Forensic Science Teacher's Guide¶
Welcome to the teacher's guide for Forensic Science: An Interactive Intelligent Textbook. This guide explains every feature of the textbook, how to use it in your classroom, and how to customize it for your students. No prior technical knowledge is assumed — every technical term is defined before it is used.
About This Interactive Intelligent Textbook¶
What is an Intelligent Textbook?¶
An intelligent textbook is a digital textbook that goes beyond static text and images. It includes interactive simulations, self-grading quizzes, a searchable glossary, and a structured map of how concepts relate to each other. The goal is to give students a richer, more engaging learning experience than a traditional printed textbook — and, in this course, a genuine hands-on lab bench to go with it.
The Five Levels of Intelligent Textbooks¶
Not all digital textbooks are created equal. We categorize intelligent textbooks into five levels based on how interactive and adaptive they are:
| Level | Name | Description | Example Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Static Digital | A PDF or basic web version of a print textbook | Text and images only, no interactivity |
| Level 2 | Interactive | Adds interactive elements like simulations, quizzes, and searchable glossaries | MicroSims, self-check quizzes, concept search |
| Level 3 | Adaptive | Adjusts content based on student performance | Personalized learning paths, difficulty adjustment |
| Level 4 | AI-Assisted | Includes an AI tutor that can answer student questions | Chatbot integration, automated feedback |
| Level 5 | Fully Adaptive AI | Continuously learns from student interactions and optimizes the experience | Real-time content generation, predictive analytics |
This textbook is a Level 2 Intelligent Textbook. It combines 38 interactive MicroSims, chapter quizzes, a 258-term glossary, and a 70-question FAQ with a full Student Investigations hands-on lab program — bringing the "learn by doing" philosophy off the screen and onto the lab bench.
What Makes This Textbook Different¶
- Interactive MicroSims let students manipulate models directly in their browser — no software installation required.
- Student Investigations turn key concepts into real crime-lab exercises, most solvable with under $100 of consumables per group.
- Critical thinking emphasis — every chapter helps students separate real forensic science from the exaggerated, instant-results version popularized by crime dramas (the "CSI Effect"), a theme reinforced by the CSI Effect and Reasonable Doubt story chapters.
- "Follow the evidence!" framing — Trace the Raccoon's catchphrase sets a tone of curiosity and rigor rather than fear or gore, making forensic science feel approachable and exciting.
- Learning graph — a visual map showing how all 278 concepts connect and build on each other across 19 chapters.
- Trace the Raccoon — a friendly mascot character (called a "pedagogical agent") who guides students through each chapter with tips, encouragement, and key insights.
- Completely free and open source — licensed under Creative Commons for non-commercial use.
Using the Chapters¶
Chapter Structure¶
The textbook contains 19 chapters organized in a deliberate sequence. Each chapter builds on concepts from previous chapters, so students should work through them in order:
| Chapters | Topic Area |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Foundations & legal principles, crime scene investigation and documentation |
| 3 | Fingerprint analysis (dactyloscopy) |
| 4–5 | Physical & microscopic trace evidence (hair/fiber, glass/soil/trace) |
| 6–8 | Biological evidence & biochemistry (serology, bloodstain pattern analysis, DNA profiling) |
| 9–10 | Chemical & biomolecular analysis (toxicology, arson/explosives) |
| 11–12 | Anatomical & ecological analysis (forensic anthropology, forensic entomology) |
| 13–14 | Materials & document analysis (firearms/toolmarks/ballistics, document examination) |
| 15–18 | Digital & data forensics (digital forensics, facial recognition, cell phone analytics, social media/OSINT) |
| 19 | Aviation crash forensics |
What Each Chapter Contains¶
Every chapter follows a consistent structure:
- YAML front matter — Metadata at the top of each chapter file (title, description, version). Students don't see this; it's used by search engines and the website builder.
- Summary — A brief overview of what the chapter covers and what students will learn.
