Six Myths About Digital Skills Training
Abstract
Soldiers entering the U.S. Army today encounter an array of weapons, equipment, and technologies that require information-age, digital skills. As these unique digital systems evolve, trainers are challenged to prepare soldiers to leverage these systems to meet complex and sometimes unanticipated, missions. In order to gain a better understanding of digital skill training, one group of soldiers was followed for almost a year as they experienced Advanced Individual Training, New Equipment Training, and unit training that covered one major hardware/software change and three software upgrades. Findings are based on observations, surveys, and performance on practical exercises. Results identify several misperceptions regarding the acquisition of digital skills and recommendations for modifying training to improve skill acquisition and transfer. For example, digital skills may not be highly perishable. Soldiers retain what they learned during Advanced Individual Training for at least three-to-four months, but many encounter difficulty in transferring what they have learned to a different problem setting. Training that engages the soldier by embedding the experience in a real-world context that requires active problem solving can enhance transfer.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA392922
Entities
People
- Brooke B. Schaab
- Franklin L. Moses
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences