Virtual Observer Controllers for Adaptive Training (VOCAT)

It has long been established that the best way to learn is to have a private tutor who works with you one-on-one, adapting the training to your learning needs. In such settings, one can: ask questions, get feedback on an approach, and suggestions on how to improve. A skilled tutor will identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses and adapt teaching to emphasize solutions that take advantage of the student’s individual talents. Private tutors are too costly for all but the most affluent, while experts are, in general, too busy to mentor as they once did. The need for individualized instruction, however, has remained. This is particularly true in complex decision making environments such as Anti-Submarine Warfare where trainees need to be prepared for situations that are highly varied. Discovery Machine Incorporated describes how adaptive training for tactical decision making can be obtained through the use of Virtual Observer/Controllers, which shall be developed to mimic human observer/controllers(O/Cs). Human O/Cs provide a type of apprentice training. These O/Cs watch what the trainees do and inject challenges based on how the trainees have performed. They also adapt the training to make sure that the trainee is getting the most out of their training