ODONT 6012OL - Principles and Methods of Forensic Odontology

Online - Semester 1 - 2021

This course covers areas such as: history and role of forensic odontology in community dentistry, legal systems and role and jurisdiction of Courts of Law, the coronial system and practice of the Coroner's Office, expert evidence, methods of investigation of civil and criminal matters, relationship of police to forensic odontology, preservation and recovery of dental evidence from scenes, principles and techniques of video and computer imaging in cranio-facial superimposition, age estimation techniques, procedures for investigation of bite-marks and the principles of disaster victim identification.

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Course Details

Course Code	ODONT 6012OL
Course	Principles and Methods of Forensic Odontology
Coordinating Unit	Dental
Term	Semester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Online
Units	6
Contact	Online
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Restrictions	Available to Grad Dip Forensic Odontology students only
Assessment	Seminar presentation, essay

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Denice Higgins

Director and Senior Specialist Odontologist
Forensic Odontology Unit/ Adelaide Dental School
Helen Mayo South, North Terrace Campus
Phone: 8313 6292

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Details are available in MyUni.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Adopt and employ professional attitudes and standards/values by displaying the highest levels of integrity in all aspects of professional life.

2. Use highly effective interpersonal skills to enable empathetic and effective communication with a range of audiences

3. Provide forensic odontology services of the highest quality in a contemporary, ethical and legal environment and apply a broad understanding of social, political and cultural perspectives to inform quality practice

4. Be committed to take a leadership role in actively promoting the importance of forensic odontology in dental, judicial, and community settings with emphasis on world “best practice” standards

5. Effectively seek, analyse and evaluate data, materials and technology, as well as to produce expert opinions relating to the scope of forensic odontology

6. Be committed to furthering the scientific base of knowledge in the specialised area of forensic odontology and to disseminate this knowledge to the dental, allied professions and the scientific community

7. Effectively join or lead a national or international forensic odontology team in Disaster Victim Identification by working effectively with other odontology personnel and with allied professional teams. Utilise information technology for communication, data management and identification methods

8. Engage in self-directed, life-long learning by using reflection and critical self-assessment to inform evidence-based practice and by undertaking continuing professional development

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	3 5 6 7
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1 3 5 7 8
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	2 3 6 7
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1 3 4 7
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	2 3 6 8
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1 3 6 8

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Details will be made available in MyUni.

Recommended Resources

Details will be made available in MyUni.

Online Learning

Lectures published in Articulate Storyline will be made available in My Uni.

This course will include use of Discussion Boards and lecture recordings.

Learning & Teaching Modes

Lectures will be provided in an online format to allow part-time and external students to participate this will also allow full time students to utilise these features out of hours allowing them to continue to work in Dentistry which is complimentary to this course.

Weekly group seminars will be undertaken which can be joined by Domestic external students.

Participation in tutorials will be mandatory and use of blackboard discussions will be advocated.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Structured Learning

Session Type	Number of sessions	Session Duration	Total Hours
Lectures	48	2 hours	96
Tutorials	12	2 hours	24
Practicals	12	2 hours	24
Practicum placement	21	2 hours	42
Total Hours			186

Non-contact (semester)

Session Type	Number of sessions	Anticipated time (hours)	Total Hours
Weekly reading / other study	12	6	72
Preparation for tutorial	12	2	24
Preparation for practical	12	2	24
Total Hours			120

Learning Activities Summary

Details are available in MyUni.

Specific Course Requirements

N/A

Small Group Discovery Experience

N/A

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

ASSESSMENT TASK	TASK TYPE	WEIGHTING	COURSE LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
Participation in seminars	Formative and summative	10%	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Essay	Summative	30%	1,2,3,5,6
Written examination	Summative	60%	1,7
Formative quizzes	Formative	0%	2, 3

Online formative quizzes will be in the form of multiple choice and true/false questions.

Multiple attempts will be allowed, with 100% success required.

Assessment Related Requirements

Details will be made available in MyUni.

Assessment Detail

Details will be made available in MyUni.

Submission

Details will be made available in MyUni.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator