Article # 4
Title :
A classroom-based game to support student learning of missing person and clandestine grave search techniques
Authors :
Kate M Barnes School of Life Sciences , College of Life and Natural Sciences , University of Derby
David Bryson M School of Life Sciences , College of Life and Natural Sciences , University of Derby
Keywords :
Missing persons ; clandestine grave ; forensic science ; problem based learning
DOI :
https :// doi . org / 10.21252 / MRGG-ZX39
A classroom-based game to support student learning of missing person and clandestine grave search techniques
Abstract
The search for clandestine graves involves a multi-disciplinary approach using techniques such as foot searches , ground penetrating radar and cadaver dogs . In order to incorporate a practical activity into a taught session in December an alternative approach to fieldwork was required . Therefore , a clandestine grave workshop was developed to engage students in this topic in an interesting and hands on way that offered students a chance to utilise different techniques to search for and recover human remains giving them a chance to plan an approach and modify it as the search progressed and new information was released .
Introduction
A clandestine grave is defined as an unrecorded burial . It is usually shallow ( 40-60cm ), rectangular and just large enough to deposit the victim . The search design is phased starting from the least invasive methods ( desk top investigation such as aerial imagery ) through to more invasive excavation techniques such as soil cores , test pits and mechanical stripping . The level at which it starts depends on the information available about the missing person . For example , a small search area such as a residential garden may start at the focused field stage where ground penetrating radar is used across the whole flat surface of the site and the ground is vented for cadaver dog inspection . The search can then lead on to excavation if these techniques produce a positive response . However , a large search area such as an open countryside will need desktop investigation to determine where the search should be conducted before actually going out into the field .
In this paper , we describe a game that supports student understanding of the demands and planning needed for successful search and recovery of missing persons and clandestine burials . The game has developed over a number of years as we have learnt what does and does not work , for example , the length of time required to run the game against sustaining student interest or our assumptions about knowledge students did / did not have , such as map reading . This has led to the development of a game that could be used more widely either as a stand-alone indoor game at university level or linked to professional search activities and training .