Ears, feet and injuries: The development of project based learning materials in Forensic Science

www.derby.ac.uk/science

Ears, feet and injuries: The development of project based learning materials in Forensic Science

David Bryson – Biological and Forensic SciencesBSc Anatomy CertEd MIMI RMIP FHEA

http://www.derby.ac.uk/science



Project based learning What is project based learning? Creating learning experiences

New project – Causation of injuries Developing – Feet and gait analysis Maturing – Ear identification

Supporting materials



WHAT IS PROJECT BASED LEARNING?

Critical thinking

Group work

Communication



Project based learning - Definition

Project-based learning is an instructional method that provides students with complex tasks based on challenging questions or problems that involve the students' problem solving, decision making, investigative skills, and reflection that includes teacher facilitation, but not direction.



What is needed? Collection of resources or data, own direct

observations or measurements. A learning activity that encourage students to

engage with the resource/data. Resulting in findings that can be shared with

others, especially where there is a suite of projects/learning activities.

Self-contained enough to last a 3 hour session but provoking enough to encourage deep learning, further research and work



CREATING LEARNING EXPERIENCES



Causation of injuries: Lecture based A lecture describing injuries with plenty of

“interesting” photographs. Organized into categories/classification of

injuries. Linked to telling whether injuries are pre-, peri- or

post-mortem. “I like hearing the sound of my own voice but are

students engaged and learning?”



CAUSATION OF INJURIES: PROJECT BASED

Can be undertaken individually or in small groups



Introduction and context Background reading as

notes, including terminology A-Z

Online lecture in advance

Links to further relevant books/readings



Series of photographs of injuries



Report sheets for findings



Learning activity/instructionsIn this instance kept simple as instructions on the case study sheet. Mark the location of the injury or injuries on the

diagram Description of injuries Indication of what caused the injury or injuries

from your observations Likely time of injury from what you can observe

Pre-mortem Peri-mortem Post-mortem ☐ ☐ ☐



Including examples from literature



What worked and developments Students tended to circle areas on diagrams rather than

draw in areas of injury. Some good observations when began to look at patterns. Suggestions for more work students find their own

papers/photographs to use or provide more Next step could be students develop their own

materials/injury sources from research papers that then use to test others in class.

Wider range of diagrams for sheets to suit range of injuries/cases



FEET AND GAIT ANALYSIS



Introduction – Short lecture and learning activity sheet (Silly walks)



Project 1 – Variability in foot shape



Statistical analysis

Right Left Right Left2011 2012

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

SquaredMorton's or GreekEgyptian



Project 3 – Hallux valgus



Project 4 – Eversion to inversion



What works and developments Has to be signposted in advance so students

come with drawings of their own feet reluctant to get involved in bare feet in class.(Like to move to scans!)

Students don’t always believe me! Quite a few have gone out on own and videoed

themselves and seen that it was true. Are more anatomical areas of feet/ankles to

explore and relationships with footwear.



EARS &EAR IDENTIFICATION







Each group has own information pack Instruction sheet for their part of the project. Set of images of ears 15 pages of A4 giving you a

total of 59 pairs of ears, this is sufficient to enable some statistics/analysis to be undertaken.

Copies of the ears & earprint handout Copies of original references related to their part

of the ear/ears.





5 separate projects① Overall shapes of ears – Round, Oval,

Triangular or Square.② Morphology of the anti-helix crura.③ Variations in the helix, specifically the auricular

tubercle or Darwin's tubercle.④ Right and Left ears are identical or are they?⑤ What is the frequency of ear ornaments,

piercings and their positions?



Example 1 – Overall shape of the ears Ears have been described as Oval, Round, Rectangular

and Triangular. How easy is it to match an ear to a shape? Do you all agree about ears and their shape or is there a

certain amount of inter-observer or even intra-observer error?

Is this the best way to describe the overall shape? Could you work out a better system or revise how this one

is described so that it is easier to match ears to a particular shape?

Are the statistics for our sample similar to those from other references?



Why it works Sounds very easy until students start working on

the projects. There a range of complexities e.g.

References may not be very useful or accurate Can all images be included How do shapes relate to impressions.

Moving from B&W into shades of grey – on the balance of probabilities, individual’s views and so inter- and intra-observer error.



Levels of learning and understanding Projects need to be appropriate for the level of

learning students are at or reaching. If projects are too open ended leaves students

floundering. Some projects will work at Level 4 (HE1), Level 5

(HE2) and Level 6 (HE3). Some projects require a greater understanding

and critical awareness to really get underneath the surface of what is been asked.



SUPPORTING MATERIALS



Pedagogical basis There is the whole realm of Instructional Design

Models for learning: ICARE, 4C/ID, Pebble-in-the-Pond (Merrill), Laurillard’s Conversational Model, ADDIE.

These are useful to develop an understanding of how to construct learning experiences but still have to have the initial ideas and subject based need.



Weblinks Commoncraft YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8 Project Based Learning online

http://pbl-online.org/ Edutech wiki

http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Project-based_learning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8

http://pbl-online.org/

http://pbl-online.org/





David Bryson

Cladonia gracilis, Sidlaw Hills, Dundee

http://[email protected]

http://www.cladonia.co.uk/

mailto:[email protected]



Ears, feet and injuries: The development of project based learning materials in Forensic Science

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