A report on Murder under the Microscope four years of successful student online investigations

摘要

Murder under the Microscope is an annual, online, educational game in which teams of students compete to solve an ecological mystery 'crime'. Each year the crime is different. Clues to the eco-mystery crime are progressively delivered via a multimedia web interface, including online communications with science experts. Over the six week period of the game, the teams become immersed in a battle of wits to be the first to correctly identify the specific victim, villain and crime site. Typical victims are endangered animals, typical villains are ecological pests or contaminants, and typical crime sites are Cath Nielsen, ecologically sensitive environments.