Syllabus for AOJ-280
FORENSIC SCIENCE
Forensic Science presents a comprehensive introduction of the application of science concepts to criminal investigation. Key topics covered include the importance of the crime scene and the collection and analysis of both physical and biological evidence. In addition to the textbook readings and lecture notes, this course employs analysis of actual criminal cases through written assignments and discussions.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.
ISBN-13: 978-0133591286
Forensic Science is a three-credit online course, consisting of the four modules. Each module includes an introduction, a list of topics, learning objectives, study materials, and graded assessments. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take two open-book quizzes, a proctored online midterm exam, and complete a final project. See below for more details.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.
This course requires you to participate in five graded discussion forums. There is also an ungraded but required introduction forum in module 1.
Deadlines for posting discussion threads on the class Discussion Board are given in the Course Calendar.
For posting guidelines and additional help with discussion board assignments please see the Online Student Handbook located within the General Information section of the course website.
You are required to complete four written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
See the Online Student Handbook for additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments located within the General Information section of the course website.
For help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
You are required to take four (4) quizzes, one per module. All quiz items are multiple-choice and you may use any materials that you like in taking the quizzes. There is no time limit for taking each quiz.
Most students find that quiz-taking is an excellent way to prepare for examinations. Therefore, you will be able to take each quiz an unlimited number of times, and the gradebook will record your most recent score.
This arrangement will allow you to go back and reread portions of the text that you need to review and then take the quiz again for further practice.
You are required to take a closed-book, proctored online midterm examination.
The midterm exam is two hours long and consists of multiple-choice and short essay questions. The exam covers materials assigned in modules 1 and 2 of the course.
For the midterm, you are required to use the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.
Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the Course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.
In lieu of a final exam, you are required to complete a final project. Your final project includes three requirements: complete the paper itself, post a presentation, and comment on other students' presentations on discussion forums.
The final paper should be 5-10 pages long on the topic of your interest related to forensic science. See the Final Project area of the course web site for further details.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
Consult your Course Calendar for due dates.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C– | = | 70–72 | |
B | = | 83–87 | D | = | 60–69 | |
B– | = | 80–82 | F | = | Below 60 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.
For more, see:
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