Assignment: Introduction to Human Performance Technology
Case Study 12: Explosives Disposal 101
Army personnel fighting in Iraq have been getting injured and also killed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) for several years now. The training wing of the US Army in Fort Monroe VA, was commissioned a few years ago to develop the appropriate training for soldiers in the field that would teach them to identify the many types of IEDs, avoid them and if so required, disable them.
The training team at Ft. Monroe produced a well-made computer-based training class that was delivered via CD-ROM to the soldiers in the field. Although the soldiers taking the course provided good level 1 evaluation feedback, the number of IED-caused injuries continued to go up despite the deployment of the training. The command team on the field is concerned and has decided to pull you in to lead a task force to possibly redesign the training to decrease the number of injuries.
After interviewing many of the soldiers involved in IED incidents, the task force found the following:
- IEDs continue to change in shape, delivery type and power. The IED references in the current material are therefore no longer current
- Soldiers get to watch videos and animations on how to approach an IED in the field but these videos were made in Virginia, where the terrain is very different to Iraq
- Soldiers do not get a chance to practice with real props before having to go out on the field
- There are a handful of very skillful soldiers in the field who know more about Iraq-based IEDs than anyone else and many look to them for advice and guidance. Several of these soldiers have already stepped forward to say they would be willing to help with the design of a new, more effective IED disposal course
The command team is in urgent need of this new training package and would like to deploy it as soon as you can have it ready. They have the following questions for you:
- What kind of training would you recommend? CBT? Online? Face-to-face?
- How long will it take for you to get this training ready to deploy?
- What resources do you need to get it to the soldiers on the ground in 8-10 weeks?
o Headcount
o Equipment
o Other expenses?
- How will you measure the effectiveness of your training package?
- How will you deal with the problem of constantly changing IEDs that require different disposal techniques?
You will need to present your strategy proposal to a Management Review Committee (MRC) who will have the ultimate approval authority for your project.
Case Study 11:
http://www.expertsmind.com/library/what-do-you-think-the-cost-of-the-solution-would-be-51744813.aspx