Training for Adaptibility and Transfer on Digital Systems

Today's soldiers are being trained to use digital systems to enhance duty performance. This research compared training digital skills to entry-level, enlisted soldiers by the conventional method to training by a constructivist method The constructivist method actively engages soldiers by using realistic vignettes as training tools to acquire and integrate knowledge of the digital system and the military Job. After seven days of training, soldiers trained by both methods were asked to complete: (1) a practical exercise requiring application of their training in an unfamiliar vignette, and (2) the current schoolhouse exam. No difference was found between the conventional training methods and the constructivist method on the current schoolhouse exam. Soldiers trained using the constructivist method were more successful In applying their training to solve unfamiliar problems and reported lower levels of workload. The constructivist training method was shown to improve soldiers' adaptation and application of their training to unfamiliar situations.Army Research Inst for the Behavioral and Social Sciences Alexandria VA is the author of 'Training for Adaptibility and Transfer on Digital Systems', published 2001 under ISBN 9781423524717 and ISBN 1423524713.