Overview
This unit has been designed as an introductory level unit with broad appeal to a wide range of students. For example, students studying health, social work, nursing, psychology, education or business as well as those studying science-based subjects might consider this elective option offered by online delivery (distance education). Its aim is to enable you to develop an appreciation of contemporary forensic analysis, with a particular emphasis on understanding DNA methods and applications. Topics studied includes: the scope of forensic science; how crime scenes are processed and how trace evidence from such scenes is collected and analysed; the different types and significance of trace evidence, including hairs, fibres and fingerprints; forensic investigations of fires and explosions; forensic examination of body fluids and human remains; forensic DNA methods. The unit involves online group discussions, peer evaluation and self-assessment within some of the assessment tasks. You will also undertake literature research on aspects of DNA profiling as part of the written assessment.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
| Assessment Task | Part Weighting (% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 'Hot topic' discussion forums (20% of unit ) | |||
| Group Discussion (Group Discussion) | 100% of 20% | Low | No Gen AI Use |
| 2. Online quiz (30% of unit ) | |||
| Online quiz (Online Quiz(zes)) | 100% of 30% | Low | No Gen AI Use |
| 3. ASSESSMENT 3 (50% of unit ) | |||
| Contributions to forensic science - essay (Written Assessment) | 100% of 50% | Low | AI Integration (Authentic Professional Use) |
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Evaluations
Students enjoy the unit, and feel well supported throughout. They also appreciate the opportunity to submit drafts of assessment.
The option to give feedback on the essay draft and discuss it with students in person before submission was always most highly appreciated by students.
- Explain the scope and application of contemporary forensic science
- Discuss, using specific case examples, the underlying principles governing forensic crime analysis
- Explain the practical roles of the various sections of the forensic laboratory in the scientific investigation of different types of crime
- Evaluate forensic journal articles, case information and other evidence in relation to contemporary forensic science
- Engage in self-assessment, peer-assessment and group discussion with respect to forensic science topics.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
(20% of unit )
Group Discussion
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2.
Assessment 2
(30% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
|
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|
3.
Assessment 3
(50% of unit )
Written Assessment
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Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
This unit contains lectures based on publicly available material, such as review manuscripts and government documents. No specific book is required.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
d.stanley@cqu.edu.au
Crime Scene
Begin Date: 09 Nov 2026Module/Topic
- Introduction
- Assessing the crime scene
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Forensic Microscopy
Begin Date: 16 Nov 2026Module/Topic
- Forensic microscopy
- Isotopes in hair, fibres and paints
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Hot Topic Discussion Forum 1 opens for 2 weeks.
Fingerprints
Begin Date: 23 Nov 2026Module/Topic
- Fingerprints
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Hot Topic Discussion Forum 2 opens for 2 weeks
DNA evidence
Begin Date: 30 Nov 2026Module/Topic
- DNA evidence
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Hot Topic Discussion Forum 3 opens for 2 weeks.
Serology
Begin Date: 07 Dec 2026Module/Topic
- Serology and blood stain analysis
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Fires and explosions
Begin Date: 14 Dec 2026Module/Topic
- Fires and explosions
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Mid-Term Break
Begin Date: 21 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Firearms
Begin Date: 04 Jan 2027Module/Topic
- Firearms and other impressions
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Odontology
Begin Date: 11 Jan 2027Module/Topic
- Radiocarbon in teeth
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Drugs and toxicology
Begin Date: 18 Jan 2027Module/Topic
- Drugs and toxicology
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Forensic anthropology
Begin Date: 25 Jan 2027Module/Topic
- Forensic anthropology, body farm research
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Forensic psychology
Begin Date: 01 Feb 2027Module/Topic
- Forensic psychology
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Forensic pathology
Begin Date: 08 Feb 2027Module/Topic
- Forensic pathology
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1. 'Hot topic' discussion forums ( 20% of unit )
Group Discussion
This assessment is based on your posts to the Hot Topic group discussion forums in Moodle. There will be three (3) graded Hot Topic forums. To earn the best possible mark, you must contribute to all three forums. We also recommend aiming for five posts per forum. Each forum will be open for two weeks only; you must post within that time period. The opening and closing dates/times are listed in the Schedule section of this Unit Profile. The first forum opens in week 2, the second in week 3, and the third in week 4. Each forum will be open for two weeks. Your overall marks for the three forums will be released by the return date specified in this section. More help with this assessment will be available on the unit Moodle site.
Level of GenAI use:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. This is a discussion forum where you are invited to share your opinions, critique forensic investigations, and respectfully argue your points with other students in the unit. Using AI would defeat the purpose of this assessment. This assignment is to be completed without any use of AI.
Week 6 Monday (14 Dec 2026) 12:00 am AEST
The three forums will open in weeks 2, 3 and 4 and each one will remain open for 2 weeks.
Week 8 Friday (15 Jan 2027)
Students will receive feedback by 15/01/2027.
Each assessment criterion will be marked on a scale from 0 to 5, giving a total of 20 marks across all four criteria:
Quality of contributions - in terms of their relevance to the discussion.
Scholarly contributions - based on evidence of wider reading and academic 'detective work' to address the discussion topic.
The breadth of contributions - based on the number of relevant postings within the forum.
The interactivity of contributions - engaging in discussion with other students' posts.
- Engage in self-assessment, peer-assessment and group discussion with respect to forensic science topics.
2. Online quiz ( 30% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
This assessment task will be a 45-minute online ‘open book’ multiple-choice quiz in Moodle. There are 30
questions drawn from a pool based on material derived from the weekly learning materials. The quiz questions cover all of the topics from week 1 to week 11 inclusive. It is essential that you have studied all the material on these topics by the date of the assessment so that you are well prepared to make the most of the quiz. While the ‘open book’ nature of the quiz will enable you to make one or two checks for those questions where you are unsure of the exact answer, you will not have enough time to read the material. Please ensure you are well prepared to take the assessment.
A trial version of the online quiz will be available in Moodle for practice before attempting the actual assessment. This Sample/Practice Quiz will have the same 30 questions for everyone and is meant to familiarise you with the quiz setup and flow. It will not shuffle the questions for each following user.
Note: make sure you ‘submit’ your answers before time runs out, or you will be timed out after a maximum of 45 minutes, and you will lose all your answers. The quiz will open one week before the assessment due date. You will have one attempt only. This assessment task must be completed by the due date specified. In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete the quiz at a later date.
If you have any technical problems during the quiz, you need to contact the unit coordinator, Dana Stanley, as soon as possible on the day of the assessment. Contact details will be available on the unit Moodle site.
The quiz is open for one week, allowing you to fit it into your schedule.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. This level ensures that students rely only on their knowledge, understanding, and skills. AI must not be used during assessment.
Exam Week Friday (19 Feb 2027) 12:00 am AEST
The Quiz will be open during the exam week Monday to Friday.
Exam Week Friday (19 Feb 2027)
Student will receive their mark for the quiz as feedback immediately on completion of the quiz (details of correct answers to each question are not released, as some questions may be re-used in subsequent assessments).
Each answer will be given one mark if correct and zero marks if incorrect (30 marks in total).
There will be no negative marking, so you should attempt all 30 questions
- Explain the scope and application of contemporary forensic science
- Explain the practical roles of the various sections of the forensic laboratory in the scientific investigation of different types of crime
3. ASSESSMENT 3 ( 50% of unit )
Written Assessment
An ancestry DNA test is a commercial genetic test that analyses specific DNA biomarkers to reveal information about your family tree and geographic origins, and to identify biological relatives who submitted their DNA to the same test. Instead of reading your entire genetic code, these tests focus on small, highly variable DNA regions.
Ancestry DNA has become a powerful tool in forensic investigations, offering new hope for solving cold cases, as long as even small amounts of DNA remain in storage. It allows investigators to build family trees and identify unknown suspects by comparing crime-scene DNA with public genealogy databases. This method has helped solve several famous cold cases. This innovative approach has revolutionised cold-case investigations, offering new hope to those long awaiting justice.
Write an essay that overviews ancestry DNA in forensics, supported by an interesting, well-discussed case (or cases). More instructions about writing this essay will be provided on Moodle.
Week 10 Friday (29 Jan 2027) 12:00 am AEST
Students must submit their assessment via the unit Moodle site.
Exam Week Friday (19 Feb 2027)
Students will receive the feedback before the end of exam week.
Marks will be awarded for:
Original style and arguments (10 marks).
Contribution of the topic to forensic science (20 marks).
The pros and cons of the topic are clearly argued in terms of its applications and limitations to forensic science (20 marks).
Discussion appropriately supported by case examples (20 marks).
Appropriate citations used and referencing consistent in format throughout (10 marks).
Presentation: Headings, line spacing, font. Adheres to the word limit (10 marks).
The structure (10 marks).
The Marking Rubric file and marking examples will be available on Moodle.
- Explain the scope and application of contemporary forensic science
- Discuss, using specific case examples, the underlying principles governing forensic crime analysis
- Evaluate forensic journal articles, case information and other evidence in relation to contemporary forensic science
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
