Training objective packages: enhancing the effectiveness of experiential training

Abstract

Training objectives define the purpose of instructional events; attaining them is the measure of successful training. Yet, it is challenging to apply training objectives in large, complex, multiparty military exercises. In such events it can be difficult for trainers to determine which students were able to address their objectives in a given scenario-based exercise, or, in some cases, whether they were able to address any training objectives at all. A scalable, formal mechanism is required to document and manage training objectives, their relationships to scenario conditions, and the performance measures by which attainment of objectives is evaluated. In this article, we describe Training Objective Packages and two subordinate formalisms: behaviour envelopes, which specify the bounds on student behaviour given conditions, and a formal expression of performance measurements that includes an approach called measurement envelopes. Each of these has value in the three phases of training: planning, execution, and assessment. We define these formalisms and describe several applications and opportunities for research.