Introduction

Ethics is defined by Miriam Webster as “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad with moral duty and obligation.” This publication also commonly defines ethics as “the principles of conduct governing an individual or group,” and/or “a guiding philosophy.” Ethics are arbitrary rules that define appropriate behavior in personal and professional life. In this course, the theme of ethics will be applied to forensic science.

Background
This course has been developed in response to the lack of formal ethics education specific to forensic science. While this course includes many “basics,” it also relates those ideas to the forensic science profession. West Virginia University Extended Learning and WVU’s Forensic Science Initiative presents these learning materials and this course to you on-line.

Objectives

Course Goal
This course serves as an orientation and overview of ethics in regards to forensic science. The materials in this course have been gathered to assist you in learning the preliminaries and are in no way meant to be a complete ethics course. They are strictly provided for educational purposes.

Course Objectives
By completing this course, the student will learn:

• Basic ethic principles.
• The relationship between science, law, and law enforcement.
• How science utilizes ethics.
• The codes of ethics specific to forensic science.
• The ethical issues facing forensic scientists.

Overview

Course Structure and Schedule
This is a non-credit course offering 3.2 ILUs. Average completion time for the course is 32 hours. The instructor should be notified if an extension is required. The course cost is $199 per registration, and a certificate for course completion will be issued to the student.

Public Laboratory Employees are funded by NIJ Award 2001-RC-CX-K003 and 2003-RC-CX-K001. A $30 processing fee will be charged to the Individual for any student that doesn't access or finish the class in the time alloted.   See below on how to register.

Overview/Subject Matter
Topics covered in this course are:

• What is Ethics?
• Ethics in Justice
• Ethics in the Courtroom
• Ethics in Science and Research
• Forensic Ethics
• Unethical Behavior
• Future in Forensic Ethics

Requirements
Prerequisite(s)
No prerequisites or course materials are required for the course.

Computer Requirements

• Internet Explorer
• Adobe Acrobat
• QuickTime Player
• Macromedia Flash Player
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.5

(Free software plug-ins are available in the Getting Started area of the course.)

Basic computer skills required (i.e. turning on your computer, navigating to websites, etc.) The course is user-friendly but support is available if needed.

Materials
All required readings are provided in PDF format. There is no required text.

FAQs

Q: Do I qualify for NIJ funding?If you are in any type of forensic public sector, you qualify. NIJ provides funds so that forensic scientists, law enforcement, crime scene personnel, and related professionals can receive proper training. The exceptions are individuals working in the private sector, federally funded employees, and individuals working in academia.
Q: Do I need to be technically savvy?As long as you have basic computer skills (i.e. turning on your computer, navigating to websites, etc) you will be fine. The course is user-friendly but support is available if needed.
Q: Why should I take an ethics course?This course allows for forensic-specific study within the topic of ethics. The course is not intended to teach right from wrong; it will provide examples, discussion topics, and scenarios for students to rate how they (and their colleagues) are doing!
Q: Does this course meet the ASCLD-LAB requirement for ethics training?Yes. Individuals, new employees, and entire laboratory systems have taken this course to meet the ethics course requirement in preparation for accreditation.Q: How long will it take for me to complete the course?On average, the course can be completed in approximately 32 hours. Students work at their own pace and convenience and may work as much or as little as they would like during each session.  The student has until the end of the semester to complete the course, although extensions may be granted upon request.
Q: Who should I contact for more information?Instructor: Robin.Bowen@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-6214

Registration Information

To Register
Public laboratory employees are funded by NIJ Award 2001-RC-CX-K003 and 2003-RC-CX-K001. Please fill out the Supervisor Approval Form and fax or mail it. No other form is required to register. Students that submit a Supervisor Approval Form will receive registration confirmation by email showing a charge of $199. Please disregard this charge if you are a public laboratory employee funded by the NIJ Award. When WVU Extended Learning receives the Supervisor Approval Form, you will receive class access information by email within 5 business days. If you are not notified, please contact WVU Extended Learning at (800) 253-2762 or (304) 293-7570.

Others: Register online through our secure server or fill out this form and fax or mail it to Extended Learning. You will be given class access by email within five working days. Call 1-800-2Learn2, or email WVUEnrich@mail.wvu.edu if you have any questions. Major credit cards and electronic checks are accepted.

Refund Policy

For all students: A $30 processing fee will be charged to the individual for any student that does not access or finish the class in the time allotted.

Others: All requests for cancellations/refunds must be in writing. Requests must be made within one week from when the class access information was emailed to the student. Mail to: WVU Extended Learning, P.O. Box 6800, Morgantown, WV, 26506 or email to WVUEnrich@mail.wvu.edu.

More Course Information

Contact
Forensic Science Initiative at fsi@mail.wvu.edu or (304) 293-6214.