An Innovative E-Learning Platform for Vocational Training of European Local Police Forces

Over the last years, the astonishing progress of modern telecommunication networks and the simultaneous spread of the Internet have brought about unprecedented access to a wealth of information and resources. The full development of Internet’s potential to improve access to education and training, and to enhance the quality of learning, is a key prerequisite for building a European (and a global) knowledge society. In particular, not only education but also social cohesion and market competitiveness depend more and more on Europe’s ability to adapt (appropriately) its educational and training systems in order to realize this major challenge (Stewart, 2004). Without any doubt, information and communication technologies (ICT) can offer significant potential for the improvement of education and training (Kruse, 2002; Tsai & Machado, 2002) in several areas, as they can strongly support learning processes through enhanced communication, discovery, simulation, exploration, and problem solving (Ewing & Miller, 2002).