Shiphandling Educator Assistant for Managing Assessments in Training Environments (SEAMATE)

Virtual Environments (VEs) provide a cost-effective alternative to train students to perform tasks that would otherwise put lives and platforms at risk. However, current VE training methods still require highly trained instructors to closely monitor student progress, effectively intervene when students"actions risk imparting negative learning, and provide detailed assessments of student skills. The demand for VE-based mariner training has been growing for over a decade and currently exceeds the number of available instructors, limiting the potential of this method. To more efficiently meet training demands and enhance the effectiveness of VE-based training, we propose to design and demonstrate a Shiphandling Educator Assistant for Managing Assessments in Training Environments (SEAMATE). SEAMATE will enable a smaller number of expert instructors to effectively work with larger groups of students through a combination of improved performance tracking, automated feedback, and efficient alerting methods. The SEAMATE instructor support system will include a tablet-based interface that supports at-a-glance awareness of individual student status to effectively direct the instructor"s attention. SEAMATE will also provide dynamic feedback and reporting to assist instructors"awareness of student progress. As such, the system will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of VE-based training methods, while reducing demands for highly trained instructors.