E-learning Goals

The traditional lecture model leaves most students poorly prepared for taking the detailed crime scene notes necessary for the successful prosecution of criminals. Whodunit?, is designed to support the development of the skills required for the taking of detailed crime scene notes, without adding any responsibilities to already overloaded instructors. These notes will support video, photographs, and sketches of the crime scene to create a complete representation of the crime scene which would enable re-creation of the scene, if desired, and assist in successful prosecution for the crime.

Kirkpatrick Levels

Level 4: Increase the preparedness of graduates of the State University Forensics Program for work in law enforcement agencies.

Level 3: After completing the course, learners will create detailed crime scene notes that integrate well with videos, photographs, and sketches and help create a complete representation of the crime scene that would enable re-creation of the scene and reliable testimony at a trial.

Level 2: After completing the course, learners will be able to create crime scene notes that contain

1. a record of on-scene activities in chronological order,
2. information about the notification received by law enforcement regarding the crime and the case number for the crime,
3. a list of all law enforcement personnel with their function,
4. a list and description of individuals (not law enforcement personnel) at the scene and their purpose for being at the scene, including the victim,
5. a description of the scene with descriptions of objects, with locations and measurements,
6. victim and witness statements, unless it’s a murder scene,
7. search details, and evidence collection.

Level 1: The students will feel that the course had value and that they are likely to take better, more-detailed crime scene notes as a result of taking this course.

Assessment Techniques and Tools

Participants will have the opportunity to get information from the officers at the crime scene and to take notes from that information and the crime scene photo. When they decide they have complete notes, learners will take a multiple choice test about the crime scene using only their notes. This is to simulate how they would answer questions while testifying in court.

Pre-Test (Quiz 1): Notification of pass or fail following completion of the quiz.

Formative Assessment – Quiz 2: Feedback on success in answering the question immediately after each question is submitted.

Formative Assessment – Rubric: Students will be able to access a rubric which will allow for detailed self-assessment of their crime scene notes.

(Not built) Summative Assessment – Quiz 3: Feedback on success given only after completion of the entire quiz. There will also be a branching scenario where the participants willl have the opportunity to solve the crime.

Evaluation Techniques and Tools

The variables that will be used for the evaluation of this course will be course completion rates, performance on the formative and summative assessments, and the post-course survey. Completion rates will be used to help evaluate students’ perception of the course. If 25% or more do not complete the course, then the quality of the course will be analyzed to understand why students are not completing the course. The course content can then be adjusted if needed.

If the students do well on the pre-test, a score of 95% or above, then they will have tested out of the course. Their scores will not be used in course evaluation.

Performance on the summative assessment compared to the formative assessment or pre-test will be an indicator of the success of the course. If the participants do well on the summative assessment, then that will indicate that they take detailed crime scene notes and that the course is successful. If students do poorly on the summative assessment or do not improve their scores compared to the pre-test or formative assessment, then that will be a sign that the course was not successful and it either needs to be modified or scrapped.

At the end of the course, the survey questions that ask about the likelihood of the learner changing the way they take crime scene notes after completing the course, and then applying what they learned on the job will be analyzed as leading indicators for Kirkpatrick level 3 outcomes.

For those students that completed the course, after 3 months on the job post-graduation, employers will be asked to complete a survey (not built) to determine if students that completed this course were better prepared. This information will be used to further analyze the success of the course and the achievement of Kirkpatrick level 3 and level 4 objectives.

The attrition data, assessment data and post-course survey data will be analyzed together immediately following course completion to determine if the course should be used as is, the course should be modified and used, or the course should be scrapped. If the data taken together indicate the course was successful, then the course will be used as is or with minor changes. If the overall data give mixed results, then the course will be modified and repiloted before use, and if the data as a whole indicate that the course was not successful, the course will be scrapped. If the analysis indicates that the course was successful or could be successful with modifications, then employer surveys will be conducted to determine if the level 4 objective was attained.

Questionnaire

How intuitive was the course navigation and overall user experience?

Which sections or topics were most/least clear and why?

Did the practice exercises effectively prepare you for real-world note-taking scenarios?

What content would you add, remove, or modify to improve the course?

How likely are you to recommend this course to colleagues, and what’s your overall satisfaction rating?