ADAPT: Adaptive Device for Adaptive Performance Training

Irregular warfare is increasingly the dominant form of military engagement. It is dynamic and unforgiving of errors, requiring warfighters to adapt fluidly to novel, complex, and ill-defined problems. The goal of this STTR is to define, prototype and (in Phase II) develop a training tool that builds adaptive expertise. The system teaches the learner to recognize and understand the fundamental principles underlying features of novel problems, and systematically presents problems that stretch the student’s capability to adapt. As it is used, the system itself learns more about connections among features in the domain over time, by acting as a knowledge elicitation device. Thus, the system – ADAPT – is both an Adaptive Device (evolving over time) and a tool for Adaptive Performance Training. In Phase II, we will empirically validate and implement ADAPT. The project team of Aptima and Dr. Kurt VanLehn (Arizona State University) bring to this task: expertise in training and adaptability research, knowledge of MDA/piracy domains, and experience developing intelligent tutoring systems to enhance adaptability.