A Multi-Media Approach to Realistic Social and Cultural Skills Training

The goal of this project is to develop GreenLabs: a web-based, collaborative e-learning environment for the development, delivery, and evaluation of multimedia training sequences that teach cross-cultural communications concepts and provide detailed, media-rich descriptions of target cultures on demand. A two-step process has been identified as being optimal for providing Soldiers with concepts relevant to their needs. The basic course will teach culture-general skills with practical exercises that break down barriers of communication while preserving the student’s individual sense of culture, military culture, and the cognitive patterns on which their lives depend. The advanced course will provide culture-specific information and basic language instruction. Every sequence in both courses will include dynamic text, animations, sound, video, and will feature a small, agile game or simulation that demonstrates and reinforces the concepts presented in the sequence. GreenLabs will facilitate the development and packaging of these games within focused sequences of training that will be available via the internet or on CD-ROM. The focus of these courses of training is on individual distributed learning, though it will be possible to integrate the courseware into group classes led by an instructor. All courses will be SCORM-compliant and provide real-time feedback on students’ progress.