Technical Memorandum: A Training Evaluation Framework for PSTC MilObs Course

Abstract

A current Applied Research Project (ARP) of DRDC-Toronto explores moral and ethical decision-making (MEDM) in Canadian Forces (CF) operations through field studies conducted at the Peace Support Training Centre (PSTC) in Kingston. CF personnel preparing to deploy as United Nations Military Observers undertake a number of training activities to enhance and develop their skills particular to Peace Support Operations (PSO). Through training, CF personnel receive intensive preparation, using a combination of classroom training and scenario-based training. One scenario-based exercise simulates a human rights violation - unarmed trainees attempt to negotiate the lives of civilians who are being verbally and physically abused by two armed police. Our program has examined a number of psychological processes during this scenario, such as aspects of moral intensity (physical proximity of the victim, MEFS I), emotion (MEFS II) and teamwork (MEFS III). The current work provides materials drawn from these studies. We created a set of PowerPoint slides that detail the most critical findings in the three field studies. Next, we generated a list of open- and closed-ended questions that trainees asked during the scenarios across all three studies (MEFS I, MEFS II, MEFS III). This list provides a means to underscore PSTC instruction to trainees, i.e., emphasizing the use of open-ended questions for eliciting situational awareness. Tables have been created that include specific examples of questions seeking both general and specific information. A separate table was constructed in which the common themes were extracted from the questions. The final section includes preparatory activities that lay the ground work for a PSTC training evaluation. Specifically, the evaluation is intended to explore how well the training translates into actual operational experience. This report concludes with possible next steps toward the evaluation and a plan for data collection.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA509260

Entities

People

  • Andrea L. Brown
  • Barb D. Adams
  • Courtney D. Tario
  • Michael H. Thomson

Organizations

  • HumanSystems Incorporated

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cemeteries
  • Classification
  • Contracts
  • Human Rights
  • Instructors
  • Learning
  • Materials
  • National Security
  • Observers
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Security
  • Situational Awareness
  • Social Psychology
  • Teamwork
  • Training
  • United Nations

Readers

  • Canadian European Scientific Immigration and Epilepsy Clearance Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.