SCAFFOLDING FOR IMPACT: ACTIVE LEARNING IN FORENSIC EDUCATION

Abstract

Forensic science programs attract students from a range of scientific disciplines including chemistry, biology, psychology and engineering. At the tertiary level, these students are expected to demonstrate a mastery of forensic principles with the ability to apply them in practice. However, there has been little investigation of effective pedagogical approaches to achieve these outcomes in forensic education. Active learning has long been recognised within other scientific disciplines as an effective means of promoting mastery, motivation, and higher-order thinking skills. Despite this, active learning has yet to be systematically evaluated within a forensic context. This project applied a mixed methods approach to evaluate how active learning strategies influence students’ academic achievement and attitudes towards learning in an introductory forensic science unit. The outcomes and implications of these results will be discussed in relation to establishing scholarly practices for forensic education and training.