Presentation Title:
From Zero to Hero: VR Design and Assessment for Novice-to-Expert Progression

Session Description :

While the ability to design an effective training simulation is still a challenging task, determining whether or not the simulation is effective from a learning perspective is arguably more difficult to both design for and ascertain. The majority of training simulations today appear to address the assessment and learning validity issue by designing simulations for the novice—arguably the easiest way to address the assessment issue of training. Meaning, if someone knows nothing about a task or process, then you can infer learning took place by merely introducing a novice to a simulation with basic information. However, deploying novices into complex or chaotic work environments and missions is not the end state we should be aiming for. Rather, training simulations should be designed to support knowledge and skill development that moves a trainee from a novice to a journeyman or expert status. Determining the proficiency of a trainee beyond a novice state requires benchmarks and assessments that can provide evidence of a range of competency levels, including mastery. In this workshop, we will facilitate a hands-on-design learning experience to have participants storyboard an initial training simulation incorporating an assessment design, using a learning engineering design approach. 

Intended audience and relevance to I/ITSEC :

Anyone interested in learning more about assessments and immersive design. This workshop will be most impactful for people interested in applying learning engineering processes to design competency-based and performance-based assessments for immersive training simulations.

Short statement of benefits participants will gain:

Through this workshop, participants will experience real-life challenges that exist when designing for VR training and how to build in authentic assessments of mastery. They will gain hands-on experience illustrating the benefits of storyboarding and iterating on initial designs. Additionally, participants will problem-solve through given constraints that designers face because of the VR environment. At the core of it all, participants will create a VR training simulation design that achieves the learning objectives, is aligned to evidence of learning via embedded assessments, and meets the needs of the intended audience by applying learning engineering processes.

Keywords: ASSESSMENT;AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY (AR/VR);COMPETENCY BASED TRAINING;PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN;PERSONALIZED TRAINING;TRAINING