This guide is intended to provide information for prospective students. Enrolled students will find the necessary course information and resources on the appropriate Blackboard site

This course guide is intended to provide an introduction to this course. In it you will find the aims and objectives of the course, a detailed syllabus, information on when and where to meet, details of how your performance in the course will be assessed and the tutorial and other assignments which form part of the course.

You are also advised to refer to the BMSc website (http://www.dundee.ac.uk/facmedden/bmsc) for general administrative information on the BMSc Degree program.

• Staff
• Course Aims
• Learning Objectives
• Teaching Arrangements
• Recommended Texts
• Assessment
• Difficulties & Feedback
• Appendix 1: Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism
• Appendix 2: Typical Programme Schedule (PDF format) (subject to change)
• Appendix 3: Assignment Submission Form (PDF format)
• Appendix 4: Standard University Reporting Scale (PDF format)

STAFF

Course organiser: Professor Derrick Pounder whose offices are located in
the Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, on the University of Dundee site
Telephone 348020.
A secretary is always available to take a message or arrange an appointment.
There is an answerphone outside normal office hours so that a message may be left.
Contact by e-mail:d.j.pounder@dundee.ac.uk

COURSE AIMS

This is an optional one year intercalated course for the degree of BMSc (Forensic Medicine) available to medical and dental undergraduates who have completed the first and second professional examinations for the degrees of MB, ChB.
One aim of the course is to teach the necessary skills to develop, conduct and complete a research project.
A second aim is to provide an introduction to the practice of forensic medicine.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Research Project

1. To have knowledge of safety procedures as they apply within a scientific laboratory
2. To develop the necessary laboratory technical skills for the conduct of the specific research project
3. To develop the skills necessary to make effective use of the wordprocessing, spreadsheets, basic graphics, and statistical computer software
4. To develop the capability to plan and organise a research project
5. To develop the capability to manage time efficiently and effectively
6. To develop the capability to communicate scientific ideas through seminar presentation or written word.
7. To develop an ability to critically assess scientific literature.
8. To develop an attitude which values honesty, frankness, and integrity in scientific research

Forensic Medicine

The module addresses those aspects of forensic medicine which are most frequently the subject of expert testimony in the courts. The intention is to teach the basics of forensic medicine to students with no previous knowledge of the subject. The module has a strong practical orientation and this is reflected in the four module assignments, which require students to give critical scientific opinions on case material. The primary aim of the module is to introduce students to the ways in which medical science can assist in the resolution of legal issues in the criminal and civil courts.

1. Have an understanding of the forensic aspects of different types of injuries and injury patterns.
2. Be able to critically evaluate a medico-legal report on a person dying of injury or a surviving victim of an alleged assault or sexual offence
3. Understand the medical basis of legal issues related to sexual offences, alcohol and drug abuse, asphyxia and child abuse

Forensic Science

1. To develop an awareness of the various forms of physical evidence and how each type is located and identified at a crime scene
2. To study the effectiveness of physical evidence collection and preservation
3. To examine critically, for each type of physical evidence, the various class and individual tests performed by the laboratory
4. To consider how each type of physical evidence can be presented in court in accord with its probative value

TEACHING ARRANGEMENTS

Lectures, tutorials and seminars

Full details of the arrangements are provided in separate documentation for the individual component modules.

The first taught module is Forensic Medicine, a lecture based course for which you will join LLB undergraduate students.

The second taught module is Forensic Science, a seminar based course for which you will join MFM post-graduate students.

In addition to the formal taught modules it is anticipated that there will be departmental seminars in each of the supervising laboratories

Research project

The project laboratory work should continue throughout academic weeks 1 to 24. Usually the laboratory work will be completed by the Easter break. A typed dissertation based upon the project must be completed by approximately mid May (a precise completion time and date will be provided).

Although the taught course elements adhere to the normal University term dates, it is possible that research work will erode into Christmas & Easter holiday periods, according to the needs of the individual supervising departments.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS

A list of prescribed texts is provided for the taught modules. The texts are available in both the departmental library and the law library.

ASSESSMENT

1. Research project work (dissertation and oral examination) - 50% of BMSc.
2. Forensic Medicine (4 assignments) - 25% of BMSc.
3. Forensic Science (2 assignments and seminar presentations) - 25% of BMSc.

