Current Research Projects
The Police Training Institute partners with researchers in myriad academic departments at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and other institutions to host and facilitate research into police education and training. Active research projects include:
Implementing Virtual Scenario Training with REAL Training Systems (RTS)
Starting in 2020, PTI began working with RTS to develop the capability to conduct scenario roleplay in a virtual environment. In 2021, PTI offered recruits the opportunity to participate in simulation training. Training involved a classroom session covering various aspects of de-escalation, followed by scenario simulation. Consistent with the adult learning model, students practiced de-escalation techniques by engaging in dynamic dialogue with computer characters in a “video game-like” environment. Subsequently, PTI expanded the standard training regimen to ensure that all students experienced the virtual scenario training approach. The primary goal is to shift students from reacting in the moment to developing intentional decision-making during citizen encounters consistent with research translating thoughts into action (Wulf & Lewthwaite, 2021). ILETSB certified the course in 2022 as meeting seven mandates, including two under the requirements of the Illinois SAFE-T Act (2021) for scenario-based de-escalation training.
Implementing an Innovative Cybersocial Learning Approach for Report Writing Skill Development in a Police Academy Setting; Jen Whiting, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Early Research Project
This research project is designed to identify and test the impact of implementing cybersocial learning approach at the Police Training Institute that is seeking to strengthen and improve the report writing skills of recruits in a 16-week training environment. Inadequate or improper report writing is one of the major components that may cause failure during the field placement period of an officer’s early career. By implementing the cybersocial learning features, namely self-study videos with examples of report writing skill, rubrics that articulate critical elements of a police report, peer review, generative machine review, and revision prior to submission to an expert at the Police Training Institute, this research project will catalog and analyze the processes and outcomes of the cybersocial-influenced report writing skills compared to the report writing skills demonstrated by a control group using traditional direct instruction methods.
Examining the Contextual, Cultural, and Theoretical Influences on the Education and Training of Law Enforcement Officers in 21st Century America; Jen Whiting, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The goal of this research project is to examine the influences that are most prevalent in the education and training paradigms that comprise the training of police in 21st century America. This examination includes the historical and cultural contexts of police training, drawing on the development of practices and curriculum of police training and education at the state level. Next, it explores the cultural phenomena that contribute to the expectations and realities of police training and education and, specifically, how these are implemented and experienced by the administrators, instructors, and recruits at the Police Training Institute. The curriculum will undergo an inventory and analysis process which will aim to identify the dominant educational theories that underpin the curriculum as well as the lived experiences of the recruits. Lastly, this research is the genesis of a longitudinal study that will allow for the collection of phenomenological data from recruits as they advance through their career as police officers as it relates to their origin training and in-service training experiences.