A Tool Concept to Support Military Advisor Training Academy Instructors

Abstract

As the need for U.S. Forces to train foreign partners has grown, the U.S. Army has met this need with the creation of Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) that train and assist Foreign Partners. The Combat Advisor Training Course (CATC), hosted by the Military Advisor Training Academy (MATA), trains Soldiers and officers to serve as advisors in the SFABs. The cadre at MATA currently use paper-and-pencil assessment to record performance, which makes it difficult to transition information about a students performance between phases of training. Cadre would benefit from a digital tool to record their observations, to quickly display a summary of results, and to easily share information between instructors within and between blocks. The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of the instructor workflows and develop a concept for a digital tool which could support their assessment and feedback activities. The research team conducted multiple interviews with CATC instructors and spent two weeks on site to observe the course, where they conducted cognitive walkthroughs with instructors during their downtime to elicit feedback on tool concepts. Throughout the interviews and on-site observation, close attention was paid to specific challenges mentioned by instructors and observed in the course. These challenges were then translated into requirements for the tool concept design. Prototypes, a concept map, and key components of functionality were designed to meet these requirements. These findings are specific to the development of a tool for MATA instructors and are not generalizable. However, the information gained about SFABs and their training could benefit future related efforts.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2022
Accession Number
AD1188873

Entities

People

  • Alissa C. Fleming
  • Chad A. Weiss
  • Julia E. Brown
  • Kara L. Orvis

Organizations

  • Aptima (United States)
  • U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Combat Casualty Care
  • Computers
  • Downtime
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Feedback
  • Human Behavior
  • Instructors
  • Leadership
  • Medical Evacuation
  • Military Advisors
  • Military Research
  • Observation
  • Observers
  • Personnel Management
  • Prototypes
  • Security
  • Smartwatches
  • Social Sciences
  • Software Development
  • Standards
  • Students
  • Training
  • Transitions
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Database Systems and Applications
  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.