The Influence of Digital Devices on Learning Interest, Engagement and Academic Performance in Basic Police Training - Experiences and Findings.

The Bavarian Police training aims to equip all 750 police teachers and 4.000 police officer trainees with officially approved police tablet PCs and smartphones by the end of 2025. Following a phased approach, teachers and trainees are being issued with tablet PCs (convertibles) and smartphones. Overall, there is no doubt that the use of digital devices is important and necessary in order a) to prepare the police trainees for their future work as police officers and b) to support their learning process. However, the question arises as to how exactly they benefit from those digital devices. For getting a first insight on the impact of digital devices on learning interest and engagement of police officer trainees in the classroom, as well as on their academic performance in general, the Bavarian Police conducted a digital pilot project with a single unit of 100 police officer trainees and 20 police teachers and trainers for 21 months from December 2019 to August 2021. The findings show that different digital devices have different impacts on the learning behaviour as well as on the academic performance of the police trainees. Above all, tablet PCs and interactive whiteboards have shown to improve learning behaviour. Furthermore, the findings show that digital devices, which are not used regularly, do not improve the classroom behaviour of the trainees or they may even worsen it slightly. The study puts forward several practical suggestions for the further implementation of digital devices at police training such as the necessity of training for the police personnel and the need to develop new didactic methods as well as new modes of teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]