Peer Review

Bones and the Badge

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Overview:: This material is an free interactive site that focuses on the field of forensic evidence. It features assignments and evaluations that can be used in class as well as links to career information. The self contained site utilizes images, graphics, quizzes, links to related material, learning assignments, and a teachers guide. The goals of the site are to provide students with an introduction to forensics, provide them evidence and case studies for application, and provides a rubric for course presentation. Could be used for undergraduate college students and younger.
Type of Material:: Tutorial
Recommended Uses:: In or out of class assignment, good out of class group assignment, or as a supplement or homework for an intro level course.
Technical Requirements:: Browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:: 1. Provide students information and an introduction to forensics. 2. Students will learn how to apply material, evaluate themselves and others. 3. Assess understanding of material. 4. Engage in a group activity.
Target Student Population:: Activity can be utilized in courses that focus on: forensic evidence, forensic psychology, criminal behavior, biology.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: NA

Rating:
Strengths:: • Content is engaging, interesting, and valid. Content will be as accurate as the students make it through their assignment and evaluation of the group project. • Tasks, available under “process” accurately depict cases and include photos, links, descriptions of experts needed to solve the case. • Content is complete in scope, provides entire case process and evidence, and offers important and relevant information to the field/case/assignment. • Teaches important concepts, application, and skills to students.
Concerns:: The tutorial (which is actually a webquest) was last updated on January 24, 2002. It is important that the material including links to Internet information be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary (as information and science is updated and Internet links are changed/updated).

Rating:
Strengths:: • Material provides detailed instruction, explanation, exploration, and a new way to view forensic cases. • The material facilitates learning, engages students with the material and other students, offers a rubric for evaluation and assessment, and demonstrates relationships which exist in the system that must exist to solve criminal acts. • The quizzes students complete reinforce the material researched and learned and provides efficient instructional methods from which students will benefit. • The Teacher's Materials included on the site offer significant insights and suggestions on how to maximize the value of the lessons (criminal cases).
Concerns:: To fully benefit from the learning experience, students will need to work in groups of active and involved students. Teachers will need to oversee the groups and their group dynamics so as to guide the learning experience.

Rating:
Strengths:: • Instructions for the group project and assigned case are clearly articulated. • Material is very easy to navigate, is self-contained, and the presentation of the case studies are clearly designed and easy to follow. • While this is listed as a simulation, there is an available assignment, group project, rubric, evaluation and assessment tool, and conclusion. All are simple and easy to follow. • The Internet links are informative and will maintain student interest.
Concerns:: None

Other Issues and Comments:: The lessons were developed with California curriculum standards in mind with a focus on biology, chemistry, scientific investigation, reading, writing/oral English language (grade 9 specifically). The developer of the tutorial suggests that a letter be provided to parents of students who will participate in the lessons/activities due to the use of crime scene photographs. Additionally, the developer of the site offers a great deal of information on the development of the tutorial and offers access to the evidence files from which the criminal cases were drawn. One minor concern is that the results of the quizzes are forwarded to the developer of the site and the students will not receive constructive comments back to reinforce the learning process. Perhaps if the quizzes could be sent to the teacher of the students utilizing the tutorial so that personalized comments could be offered would be beneficial to the overall learning process. One final concern, the age of the material -- the site should receive regular reviews and updates as necessary.
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