Virtual training: Making reality work?

Team training seems to be crucial for the success of teams such as those in emergency services, the police or fire fighting. To carry out an operation successfully, intense training for complex collaborative tasks needs to be provided for all team members. In our study we applied a virtual training environment to train police personnel for complex collaborative tasks. The virtual training group was compared to a group with standard training and to a control group. The data show that the standard training resulted in more motivation, perceived value of the training and knowledge after the training session than virtual training. But with regard to the learning transfer measured by the behaviour in a real and complex situation, the virtual training was as good as the standard training. Both outperformed the control group.