The individual coursework assignments provide formative assessment but also contribute towards a summative statement of achievement. Formative assessment is designed to provide students with feedback on progress and inform development. Summative assessment provides a measure of achievement or failure made in respect of a student's performance in relation to the intended learning outcomes of the programme. The intended learning outcomes for the course as a whole are set out above and for the individual modules are set out in the module guides. Information on the types and number of assignments is given in the section on the syllabus above, and an overall outline of the timetable of work and assessments is given in an appendix to this document. Students will find clear information regarding the scheduling of all assessments, including submission dates for coursework within the individual module guides. This information is provided at the start of the programme to enable students to plan and prepare effectively. Feedback is provided to students on all assessed work and is scheduled into the lecture and seminar series in forensic medicine and forensic science. Feedback on research projects is provided orally to students on an individual basis on an on-going basis. Feedback will be provided within two weeks of the submission of any written work. This feedback is intended to promote learning and facilitate improvement. Students may request additional individual feedback from any of the module lecturers at any time by contacting them via email through Blackboard. Assessment details are given in the individual module guides and have been outlined above. If, for whatever reason, you do not complete the assignment(s) for a module you will be deemed to have a nil mark for that element of the module though the circumstances of your non-completion will be considered by the board of examiners.

Attendance and participation

Attendance at every tutorial meeting and seminar (subject to illness or other good cause) is required if a student is to meet the standards of attendance and participation. If a student fails to attend tutorials or seminars, absence will be noted on the student record and so be a consideration at any stage where decisions about progress and future are being made and when references are being prepared. A student may be required to do additional work to compensate for absence (whatever the reason for the absence) and to demonstrate that there has been coverage of the materials and skills which that tutorial or seminar was designed to address. Such work must be completed. If a student has good reason for missing a class, eg illness, the student can self-certify absence for up to 5 days and should also inform the module organiser so that this can be noted. If an illness results in absence for more than 5 days, students must go to their doctor for confirmation of the illness and obtain a medical certificate signed by the GP. Medical certificates should be sent to the department office who will inform others as appropriate. Please note, however, that self-certification of illness is not permitted in relation to late submission of assessments.

• Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism
• Submission of Assignments
• Late Submissions
• Marking of Coursework

Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism

Matters concerning plagiarism and academic dishonesty are addressed in the University's Code of Practice on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty to be found on the university web pages and reproduced as an appendix to this document. Students must familiarize themselves with the content of this document in order to avoid falling foul of this code of practice in their coursework, since penalties can be severe.

Academic dishonesty involves cheating to obtain a mark or some privilege to which the student would not otherwise be entitled. It is an extremely serious matter. (Plagiarism is separately mentioned below). There is no closed list of forms of academic dishonesty. Forms include taking unauthorised materials into examinations, collusion with others in submitting work, submitting as your work something done by another person, duplication of material submitted for another assignment, false declaration to obtain an exemption or privilege, and falsification of data. The penalties for academic dishonesty can be very severe. This is because cheating strikes at the heart of the award of degrees. There can be a warning which is recorded in a student's file, and may well have consequences for references. There can be a reduction in marks. There can be a requirement to take an entire module again. There can be a refusal to award a degree. There can be fines. There can be expulsion from the University. All these penalties have been used. It is no defence to a charge of academic dishonesty that you did not intend to cheat. It is suggested that you should be wary, in particular, about cooperation with someone else in the preparation of written assignments. If the ideas or work of someone else are submitted as your own, without acknowledgment, that may be misleading to an examiner and be academic dishonesty. You should seek guidance from academic staff if you do wish to have the help of someone else in preparing your work.

Plagiarism is regarded as a serious example of academic dishonesty, and thus can result in any of the penalties mentioned above. It is important to note that there can be plagiarism even where there is no intention to cheat.
It is defined in the University's Code of Practice (see Appendix) as: "the unacknowledged use of another's work as if it were one's own".

• using more than a single phrase (or even a single particularly distinctive phrase) from another's work without the use of quotation marks and acknowledgment of the source;
• summarising another's work by changing a few words or altering the order of presentation without giving full acknowledgment;
• copying the work of another, whether a published author or fellow student;
• using another's ideas without acknowledgment.

