary
• Authors: Hamnett, H., and Korb, A.-S.
• Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing

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