Michael D. Proctor

A survey of exemplar teachers' perceptions, use, and access of computer-based games and technology for classroom instruction

This research reports and analyzes for archival purposes surveyed perceptions, use, and access by 259 United States based exemplar Primary and Secondary educators of computer-based games and technology for classroom instruction. Participating respondents were considered exemplary as they each won the Milken Educator Award during the 1996-2009 computer era. Overall perceptions are reported along with trend, differences in perceptions by subject area taught, and differences in perception by Primary and Secondary teacher population categories. Overall game usage is reported along with association of perceptions with game usage as well as usage differences due to grade category. Among other findings, adoption of computer-based games for educational use in the classroom by exemplar Primary teacher populations appeared to be in the Late Majority stage of the Rogers Technology Adoption Curve while adoption in the classroom by exemplar Secondary teacher populations appeared to be in the beginning of the Early Majority stage.

Enterprise information systems: technology first or process first?

Purpose – Enterprise resource planning (ERP), a technological approach for enterprise information systems, has many recorded case examples of lengthy and expensive implementations reported in literature. This research has uncovered an alternative process‐driven and document‐based approach that may offer a simpler and more flexible solution compared with technology‐driven ERP. This paper investigates the differences and similarities of the two approaches, and also answers a related question: Is the enterprise system implementation an information systems effort performed to support the business processes, or is it a process re‐engineering effort required to implement the pre‐packaged software system?Design/methodology/approach – To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches to an enterprise information system, this research developed a unified modeling language (UML) process model of a manufactured housing company and used it as a basis for a conceptual level UML model for both an ER...

Considerations for Training Team Situation Awareness and Task Performance Through PC-Gamer Simulated Multiship Helicopter Operations

In this research, we considered the development and implementation of a Targeted Acceptable Response to Generated Events or Tasks methodology (Fowlkes, Dwyer, Oser, & Salas, 1998; Fowlkes, Lane, Salas, Franz, & Oser, 1994) for training of intercockpit team situational awareness and task performance. Additionally, we considered the usability and suitability of a PC-gamer approach for simulation of multiship helicopter operations. In this research, we extended the concept of situation awareness and task performance from the traditional intracockpit crew focus to an intercockpit team perspective. That extension necessitated the development of evaluation instruments that link events, which affect the multiship aviation team, to their situational awareness and task performance. Further, we discuss the usability of the off-the-shelf PC-gamer interface and software used in the research along with suggestions for future research.

Helicopter Flight Training Through Serious Aviation Gaming

The notion of Serious Games dates to at least 1970. More recently leaders also identified gaming technology as a possible disruptive technology. If off-the-shelf PC-based aviation games and the vast library of related civilian developed databases and models can be leveraged for serious training use, then existing flight training paradigms from familiarization training to mission rehearsal might be disrupted and provide the military financial, safety, quality, and time benefits for even less cost. This research investigates the contribution that an off-the-shelf, PC-based, aviation game makes to learning using three inexpensive interface configurations. The simulator performance improvement methodology is used to measure the contribution. The research considers interface usability, model fidelity, and simulation sufficiency for task learning. The research also investigates the difference in performance of pilots with and without turbulence with increased load in these configurations. The specific task chosen for research was combat search and rescue with turbulent weather conditions. All forty-five participants in the research were in training to become licensed helicopter pilots. Results of their subjective assessments are also included.

Line-of-Sight Attributes for a Generalized Application Program Interface

This research opens up for consideration the topic of a generalized simulation Applications Programming Interface. Discussion evolves around representation of one phenomenon essential to such an Interface, which is the widely used Line-of-Sight methodology. The research describes an initial set of line of sight (LOS) attributes necessary for a generalized Applications Programming Interface. Determination of LOS is necessary for entity-based simulation of Army land operations. Attributes necessary for the determination of LOS are identified along with alternative implementation techniques. Capabilities and limitations of the alternative techniques and algorithms are described.

