A new scenario based learning exercise has been developed to aid Student Constables in the complexities of dealing with sudden deaths. The main priority for a Police Officer is the preservation of life, however, there are countless considerations an Officer should take into account when entering, navigating, and searching a property and dealing with the body. When arriving at a sudden death an Officer will not know whether the circumstances surrounding the death are suspicious, so preservation of evidence and the scene are also of paramount importance. The exercise will bring all of these learning objectives together in a virtual reality scenario where the narrative changes depending on the decisions made throughout the learning. The scenario will be cascaded through multiple projectors onto simulator screens in order to achieve additional vicarious learning and facilitation through the tutors.
As Technology Enhanced Learning Officer for South Wales Police, the title of my conference was chosen out of sheer frustration in the way the new Initial Police Learning (IPL) programme is delivered. The new six month programme of learning is delivered almost entirely didactically through the medium of Powerpoint. Only 8% is practical based or delivered via the medium of technology. I am keen to help educate educators that individuals can benefit greatly from learning through the medium of technology.
The project spans both innovation and implementation but it sits more comfortably with the latter due to the fact that the driving simulator has needed to be physically dismantling, rebuilt and repurposed to house the scenario. Also, the new training delivery method will need implementing into the IPL curriculum as part of a blended learning approach.
Socially individuals in the Experience Age are increasingly using platforms which are multimedia based. Instagram and Snapchat are on the rise as they allow the users to experience information as opposed to just reading it. ‘As educators who teach in the experience age, we must embrace and leverage better
methods to deliver the most effective learning experiences.’ E.Hu-Au and J.J. Lee, (2017). Delivering learning solely via Powerpoint is not conducive to effective and engaging learning experiences. The VR Sudden Death exercise will provide both student and tutor relief from the repetitive didactic delivery of Powerpoint and will give learners an engaging experience which will satisfy the inquisitive, constructivist learners within.
My presentation will provide some insight into how individuals in the Experience Age share and divulge media-rich content and the arguments for providing it in learning. Also I will divulge my own near sudden death experience when dismantling the driving simulator! You will also get to experience the learning itself. Join me at 20:15 on Monday 17th February to learn how to destroy your Powerpoint demons and deliver learning demanded by learners in the Experience Age.
Poster
https://360.articulate.com/review/content/f0381086-8b1e-49dd-80c1-d2c3e46ef617/review
References
Elliot Hu-Au* and Joey J. Lee (2017) ‘Virtual reality in education: a tool for learning in the experience age’ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324704089_Virtual_reality_in_education_a_tool_for_learning_in_the_experience_age (Accessed 19th December 2019)