A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic and her NSW Police Force colleague have received an award for the best research paper presented at a recent national simulation and training conference.

Dr Amanda Davies, Lecturer and course director in the CSU School of Policing Studies in Goulburn, and Detective Senior Sergeant Hayden Sargent, senior development officer with the NSW Police Force Simulated Operations Unit, won 'Best Research' paper at SimTecT2015, the 20^th anniversary Asia-Pacific Simulation Training Conference and Exhibition (17-21 August) in Adelaide.

The title of the paper is, 'Reflecting and gaining wisdom: Self-Assessment Rubric Model for optimising simulation-based learning'. The research study was based on a pilot application of the self-assessment rubric conducted with a cohort of NSW Police Force officers participating in a Hydra/Minerva simulation exercise.

Dr Davies said educators have grappled for the past 40 years with the adequacy of performance assessment and feedback processes as applied in simulation-based exercises for a range of occupations.

"Our research paper discusses an approach to 'scaffolding' on simulation exercises with a Self-Assessment Rubric (SAR) to optimise outcomes from simulation exercises in police education," she said. "That is, it helps officers gain insight, or 'practical wisdom', through reflection.

"The key goals with this approach are (1) to optimise the learning for the participant through building their reflective practitioner skills, and (2) to sustain the pivotal learning outcomes of the exercise and the post-simulation performance of the learner through reference to a common set of criteria."

Dr Davies said the design characteristics of the SAR model offers educators and simulation exercise instructors an approach which accommodates lowered demands on instructor-participant one-to-one feedback, and continuity of performance criteria.

"Most importantly, an encouraging characteristic of the SAR model is that it is replicable and adaptable to the many and varied professions engaged in simulation-based learning for formative assessment of simulation exercise performance," Dr Davies said. "This means the work will have resonance with public bodies that need their staff to make important 'on the spot decisions', often in high-stakes high-risk situations.

"While there is limited published work in the field of rubric design in application in the simulation exercise environment, and the data reported from the evaluation of the SAR in this project is limited (due to a small number of trial participants), it nonetheless provides encouraging evidence for the future of the SAR model and its application. The SAR model contributes to the future initiatives of educators and trainers responsible for maximising learning outcomes from simulation-based exercises. The NSW Police Force Simulated Operations Unit continues to revise, apply and evaluate the SAR model through its commitment to best practice simulation-based training."

The award was for the Best Research paper and the prize funds the authors to present the paper at the 'Best from around the World' session at the 2015 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) from 30 November to 4 December in Orlando, Florida, USA.