This proposal describes a residential learning community and associated activities for Forensic Science students.Students will take a cluster of courses, be advised and live together with access to a mock crime scene room.

Forensic Science students will engage in active inquiry-based learning through (1) laboratory work (2) mock crime scene processing and (3) research. Additionally, the Forensic learning community will undertake service-based learning by hosting forensic science workshops for high school students and/or undertaking forensic science information research for the community.

The overall goals of the project are to (1) build competency in laboratory analytical skills, (2) to enable students to learn in different active ways (3) to improve written and oral communication skills in forensic science and (4) to promote student and faculty contributions to the local community.

Assessment of students will include reviews of products created as a group including articles, laboratory work and presentations. Students will be surveyed on their perceptions of the program and aspects of their learning and the results compared to measurements of students outside the learning community.

Profile: Residential; 20-40 forensic science majors (25 freshmen, 5 sophomores, 5 juniors, 10 seniors