The mere inclusion of a publication in the bibliography is not a sufficient acknowledgment where particular ideas or phrases have been taken from it and used. Plagiarism should not be a problem if you are careful in taking notes from the sources which you have used acknowledging those sources, and in preparing your work. Make sure that you take accurate notes, using quotation marks where you copy an author's exact words and clearly identifying the source. When writing an essay make sure that you check and specifically acknowledge (i.e. in footnotes or endnotes) where ideas and phrases come from. Whilst discussing issues and ideas with fellow students is to be encouraged, be careful that this does not lead to the appearance of collusion. You should also be careful about lending drafts or outlines of essays to others for the same reason.

Submission of Assignments (see also late submission of assignments below)

All written work required for assessment must be typed or prepared with a word processor. Work which is not presented in this way will receive a mark of zero. Assignments will have a word length. This will not normally include footnotes, endnotes and bibliography. Excessive or insufficient length will be penalised. There is no formula for deduction of marks, but in any case, an essay that is too long will likely be verbose and irrelevant and be marked accordingly. Similarly, an essay that is excessively short is likely to have arguments that are underdeveloped or may fail to address core questions and the mark will reflect this.

Assignments should be submitted, by the student in person, to the Forensic Medicine Departmental Office using the Assignment Submission Form annexed to this document and also available on Blackboard. This submission form must be completed, so acknowledging that you have read and understood the rules on academic dishonesty and plagiarism. There is anonymous marking of written assignments which are identified by the student's matriculation number only.

Each written assignment is accompanied by specific details of the required format, content, completion time, as well as the place of submission, and penalties for late submission.

Late Submission of Assignments

Module guides set out the details and submission dates of all assessed work. All assessed work is due at 4.00pm on the dates specified in the module guide (which will not be Fridays). Any work handed in after 4.00pm on the specified date will be subject to the penalties indicated below. As you are given generous notice of the work required of you, it is expected that the work will be submitted on time.

The policy of the department on the late submission of assignments is set out in every assignment which is distributed. The policy is that where the head of department is satisfied that there is good cause for the late submission of an assignment, no deduction is made from the final mark. Where the head of department is not satisfied that there is good cause for the late submission of an assignment, marks are deducted from the final mark, at a rate of two marks on the aggregation scale (see above) for every day or part of a day the work is late up to a maximum of 5 days. No assignment is accepted more than 5 days after the due date for submission. The weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is counted as one day for the purpose of this rule.

Although this is not an exhaustive list, "good cause" does NOT include the following:

• (a) computer failure or other IT difficulty;
• (b) illness which has insufficient connection in time or severity to the submission date;
• (c) bereavement, other than that of a very close family member.

It is the responsibility of students to organise their time properly. When the deadline for submission has been known well in advance, but work is left until the last minute, any failure to meet the deadline because of a minor illness or an IT difficulty is not the result of an unavoidable external problem but is the result of a failure in the student's own time-management.

The departmental policy is that there are NO extensions for late submission of course work. Exceptionally penalties for late submission may be waived where written evidence is produced to support such a waiver. In the case of medical grounds this must take the form of a doctor's certificate indicating clearly the dates or period to which the medical condition applies. Doctors are unwilling to see patients for short-term minor illness such as colds or 'flu' for which there is no medical treatment in the ordinary case other than letting the illness take its course. Where a medical problem is more serious or more prolonged and requires prescribed medication, there should be no difficulty in getting either a medical certificate or an extension. In the case of a family bereavement a letter from the student or a member of the immediate family, clergy or doctor is acceptable. This should state as a minimum, date of bereavement, date of funeral, relationship of deceased to student. Only sickness or major life crises will be considered. Where such evidence is produced attached to the late submission the module organiser will refer the matter to the head of department who has the discretion to accept the late submission and reduce or waive the penalties. A note of the decision will be recorded and notified to: the student's file and the module organiser who will advise the student concerned. If late submission is wholly or partially waived, the student is advised that any mark given is provisional and subject to confirmation by the board of examiners. It should be noted that NO work can be accepted after the same has been marked and returned to the rest of the class. In such cases a zero must be awarded for the work and any extenuating circumstances can be brought to the attention of the board of examiners.

No extensions will be granted for the literature review or research dissertations but any mitigating factors, again supported by appropriate medical or other certification, can be taken into account by the board of examiners.

Marking of coursework

There is internal moderation of all assignments to ensure that the marking is fair, rigorous and reflects the intended learning outcomes of the module and hence standards. This is achieved by the review of all work for all students at the end of the module. The external examiner for the course is a medical practitioner in active forensic medicine practice. There are two internal examiners, one of whom is the course organiser. Together the external examiner and the two internal examiners constitute the board of examiners. Any information on marks or performance that is provided to students prior to completion of moderation and approval by the board of examiners is necessarily provisional, and subject to change by moderation, and the decision of the board of examiners. The board of examiners may take account of extenuating circumstances affecting a candidate's performance.

