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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2006  > May  >
Chemical Education Today
Commentary
Teaching To Avoid the "CSI Effect". Keeping the Science in Forensic Science
Elisa Bergslien
Department of Earth Sciences and Science Education, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY 14222
Cover
May 2006
Vol. 83 No. 5
p. 690
Abstract
Because of the popularity of shows such as CSI and Cold Case there has been a documented increase in student interest in the sciences. This has been a boon to all of the sciences and brought new life into many programs. Along with the positive effects, however, there have also been some serious negative effects. One of these negatives, called the "CSI effect" by many, is that potential jurors have increased—and sometimes wholly unrealistic—expectations of science presented in the courtroom. Unfortunately, the way that forensic science is sometimes presented in the classroom can exacerbate the "CSI effect". In some cases, forensic science gets reduced to the equivalent of a standard laboratory exercise: follow these steps to perform this test, compare the results, match one of your results to "the culprit". The result is that students may also be getting an unrealistic set of expectations about how real forensic science is performed and a very skewed understanding of scientific methodology. Rather than simply catering to a current trend, this re-awakening of interest in science should be seen as an opportunity to advance understanding of the basic principles of science and critical thinking.
More Information
*  Citation
 Bergslien, Elisa. J. Chem. Educ. 2006 83 690.
*  Keywords
 Curriculum; First-Year Undergraduate / General; Forensic Chemistry; General Public; Misconceptions / Discrepant Events; Nonmajor Courses; Public Understanding / Outreach
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 3/16/2006
3/22/2006
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