- Learning objectives — 3–5 action-verb bullets aligned to Bloom's Taxonomy.
- Welcome from Trace — A mascot admonition that introduces the chapter topic in Trace the Raccoon's friendly voice.
- Main content — The core instructional material, written for a high school (grades 9–11) reading level. Includes tables, real-world examples, diagrams, and embedded MicroSims.
- Mascot admonitions — Throughout the chapter, Trace appears 5–6 times to highlight key insights (thinking), offer practical tips (tip), provide encouragement on harder concepts (encourage), and warn about common mistakes (warning).
- Key takeaways — A numbered summary of the most important concepts, preceded by a celebration from Trace.
- Critical thinking challenge — Expandable sections that train students to spot misinformation and separate real forensic practice from television dramatization.
- Practice questions — Open-ended questions for discussion or written responses.
Suggested Classroom Use¶
- Before class: Assign the chapter as reading homework. The MicroSims keep students engaged during independent reading.
- During class: Use the MicroSims on a projector for whole-class demonstrations. Ask students to predict what will happen when you change a slider, then test their predictions. Follow up with the matching Student Investigation (see below) to move from simulation to hands-on evidence.
- After class: Assign the practice questions and critical thinking challenges. Use the quiz (separate page) for a quick formative assessment.
- Pacing: Each chapter is designed for approximately 2–3 class periods (90–135 minutes of instruction). Chapters paired with a full lab investigation may take an additional class period.
Using the Student Investigations (Hands-On Labs)¶
What Are the Student Investigations?¶
The Student Investigations are the textbook's hands-on lab program, found
in the left navigation under Student Investigations and at
docs/student-investigations/. Each one
hands students a mystery — a crime to solve, a claim to check, an
identification to make — and asks the evidence, not the story, to answer it.
This is the single biggest way this textbook goes beyond reading and
simulation into genuine laboratory practice.
The Three Lab Types¶
| Badge | Type | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 🧪 Physical | Real bench lab | Solvable with under $100 of consumables per group, purchasable from a grocery store, hardware store, or science-supply vendor (Carolina, Home Science Tools, Amazon). |
| 💻 Virtual | Digital lab | Solved with a narrative "case" plus one or more MicroSims. No consumables — only a browser and, for some, a shared classroom computer. |
| 🔀 Combination | Hybrid | A physical bench step plus a virtual step, typically used to simulate an expensive or slow instrument (a DNA sequencer, a GC-MS, insect rearing) that a classroom cannot afford or wait for. |
Current Status: Two Labs Ready, 26 Planned¶
As of this writing, two investigations have complete, ready-to-assign student handouts:
- Locard's Silent Witness (🧪 Physical, ≈ $18/group, ties to Chapters 1, 2, 4) — students recover and document two-way fiber, hair, and glitter transfer to include or exclude a suspect.
- Map the Scene — Triangulation (🧪 Physical, ≈ $12/group, ties to Chapter 2) — students produce a scaled crime-scene sketch by triangulation and verify it by reconstruction.
The remaining investigations are fully specified in the lab-idea catalog
at docs/student-investigations/ideas.md
— each with a description, learning objective, chapter ties, and either a full
shopping list (physical/combination) or a MicroSim specification (virtual) —
but do not yet have a printable student handout page. Use the catalog for
lesson planning today; check back as more handouts are published, or ask a
student aide or co-teacher to draft one from the catalog entry using the two
completed labs as a template.
