By Charlotte Gregory-Ellis (Learning Technologist, Curriculum Development)
Mark Flint-Freel, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, created a series of videos to form a larger case study for the BA (Hons) Policing programme. The idea is to show the students a crime scene, working their way from an arrest of a suspect through to the cross examination in court.
With a greater number of students applying for the BA (Hons) Policing programme it meant that Mark had to think about how each student would to be able to role play each scenario needed. A solution to this involved using recorded video footage which he could stop and replay to focus on specific sections.
The Digital Learning team worked with Mark to formulate a plan of action for a case study. Together they worked through the possibilities of what was required for future students on the course.
The project examines the idea of using technologies to teach and train future Policing graduate students, giving the students an invaluable ‘real-world’ experience when they are unable to get fully an actual “hands-on”.
The project covers a case study filmed in different sections, allowing for discussion and debate at the end of each section. Students will be presented with a scenario involving theft of motor vehicle, recovery of stolen property, the arrest and detention of a suspect, the interview of a suspect and the presentation of evidence within court.
The project is used throughout the 1st and 2nd year Policing programme as well as its use being highly commended by Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Police.
The main aims of the project were to create a resource that:
- Allows greater discussion and debate of the good and bad practice seen within the case study.
- Gives the students a more interactive experience and greater participation within the course.
- Gives the students a more realistic idea of what happens in the Police Force, when it is unpractical to give a large cohort direct experience of everything.
The project filmed current BA (Hons) Policing students going through each section of the case study, as a Police Officer within the scene, giving them a greater knowledge base to their learning. The case study will then be used by the next group of students for them to pick up on the clues left behind in the video and prompt a discussion about what they would do in the same situation.
Sections within the case study, for example the custody section, is extremely useful to trainee Police Officers. Many trainees are unable to get a real-life example of this kind of work during their training and will only encounter it in practice later. Therefore, the training that Mark is proposing will give the students experience and an understanding of what to expect.
An example of what was created can be seen in this short excerpt:
