Abstract

There is an absence of empirical studies that document the efficacy of interactive technology within a criminal justice pedagogy. The current study examines qualitative responses from a general criminal justice course and a special topics mental health and criminal justice course that included virtual reality (VR). This includes five classes taught in two states between 2019–2020, with a total sample of two-hundred and forty-two (n = 242) undergraduate students. Participant responses were coded by changes in perceptions, emotional content, and overall satisfaction with the VR experience. Findings reveal the presence of crime myths that were altered by the VR experience. The VR experience produced an emotional response that facilitated learning. Qualitative themes include concepts of realism, motivated learning, increased memory recall, deeper meaning in learning, the inclusion of visual learning techniques and validation of overall student satisfaction. This suggests that virtual reality technologies may be an effective though rarely used technology in criminal justice education.

摘要

缺乏实证研究来证明交互技术在刑事司法教学中的有效性。当前的研究调查了一般刑事司法课程和包括虚拟现实 (VR) 在内的心理健康和刑事司法专题课程的定性反应。这包括 2019 年至 2020 年在两个州教授的五个班级，总样本为 242 (n = 242) 名本科生。参与者的反应通过感知、情感内容和对 VR 体验的整体满意度的变化进行编码。调查结果揭示了 VR 体验改变了犯罪神话的存在。VR 体验产生了促进学习的情绪反应。定性主题包括现实主义概念、主动学习、增加记忆力、更深层的学习意义，包括视觉学习技术和整体学生满意度的验证。这表明虚拟现实技术在刑事司法教育中可能是一种有效但很少使用的技术。