Supply Costs at a Glance¶
Every physical or combination investigation is designed to stay at or under $100 per group in consumables, and most cost far less. Shared equipment (a compound microscope, a UV flashlight, a laptop) is assumed to already be on hand in the classroom and is not included in these per-group figures.
| # | Investigation | Type | Chapter(s) | Cost/group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Locard's Silent Witness ✅ | 🧪 Physical | 1, 2, 4 | ≈ $18 |
| 2 | Map the Scene — Triangulation ✅ | 🧪 Physical | 2 | ≈ $12 |
| 3 | The Dusting Detective | 🧪 Physical | 3 | ≈ $22 |
| 4 | Cold Case: AFIS Classification | 💻 Virtual | 3 | $0 (browser only) |
| 5 | Human or Beast? (Medullary Index) | 🔀 Combination | 4 | ≈ $15 |
| 6 | Fiber Under Fire | 🧪 Physical | 4 | ≈ $20 |
| 7 | The Broken Window (Refractive Index) | 🔀 Combination | 5 | ≈ $16 |
| 8 | Which Blow Came First? (Fracture Sequencing) | 🔀 Combination | 5 | ≈ $8 |
| 9 | Soil Signatures | 🧪 Physical | 5 | ≈ $18 |
| 10 | Is It Blood? (Kastle-Meyer Test) | 🧪 Physical | 6 | ≈ $14 |
| 11 | Type the Blood (ABO/Rh Typing) | 🧪 Physical | 6 | ≈ $35 |
| 12 | Reading the Spatter (Angle of Impact) | 🔀 Combination | 7 | ≈ $12 |
| 13 | Stringing the Scene (Area of Origin) | 🔀 Combination | 7 | ≈ $16 |
| 14 | From Strawberry to Suspect (DNA Extraction + STR) | 🔀 Combination | 8 | ≈ $10 |
| 15 | Beat the Odds (Random Match Probability) | 💻 Virtual | 8 | $0 (browser only) |
| 16 | Color-Test Chemistry (Drug Screening) | 🔀 Combination | 9 | ≈ $12 |
| 17 | Point of Origin (Burn Pattern) | 💻 Virtual | 10 | $0 (browser only) |
| 18 | Bones Tell Tales (Sex & Stature Estimation) | 🔀 Combination | 11 | ≈ $25 |
| 19 | The Bug Clock (PMI Estimation) | 🔀 Combination | 12 | ≈ $10 |
| 20 | Toolmarks & Impressions | 🧪 Physical | 13 | ≈ $15 |
| 21 | Which Pen Wrote the Note? (Ink Chromatography) | 🧪 Physical | 14 | ≈ $10 |
| 22 | Forged or Genuine? (Handwriting Examination) | 🔀 Combination | 14 | ≈ $6 |
| 23 | Hash It Out (Digital Evidence Integrity) | 🔀 Combination | 15 | $0 (laptop only) |
| 24 | Metadata Detective (EXIF Geolocation) | 💻 Virtual | 15, 18 | $0 (browser only) |
| 25 | Locate the Phone (Cell Tower Triangulation) | 💻 Virtual | 17 | $0 (browser only) |
| 26 | Mapping the Conspiracy (Social Network Analysis) | 💻 Virtual | 18 | $0 (browser only) |
| 27 | Reconstructing the Debris Field (Aviation Forensics) | 💻 Virtual | 19 | $0 (browser only) |
| 28 | Face in the Crowd (Facial Recognition & Bias) | 💻 Virtual | 16 | $0 (browser only) |
Full shopping lists, safety notes, and MicroSim specifications for every row above are in the lab-idea catalog.
Trace's Tip: Budget for a Whole-Course Rotation
If you run every physical and combination investigation once across the
year, the total consumable cost per lab group is well under $350 —
comparable to a single unit of a traditional chemistry or biology lab
kit. Reusable items (magnifiers, tweezers, foam boards, string) can be
kept in a lab cart and amortized across class periods and years.
Safety and Ground Rules¶
- No real blood, no real body fluids, no controlled substances, no live flame beyond a supervised candle or Bunsen burner. Every "blood," "drug," and "accelerant" used in an investigation is a simulant with the same observable behavior as the real material.
- Investigations that use chemicals (burn testing, presumptive blood tests, glass immersion) include a one-line safety note in the catalog. Always pair these with your district's lab-safety policy and standard PPE (goggles, gloves, aprons).
- A few steps (cyanoacrylate/super-glue fuming for latent prints, open-flame burn tests) are marked teacher-demo only in the catalog and should not be run directly by students.
