Plan for the Assessment and Evaluation of Individual and Team Proficiencies Developed by the DARWARS Environments

Abstract : The goal of this final report is to produce a first cut for a feasible, valid, and cost-sensitive evaluation plan to permit the development and application of metrics to assess the impact of participating in a DARWARS environment. DARWARS is a DARPA program whose goals have evolved over time due to changing requirements and technology opportunities. The original goal as reflected in the RFP was to transform military training by providing continuously available, on- demand, mission-level training for all forces at all echelons. DARPA proposed to create an environment where there will be a set of continuously available virtual training wars in which any unit or individual can participate via personal computer-based systems that will teach and exercise users in the cognitive and affective aspects of their warfare areas via electronic wargames. The current goal as reflected in documentation at the 2004 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference is "to accelerate the development and deployment of the next generation of experiential training systems. These low-cost, web-centric, simulation-based systems take advantage of the ubiquity of the PC and of new technologies, including multiplayer games, virtual worlds, intelligent agents, and on-line communities. DARWARS training systems offer engaging practice environments for individuals and teams with on-target feedback for each student".