Main Subcommittee Category: Education

How would you label your submission?: Industry

Abstract:

The contested fight has leveled the technological playing field and consequently created a necessity to enhance the capabilities of airmen to not only learn more information at a faster rate but also across multiple platforms and specialties. Thus, as the complexity of warfare increases, training must enable pilots to create solutions to novel Night One situations that will require them to anticipate and respond to complex cues (e.g., dynamic data streams, multiple layers of threats, and unknown scenarios). Unfortunately, current training reflects procedures and missionized focus areas used for the past century. Trainees advance through a series of graduated mission sets that represent the scenarios like those experienced in theater. Trainees are “ready” if they have completed the requisite number of sorties but completion quality is based on qualitative approvals.

In the future, the complexity of battle, data, and technologically-enhanced threats will not permit this format of education. There will be too much to learn and not enough time to learn it. Thus, the primary need is to create a learning structure, process, and pathway that focuses on creating a library of experiences, uses data-driven methods to enhance and expand cognition, and uses technology to provide personalized support that maximizes pilot capabilities. Accordingly, a study of F-35 training demonstrated how to use the learning engineering process to modernize USAF training. Primary findings and recommendations to augment learning include providing: a) a deeper understanding of how the brain works and how training interventions can maximize impact; b) the ability to collect objective data to inform training practices; c) technological tools that will help trainees learn, practice, and study and reduce time-to-train; and d) insight and guidance on how various technological tools can be used to enhance learning experiences and impact. Implementation options is discussed.

Keywords: BEST PRACTICES;EDUCATION;MILITARY LEARNING

Jay Spohn

Affiliation

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Applying Learning Engineering Process to Existing Military Training Programs: F-35 Demonstration