Participating students identities have been mitigated by removing any real name references and other identifying information. Permission has also been granted for photographic images to be used if they were able to be identified.

There are obviously ethical issues regarding the L5 outdoor ‘bone’ scatter and L7 simulated mass grave excavation case study. To make these as authentic as possible, realistic-looking ‘plastic’ bones were sourced, with those in the L7 simulation being buried with associated material (see later) for some months before being the focus of the student’s investigations. Any field examination involving ‘human remains’ can be emotive and the circumstances of victim(s) demise can also be upsetting and students could be affected in different ways being involved in such activities. Whilst been given lectures, supporting practical material and verbal warning ahead of practicals commencing ,to partly mitigate effects when running practicals, virtual (see Wisniewski & Heaton, this volume) and physical activities were designed and provided ahead of authentic assessments, to give students awareness, practice and become familiar with the upcoming task and expectations. Regular breaks are also timetabled within practical sessions to allow time to decompress/process, with opt in/out protocols for students to prevent them becoming overwhelmed. Authentic assessments can also be designed to partly ‘sanitize’ activities, for example only plastic bones used not flesh/liquids, and ethical protocols and method statements clearly followed, for example for digital imaging (BABAO, 2019). There are other steps which are covered in 2.3.

Wildlife laws will vary between countries, in the U.K. between December 1st and June 30th badger setts cannot be surveyed or ‘disturbed’, and you also need a licence for any actions that impact a sett (Protection of Badgers Act, 1992), hence the benefits of creating a simulated one in the L6 wildlife case study. The Act also prevents possessing and dead badger or body parts – in the L6 case study fake fur / plastic faeces and dry grass were used to ‘dress’ the badger sett entrances to provide some authenticity without the legal and health implications of using such material.

Health and safety considerations are obviously of crucial importance, with all authentic assessments presented here having Risk Assessments, covering emergency information, pre-identified and site risks, plus steps used to mitigate these using risk matrixes (see Appendix for details). For the L6 and L7 assessments, students also have to produce their own versions, with PPE requirements, detailing operation safety equipment/training required, and record sheets detailing their attendance on safety talks, PPE and equipment checking/calibration and Fit to Work declarations. These are then provided to staff running the practicals ahead of time. 

Finally there may be separate risk assessments required for certain equipment, for example the UAV drones legally require HEI staff to possess a CAA operators licence who ‘own’ the drone, students then need to pass the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) A1 theory Flyer ID test before flying (see CAA, 2025), with checking of air space and uploading UAV flight logs also being best practice which is all stated in the risk assessment documentation. Whilst flight permission was not required on campus due to being University-owned, there are certain other considerations of the drone and survey area that need to be followed. The campus safety team are always informed beforehand before drone flights as best practice.