The game’s afoot for investigators-in-training with a dynamic new Augmented Reality App for the Criminal Justice program’s Crime Scene Investigation Certificate. Created by Game Development II students in the College of Technology, the new app enables the instructor to create a crime scene that students can view using their mobile phones, taking notes and photos.

The previous app included only one static scene set in an alleyway. But crimes occur in various locations in the real world, producing robust evidence. The new app gives the instructor the ability to create multiple and diverse scenarios. Student crime scene investigators will then be tasked with uncovering clues and gathering evidence to help them crack the case.

“Normally, the instructor places objects around the room and asks the students to walk around and document and discuss the evidence they find in the room. This new app will allow the instructor to place evidence objects around the room and have the students use their mobile devices to discover and document what they find,” says Scott Shaw, chair of the Game Design and Development Program.

The new app takes students beyond the crime scene in helping to move the case forward. Students will be able to make decisions on processing evidence and how it should be cataloged for use in the investigation.