Suggested Rotations and Capstones¶
The lab-idea catalog includes ready-made suggestions for structuring a unit around the investigations:
- One-day crime-lab carousel (intro): Locard's Silent Witness, The Dusting Detective, Ink Chromatography, and Type the Blood — four cheap physical stations, about 20 minutes each.
- Bloodstain pattern analysis deep-dive: Reading the Spatter → Stringing the Scene.
- DNA week: DNA Extraction + STR Match → Beat the Odds (mock-trial prep).
- Digital-forensics unit: Hash It Out → Metadata Detective → Locate the Phone → Mapping the Conspiracy.
- Semester capstone: a single staged "cold case" that requires evidence from several investigations (e.g., prints, hair, DNA, and metadata) to convict — students rotate roles as the lab team.
Tips for Running Investigations in Class¶
- Start with the mystery, not the procedure. Hand students the question — "Which of these three suspects was at the scene?" — before the steps.
- Pair a MicroSim with the bench work. Most investigations reuse an existing MicroSim as a pre-lab primer or a post-lab verification step; the catalog names the exact MicroSim to reuse for each investigation.
- Reuse durable supplies. Tweezers, magnifiers, foam boards, and string are reusable across class periods and school years — only the consumables (tape, glitter, chemicals, printed cards) need restocking.
- Scale group size to your supply budget. Costs above are per group of 2–3 students; a class of 30 typically runs 10–12 groups.
- Virtual investigations need only a browser. If your supply budget is $0 for a given unit, the 💻 Virtual investigations still deliver a full case-based lab experience with no consumables at all.
Using the MicroSims¶
What is a MicroSim?¶
A MicroSim (short for "micro-simulation") is a small, interactive simulation that runs directly in a web browser. Students don't need to install any software — MicroSims work on any device with a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
Each MicroSim lets students manipulate one or more variables (using sliders, buttons, or drag-and-drop) and immediately see how the model responds. This "learn by doing" approach helps students build intuition for abstract concepts, and several Student Investigations pair directly with a specific MicroSim as a pre-lab primer or post-lab check.
How MicroSims Are Embedded¶
MicroSims appear within chapter text as rectangular interactive areas. They are embedded using iframes — a web technology that displays one web page inside another. You don't need to understand how iframes work; just know that the MicroSims load automatically when students view the chapter page.
Types of MicroSims¶
The textbook includes 38 MicroSims built with different visualization technologies:
| Technology | What It's Good For | Example MicroSims |
|---|---|---|
| p5.js | Interactive animations with sliders and buttons | Angle-of-Impact Calculator, Area-of-Origin Stringing, Fingerprint Pattern Classification Explorer |
| Chart.js / Plotly | Charts and calculators with hover details | BAC Retro-Extrapolation, Random Match Probability Product Rule Calculator |
| vis-network | Network diagrams showing connections | Learning Graph Viewer, Social Network Analysis Graph Explorer |
| Workflow diagrams | Step-by-step process flows | AFIS Search Workflow, Chain of Custody Flow, NTSB Investigation Workflow |
Tips for Using MicroSims in Class¶
- Project them on a screen — MicroSims are designed to be visible on a projector. Have students call out predictions before you move a slider.
- Let students explore independently — After a demonstration, give students 5–10 minutes to experiment on their own devices.
- Use the "Reset" button — Every MicroSim has a reset button. Encourage students to reset and try different scenarios.
- Connect to the text and the lab — Each MicroSim is placed near the concept it illustrates, and many map directly to a Student Investigation. After exploring the sim, have students re-read the surrounding text or move on to the matching investigation.
- Offline access — MicroSims require an internet connection unless you have built the site locally (see "Customizing Your Own Textbook" below).
Trace's Tip: Embed MicroSims Anywhere!
