UC Irvine Extension Offers New Forensics Course for Educators

Business Wire, July 30, 2008

Online Access Opens New Doors for Middle and High School Teachers

IRVINE, Calif. -- The University of California, Irvine Extension announced plans to offer a new course designed for middle and high school science educators. The course, "Forensics and Science in the Classroom," will meet from September 15 to October 26. Class meetings will take place using an online format, allowing teachers from all over the world an opportunity for further professional development.

"UC Irvine Extension recognizes the issues and trends teachers face in the modern classroom," said Angela Jeantet, M.B.A., director of UC Irvine Extension's Teacher Education Programs. "By offering in-depth courses that address specific subject matter, teachers are equipped with the appropriate and most up-to-date information to develop strong curriculum for the classroom."

New Curriculum Provides Teaching Strategies for an Uncommon Scientific Topic

Educators participating in the course will learn how to align specific science content standards with basic forensic methods. At the end of the course, participants will be able to plan interactive lessons for a science classroom, design a detailed crime scene for a specific grade level and develop basic lesson plans that integrate forensics with genetics, heredity and cell biology.

Course instructor, Linda Knudsen, M.S., D.M.D., is a biology teacher with the Saddleback Valley Unified School District and has more than eight years of experience working on acquired grants that have funded forensic projects for the classroom. She developed the forensics and genetics unit for the Gifted Students Academy at the University of California, Irvine and has been involved in a two-year teachers' professional development program at the UCI School of Biological Sciences.

"This course is designed as an introduction to basic forensic theories and techniques," said Knudsen. "Teachers will learn the applications of forensics, basic terminology and how to develop engaging lessons for middle and high school students."

For more information on the course or about UC Irvine Extension's Professional Development for Teachers Program, please contact the Education Programs Department at 949-824-7945 or visit www.extension.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine Extension: As the continuing education arm of UCI, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a university-level learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience, from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. For more information, please visit www.extension.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.