Are we listening to today’s learner? With new (and ever younger) talent entering today’s workforce, does this change training demands? Why yes it does! Bridging the generational gap is at the forefront of many training directors’ minds today- how to mix ‘old’ and new technologies in order to make all trainees happy. And we all know that a happy trainee is a trainee that adds value to an organization. The key to this is to make training informational for the younger generation (and not too remedial), live up to their digitally demanding expectations, while currying favor with the older generation that may be less familiar with today’s ever-evolving training technologies.
“One of the most prevailing and misguided excuses for inertia: “We have mature employees who wouldn’t embrace new learning approaches.” Why have I NEVER heard someone from a company that actually uses social networking and virtual worlds express this concern? The reality is that older workers are usually the most enthusiastic users of social media, virtual worlds and podcasting. Join our weekly Train for Success meetings in Second Life and the average age is probably around 50. Here are my top-three theories why mature workers embrace next gen learning:
1. Mature workers have a greater network of colleagues to draw insights from. Social networks are designed for those of us who need to stay in touch with our college friends and professionals colleges from years past. The fastest growing demographic of Facebook is women over 55.
2. Older people enjoy being a young avatar in Second Life with a full set of hair and the body of a 19-year old.
3. Older people have spent decades in asbestos homes gulping Aspartame sodas, and it’s beginning to take its toll. They can’t concentrate on boring lectures, they need learning that is fun and engaging! ”- According to a recent ASTD article.
A lot of organizations claim that they find some resistance initially with older generations for implementing new and innovative training methods. Sometimes referred to as the “Digital natives vs. Digital immigrants” a digital divide is created where the key is to bridge the generational gap that is now transforming many organizations training initiatives. Let’s define: Generation Y’ers. Gen Y can be defined as employees born between 1981 and 1995. They are extremely tech savvy, allowing them to easily pick up new methods of training.
From an article posted on ZD Net Asia : “What is different about the way that they think?
The eight norms of this generation are:
1. Freedom of choice. Choice is like oxygen. I had three media choices as a kid. There is also freedom of mobility. The goal in the past was to have one job for your whole life, where today in the U.S., by the time they’re 27 they’re on their third job. Freedom is a huge norm.
2. Customization. I never got to customize TV. You can change your world today, with your screensaver, your blog.
3. Scrutiny. They are a generation of authenticators. A picture used to be a picture. You see a woman on a magazine today, and you wonder how she’s been photoshopped.
4. Integrity. It’s just not true that this generation doesn’t care. Youth volunteering in the U.S. is at an all-time high. And specific activities. They care about the world, about social justice.
5. Collaboration. Everybody collaborates, but these kids are natural collaborators. When I grew up, everything was a hierarchy, and I was used to being broadcasted to. One-size-fits-all. School and lectures and my parents broadcasted. Now there’s a huge clash. These kids are sharing information, peer-to-peer, that’s how you spend your time, instead of being a passive recipient.
6. Entertainment. They want to have fun. Having fun with a product or service is more important than what they do. Having fun in your first job is now more important than how much you get paid. The kids have got it right, learning and work can be the same thing.
7. Innovation. The speed of innovation when I was a kid was glacial. Today, people demand new improvement.
8. Speed. They want things to happen fast and quickly.”
Is learning and adapting to new technologies really a generational thing? I think that no matter what one’s age- anything is possible. So here’s to embracing new (and old) types of learning technologies across the great generational divide. And now onto training technologies that satisfy Generation Z; or otherwise referred to as ‘Millennials’…
Decision Integration Visualization and Support (DIVAS™)
DIVAS™ is a highly advanced modeling application allowing simulation users and facilitators to use provided tools to manipulate and analyze highly variable scenarios. Using Visual Purple’s FloChart™ technology, DIVAS™ reveals the format of the simulation model with a graphic map and set of authoring tools, thus allowing non-programming savvy users to analyze possible outcomes through experimentation and manipulation of newly acquired information, multiple decision possibilities, and various unique events. Within a simulation, DIVAS™ supports randomization of the environment to enhance realism while leading users through information collection and informed decision making based on likely outcomes.