You can add any MicroSim to any web page — a Google Site, a
WordPress blog, an LMS like Canvas or Schoology, or even a plain
HTML file. Just paste a single line of HTML:
<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/forensic-science/sims/YOUR-MICROSIM-NAME/main.html"
width="100%" height="450px"
scrolling="no">
</iframe>
Replace YOUR-MICROSIM-NAME with the name of any MicroSim from
the MicroSims list. That's it — one line of
code and your students have an interactive simulation on any page
you control.
MicroSim Specifications¶
Within each chapter, you'll find a collapsible details section below each MicroSim labeled with its name. Click to expand and see the full specification including:
- Bloom's Taxonomy level — What cognitive level the MicroSim targets (Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create)
- Learning objective — What students should be able to do after using the MicroSim
- Interactive controls — What sliders, buttons, and inputs are available
- Default parameters — The starting values when the MicroSim loads
These specifications are useful for lesson planning and for understanding the pedagogical intent behind each simulation.
Using the Glossary¶
What is the Glossary?¶
The glossary is an alphabetical list of all key terms used in the textbook — currently 258 terms — each with a precise, concise definition and a worked forensic example. It serves as a quick-reference dictionary for students encountering unfamiliar vocabulary.
How to Access the Glossary¶
- Click "Glossary" in the left navigation sidebar from any page
- Use the browser's built-in search (Ctrl+F on Windows/Linux, Cmd+F on Mac) to find a specific term on the glossary page
- Use the site-wide search bar at the top of any page to search for a term across the entire textbook
Tips for Using the Glossary in Class¶
- Vocabulary preview — Before starting a new chapter, have students look up the key terms in the glossary to build familiarity.
- Definition matching — Create a warm-up activity where students match glossary definitions to terms from the current chapter.
- Student-generated definitions — After reading a chapter, have students write their own definitions, then compare with the glossary.
- Glossary quizzes — Use glossary terms for quick formative assessments (flash cards, quiz games, etc.).
Using the FAQ¶
What is the FAQ?¶
The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is a curated list of about 70 common questions students ask about forensic science, organized by topic. Each question includes a clear, concise answer written at the same reading level as the chapters.
How the FAQ is Organized¶
The FAQ covers questions across all 19 chapters. Questions are grouped by topic area to make browsing easy.
Tips for Using the FAQ in Class¶
- Discussion starters — Pick 2–3 FAQ questions at the start of class and have students discuss before revealing the answer.
- Homework support — Point students to the FAQ when they have questions outside of class hours.
- Extension reading — The FAQ often covers angles not addressed in the main chapter text, making it good supplementary material.
- Test review — Students can use the FAQ as a study guide before assessments.
Using the Quizzes¶
What Are the Quizzes?¶
Each chapter has an accompanying quiz page with multiple-choice questions designed for self-assessment. Quizzes test understanding of the concepts covered in that chapter and are aligned to specific items from the learning graph.
How Quizzes Work¶
- Quizzes are accessed by clicking the "Quiz" link under each chapter in the left navigation
- Each quiz contains multiple-choice questions at varying Bloom's Taxonomy levels
- Questions are presented as expandable sections — students can click to reveal the answer and explanation after attempting the question
- Quizzes are not graded automatically — they are designed as formative self-check tools, not summative assessments
Tips for Using Quizzes in Class¶
- Exit tickets — Have students complete the quiz at the end of a class period as a quick check for understanding.
- Pre-reading check — Assign the quiz before the chapter to see what students already know (diagnostic assessment).
- Post-reading review — Use the quiz after reading to identify concepts that need re-teaching.
- Collaborative quiz — Have students work in pairs to discuss each question before revealing the answer.
- Custom assessments — Use the quiz questions as a bank to create your own tests. The questions are openly licensed (see "Understanding the License" below).
