Courses Being Updated Fall 2009, Available January 2010

Background

This course has been previously taught as a one-day seminar. Now West Virginia University Extended Learning and WVU's Forensic Science Initiative is pleased to present these learning materials and this course to you on-line. The materials in this course have been gathered to assist you in learning the preliminaries of forensic hair examination.

Computer Requirements

• Internet Explorer
• Adobe Acrobat
• QuickTime Player
• Macromedia Flash Player
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4.2 (Do not download JRE 1.5 – newest version).
  
  (Free software plug-ins are available in the Getting Started area of the course.)

Course Structure and Schedule

This is a non-credit course offering 4.2 ILUs. The student can register at any time during the year, and should be able to complete the course within a 25 hour period. 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.

No prerequisites or course materials are required for the course.

Topics to be Studied

Unit 1: Why Conduct Hair Exams?
Unit 2: Recovery and Collection of Hair Evidence
Unit 3: Basic Microscopy
Unit 4: Microscopical Hair Examinations
Unit 5: Is it Human or Animal?
Unit 6: Race, Ancestry, Ethnicity
Unit 7: Body Area (Somatic Origin)
Unit 8: Damage, Disease, Treatment
Unit 9: Suitability
Unit 10: Examinations of Hair and DNA
Unit 11: Legalities of Hair Evidence

Readings and discussions are included in each unit.
A glossary of terms and descriptions relating to this course are also included.

Methods of Student Evaluation

• Pretest
• Posttest
• Course Evaluation

FAQs

Q: What is the scope of this course? This course is meant as an overview and orientation to hair examination, especially for DNA analysis. It is not a full training course, although it does provide many of the basics as a foundation for training.
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: How long will it take for me to complete the course?On average, the course can be completed in approximately 25 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: Do I need prior knowledge of hair examination?No, all of the basics of microscopy and hair examination will be covered.
Q: Who should I contact for more information?Instructor: Robin.Bowen@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-6214

Registration

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.