Military organizations are turning more and more to ‘serious’ game-based simulations to train war fighters. We were pleased to see that ReportLinker echoes our outlook on the military simulation and virtual training market to “increase significantly” in the future. Forecasts within the report are for the 2008- 2018 timeframe, the report projects military simulation and virtual training market will generate multi-billion dollar revenues in years to come. The report, cites difficulties with “training costs” and “time and risk of life” that have “forced military forces around the world to adapt technologies such as computer-based simulators and computer wargames in military training.” The summary notes that both combat and non-combat uses of virtual applications will rise in number.
According to ReportLinker, “Increasing concerns over training costs, time and risk of life have forced military forces around the world to adapt technologies such as computer-based simulators and computer wargames in military training. Most importantly, simulation and virtual training have so far proved to be not only cost-effective but also an effective way to train military staff in a wide range of activities. Those functions range from weapons training to flying and even medical training. Both combat and non-combat applications for military simulations and gaming technologies with increase significantly during the period 2008-2018.”
See Visual Purple’s work in embedded training technology for the military.
Well most people just don’t go out and buy a car without asking what type of warranty is associated with it. Although training simulations don’t provide a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty they should have some type of guarantee/warranty behind them. For Visual Purple we stand behind every product we produce, leading to ultimate customer satisfaction. Each business has specific needs and unique training ideas and challenges; before selecting a training provider ask questions…lots of questions! Here is a good primer:
Checklist of Questions to Ask:
-Can we see your company’s past performance?
-How long will it take to build?
-How can you assure on time delivery?
-Is a project work plan provided?
-Any hidden costs?
-Creativity & SMEs – Can you dedicate the right people in your organization to be available at predetermined windows to provided critical input to the build process?
-Is any technology support provided?
-Will the solution be specifically tailored to fit my organizations needs?
-Ability to enhance/ add onto existing courses…can the training solution be easily extended or re-vamped?
-Any recurring costs for maintenance/ hosting?
-Technology license fully paid up or recurring?
-Language support- localize into a variety of languages?
-Is there transparency during the development process?
What is the end result that your organization is looking for? At Visual Purple we build effective and trusted solutions from the ground up, no off-the-shelf products here. Most organizations are looking for a training solution that gets results… at Visual Purple our advanced training simulation technologies get results (road tested and proven…your mileage may vary).
I just finished reading the latest issue of TSJ (Training & Simulation Journal). An editorial entitled War Gaming by Karen Walker resonated with me. The article outlines the use of serious games to meet the needs of a variety of military organizations.
A couple of key points….
-A interesting computer game simulation utilized to train military police was developed for the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
-The learner landscaping is shifting. So training Generation Y with engaging and immersive experiences through simulation training applications rather than “Death-by-PowerPoint slides” just makes sense.
-By institutionalizing and standardizing the use of gaming technology for training today’s warfighters the military is able to manage limited resources more efficiently and effectively.
-Game-based training solutions can add entertainment value and provide for education and training to succeed.
-The Army’s latest field manual, FM 7-0 is the new cornerstone for the future of Army training.
-Serious games are demonstrating that they are effective in teaching invaluable decision-making skills.
Yes, the military gaming revolution is on track and gaining momentum while utilizing serious gaming technology to prepare troops for current and future missions.
An article just released online today by World Politics Review is just another testament to the use of games for training within the military sector.
By David Ostby, Chief Technical Officer, Visual Purple, LLC
The days of the ‘rifle and canteen’ soldier are gone. And it’s not that today’s soldiers no longer carry rifles and canteens. But in today’s complex military environment, more is needed to survive and succeed. More and better intelligence, more speed, more accuracy; in a word, more information. Lots of it. And quickly.
Of course, along with all this information comes a dire need to manage it. Imagine data streaming in from hundreds of sources and sensors. The acronyms alone are daunting. Acronyms like FCS, DCGS, CMT, ISR… the list goes on and on. They’re all part of the New Army’s plan to up gun today’s soldier into the next generation soldier. It’s been given the name “Future Combat Systems or FCS.”
