Beyond the Pale Horse - The Application and Impact of a Project Based Approach to a Challenging Module

Problem-Based learning (PBL) is a form of Enquiry-Based learning in which learning is focussed around an often complex and ill-defined problem, scenario or situation. Students typically work as part of a team; developing a problem-management strategy and in doing so, the skills and requisite knowledge to generate possible solutions. Ultimately, the focus in PBL is the development of problem-solving skills and the learning opportunities that this provides, rather than realization of a specific or defined ‘correct’ solution.

Whilst PBL may represent an excellent instructional tool in many subject areas, it is not always applicable to forensic science curricula, where (to accurately reflect forensic science practice), exercises are almost always carried out within a rigid framework or must comply to a specific quality standard which ultimately defines process and methodology, thus neutralising some of the core benefits conferred by a true-PBL approach.

By contrast Project-Based Learning offers a viable alternative to PBL and although it does not necessarily deliver quite the same outcomes, it retains many of the core characteristics of PBL and can be operated within a framework that steers the student approach to the problem. This not only increases the applicability of the project-based learning to forensic science curricula, but also provides the instructor with greater control over learning outcomes, thus increasing the efficiency of the learning activity minimising the impact of its application on staff-loading. In our work, we consider the application of a form of innovative project-based learning to a challenging module which had for several years performed poorly, had considerable problems with student engagement and had been described by some students as teaching “The most boring subjects imaginable”. The work, inspired by Belt et al’s ‘The Pale Horse’ (2009) places the investigation of a criminal case at the centre of the module and takes a top-down teaching approach designed not only to mimic real-life practices, but also help students to foster skills in metacognition. All module content feeds into the investigation and supports the development of the practical, analytical and evaluative skills and knowledge required to address the case; providing students with a genuine reason to learn and a clear goal to achieve. As with many examples of active-learning, students work in teams of 4-5 individuals with whom they work throughout the academic year, thus providing insight into real-world practise and experience of dealing with the difficulties that inevitably arise in a constructive and professional manner helping to support employability goals.

In our talk we will consider and discuss the second iteration of our module design reflecting upon the benefits and of course the issues that have arisen in its application. We will also consider the impact of our chosen approach in terms of module achievement and student engagement and hope to provide some insight which may be useful for those considering a similar approach in their own subject areas.