Could Second Life® help U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers learn their skills?
The virtual world of Second Life® is increasingly being used for education purposes. I never thought that I would see an educational use in the field of immigration but recently it was used just for that. In the blog post, "Case Study: Loyalist College Massively Improves Test Scores and Training Outcomes Using Second Life," Second Life employee, Amanda Linden highlights a new study published by a college in Canada that discusses the training of border guards at their school.
The college, Loyalist College, in Ontario, Canada, has a program which students to be customs and immigration agents. Prior to September 11, 2001, students would go into the field at a border office and observe agents working. After September 11, non-bonded personnel were not permitted to observe professional agents. The school tried roll-playing scenarios but the training was not effective. They decided to create a training program in Second Life which creates border crossing simulations.
Photo from Second Life Blog
The training program is comprised of various scenarios that could happen on the border. A Second Life script generates information from the virtual license plate on the cars passing through the border and replicates the information in the guard booth. Statistically relevant issues are programmed to pop up inside the guard station such as problems driving records and stolen car warnings. Students take turns playing the drivers and border agents.
You can see a video of the training here:
The new learning environment has been very effective. Students' grades have risen 30% on critical skill tests after their training in Second Life. In a published study about the training program cited in the blog post, one of the professors remarked:
Even thought I have been a Border Services Officer for over 28 years, I felt the same level of anxiety in the virtual border cross as I did years earlier. That experience made me a believer that working within Second Life was as real as it could get.
Obviously the best training for a Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") officer is out in the field, but perhaps the CBP should learn from our neighbors to the north. They already have it set up. CBP only has to change the signage ant they would be good to go.
