USAF Career Courseware Gets a New Tech Upgrade

The US Air Force is stepping up its efforts to move from legacy Career Development Course (CDC)-based instruction to interactive, student-centric instruction with a focus on performance-based assessments and realistic scenarios. Halldale Group Editor Marty Kauchak describes some of the efforts to date.

Technology insertion and other strategies are allowing the service to gain important, early returns on investment. This US Air Force effort to further revolutionize its learning enterprise has also generated early lessons learned which will be of interest to other military services and government departments.

Current Model - Textbook

Current CDCs have been provided to service members in textbook-style delivery format, typically between 100 and 600 pages, and are then evaluated with multiple-choice assessments. Further, current CDCs in the service’s learning continuum may be viewed as “gap fillers” for use between initial skills training and on-the-job training.

During a recent interview with MS&T, Lindsey Fredman, Air Force Career Development Academy (AFCDA) Director, noted her office and others in the service are “doing everything we can to modernize the Air Force’s CDCs, bring them up to the 21st century and flip the program on its ear, and make it much better.”

Fredman initially justified the service’s investment in this technology thrust, noting “a textbook is not training,” and then focused on the evolving demographic profile of US Air Force enlisted personnel who may be in uniform well beyond this decade. “This is a supplement to training but is not training itself. And we really need to look at who our learners are now – especially those coming into the Air Force. They are used to digital. They are used to getting information at the tip of their fingers when they need it, and they are used to getting training from multiple domains.” And while this effort is harmonized with broader service efforts to transform how its airmen learn, “we’re also transforming the way that we develop and deliver online instruction within AFCDA.” In essence, CDC writers are developing a new generation of courses by using technology to insert what AFCDA’s director termed “some really high-end, engaging content.”

New Content: Interactive & 3D

CDC-enabling technologies primarily support delivery of content by way of desktop trainers and are compatible with the Air Force Network. One representative online software used to deliver CDCs is Articulate Storyline; and there is a flurry of activity beyond using this SCORM-conformant courseware.

MSgt Stephen Gray, currently assigned to the USAF’s vehicle management schoolhouse, and a CDC writer for three years, gained credentials as a subject matter expert through his 14 years of service as a vehicle maintainer. While he noted CDCs are not using virtual or even augmented reality, he pointed out, “We are working on developing, between videos and animations, ways for students to interact on their computers and learn kinesthetically with their computer. Instead of having to go out on the shop floor, or trying to augment the shop floor with VR or AR, we can utilize their computer to create training to develop that hands-on experience. In the vehicle maintenance world, that might entail testable tools. You may not be able to touch it with your hands, but you could see what it looks like on the computer and move around your mouse to put different test leads on different things, and read voltage readings, for example.”

MSgt Tiffany Harper, a dental assistant career field CDC writer with the 381st Training Squadron at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, spoke to other technology insertion efforts within her team. The healthcare community professional called attention to her colleagues’ efforts to incorporate 3D models “so airmen can rotate the skeleton, click on a bone and zoom it out, rotate it to see all the parts and put it back together.” This puzzle-like construct would be used as an assessment, helping to replace current end- of-course multiple-choice tests. Further, the team is constructing a virtual familiarization course, built around a walkthrough of a dental clinic, but focused on a treatment room.

Compressing Time

One significant benefit in the CDC revolution is the compressed timeline for course upgrade and development processes. As AFCDA moves beyond its first round of course enhancements, the academy expects to have an objective to modernize a course in 6-12 months, depending on course size. Historically, changes to legacy-era courses using print content could be issued in up to 36 months, running the risk of having that material declared obsolete by the pace of technology advancements and other forces at play.

In a second instance, a service member could complete a legacy-era, textbook-based CDC in up to 60 hours of student “seat time.” Fredman reflected, “That’s a lot of time to not be out doing your job.” In one effort to streamline content with technology, when and where appropriate, AFCDA was able to reduce one dental assistant CDC from 40 pages to five interactive slides.

Acquisition Advice

While the Air Force’s journey to revolutionize its CDCs is less than 12 months old, some early lessons learned have emerged that should be of interest to learning enterprises in other defense forces and government agencies.

AFCDA’s Fredman observed such a program doesn’t have to be expensive, and noted: “If you have thought of it, someone else probably has and even has a prototype. So, expand your network. There are a lot of really great groups out there.”

The imperative to embrace COTS is also resonating well at the academy. The director specifically noted her institution has obtained “some really amazing 3D models for the medical field,” and added, “I purchased the entire library for about $600 for about 5,000 3D models of medical images that we can use in our course. That is huge!”

Reusability is also a priority at AFCDA as it seeks to gain content, within proprietary rules, from within the service. Fredman emphasized that beyond the service, “When you are purchasing things from a vendor, make sure you can use it across the federal government, that it is in the rights when you purchase them.”

Fredman concluded by suggesting that any organization seeking to similarly modernize their print-based content holdings also “look into the agile e-learning development model.”