IMPROVING INTERACTIVE TRAINING THROUGH INDIVIDUALIZED CONTENT AND INCREASED ENGAGEMENT

Simulation-based training offers the potential for relatively low-cost training available at any time and almost any duty station. However, a main drawback of simulation-based training is the lack of oversight in the training process. Simulations often depend on a fixed number of pre-defined training scenarios that are designed to test training objectives but often do not deliver a training experience customized to the specific trainee’s current level of skill and understanding. In this paper, we introduce the Interactive Storytelling Architecture for Training (ISAT) which uses an intelligent agent, the director, to assemble training scenarios that test the skill level of individual trainees. The director also acts in the course of the execution of the training scenario to provide indirect feedback about trainee actions, subtly adapting the training environment to stress skills and suggest remediation. This approach results in a training experience that is engaging and specialized to the trainee’s individual training needs and, potentially, provides faster development of trainee proficiency and greater trainee engagement in the training process.