Training Technology in the 1990s: Development,Applications,and Research Issues

Due to the long lead times required for budgeting and acquisition, military training systems for 1990 and beyond are being designed today. Past practice has been to use actual equipment, sometimes modified for training, as the training equipment of choice. Cost factors, risk to equipment, risk to personnel, limited availability of this equipment, and limited training effectiveness have made this questionable as the primary training development approach of the future.

The objective of this symposium is to provide an opportunity for discussion of current and future design applications and research issues relevant to military training systems. The application of human factors principles and scientific study to the incorporation of emerging technology (i.e., embedded training, expert systems, voice simulation, dynamic displays) into training systems will be stressed. Issues such as human performance limitations, performance measurement, human/computer interaction, skill requirements, and decision making will be considered as well as the more traditional human factors topics, such as operator station design, displays, controls, etc. Examples of current and future training systems and technologies as well as research programs addressing the aforementioned issues will be presented. Discussants will explore the implications of these development, applications, and research issues from their own perspective (academic or industry).