The Secretary of Defense identifies "soft power" as a required capability for our Nation's forces to meet today's global challenges and it is clearly evident that cultural training is a key enabler in meeting this requirement. Such training is vitally important for all DoD personnel deploying overseas and must be available when and where required, to include "just in time" training. As pre-deployment training schedules are compressed, it is necessary to incorporate the most advanced learning methodologies available (gaming, storytelling, intelligent tutors, avatars, remediation, immersive learning, etc.). These technologies help ensure that critical knowledge and requisite skills are transferred to the learner in the most efficient and effective way possible. Currently, personal computing and learning management system-based, level I/II courseware approaches to this problem have been employed; however, it is the opinion of these authors that a web-based approach, incorporating all of the above technologies, is the only real way to satisfy the requirement completely. Accordingly, this paper describes how the technical and pedagogical challenges were identified, met and overcome in order to develop and deploy a web-based cultural training game called the Virtual Cultural Awareness Trainer (VCAT). The paper provides a description of the situated cultural methodology, a description of the VCAT technical solution, the challenges of developing and integrating a game-based, Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) conformant, web-based immersive trainer into the Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) learning management system, as well as the evaluation methodology and metrics of its instructional effectiveness.

The end result is a web-based, game-based learning environment that teaches cultural awareness and gives trainees opportunities to apply their knowledge in simulated missions. Each trainee receives an automatically tailored program of instruction, according to their country area of responsibility, mission, and mission responsibilities with a specific focus on civil affairs operations and pre-deployment site surveys.