| Popis: |
The need for innovative changes in the fight against crime and the necessity to revise the established paradigms of forensic science was bound to reflect in forensic didactics. The academics� expectations of practice not only call for a new approach to the content and forms of legal education but also for a dialogue with students, who are increasingly shifting from passive consumers of knowledge to active participants in the study process to eventually become the future initiators and implementers of innovation. Although the authors of the present article have been working with forensic didactics for decades, they are constantly looking for new forms and methods of didactics to apply the achievements of forensic didactics in the practical activities of law enforcement institutions as effectively as possible. One of the examples is the new study programme Law and Forensic Science, available at Mykolas Romeris University as of 2020. This bachelor�s study programme was designed upon holding a discussion with the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and taking into account the National Courts Administration�s request to step up the teaching of forensic science and forensic examination at Lithuanian universities; furthermore, as the study process has been launched, a student opinion survey is now carried out on a regular basis. The questionnaires, as well as this publication, aim to not only analyse and evaluate students� reasoning behind choosing this programme, their attitude towards the study process, and their expectations regarding their future profession, but also to promptly improve the online study process. Surveys are carried out upon enrolment and after each year of study, or even after each semester, to find solutions and accordingly adjust some elements and processes of the curriculum. The present article introduces the key results of three questionnaires. The surveys indicated a further increase in the level of relevance of forensic classes, a pragmatic understanding of the role of forensic knowledge and skills in future employment, the relationship between theoretical and practical classes, and the directions of professional competence development. |
