NCC Home Learning - Initial Thoughts on Criminal Psychology*

Having been out of education for 7 years now (wow, I feel old!) my mind is always craving to learn new things. Having a full time job, doing 50+ hours of volunteering a month and also keeping up to date with blogging means I am rather busy and haven’t ever considered further learning. When I was contacted by NCC Home Learning to trial one of their online learning courses I took the opportunity to try something new and push myself to engage my brain.

I chose the Criminal Psychology Diploma which looks into the mind of a criminal. I am very interested in the topic of crimes and after years of watching profilers on CSI and Criminal Minds, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in to the course. This particular course is 240 hours when studying online and I am now a couple of weeks into it. At the moment you can complete this course for only £270. So far I have read through and studied the first two topics which were Theories of Crime Psychological and Biological.

The website was really easy to navigate. As soon as I logged in my course list appeared and I simply clicked the Criminal Psychology tab. I could then click the introduction page which comes in PDF format. I am really impressed with the layout of the course on the website and it is easy to see what sections I need to read next and everything is split into modules. This course consists of 17 modules and then an exam. Studying can be done at my own pace. I found that the best way for me to study the modules was to print off each PDF and read them in the evenings, highlighting key pieces of information.

What I love about this course is that no previous knowledge is required so you can study this straight up if you like. I am not tied down by time either and can fit this in on an evening or even my lunch break, whenever I have a spare moment. I am really enjoying the course so far and look forward to completing it. At the end of the course I will receive a NCC certificate of completion.

I will update you on what I thought of the full course, in the meantime you can check out the fantastic range of courses available over on the NCC Home Learning website.

*I have received free access to this course in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

The Crime Museum Uncovered - London

Last week I attended The Crime Museum Exhibit in the Museum of London. Becky Bedbug kindly bought me a ticket for the exhibit as I won her secret giveaway! I never win anything so I was over the moon. Thank you so much Becky!

 The items in this museum were originally only available for Metropolitan Police (I was considering asking for a transfer to London just to see this museum hah.) The exhibition gives a fascinating insight into the history of London's crimes and how they were solved.

One of the reasons I couldn't wait to see the exhibit is that I love anything crime related. I have 100's of magazines under my bed called 'The Crime Files' and I used to love researching different crimes. The morbid side of me couldn't wait to see real life  objects and seized evidence that were used in crimes including terrorism and murder.Some of the items in the museum are just everyday items, for example a pair of tights. There's usually nothing out of the ordinary with a pair of tights but this pair had been used by murderer Gordan Cummings to strangle 2 female victims. Quite eerie when you think about it.

The exhibits ranged from weapons that had been used in crimes to diary entries and newspaper clippings. The museum has death masks and nooses and it's outlined who these belonged to. When I was looking at one of the exhibits , a policeman's pocket notebook, the man next to me actually said it was his old notebook! Fascinating. He didn't even know it was in the museum as he was long retired. I loved reading about The Kray's and seeing some of the items used in their crimes. I recently reviewed The Town House restaurant where Reggie Kray died.

There was so much to see in the museum and it was so busy I found it hard to look and read every single exhibit so I bought the book at the end which details all of the items held within the museum. I definitely recommend this book, it was £10 and packed with photos and interesting stories. I definitely advise visiting the exhibit if you can before it goes. I'll be keeping an eye out for anything similar and hopefully one day it will return so I can get a second look.

The Crime Museum Uncovered is open until 10th April 2016. I suggest booking tickets online to avoid disappointment.