Distributed Training Tools for Collaborative Environments

There is no effective capability for collaborative training with remote colleagues within the Army or across the Services. Emerging training, doctrine, and force structures advocate the need to rapidly deploy units with personnel who may be unfamiliar with each other. These units may include soldiers, members of other Services, and non-military personnel, whose assignments require electronic networking and collaboration with partners they have never met. Their missions may require specific-content training-on-demand along with the need to collaborate. The Army is funding the increased use of distributed learning technology to meet future training needs for a responsive and versatile Future Force, but there is little known about how to apply this technology to motivate learning through collaboration, such as distributed peer tutoring or multi-player online games.

This R&D unit will develop methods, best practices, and guidelines for employing collaborative learning environment and multi-player game technologies for training individuals and teams in soldier-centered Future Force tactical and digital skills.

In FY04, we will:

• Identify key variables as well as conduct market survey of online game products and collaboration tools for experimental training use
• Conduct experiments on use of online peer tutoring for enhancing digital skills

Proponent: U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
ARI Unit: Advanced Training Methods Research Unit

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