Virtual Academy
Changing the training world, 1 course at a time
As a police officer in Michigan, Michael Warren often had to travel for continuing education to maintain the certifications required for his job. When his department discovered online training through Virtual Academy several years ago, it was a game changer. Officers could complete most of their required training without having to travel, saving both time and money.
After retiring from law enforcement in 2018, Warren now oversees training at Virtual Academy, an online training program based in Martin, Tennessee. “I wish I would have had something like this when I first started in law enforcement,” Warren says.
Programs are geared to public safety professionals at police departments, sheriff’s offices, 911 centers, and campus police departments. Virtual Academy provides training to more than 2,500 agencies in 30 states, serving sworn law enforcement and corrections officers, 911 professionals, and civilian staff members. “We’ve trained thousands of officers and staff across the country,” Warren says.
Virtual Academy was never meant to replace in-person training but, rather, to supplement and enhance it. The company now also offers some free in-person training events to agencies already under contract with Virtual Academy, and many of those events are also live-streamed. “We truly offer hybrid training that helps ensure law enforcement officers receive the training they need to maintain their certifications,” Warren says.
Virtual Academy
Virtual Academy began as part of Savant Learning Systems, a company established by Nassar Nassar, Ph.D., in 2006. Nassar worked with Tennessee’s Bethel University to develop 1 of the first online academic programs in the country. As more and more colleges developed their own online academic platforms, Savant Learning Systems worked to enhance other online educational opportunities. “Dr. Nassar was looking for a way to serve the community better,” Warren says.
The company established an online criminal justice program that provided an option for participants to pick and choose courses to meet their own specific needs. The program’s popularity grew and soon most of its classes centered around that platform. “We went from a strictly academic platform to a platform geared more toward training, and hit the law enforcement arena,” Warren says.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, agencies canceled most in-person training. That’s when the online training concept exploded. “I can’t tell you how important Virtual Academy has been for our agency during the COVID time,” Lieutenant Jamison White, support services commander and accreditation manager at Maryland Heights Police Department in Missouri wrote in a review. “We have been able to continue our level of training and are prepared to meet all of the state requirements for all of our officers.”
Virtual Academy’s user-friendly platforms and over 250 high-quality, relevant courses are built for users by users, including Warren, other retired law enforcement officers and professionals now on staff. The training scenarios create the closest representation to an actual event as possible with quality and engaging training. “We bring the experts to you,” Warren says.
Virtual Academy also offers a wide variety of industry-specific courses for 911 dispatch centers.
“We are looking forward to our partnership with Virtual Academy because it will allow us to take our existing training program for 911 and dispatch professionals across the state to the next level,” Leah Missildine, executive director of the Alabama 911 Board wrote in a review.
Keeping track
Virtual Academy programs are designed to easily manage, track and create training records and department files, which makes it easier for departments to meet certification requirements.
The programs are mobile friendly and can be done anywhere, anytime. Virtual Academy provides its used with U.S.-based 24/7 technical support for all users. “We have a 98% satisfaction rate and a 94% 1-call resolution rate,” Warren says.
From an administrator’s perspective, online training saves time and money since there’s no overnight travel or associated expenses. Before the advent of online courses, dispatchers, deputies and officers often had to travel to complete required training. Between travel time and the training itself, those individuals could be away from their posts for several days. If the officer worked a night shift, training often disrupted more than 1 or 2 shifts because traditional training courses are taught during the day.
Now, officers can complete training online anytime during their regular shift, limiting disruption for the agency. “That’s why the tech support is 1 of the best features,” Warren says. “For example, if a user has forgotten a password and needs help in the middle of the night, they can call and someone in Martin will be available to help them.”
Virtual Academy has studios in Franklin and Martin, where the training videos are recorded. The large video files are sent via email or other links to designers based in Martin, who add graphics and create the finished video product. This requires sending the files back and forth before the final products are complete.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the fiber internet we have through WK&T,” Warren says. “Not only could we not operate our website efficiently, but we wouldn’t be able to provide support for our clients. Access to fiber internet makes all the difference.”
Learn more at Virtual Academy website.
Story from WK&T.