Mentorship in motion: Student perceptions of experiential learning in forensic anthropology

Cristina Abbatangelo, Brendan Newton, Ellie Wan, University of Toronto, Canada

The experiential learning course “FSC485: Professional Opportunity in Forensic Science” at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) provides upper-year students a unique opportunity to engage in self-directed professional forensic experiences that enhance their career readiness.  From September 2023 to April 2024, I mentored two students, Brendan Newton and Ellie Wan, as they completed their professional opportunities as Research Assistants in my lab (Complex Trait and Forensic Genomics Laboratory). My role included helping them design research questions and methodologies, troubleshoot challenges, and develop career-related skills, such as writing personal statements for graduate school or professional roles. The course culminated in conference-style poster presentations at Forensic Science Day (April 9, 2024). Over the summer, I asked Brendan and Ellie to reflect on their experiences and how this course shaped their academic and career trajectories.

Why choose an experiential learning course?

What were your initial motivations for choosing to do an experiential learning course?  Did you have specific learning goals when you started?

Brendan: My independent study was required for my program, but outside of that my main motivations were to have my first real opportunity to lead a project and perform all of the analyses on my own. I had already decided to pursue research either in academia or in industry and wanted to develop my ability to conductindependent research. When I started, my main learning goals  were to develop my skills and knowledge of the genome-wide association study (GWAS) pipeline and gain experience disseminating my work, whether through writing or presenting at a conference.

Ellie: I was motivated to do an independent study because I had the goal of continuing my studies in a thesis-based graduate program and wanted to gain as much research experience utilizing machine learning for forensic applications as I could.  Some of my learning goals included gaining computational skills in R and Python, learning to pre-process a dataset for machine learning models, learning different methods of data visualization, gaining familiarity with the publication process, and honing my academic reading and writing skills.

Working in a research setting

Briefly describe the work you performed or research you conducted during your experiential learning course.  What was your primary learning objective or research question?

Brendan: I conducted a GWAS on ~12,000 Canadian participants to identify genetic variants associated with eye colour variation.   The main objective of the project was to identify if there is a distinction between grey and blue eyes from a genetic perspective for forensic/legal applications.

Ellie: I conducted a study that utilizes machine learning models to examine a forensic genotyping dataset and to make predictions about workflow errors. My primary research question was whether machine learning could be applied to forensic biology to make error predictions with a high level of accuracy.

Post-graduation paths

How has your experiential learning experience contributed to your graduate school/employment applications, or career goals?

Brendan: I have applied for graduate school and jobs since my independent study, and it remains a focal point of my research experience.  The skills I gained, including GWAS pipeline expertise, manuscript writing, and poster presentations, were critical discussion points during applications and are essential for the field I’m pursuing.  Partaking in this research was not only personally exciting but highly relevant to my career goals.

Ellie: Yes, I have applied for graduate school and highlighted my independent study in my application. It was particularly relevant for applying to a thesis-based program, as having research experience was extremely beneficial.  This project demonstrated my ability to work independently, plan and conduct research, and boosted my confidence in self-learning and seeking guidance when needed. It also allowed me to practice oral presentation skills, all of which are transferable to any academic or professional setting.

Highs and lows of the experience

What are the most valuable skills you gained from your experience?  How have these benefited you academically or professionally?

Brendan: GWAS/post-GWAS analysis, manuscript writing, poster presentation skills, collaboration, knowledge of academic/research “workings” (who does what, applying for grants, difficulties, etc.).  Having skills and knowledge in the GWAS pipeline has helped me immensely in my Masters program because I am undertaking yet another GWAS but in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

Ellie:  Computational skills for data processing, data visualization, machine learning, feature engineering, etc. Project management skills (keeping track of progress, interpreting and recording results).  Oral communication skills through giving presentations.  These skills have helped me prepare for future research projects and professional opportunities.

What were the most significant challenges you faced during your experiential learning course?  Do you have any suggestions to improve the course for future students?

Brendan: The biggest challenges I faced were in learning what information is important when conducting analyses and learning proper documentation of work and results. Many students at the undergraduate level are new to research and often are not fully aware of how much documentation they should be doing, as well as what sorts of statistics and information are important for manuscript writing.  I think proper research methods and conduct should be taught alongside or in preparation for a research placement rather than having students learn brand new material in addition to the steep learning curve of independent research.

Ellie: I had to learn a lot of the computation skills on my own using online resources. While this challenge is specific to my project, I think it would be beneficial to promote introductory computer science courses to students in their early years of undergraduate studies if there is interest in pursuing research.  During the final year of undergrad, it was also difficult to juggle various academic and professional responsibilities while simultaneously working on a research project.

Final Thoughts

For both students, the course seemed to serve a stepping stone to graduate studies and careers in research or industry.  Brendan and Ellie were each able to independently lead a project and gain specialized experience that aligned closely with their career aspirations.  Since completing the fourth-year experiential learning course, both students were accepted to graduate programs.

However, challenges were not absent.  Both students described that they struggled to balance their projects alongside other academic commitments.  This resonates with me as a mentor as it was often difficult to determine if I was setting realistic research goals for the students while they still had competing interests.  I was very interested to see that both students suggested integrating foundational research methods and computational training into earlier undergraduate curricula to better prepare students for such projects.

A fourth-year experiential learning course offers a rich learning platform for students eager to explore research or professional work in a low-stakes environment.  By addressing structural challenges and enhancing preparatory training, it has the potential to become an even more robust launchpad for undergraduate students on their journey of scientific and professional discovery.