Using role play actors in regulatory learning and development
Simulation-based learning is a powerful way for learners to practice their skills and knowledge in authentic workplace situations. Simulations provide safe learning environments where learners can make mistakes, try different approaches, and improve their techniques – all without the risk of real-world failure.
Simulation is a technique for practice and learning that can be applied to many different disciplines and types of trainees. It is a technique (not a technology) to replace and amplify real experiences with guided ones, often “immersive” in nature, that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive fashion. “Immersive” here implies that participants are immersed in a task or setting as if it were the real world. (Simulation-based learning: Just like the real thing)
'I love doing role plays, '…said no learner ever!
Using role-play actors can make all the difference in engaging learners by creating authentic and believable simulated learning experiences.
According to Cynthia Gundermann, who coordinates theatre graduates in the simulation program, her students benefit greatly from working with the actors. “When our learners can suspend their disbelief and fully engage with the portrayed characters, they are able to gain richer and more meaningful learning from their simulation events.” (Simulations with actors prepare nurses for the demands of their profession)
The Diploma of Government Investigations
While designing a customised version of the Diploma of Government Investigations for a regulatory agency’s investigator workforce (who were already doing the job), it became clear that live simulations with role-play actors would add significant value. Asking other staff members to help could have worked …to a point. But as an in-house learning program, the investigators, who were already doing the job, were likely to know the people who were helping – this would have put a real dent in the simulation’s believability.
The other reason for using role play actors was that I wanted them to be active in the learning experience by giving open and constructive feedback about how they had experienced the interview. This would have been too big an ask of fellow staff members, they needed to maintain their ongoing professional relationships - no one was likely to give ‘critical’ feedback and risk creating ongoing tensions in the workplace, e.g. ‘who do you think you are telling me…’.
In the Diploma, role play actors were used for the
Formal Records of Interview module, and the
Giving Evidence in Court module.
Both modules had been identified as high stakes regulatory capabilities because of the significant risks if done incorrectly, e.g. evidence being missed or inadmissible; investigations unable to proceed; or court cases being lost.
They were also part of competency-based assessments, which meant that an observer was present to assess the investigators' skills and knowledge for the qualification.
Case study 1: Formal Records of Interview
Records of Interview (ROI) are:
Formal interviews where investigators interview a person or company suspected of breaching the legislation.
An important opportunity for investigators to collect facts and clarify issues.
A vital part of every investigation and one of the essential tools in the investigators’ toolkit.
The evidence obtained through conducting ROIs can greatly strengthen the prosecution case[JH2] . There are strict protocols that, if not followed, can potentially ruin the evidentiary value of the interview.
The ability to interview is a skill that is developed through practice.
How we did it
The investigators were given a scenario and asked to prepare their interview plan with the relevant offences and points of proof, possible defences and relevant tangents, relevant documents and other exhibits, and the questions sequenced along a timeline.
On their ROI day, the investigators worked in pairs (lead investigator and corroborator) to conduct the interview with the role-play actor, with the observer present.
After the ROI, the observer facilitated a feedback conversation where the investigator shared their reflections on how they went; the observer gave constructive feedback about what the investigator did well and what they could do better; and the role-play actor gave feedback on how they experienced the investigators interviewing style, such as 'I felt comfortable answering your questions’ or 'the way you spoke to me made me feel that you had already decided I was guilty and I didn’t want to talk to you.’
The role-play actors
The role-play actors we used were skilled improvisation actors. Instead of providing a script, we briefed them on the context, discussed the scenario and outlined the range of typical behaviours and emotions that can come up in ROIs. Some of these included refusing to answer, becoming agitated and defensive, starting to cry, getting angry, shouting, not understanding their rights, insisting they would only talk to the corroborator, requesting an interpreter, asking to take a break, or destroying evidence.
The actors were asked to look for opportunities to generate these behaviours and emotions if/when the opportunity arose. They weren’t there to be window dressing, they were integral to creating a rich learning experience. The aim was to make the simulation realistically unpredictable and draw out a range of skills and knowledge investigators need when conducting ROIs.
Learning the hard way - safely
The ROI was going well, and then the investigator handed the actor a document (evidence) and asked them to confirm the document's name. But what happened next was not expected, the actor took the document and tore it up! The investigators face fell. Their suspect had just destroyed the evidence! A rooky mistake, but better to have this happen in a learning environment than in the real world.
Case study 2: Giving evidence (moot court)
Giving evidence is a common requirement for regulators, and the courts expect that regulatory professionals will know how to conduct themselves. For example, they know:
Who to address in the court.
The swearing-in process.
How to answer the questions.
Not to give hearsay evidence or claim to be an expert.
When/how to refer to their contemporaneous notes, and have their notebook with them in the witness box).
How the court system works, and how lawyers and barristers operate when in the courtroom.
How we did it
We hired a courtroom in the Melbourne Magistrates Court (an immersive learning experience).
The investigators were asked to choose a small brief of evidence they had produced as the informant and provide a copy of their affidavit, to be used as the basis for their evidence giving.
An observer was in the room, and each investigator was debriefed after they had given their evidence. Video recordings were also made - there's nothing quite like learning by watching your performance on video!
According to principal and Superintendent Tony Flack, working with professional actors serves a dual purpose. Recruits get to experience authentic scenarios, and the actors then provide an independent assessment of their reactions and progress. (Why using actors is the new way to train).
Role-play actors
Instead of improvisation actors, a recently retired magistrate and a defence lawyer (to cross-examine the investigators in the witness box) were engaged. This added a whole new level of reality. The learning experience was immersive and intense, but no more so than if the investigators had been giving evidence for real.
On the day, the investigators were visibly nervous while they stood outside the courtroom, waiting to be called to give their evidence. And after they’d had their turn in the witness box, there was a palpable sense of both relief and pride that they had successfully engaged in this challenging learning experience.
‘in 5 years, I’ve never had to give evidence. I know it's a part of my role and that I’ll have to do it at some point. I’m so glad my first time was here, not when I have to do it for real.’
Conclusion
Simulation-based learning is a valuable method for developing regulatory capability. They provide safe, guided learning experiences in situations where the risks of failure in the real world are high. The use of role-play actors can help to propel simulations into the real world and create authentic and engaging learning.
References
Simulation-based learning: Just like the real thing, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2966567/
Simulations with actors prepare nurses for the demands of their profession, https://theconversation.com/simulations-with-actors-prepare-nurses-for-the-demands-of-their-profession-137975
Why using actors is the new way to train, https://www.hrmonline.com.au/topics/learning-and-development/using-actors-train/