FCS soldiers are expected to assimilate massive amounts of battlefield data and make actionable sense of it. Behind each one of those acronyms is a world full of complexity. The only way to collect and manage that amount of data is by the use of sophisticated systems and software. The learning curve is steep: FCS soldiers have to become quick experts in multiple complex software tools – their lives and the lives of their fellow war fighters depend upon it. The need to train the soldier in its use is as daunting as the complexity of the software itself.
This situation hatched the idea of embedded training and its maxim “train as you fight, fight as you train”. Instead of using tedious manuals and classroom lectures, embed the training inside of a simulator which resides inside of the software. Present the soldier with realistic scenarios inside the software, so that the soldier must use the actual software to resolve the situation.
This is easier said than done. The trainer would have to fit seamlessly into the mother application. Also, it would have to allow the user to make mistakes and robustly redirect the user onto the right path, all the while maximizing each learning opportunity as it appears. The mother application builders don’t usually have these kinds of simulation production skills.
To build an embedded trainer, you’d want to hire a company with extensive expertise in training simulations. And you’d want them to have worked with the DoD in that arena. Turns out that Visual Purple is just such a company, and we had our first opportunity to build an embedded trainer in 2008.
With the latest immersive training news that the United States Joint Forces Command is investing $36M into a technology basket of immersive training solutions, I thought it only appropriate to share some observations: While this specific example may not put users in the Enterprise holodeck, though we’re getting closer, it is yet further validation to the sheer power and efficacy of simulation. Military simulation has been around for a long time. $36M may not seem like pocket change, unless of course you’re comparing it to the “Stimulus” bill, it is most likely a real bargain in this case. Why? The military wisely decided to have JOINT (emphasis added) Forces Command, or JFCOM, take the lead as what appears to be a large scale aggregation and integration of largely off-the-shelf technologies being bolted together for specific and expanded training scenarios. As a taxpayer, we should all be happy. As a warfighter, we should thank God.
Embedded Training (ET) is defined as “training provided by capabilities built into or added onto operational systems, subsystems, or equipment, to enhance and maintain the skill proficiency of personnel”. This being said, the revolution of this type of training is only just beginning. The Virtual Environment within Embedded Training provides the opportunity to take military training to the next level and allows personnel to train anywhere, anytime. This type of “collective training” puts information needed right at the fingertips of eager trainees, and enables them to train during downtime. The U.S. Military recognizes that its complex systems are prime for this type of training capability and have been investing heavily into future training technologies within the past few years. 3D Embedded Training allows for advanced simulation technologies to present embedded training concepts in a series of realistic scenarios enabling tactical decision making. The underlying technologies present make the capabilities that Embedded Training offers, virtually limitless.
A question I come across quite frequently is what different levels of simulation training mean.As an example I will use Visual Purple, who specializes in Level 5 training simulations (although our training simulations could span Levels I-VI, we really only ‘do’ Levels 5 and 6 – our own creation – Level 5 with our baked in patented I-Squared tech)).Most people don’t even realize what this means, nor do they realize what this entails and the real value in what we offer over other companies within the industry. Some may even write it off; figuring the higher level of training may be too advanced for their organizations specific training needs. With that being said there is a definite value in using a higher level of training.Level 5 training simulations provide the learner/ trainee with an unmatched training experience with the key element of built-in remediation/feedback – an intelligent tutoring feature.
Definition of Level 5 Simulation: Intelligent tutoring systems
We are pleased to announce a re-launch of our newly designed company website, our ultimate goal is to offer visitors in-depth information on the types of custom training simulations that we offer and highlights of some of our simulations built in the Virtual World, Embedded Training, and Decision-Based Training sectors. In addition to our company’s main website, we have launched a new microsite where one can find out detailed information about the innovative training technologies that Visual Purple has created and our simulation design process.
Active in a number of key simulation and training markets, Visual Purple offers you the possibility to change the way people train, through its state-of-the-art technology platforms in Virtual Worlds, Embedded Training and Decision-Based Simulations. Learn more...
