Project SimBOLTIC - Simulation-based Online Learning and Training Interactive Courseware

Today's military and commercial training programs for technical workforces lack effective online courseware, which would seamlessly link high quality physical phenomenon visualization software with interactive instruction and assessment, and would be grounded on cognitive theories of how people, particularly adults, learn. To make the design of such courseware cost effective and attainable for a wide range of developers and even instructors, a comprehensive template of interactive courseware with embedded instructional guidance and complementary tools is required. The project SimBOLTIC (Simulation-based Online Learning and Training Interactive Courseware) will develop and test an interactive courseware (ICW) prototype and tools that will assist designers in producing highly effective and pedagogically sound interactive multimedia instructions (IMI) for learning maintenance knowledge, skills and abilities. This ICW prototype will have an open-ended and flexible SCORM-compliant architecture and will incorporate the latest findings in cognitive science. It will include interactive software that employs various forms of visualization of maintenance related physical processes and phenomena mapped to diverse instructional methods. In addition, the project will produce detailed supporting guidance, patterns and easy-to-use tools that extend the circle of instructional designers and developers who are capable of creating highly effective ICW. The tools and embedded guidance will enable instructors who lack programming skills to alter and assemble their IMI using pre-built reusable parts and components. Phase I will focus on proving the feasibility of and developing a design concept of ICW prototype and supporting guidelines for developers. The concept and specifications for ICW, guidance and tools will be discussed with leading cognitive scientists, military and corporate technical training experts and practitioners. Based upon the concept and specifications, the ICW prototype with embedded guidance and tools will be built, tested and evaluated during Phase II.