Forensic engineering expert training within the system of higher and supplementary vocational education: problematic aspects

Introduction. Forensic structural engineering dates back to the late 20th century. Since then its theoretical and methodological fundamentals have been developed, and considerable practical experience has been accumulated. Nowadays, it is one of the most in-demand type of expert investigations performed in the course of judicial proceedings in Russia; therefore, it has boosted a significant inflow of specialists into forensic investigation organizations. At present, their total staffing exceeds ten thousand specialists. However, the professional training of forensic engineering experts is often heavily and rightly criticized by investigators, judges, and parties to judicial proceedings, defending their legitimate interests. The ever growing number of forensic expert investigations, ordered by the courts, and the growing complexity of tasks to be tackled by experts, have pre-determined the need for an effective expert training system, so that the qualification of experts could meet the rising demands of present-day court proceedings. The objective of this study is to develop the basic principles of this system. Materials and methods. This article is based on the assumption that the special features of activities, performed by forensic experts, determine, to a great extent, the essential principles of effective teaching of this discipline, as well as the major problems arising in the course of student training. The authors describe a combination of didactic methods (oral, printed and verbal, illustrative methods, etc.), teaching techniques and tools used to address these problems. Results. A coherent overview of features of a forensic structural engineering investigation (FSEI), including the procedural nature of its performance, the predominantly regulatory character of forensic investigations, as well as the practical value of FSEI findings substantially improve the efficiency of training highly qualified specialists. The statistics indicate that over 99 % of students can successfully complete training programs. Conclusions. A comprehensive, substantive procedural approach to the explanation of educational materials has proven to be effective. This approach is tailored to the specific nature of forensic activities, and it should be fully integrated into the process of training forensic engineering experts.