Considerations in Using a Crime Scene House Facility for Teaching and Learning

Within higher education institutions (HEIs), a crime scene facility is a safe environment in which undergraduate and postgraduate students can put the theory that they have learnt in the classroom/lecture theatre into practice. The importance of putting theory into practice is underpinned by the learning model that was developed by Kolb (1984), this ‘experiential learning’ has a continual cycle of learning that comprises of four parts: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. In real life the crime scene investigators (CSI) is working on behalf of the senior investigating officer (SIO), and it is the CSI's role to ensure that the scene being processed is not contaminated, and that the forensic potential is maximised during the examination and recovery process. To that end, the CSI and the crime scene manager (CSM), along with the SIO, agree the parameters of the examination and designate what scenes will be examined and by whom.