Training in Information Management for Army Brigade and Battalion Staff: Methods and Preliminary Findings

Abstract : Training, training Support software, and measurement instruments were developed to help Army brigade and below staff manage information and overcome information overload in a digital messaging environment. Development of the training was guided by two theoretical models: a model of team adaptations to stress and a model of adaptive decision making. The instruction focused on selected skills concerning critical thinking and team coordination. The results of a pilot study suggest that training may have beneficial effects on the targeted skills. Measures of decision accuracy, decision making processes, information filtering, and information production were developed. Methods of automating the training and measures, and approaches to feedback and adaptation of instruction, practice, and testing are described. Concepts for a system architecture are presented.

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