The standard university assessment scale is used for all assessments within all modules and for all modules within the programme. Click here to visit the document link on the Univerity website.
The scale is reproduced here in PDF format which is more suitable for printing.
Page 2 of this document relates the assessment scale to the specific requirements of the Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine.

This scale will be used for reporting grades to students and will be used on all official University transcripts. The alpha-numeric reporting scale is associated with an aggregation scale, which is used to aggregate elements of assessment together to obtain an overall module grade.

Since the course assessment is by course work throughout the year there is no provision for a resit examination for a student who fails the course work in the forensic medicine or forensic science taught modules. There is no provision for re-submission of the research dissertation if it is graded as less than Satisfactory.

Appeals are dealt with in accordance with the University's appeal procedures, the details of which can be found on the university web pages.

DIFFICULTIES AND FEEDBACK

If you have any difficulties with the course there are a number of ways in which you can get help. If you are having problems with understanding material you should be able to get help at tutorials or seminars or you could approach the lecturer or tutor dealing with that part of the course. Questions about the organisation of the course or the examining arrangements should be taken up with the course organiser. Students will meet regularly with their individual project supervisor and the course organiser. These meetings will provide a regular opportunity for students, as a group or individually, to raise problems and matters of concern as well as to discuss the progress of research projects. Students should feel free to raise urgent problems with their laboratory supervisor immediately they arise rather than waiting for regular meetings.

APPENDIX: UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE SENATUS ACADEMICUS

REGULATIONS GOVERNING PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

• 1. The University's degrees and other academic awards are granted in recognition of a candidate's personal achievement.
• 2. Any action on the part of a candidate which involves plagiarism (defined as the unacknowledged use of another's work as if it were one's own exemplified by copying from a source without acknowledgement of its origin) or other form of academic dishonesty, in work which may be assessed as part of the requirements for an academic award, will be regarded as a serious offence.
• 3. Where a substantive case of academic dishonesty or plagiarism is detected by an examiner, a written or oral report shall be made to the Board of Examiners(1) concerned, along with one of the following recommendations:
  1. that the examiner is satisfied that the matter should be noted but requires no further action by the Board(1) because it involves no more than a single lapse or a very few minor lapses which have been taken into account in the examiner's assessment of the work; or
  2. that the nature of the academic dishonesty is such that in the examiner's opinion it is appropriate to reduce the candidate's mark by a specified amount to reflect the examiner's assessment of the extent of the cheating; or
  3. that the nature of the academic dishonesty, and/or its extent, is so significant that the examiner is unable to penalise the work adequately by a reduction in marks and that the Board of Examiners(1) should consider it as a serious case of cheating.
• 4(1) In the case of a recommendation from an examiner in terms of Regulation 3(2) the Board of Examiners(1) has the discretion to adjust the marks and results up to the point where the academic rating for the piece of work in question is reduced to zero with whatever consequences would normally follow from such performance, including loss of class in the case of honours examinations, or failure in the case of other examinations.
• 4(2) A Board of Examiners(1) has no power to make a greater adjustment to marks by way of penalty for what it regards as a more serious and substantial case of academic dishonesty. Where a Board of Examiners(1) believes the extent of the dishonesty in terms of Regulation 3(3) to be such that sanction over and above the disallowance of work is appropriate, as detailed a report as possible of the circumstances of the offence should be sent to the Academic Secretary who will arrange for it to be considered along with his recommendation concerning the subsequent action which might be taken by the University Committee on Academic Dishonesty. In such a case, any decision by the Board of Examiners(1) concerning that particular student shall be suspended pending the decision of the Committee.
• 4(3) The decision of the Committee on Academic Dishonesty shall be final except in those cases where the Committee believes refusal to award a degree or other qualification or exclusion from the University is appropriate. In such cases the Committee shall make a recommendation to the Senate.

Footnotes

(1) or the head of department in cases where academic dishonesty or plagiarism is detected in coursework undertaken during the academic year. This is to ensure that matters may be dealt with expeditiously in the interests of the students concerned rather than having to wait for the annual meeting of the Board of Examiners in June.

(2) Any such decision of the Senatus is subject to the provision of Statute 9(5)(b).