Assessing Combat Medic Knowledge and Transfer Effects Resulting from Alternative Training Treatments

While advocacy of gaming tools to support training has been a trend observed in recent years, little definitive empirical research regarding the effectiveness of games in training has been established. This research focused on an instructional game developed by the US Army to support Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3). The TC3 Game-based Simulation is a first person game where the trainee plays the role of a medic assigned to a light infantry squad operating in an urban environment. This research focuses on training treatments and the potential use of computer games as experiential tools for learning by Soldiers. In an effort to draw empirical results, it was the objective of this research to evaluate the training effectiveness using the TC3 Game-based Simulation following Kirkpatrick’s four-level model and comparing it to multimedia and interactive modes of instruction. Reaction to training was explored, as were the acquisition of knowledge and the transfer of skills. The acquisition of knowledge occurred for participants in all treatments and significant statistical differences were found in gain scores between participants in the multimedia group and participants with interactive modes of instruction. In addition, significant statistical differences were found in transfer task scores between participants in the multimedia group and participants with interactive modes of instruction.

Object-oriented modeling of patients in a medical federation

Explores the development of an object-oriented model to support the inter-operation of simulations within a federation for the purpose of conducting medical analysis and training over a distributed infrastructure. The medical federation is referred to as the Combat Trauma Patient Simulation System and is composed using a high-level architecture. The infrastructure contains components that were separately developed and are heterogeneous in nature. This includes a general anatomical database that is capable of analyzing human injuries, referred to as operational requirements-based casualty assessment, an animated mannequin called the Human Patient Simulator, and other components. The research develops an object model that enables bodily injury data to be shared across the simulation, conducts analysis on that data and considers possible applications of the technique in expanded medical infrastructures.

Field of View Effects on Pilot Performance in Flight

For flight training, head-worn displays represent low-cost, wide field of regard, deployable systems when compared to traditional simulation facilities. However, current head-worn systems provide limited effective fields of view. Wide field of view alternatives promise to increase transfer of training effectiveness through enhanced situation awareness. To test this proposition, this experiment manipulated the pilots effective field of view and examined subsequent flight performance, which was measured primarily by runway alignment error and vertical track error. Results indicated a significant and quantifiable change in visual scan pattern, head movement, and flight control performance as the effective field of view was sequentially decreased. As field of view decreased, the average visual scan pattern changed to focus less out the window and more on the instruments inside the cockpit. The head range of movement significantly increased below an 80° horizontal × 54° vertical effective field of view as well as significantly decreasing runway alignment and vertical track performance, which occurred below 120° horizontal × 81° vertical effective field of view.

Governance of Data Initialization for Service Oriented Architecture-based Military Simulation and Command and Control Federations

Military simulation and command and control federations have become large, complex distributed systems that integrate with a variety of legacy and current simulations, and real command and control systems locally as well as globally. As these systems continue to become increasingly more complex so does the data that initializes them.This increased complexity has introduced a major problem in data initialization coordination, which has been handled by many organizations in various ways. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) solutions have been introduced to promote easier data interoperability through the use of standards-based reusable services and common infrastructure. However, current SOA-based solutions do not incorporate formal governance techniques to drive the architecture in providing reliable, consistent, and timely information exchange. This article identifies the need to establish governance for data service development oversight, presents current research and applicable solutions that address some aspects of SOA-based federation data service governance, and proposes a conceptual governance reference model for initialization of data in SOA-based simulation, and command and control federations.

Are Officers More Reticent of Games for Serious Training than Enlisted Soldiers

Video games are continuing to draw attention as possible Human Performance Improvement technologies that young people will be drawn to. Roger Smith highlights how game technologies have already and are poised to disrupt the military simulation. Further, Smith identifies five forces behind the adoption of game technology by diverse industries. One of these forces is social acceptance. Through two case studies, this research considers the contribution of two video games toward improving human performance on two different tasks as well as within two different social-cultural groups – officers and enlisted. Data is collected and analyzed on control and experimental groups to evaluate the performance difference for these tasks between traditional training approaches and various implementations of video games. In addition, data on the use and expectations about video games is collected from two social cultural groups – college educated military officers and high school educated enlisted soldiers – and analyzed to identify differences in acceptance of video games as technology for serious Human Performance Improvement.