Session Description
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to compare the effectiveness of an online police training course to a classroom-based version of the same course. Target outcomes included performance on a test of Domestic Violence Investigations, as well as attitudes and perceptions assessed by the Test of Online Learning Success (TOOLS), as well as interviews. Data were collected from 61 Phoenix police officers. The online subsample scored significantly higher on the Domestic Violence Investigations assessment, according to analysis of variance results. Furthermore, neither level of education nor prior experience with online learning were significantly related to either the pre-test or post-test scores. Interviewees reported enjoying the online learning environment, felt they learned important information, and were able to retain it. In particular, they singled out online learning as being less distracting than being in a physical classroom.
Recommendations include extension to offering online training to members of other Arizona agencies and the public safety community.
Presenter(s)
Rodney Parish
Rodney Parish, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USARod Parish was recently awarded the Doctor of Education degree from Northern Arizona University. His dissertation focused on the efficacy of online learning for police professional development. He was an Arizona police officer for 32 years. His policing experience includes time as a deputy sheriff and police officer in rural Arizona, as well as the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Training was an important aspect of his career. Rod was involved with defensive tactics training, hazardous materials regulations instruction, pre- and post-academy training programs, and was the executive officer of a multi-agency police academy. Rod retired as a DPS captain in 2016. He is an adjunct faculty member at Northern Arizona University and Rio Salado College, and lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
All Audiences
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