Markets & Applications Case Studies

3Dsolve Develops TRADOC’s First Level 4 Interactive Multimedia Instruction

Situation

Today’s US Army and other federal agencies face demands that often make it impossible for them to dedicate sufficient time and resources to traditional classroom training. Increasing mission complexity and length, a geographically dispersed workforce, as well as constraints on travel and resources make it difficult to accomplish the desired training goals.

The US Army Signal Center, based at Fort Gordon, Georgia, is a very equipment-dependent unit. Typically, equipment needed for training is fielded at the training center only after passing through several other units first. Other times, necessary equipment is diverted elsewhere in the world where it is needed most.

With a focus on just-in-time and performance-based training, equipment access has become increasingly limited. As such, the Signal Center needed to deliver training to soldiers whenever they needed it, wherever they needed it, whether in the US or deployed elsewhere throughout the world. A primary goal was to improve readiness in personnel deployed worldwide in an environment where equipment changes frequently.

In addition, mounting training costs also posed a serious problem for the Signal Center. The broad deployment of troops equaled expensive travel and created time constraints required by sending students to dedicated training sites.

The cost of failure was the most compelling force driving new training standards and techniques for the Signal Center. A life-and-death situation can be created if soldiers do not receive the proper equipment training, especially during wartime. This is particularly important when up to 70% of those deployed today are either National Guard or Inactive and may not have received up to date training available to regular army personnel.

Solution

As a solution, the Signal Center adopted the Lifelong Learning program which relies heavily on simulation training. 3Dsolve developed the US Army’s first Level 4 IMI, the most advanced form of such instruction commissioned under TRADOC.

The company developed a set of advanced simulations and supporting software for desktop computers that formed the basis of the 110 hours of hands-on instruction required for the Signal Center’s entry-level Information Systems Operator-Analyst course, Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 25B10.

All courseware developed as part of this contract met stringent validation criteria established by the Army Training Support Center (ATSC) at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Meeting these criteria makes 3Dsolve’s 25B10 courseware the first Level 4 IMI to be fully validated by ATSC. In fact, ATSC devised new validation procedures specifically to be able to test the courseware.

As a result of this validation, 3Dsolve has set the standard for all future Level 4 IMI instruction at the US Army Signal Center, and will affect simulation-based training throughout the US Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).

Level 4 IMI is used to support the 25B10 Reclassification course conducted by the Reserve Component TASS Battalions. These simulations are also used to support the resident school’s remedial and refresher training, as well as sustainment training.

3Dsolve’s simulation-based courseware covers the entire range of skills required by the position. For maximum realism and interactivity, the courseware replicated real-life lab exercises, including the simulation of operating and troubleshooting complex networking hardware and software within a simulated Digital Tactical Operations Center.

As the framework of the Level 4 IMI architecture, 3Dsolve applied its 3D4M technology which enables a blended delivery of learning content (asynchronous and live synchronous instruction) and a virtual 3D lab environment for hands-on instruction. 3D4M is a web-based collaborative tool that features a 3D classroom visual metaphor and includes the use of learning objects from a variety of media to be used in the learning experience.

The 3D4M architecture accommodates a blend of learning approaches, from receptive to exploratory, with the emphasis on problem solving and performance-based learning through rich multimedia simulations.

Performance-based learning is enabled through interactive simulations that can be controlled by the instructor.

3Dsolve successfully worked with the Signal Center to ensure that the solution they delivered satisfied their primary challenges. Each team provided subject matter experts from the military and simulation learning industries that enabled the process to run very smoothly.

Success

The primary objective of the IMI mission was to go beyond the current military training courseware by capturing not only the content of classroom instruction, but the knowledge and mentoring capabilities of the instructors themselves. 3Dsolve was able to go above and beyond this objective, actually setting the standard for all future Level 4 IMI instruction at the U.S. Army Signal Center.

Flexibility
Instead of being tied to one central facility, training can take place virtually anywhere, regardless of where a soldier is based or deployed. Also, training is no longer limited to regular workday hours; soldiers can view the coursework whenever it is most convenient to them. Coursework material can be downloaded conveniently to any machine from the Army Knowledge Online (AKO) intranet site, freeing up equipment so it can be deployed out into the field instead of help up in a training facility.

Cost Savings
With the ability to access training through the Internet or the Signal Center’s Resource Center, soldiers save time and Government money by taking the simulations at their assigned unit rather than having to travel to a training center.

Better Students
If in-person participation is required, students can now arrive pre-trained and certified in the basic course material. In-person training can then focus on the highest value subjects rather than focusing on basic coursework. The average knowledge retention rate from a lecture is only 5 percent compared to 30 percent during an actual demonstration. For hands-on practice, the retention rate climbs to 75 percent—a vast improvement over demonstrations and lectures. Simulation-based learning technologies have greatly improved the overall readiness of troops who are now more familiar with the assigned equipment and what to do with it.

Sustainment
With anytime, anywhere training, the same materials used before and during schooling are always available to personnel, providing an instant refresher course if and when needed. Coursework content is sustainable, reusable, and can be updated more cost-effectively as a result.