Bloom's Taxonomy Levels¶
Each quiz question is tagged with a Bloom's Taxonomy level. Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework that classifies thinking skills from simple to complex:
| Level | Name | What It Means | Example Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Remember | Recall facts and definitions | Define, list, name |
| L2 | Understand | Explain concepts in your own words | Explain, describe, compare |
| L3 | Apply | Use concepts to solve problems | Calculate, demonstrate, solve |
| L4 | Analyze | Break down and examine relationships | Differentiate, organize, compare |
| L5 | Evaluate | Make judgments based on criteria | Assess, argue, justify |
| L6 | Create | Produce original work or solutions | Design, construct, propose |
A well-balanced assessment includes questions across multiple levels. The quizzes in this textbook primarily target levels L1–L4, with critical thinking challenges in the chapters and the Student Investigations targeting L5–L6.
Using the References¶
What Are the References?¶
Each chapter has an accompanying references page with a curated list of approximately 10 high-quality sources that students can use for further reading. References prioritize Wikipedia articles for accessibility and reliability, supplemented by authoritative books and research papers.
How References Are Organized¶
Each reference includes:
- Title — The name of the source
- URL — A clickable link to the source
- Relevance — A brief description of why this source is useful and how it connects to the chapter content
A Note About Link Rot¶
Link rot is when a web link (URL) stops working because the page has been moved, renamed, or deleted. This is a common problem with any resource that links to external websites. While we prioritize Wikipedia (which has very stable URLs), some links may become outdated over time.
If you or your students encounter a broken link:
- Try searching for the article title on the source website
- Use the Wayback Machine to find archived versions of the page
- Report the broken link using GitHub Issues (see "Feedback" below)
Feedback¶
Reporting Issues and Suggestions¶
This textbook is an open-source project hosted on GitHub, a website where software and content projects are developed collaboratively. You don't need to understand programming to report a problem or suggest an improvement.
What is a GitHub Issue?¶
A GitHub Issue is like a support ticket — it's a way to report a bug, suggest an improvement, or ask a question. Each issue gets a unique number and can be discussed by the project team and community.
How to Submit Feedback¶
- Go to the textbook's GitHub repository: dmccreary/forensic-science
- Click the "Issues" tab at the top of the page
- Click the green "New issue" button
- Give your issue a clear title (e.g., "Broken link in Chapter 5 references" or "Suggestion: Add a handout for Investigation #9")
- In the description, provide as much detail as possible:
- Which page, chapter, or investigation has the problem
- What you expected to see vs. what you actually see
- Your browser and device (if relevant)
- Click "Submit new issue"
You will need a free GitHub account to submit issues. If you prefer not to create an account, you can email feedback to the author using the contact page.
Types of Feedback Welcome¶
- Typos and errors — factual mistakes, spelling errors, broken formatting
- Broken links — URLs that no longer work
- MicroSim bugs — simulations that don't load or behave unexpectedly
- Investigation handout requests — which of the 26 planned Student Investigations you'd like to see a full handout for next
- Content suggestions — topics that should be covered, examples that could be improved
- Accessibility issues — content that is difficult to read or navigate for students with disabilities
Understanding the License¶
What is a Creative Commons License?¶
A license is a legal document that explains what others are allowed to do with a piece of work. A Creative Commons (CC) license is a standardized, easy-to-understand license used for educational and creative content. It tells you exactly what permissions you have without needing a lawyer.
This Textbook's License¶
This textbook uses the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Here's what each part means:
| Code | Full Name | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| CC | Creative Commons | A standard open license |
| BY | Attribution | You must give credit to the original author |
| NC | Non-Commercial | You cannot use the material to make money |
| SA | Share-Alike | If you modify the material, you must share it under the same license |
| 4.0 | Version 4.0 | The version of the license (the current standard) |
What You CAN Do¶
- Copy the entire textbook or individual chapters and investigations for your students
- Share the textbook link with other teachers, students, or parents
- Print chapters and lab handouts for classroom use
- Modify the content — add your own examples, remove sections, change the order, or write your own handout for a planned investigation
- Translate the content into other languages
- Create derivative works — build your own version of the textbook based on this one
What You CANNOT Do¶
- Sell the textbook or charge students for access
- Remove attribution — you must credit the original author (Dan McCreary)
- Use a different license — if you modify and share, it must remain CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- Claim it as your own work — the attribution requirement means you must acknowledge the original source
For the full legal text, see the Creative Commons License page.
