Augmented Tutoring: Enhancing Simulation Based Training through Model Tracing and Real-Time Neurophysiological Sensing

Military training simulations provide rich and engaging environments for personnel to develop and maintain mission critical knowledge and skills. However, these systems generally lack the capacity to diagnose student difficulties in real-time and provide automatic, context specific assistance to learners. The lack of pedagogical diagnosis and guidance has several implications for the effectiveness and efficiency of the training process. Without feedback, students can take problem solving paths that deviate far from the solution. Besides introducing inefficiencies, the lack of appropriate guidance can contribute to unproductive floundering and induce confusion and frustration among students. In this paper we describe a set of diagnostic technologies that could provide the basis for inferring both a student’s immediate problem solving context and underlying cognitive state. Dynamic guidance within simulation environments based on such a comprehensive assessment of student state could serve to raise both the efficiency and effectiveness of military training simulations.