Designing-in simulation-based learning for the police recruit Brief of Evidence education

Abstract

Historically, in police and judicial procedures that follow the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ legal process, the responsibility at court hearings is for the respective police or law enforcement officers to present a prosecution that leaves no reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the alleged offender. A critical argument for the prosecution is situated within a Brief of Evidence (BOE) a compilation of one or all of the following: police statements, witness statements, expert testimony, and physical and digital evidence. Preparing police recruits for developing a BOE has traditionally been a text-based approach. Advances in approaches to education, including simulation-based learning are elevating the level of preparation of police recruits for the reality of operational duties, through situated, authentic learning experiences. This paper presents a case study of the application of a design plan that creates authentic situated learning experiences in investigative practice subjects for developing a BOE.