Customizing Your Own Textbook¶
One of the most powerful features of this textbook is that you can create your own customized version. This section explains how, step by step.
Key Technical Terms¶
Before we begin, here are some terms you'll need to understand:
- Repository (repo) — A folder on GitHub that contains all the files for a project. Think of it as the project's home directory.
- Git — A version control tool that tracks changes to files. It lets you see what changed, when, and by whom.
- Clone — Making a complete copy of a repository on your own computer.
- Fork — Making a complete copy of a repository on your own GitHub account (stays on GitHub, not your computer).
- MkDocs — The software that converts the textbook's markdown files into a website. You don't need to learn MkDocs deeply — just enough to make basic changes.
- Markdown — A simple text formatting language. If you can write an
email, you can write Markdown.
**bold**makes bold,# Headingmakes a heading, and-makes a bullet point. - mkdocs.yml — The main configuration file for the textbook website. It controls the site title, navigation structure, colors, and which features are enabled.
Step 1: Create a GitHub Account¶
If you don't already have one, go to github.com and create a free account.
Step 2: Fork or Clone the Repository¶
Option A: Fork (easier, stays on GitHub)
- Go to dmccreary/forensic-science
- Click the "Fork" button in the upper-right corner
- This creates a copy in your own GitHub account that you can edit
Option B: Clone (more control, works on your computer)
- Install Git on your computer (git-scm.com)
- Open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on Mac)
- Run this command:
This downloads the entire textbook to your computer.
Step 3: Make Changes¶
All content files are in the docs/ folder. They are written in Markdown
(.md files) — plain text files with simple formatting. You can edit them
with any text editor. Investigation handouts live in
docs/student-investigations/, and the full lab-idea catalog with shopping
lists is docs/student-investigations/ideas.md.
Changing the Title and Description¶
Open mkdocs.yml and edit these lines:
site_name: "Your Custom Textbook Title"
site_description: "Your description here"
site_author: "Your Name"
Changing the Colors¶
In mkdocs.yml, find the palette section:
theme:
palette:
primary: deep purple # Change to: blue, red, purple, teal, etc.
accent: amber # Change the accent color
MkDocs Material supports these primary colors: red, pink, purple, deep purple, indigo, blue, light blue, cyan, teal, green, light green, lime, yellow, amber, orange, deep orange, brown, grey, blue grey.
Changing the Logo¶
Replace the file docs/img/mascot/neutral.png (or point theme.logo in
mkdocs.yml at your own logo image, PNG format, approximately 128x128
pixels).
Step 4: Preview Your Changes Locally¶
- Install Python (version 3.8 or newer) from python.org
- Install MkDocs and the Material theme:
- Navigate to the project folder and start the preview server:
- Open your browser to
http://127.0.0.1:8000/forensic-science/to see your customized version
The preview server watches for file changes. When you edit and save a Markdown file, the page automatically refreshes in your browser.
Step 5: Publish Your Version¶
To publish your customized textbook as a free website using GitHub Pages:
This command builds the website and publishes it to
https://YOUR-USERNAME.github.io/forensic-science/. The process takes about
1–2 minutes.
Customizing Your Analytics¶
What is Web Analytics?¶
Web analytics is the process of measuring how visitors use a website — which pages they visit, how long they stay, and where they come from. For an educational textbook, analytics can help you understand which chapters students read most, which MicroSims and investigations they interact with, and where they might be struggling.
Google Analytics¶
This textbook includes Google Analytics — a free service from Google that tracks website visits. The author's analytics property is already configured, but if you create your own fork, you'll want to set up your own.
