Much more than just a classroom
TWENTY-FIRST century learning at Teesside University is no longer confined to the traditional seminar room and lecture theatre.
With facilities ranging from mock courtrooms to crime scene laboratories and a new dental suite, students can gain invaluable practical experience and skills for their future careers.
The university's mock courtroom is an exact replica of one of the courtrooms at Teesside Combined Court and includes equipment and a video link, fitted with overhead projectors, video playback facilities and cameras, which can transmit events like a mock trial around the university. The room can be set up for family, Crown or magistrates' court hearings.
The courtroom is a resource for law, forensic and crime scene students.
Students on the university's foundation degrees in policing use it to practise giving evidence.
The university's 16-room Crime Scene House Laboratory opened its doors to students nearly a decade ago, again providing a unique resource for law, forensic, crime scene and policing students. The laboratory is a replica of a “house of crime” complete with CCTV in each room. It is used to simulate various incidents, from break-ins to murders, and gives students the opportunity to develop their practical skills in forensic investigation, crime scene science and other techniques in realistic conditions. It also has specific rooms to create crime scene scenarios, including a bar, shop and living room.
The latest addition to the campus is a new £17m dental education and practice facility and sport and exercise complex, including sports therapy dedicated facilities. It opens this autumn.
The dental suite - pictured above - will have 20 dentists' chairs and practice “phantom heads” and an on-site dentist will be appointed to work with the students and treat patients.
The sport and exercise facilities will include a purpose-built sports therapy clinic and a bespoke hydrotherapy pool, anatomy laboratories and dedicated strength and conditioning and physical activity space. The new facilities will be used across a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in sport and exercise.
The 25-strong sport & exercise teaching team has a wealth of expertise across a number of disciplines. Further developments in sports therapy provision, in collaboration with the Society of Sports Therapists and external bodies, will be enhanced by these new facilities, including a sports injury clinic.
Both the university and wider community can benefit from the clinic together with a sports science consultancy staffed by experienced sport exercise scientists.
