A small scale case study using DVD-video delivery of lectures to communicate theoretical content on a police leadership programme

This small scale study trialled the use of DVD-video to deliver pre-recorded lectures in a leadership programme for police staff, in order to make more effective use of classroom sessions and to address aspects of a police culture resistant to theory and management education. Collaboration between an e-learning technologist and a management subject specialist resulted in the production of a DVD-video that students viewed in their own time prior to the commencement of the taught classroom sessions. This changed the use of contact time to allow immediate application of the theoretical knowledge and understanding derived from the DVD-video presentations to the students’ workplace. The first cohort completed a pre- and post-use questionnaire evaluating their experiences of this blended learning approach. Students’ pre-use data demonstrated acceptance of usage of this medium, with some reservations around the level of tutor support and interaction. The post-use data confirmed an attitudinal shift to strong agreement and reduced reservation about usage. Additionally the study found an unanticipated difficulty in finding uninterrupted study time in a home environment. More illuminating was the realisation that the model of teaching had application beyond the programme level and subject. The approach also lent itself to the development of ‘reusable learning objects’. Classroom based discussions clearly forged a necessary and more effective link between theory and practice.