Accelerating Knowledge Acquisition for Close Combat Warriors

An information-age instructional paradigm for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) requires the transformation of existing content into persistent and adaptive content that can support the self-directed Marine. However, the new technological approach must not add undue burden to a Marine Corps instructor who has had no instruction in neither formal instructional design nor advanced computer sciences. Soar Technology, Inc. (SoarTech), along with teammate Cognitive Performance Group (CPG), propose a system that will provide USMC instructors with adaptive instruction design and content generation support for Marine Corps instructors while increasing the potential for knowledge acquisition on the part of the Marine: an Organizational Director for Instructional Navigation (ODIN). ODIN will unobtrusively guide and assist Marine Corps instructors in the creation of instructionally sound adaptive content and provide instructors with instructional content data analysis and student performance tracking. ODIN will achieve these goals via two new components—a Content Assistant and an Analysis Assistant—and integration with an existing and expanded adaptive tutoring system, providing superior value to the Office of Naval Research and the Marine Corps. At the end of Phase II, ODIN will demonstrate instructors easily creating adaptive instruction, students rapidly gaining knowledge, and increased instructor visibility into student performance.