Forensic Science
Fall 2015
Mrs. Shyla Russell Contact Information: Available on Google Chat, srussell@myhta.org , or Cell: 808 673 3514
**My time­zone is 6 hours ahead of you ­ EST (5 hours from Nov 1­ Mar 13).**
I will not get or respond to emails, texts, phone calls, etc. after 4:00pm YOUR time because I will be sleeping, not because I don’t care or don’t want to help. However, I will be available if you are up early and need help.

Welcome to the course:
Hello and welcome to the world of Fingerprints. Blood spatter. DNA analysis. The world of law enforcement is increasingly making use of the techniques and knowledge from the sciences to better understand the crimes that are committed and to catch those individuals responsible for the crimes. Forensic science applies scientific knowledge to the criminal justice system. This course focuses on some of the techniques and practices used by forensic scientists during a crime scene investigation (CSI). Starting with how clues and data are recorded and preserved, the student will follow evidence trails until the CSI goes to trial, examining how various elements of the crime scene are analyzed and processed. When you complete this course, you will be able to combat the CSI effect, and will have explored various careers in forensics. How this course works:
Our classroom link: https://hawaiitechacademy.adobeconnect.com/mrsrussell/ This is a primarily virtual, blended learning course. This means that while most (or all) of your instruction will take place within the computer, I am a teacher, employed by HTA, using
GradPoint and other resources as tools to teach you. We will meet in the online classroom on
Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you will work on your own Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This course will consist primarily of:
● Weekly “Getting Started” ­ this will be a video or document with the week’s announcements, tie­in to previous weeks’ learning, important vocabulary, and my thoughts on what you should pay careful attention to.
● Weekly Reading and GradPoint activities/assignments
● Online lectures, group work, and presentations
● Online Labs*
● Lab discussions and reading reviews
● Various forms of assessment Calendar, Due Dates, Grades:
Calendar: I will provide a
Google calendar for this course, and will assign due dates within
GradPoint
.

Due Dates: With the way assignments are scheduled, and the block scheduling, assignments should be done on the day they are assigned. Grading: I will take grades on various assignments. I adjust this based on what students need, rather than a predetermined list of percentages. This always works out in the students’ favor, as long as I can