The Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE) has created CSAFE Learning, a new learning platform specially designed for forensic practitioners, lawyers, judges and other legal professionals.
For several years, CSAFE has provided a wide range of webinars, courses and other resources to help forensic practitioners in their ongoing study of statistical applications within the field.
“It has become necessary to house all these resources in a central, easy-to-use hub,” said Anthony Greiter, CSAFE learning and development specialist, “So this year, we are launching a learning platform to bring together all of these important resources under one roof.”
CSAFE Learning, learn.forensicstats.org, gives users access to the vast array of CSAFE resources and new educational offerings, including foundational learning videos and long courses.
“CSAFE Learning will be a useful resource for forensic practitioners or legal professionals looking for educational materials on probability and statistics,” said Greiter. “The resources support users at any skill level, whether someone is just starting or already has a solid understanding of statistics.”
Users will have access to CSAFE Learning’s constantly growing learning options and resources as soon as they create a free account. The learning platform includes:
- Stats Starters
These easily digestible overviews define and describe a single statistics concept and its application to forensic evidence. Each Stats Starter, in handout and video format, includes an introduction, overview of the concept, examples and applications. - Foundational Learning
These modules review and illustrate foundational concepts related to forensics. Foundational Learning content areas include introductory concepts, refreshers or other focused topics that do not require subsequent learning. - Webinars
CSAFE collaborates with researchers and practitioners doing work on the cutting edge of statistical applications to forensic science and develops resources to share current findings with the community. These single-topic resources explore one topic in depth and are led by experts in their fields. - Short Courses
Short Courses are highly practical, actionable sessions that increase the participant’s ability to apply statistical analysis to the interpretation of forensic evidence. Courses generally include three to four sessions (6–8 hours total) that build upon prior lessons over a matter of weeks. - Long Courses
Long Courses provide a comprehensive learning experience. Courses generally include up to 10 sessions (20–30 hours total) that build upon prior lessons. Long courses require an enrollment fee to participate. - CSAFE Library
CSAFE provides ample resources in the form of academic papers that students can use to accompany their ongoing education. This resource is still under development, but users can access these papers on the CSAFE website at https://forensicstats.org/resources/.
“CSAFE Learning resources help forensic practitioners understand the application of statistics within forensic analysis,” said Greiter. “Each resource breaks down complex statistical concepts using research and real-world examples.”
Users can explore the different types and levels of resources included in CSAFE Learning by going to learn.forensicstats.org.