Setting Up Your Own Google Analytics¶
- Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with a Google account
- Create a new property (Google's term for a tracked website)
- Google will give you a Measurement ID — a code that looks like
G-XXXXXXXXXX - In your
mkdocs.yml, update this section:
- Rebuild and deploy your site. Analytics data will start appearing within 24–48 hours.
What You Can Learn from Analytics¶
- Which chapters are most/least visited — helps you identify where students might be skipping content
- Average time on page — longer times may indicate engagement or confusion
- Device breakdown — what percentage of students use phones vs. computers
- Geographic distribution — where your students are accessing from
- Search terms — what students search for on your site
xAPI Monitoring (Advanced)¶
xAPI (Experience API, also called "Tin Can API") is an advanced standard for tracking detailed learning activities — not just page views, but specific interactions like "student moved a slider to position X" or "student answered quiz question 3 correctly."
What is an LRS?¶
An LRS (Learning Record Store) is a database that stores xAPI learning records. Think of it as a specialized analytics system designed specifically for education. If you use an LRS, you can track granular student learning data.
Important: Regulatory Considerations¶
Before collecting student-specific learning data, be aware of these regulations:
- FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) — U.S. federal law that protects student education records. If you collect data that can identify individual students, you must comply with FERPA.
- COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) — U.S. federal law that applies to children under 13. If any of your students are under 13, additional restrictions apply.
- State laws — Many U.S. states have additional student privacy laws.
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) — European Union law that applies if any of your students are in the EU.
Recommendation: The Google Analytics setup described above is anonymous by default — it tracks aggregate page views, not individual students. This is the safest approach. If you want individual student tracking via xAPI, consult your school district's data privacy officer before proceeding.
The Learning Graph¶
What is a Learning Graph?¶
A learning graph is a visual map showing how concepts in the textbook depend on each other. It is structured as a DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) — a diagram where arrows show which concepts must be understood before others.
For example, understanding advanced concepts like random-match-probability statistics requires mastering their prerequisites (basic DNA structure, STR loci) first. The learning graph makes these dependency chains visible.
How Teachers Can Use the Learning Graph¶
- Prerequisite checking — Before teaching a concept, verify that students have covered its prerequisites
- Remediation — If a student struggles with a concept, trace back to its prerequisites to find the gap
- Curriculum mapping — Compare the learning graph to your existing syllabus to identify coverage gaps
- Enrichment — Advanced students can explore concepts ahead of the current chapter by following the graph forward
The interactive Learning Graph Viewer is available in the "Learning Graph" section of the left navigation.
Trace the Raccoon: Your Pedagogical Agent¶
What is a Pedagogical Agent?¶
A pedagogical agent is a character that appears throughout a textbook to guide students. Research shows that pedagogical agents improve student engagement and perception of learning — a phenomenon called the persona effect.
How Trace Appears¶
Trace the Raccoon appears as colored callout boxes (called admonitions) throughout each chapter. There are six admonition types plus a neutral default logo pose:
| Type | Color | Purpose | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Green | Introduces the chapter | Every chapter opening |
| Thinking | Orange | Highlights key insights | 1–2 per chapter |
| Tip | Green | Shares practical advice | As needed |
| Warning | Red | Alerts to common mistakes or lab safety rules | As needed |
| Encourage | Blue | Supports students on harder concepts | Where students may struggle |
| Celebration | Purple | Celebrates progress | Every chapter ending |
Trace appears no more than 5–6 times per chapter to avoid overuse. Mascot admonitions are never placed back-to-back, and Trace's catchphrase — "Follow the evidence!" — reinforces the textbook's evidence-first, anti-CSI-Effect theme throughout.
Tips for Teachers¶
- Read Trace's tips aloud — They're written in a conversational tone that works well when spoken.
- Use as discussion prompts — Trace's "thinking" admonitions highlight the most important insights in each chapter.
- Encourage struggling students — Point students to Trace's "encourage" admonitions when they're frustrated with a concept.
- Reinforce lab safety — Trace's "warning" admonitions double as the safety and fair-test rules for each Student Investigation; read them aloud before students begin bench work.