Students assess eyewitness testimony accuracy

Students answer questions related to the video they watched, trying to recall details such as colors, clothing, numbers and more.

Students in McDowell Intermediate High School’s CSI Forensic Science course recently tested the credibility and accuracy of eyewitness testimony. Students watched a video of what seemed like an everyday interaction in a city, but there were multiple crimes that happened during the clip. They then acted as eyewitnesses and were asked to recall details as part of an investigation. Questions ranged from describing what certain people in the video were wearing to the topic of conversation they were having. After discussing their answers as a class, they rewatched the video and noted how many questions they accurately answered. This activity highlighted the challenges of memory recall and the reliability of eyewitness testimony in investigations.

In the CSI Forensic Science course, students spend one quarter covering the history and evolution of forensic science, types of evidence and their role in investigations, crime scene investigation techniques, latent fingerprint analysis, trace evidence examination, blood spatter analysis, DNA analysis, human remains analysis, and forensic entomology and decomposition. This course helps students explore the world of forensics and the many career opportunities in the field.