Peer-Mentoring to Improve Forensic Graduate Employability Skills

Over recent years, the transition from further to higher education has become more challenging for students studying and academics teaching forensic and crime science (FACS), with diversifying prior learning experiences and fierce competition for graduate employment.

This presentation discusses the evaluation of a voluntary peer-mentoring initiative piloted in the FACS Department at Staffordshire University over the last 3 years. The aim of this initiative was to further develop a variety of transferable employability skills for undergraduate students at Level 5 to Level 7, whilst simultaneously enhancing the learning and teaching environment for Level 4 students.

Following the peer-mentoring period each year, questionnaires were disseminated and voluntarily completed by both Level 4 students and peer-mentors. The survey data was independently coded and analysed to eliminate bias from the interpretation of the initiative outcomes. To assess the impact of this initiative on student performance, personal development assessment marks were tracked between levels, mapped and analysed for each individual FACS student.

Overall, the initiative was successful resulting in this andragogic approach being implemented more widely across FACS awards and good practice fed back for inclusion in university peer-mentoring policies. However, some important and potentially surprising insights were also attained from the analysis. Consequently, a new programme of additional learning and teaching events has been developed to annually inform teaching and learning practiced within the curriculum for individual student cohorts and an overview will be provided in this presentation.

After completing the BSc (Hons) Sandwich degree in Forensic Science at Nottingham Trent University in 2008, I was awarded the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE) Scholarship in 2010 and a PhD in Forensic Firearms Identification and Imaging in July 2012.

 

In 2011 I began a lectureship in Forensic Investigation at Staffordshire University and am now the Award Leader for Certificates of Competence, offered by Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (CSFS) for forensic professionals. I am an approved CSFS Assessor for the Pre-Employment Assessment of Competence and Lead for both the Knowledge Bank Research Workstream within the Staffordshire Forensic Partnership and the Departmental Research, Enterprise and Scholarly Activity Working Group.

 

Current research focusses on andragogic practice as well as forensic firearms identification, ballistics and shooting incident reconstruction, leading and supervising national and international research projects. Professional memberships include CSFS, Royal Society of Chemistry and Higher Education Academy. In addition, I am a Technical Advisor for AFTE, Member of the Editorial Board for the E-Cronicon Forensic Science Journal and Member of the Advisory Board for the Journal of Forensic Science & Criminology. 

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