Approaches for teaching forensic body fluids analysis for remote learning

Abstract

Serology and body fluids analysis is an important piece of the curriculum for forensic biology students in forensic education programs. In the spring and fall 2020 semesters, we pivoted to provide our laboratory curriculum online in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we report upon our development and implementation of approaches for teaching forensic serology, forensic molecular biology, and body fluids analysis course lab content for remote learning. We report on five strategies we employed to teach laboratory content via remote instruction: prerecorded lab videos and content modules, decision dependent response PowerPoint slides, lab testing data for virtual review and reporting, student driven mock case testing in synchronous class with web-based conferencing, and Labster virtual lab simulations. The approaches integrated seamlessly into our course management platform. The virtual labs and approaches opened new learning opportunities for our students.