The concept of providing After Action Review (AAR) has been partially responsible for the effectiveness of military training events conducted over the past two decades in Live, Virtual and Constructive environments. However, the practice and quality of AAR varies considerably based on the experience and expertise of training facilitators or unit leaders. Good AARs are most often an art, the result of craftsmanship as practiced by the training facilitator, such as an Observer/Controller at NTC, and not usually based on a standard set of principles or established practices. What is needed is a practical theoretical foundation that can be used as a basis for teaching the practice of AAR, informing the development of AAR tools, and guiding future cognitive science learning research as it relates to training approaches.

Today, AAR research lacks a single, overarching theory that integrates knowledge about performance appraisal, learning, cognition, and team interaction. This paper will present an integrated model for AAR that was developed for the Joint National Training Capability (JNTC) at Joint Forces Command under a Small Business Innovative Research effort. We will present a model that incorporates past research about the facilitator, the learner, and the use of performance appraisals which are relevant and show how they can be integrated into a theoretical framework.

There are key aspects to the integrated theory taken from learning theory, social psychology, and cognition that will be discussed. We will then discuss relevant research findings in those areas within the context of an integrated theory of AAR based upon the facilitator's role, the role of feedback, the importance of goal setting and the use of an instructional plan. The integrated theory presented herein suggests that AAR would benefit from implementing an instructional plan in which leaders express attainable yet challenging goals prior to training