A case study for blended learning in law enforcement and crime labs

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present blended learning as a viable approach for law enforcement skills training and offer strategies to build successful programmes. Based on NFSTC's experience and feedback received from learners who have participated in blended training, skills such as crime scene investigation can successfully be acquired, applied and shared using this method. Data was gathered to create this case study using assessment scores and an electronic follow up survey of more than 800 learners who have taken the blended training in the past five years. Significantly, 96% of respondents said they were able to immediately apply the skills they learned when they returned to their agency and 90% shared tools and techniques from the training with their agency, and the majority would use blended learning again. As a result of these findings, we believe blended learning should be more widely adopted in law enforcement settings. We have evaluated the outcomes of several programmes to identify strategies for successful programme design, which include driving all content towards clear learning objectives, quality materials in all components of the training, a seamless integration between online and instructor-led components and a clear path and expectations for the learner.