ILearning, The Game Changer.

摘要

Small handheld devices (SHHDs) will likely revolutionize how the Army educates Soldiers in Initial Entry Training (IET). SHHDs will not simply augment current training, they will revolutionize how Soldiers train and learn by mitigating resource requirements (e.g., time, personnel, maintenance costs, tactical equipment costs, fuel, facilities, etc.) and improving the learning/training process. SHHD gaming will likely accomplish readiness objectives faster and less expensively than desk-bound methods. SHHD gaming applies to all Army weapon systems and equipment, particularly those that employ crew drills. The value of SHHD learning applies to all Army branches and components of DoD, other government agencies, and partner foreign military sales (FMS) countries. According to the Training and Doctrine Command's Army Learning Concept 2015, '...the U.S. Army's competitive advantage directly relates to its capacity to learn faster and adapt more quickly than its adversaries.' An exponentially more competitive global security environment, likely future operational realities, and a new generation of digitally savvy soldiers are the imperative to change how we educate and train Soldiers. If well executed, the Army achieves a strategic end of '...soldiers and leaders who are technically and tactically proficient, can think critically, make sound decisions, interact across cultures, and adapt quickly to rapidly evolving situations in full-spectrum operations.' The use of SHHDs will dramatically improve learning quality, increase the rate at which Soldiers learn, greatly decrease the cost of training, and 'unhinge' learning from the classroom by enabling learning on-the-go. This paper will explore how the operational environment is driving an Army requirement to improve education and training, how SHHDs contribute to learning, how their mobility creates a new learning paradigm, and how SHHDs dramatically mitigate resource constraints.