The following paper explores how Army Aviation could leverage the neural pattern mapping of cognitive activity during flight task performance for curriculum design as well as learning and performance modernization that directly supports multi-domain operational environments. This study introduced a commercial-of-the-shelf (COTS), eight (8) non-contact node EEG device into a cap and through iterative exploratory research methods sought to establish and confirm both learning and learned neural activity patterns for performance of five selected rotary-wing flight tasks. This initial research collected performance and demographic data on rated aviators as the control group and non-rated aviators or aviation students not yet enrolled into the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Common Core (IERWCC) Course as the experimental group. The first step of analysis, using statistical testing and device specific machine learning analysis, were compared to establish differences and baselines of learned (control) and learning (experimental) flight task performance neural activity patterns. Learning pattern baselines considered the following: 1) what learning neural patterns looked like in comparison the learned neural patterns and 2) the time it took to progress through learning patterns to learned patterns. The second step compared experimental and control group neural patterns against demographic data to determine what correlations exist and may have some significance. As gateway research, the data collected in the research opens doors to greater opportunities for multi-branch studies that address cognitive load, attention, and other brain-based influences and impacts to learning and mission performance. The data serves to improve understanding of when learning occurs and knowing how to adjust curriculum design to be immediately responsive to performance needs. It acts as a trigger for future research that informs organizational education structures, occupational proficiency, and mission readiness that ultimately enhance wartime readiness under Large-scale Combat Operations.
Keywords
ASSESSMENT, COGNITIVE, DESIGN, DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION, EDUCATION, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, ENHANCING PERFORMANCE, FLIGHT SIMULATION, FLIGHT TRAINING
Additional Keywords