DMCTI, a personal game-based training aid, trains US Army logistical planners by helping them develop an in-depth understanding of the Army distribution management process. DMCTI allows logistical planners an opportunity to create and test strategies to best exploit the capabilities of logistics management systems, including the Army’s Battle Command Sustainment Support System (BCS3) – the recognized logistics command and control tool for warfighters. Developed in cooperation with the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), PM BCS3, the USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), and Quicksilver Software, Inc.
DMCTI received the Department of Defense 2008 Modeling & Simulation Award for Training – the highest honor for simulation applications.
Goal
Teach Soldiers to make best use of information resources to inform decision-making.
Communicate advanced concepts of distribution management.
Challenges
"Has to be usable by a Soldier on a mountaintop in Afghanistan"
No instructor - Expert-level knowledge needed to be communicated to novice learners.
Crisis environment - Teaching needed to adapt to threats in an unpredictable environment.
Conform to military doctrine - Map objectives to complex processes of active military deployment.
Solution
Designed game-based learning curriculum to introduce and reinforce key concepts.
Created auto-tutor that tracked, guided, and assessed performance based on correct processes, not just “the right answer”.
Received the US Army Modeling and Simulation Award for Training.
