Recognition of Combatants-Improvised Explosive Devices (ROC-IED) Training Effectiveness Evaluation

Abstract : This evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the Recognition of Combatants-Improvised Explosive Devices (ROC-IED) computer-based training program as a stand-alone training aid and as a training aid that can supplement the training given by the unit's trainer who attended the Counter Explosives Hazard Center Train the Trainer (CEHC-T3) course. It was conducted at the Camp Shelby MS Joint Forces Training Center with assistance from the 177th Armor Brigade's IED Defeat Team. The 177th Armor Brigade conducts mobilization assistance team operations at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center to deploying units. Eighty-one Soldiers from the 1186th Transportation Terminal battalion participated in the 3-day evaluation. Each day, 27 Soldiers were divided into three groups of nine each. Each group received one of three training conditions. One group received training using only ROC-IED. Another received instructor-based IED familiarization training from a graduate of the CEHC-T3 course. The third group received both ROC-IED training and the instructor-based course (combination training). Upon completion of training, each group was evaluated using three tests designed to assess the effectiveness of the training they received. The overall effectiveness of the training was analyzed based on objective performance data, data collector observations, and Soldier questionnaires.