The Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act of 2011 introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy “requires all relevant personnel who perform forensic work for any laboratory or agency that gets Federal money to become certified in their fields, which will mean meeting basic proficiency, education, and training requirements.” According to the National Academy of Science’s 2009 report that spurred Leahy’s legislation, this training should not only occur within an academic environment, but also in settings similar to those encountered in practice.

We agree, and have found that using a “blended learning” approach, one that augments classroom training with distance learning from the student’s lab, seems to work well for our students. From our decades of training trace evidence examiners in microscopy and trace evidence, we have learned that a week-long, classroom-based course is never sufficient to provide either an understanding or adequate practice of the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Student feedback regarding the blended learning model at Hooke College of Applied Sciences has been overwhelmingly positive. They commented that the post-course activities helped to reinforce the concepts and practices learned during the course. Students are incorporating course information into their day-to-day work and standard operating procedures. Inspired by this feedback, we wanted to share our experiences thus far with the blended model so others in the trace evidence community may benefit.

Pre- and Post-Courses Form a “Web Sandwich”
With the blended learning model, the course begins before students step foot into a classroom. Introductory Web-based material prior to the course ensures that learners are ready to take full advantage of the classroom sessions, understand the course’s purpose, start at the same knowledge level, and learn all of the terminology. The content consists of narrated learning modules and virtual versions of microscopes used during the course that students can put together and operate.

After classroom instruction, Web-based activities provide students with unknown samples to analyze back at their laboratories—offering students an opportunity to put into practice the skills learned in the classroom using their lab equipment. After the students complete their own analysis, they gather online with the instructor and other students to discuss the unknowns. Each online session is structured to allow students the opportunity to lead a discussion of at least one unknown sample. That student describes his or her findings for the sample, then the other students make comments in the order in which they queued up. These post-course sessions allow those with little experience to build confidence, while those with more experience can share insights with their less experienced colleagues.