The Effectiveness of Role-Playing in a Virtual Court Simulation on Increasing Knowledge and Empathy Among Criminal Justice Students: An Exploratory Case Study
Gregory C. Rocheleau, Brandy N. Rocheleau, Mackenzee R. Wombacher · Journal of Criminal Justice Education · 2025
Virtual reality platforms are becoming more frequent tools used in academic settings, but more research is needed to explore the many ways in which virtual reality may be beneficial to student outcomes. This study explores the effectiveness of role-playing during a virtual court trial on increasing knowledge and empathy among criminal justice students (N = 25). Results show that role-playing in a virtual court trial related to increases in knowledge, but there were no meaningful changes to empathy. Results also show that students enrolled in criminal courts classes reported lower levels of empathy than those enrolled in the juvenile justice class, and that students in the Spring 2025 semester reported lower levels of empathy than those in the Fall 2023 semester. Finally, results reveal that students enrolled in the criminal courts classes experience lower levels of knowledge gains than those enrolled in the juvenile justice class.