Training is often consumed in the classroom or remotely in a one-size-fits-all format with limited opportunity to practice hands-on skills in contextualized situations. Providing training which can be used anytime, anywhere and also offers the ability to “act out” or practice critical skills to instill muscle memory, embody actions, and employ critical thinking, is integral to trainees reaching proficiency. Virtual and augmented reality technologies are rapidly being adopted across the DoD for simulation, training, education, and operations, however, these component technologies are often used in isolation and require costly form factors. The benefits of these emerging technologies can be realized more fully by utilizing eXtended reality (XR), which blends a contextualized virtual environment with augmented overlays and real-world objects, on a cost-effective mobile device. When XR training applications are used, an opportunity exists to provide psychomotor practice in a highly engaging environment leading to significant gains in both primary and refresher training.  Further, available evidence shows that when these XR training applications are adaptive, varying content and progression as a function of trainee proficiency, substantial gains in training efficacy are expected. This is especially evident when using artificial intelligence (AI) to allow the system to adapt training to the proficiency of the trainee, thereby enhancing training effectiveness and increasing field readiness. Providing trainees adaptive XR training anytime, anywhere using mobile devices enables consumption to be readily available and learner centered, offering an action-oriented supplement to typical classroom and remote training.

It is crucial when developing XR training solutions to evaluate the utility of the novel, contextually-based design elements and embodied interactions afforded by XR. Careful examination of these features can highlight positive and negative experiences in XR, possible improvements to usability, and future directions for evaluating the extensibility of contextualization and embodied cognition principles in the design of XR training solutions.

This Foundations Training tutorial will dive into the key elements of an XR training framework that leverages pedagogically based, formative assessments to infer trainee proficiency by providing insights into: key drivers of adaptive, accessible training in XR; potential barriers to embodied training; value-added case studies with end-user feedback; and user-centered guidelines for designing, developing and implementing mobile XR training systems. By the end of this tutorial, attendees will be able to implement effective techniques for adaptive, accessible XR training applications based on case studies of anytime, anywhere adaptive training being implemented for Tactical Combat Casualty Care training.