Download State Virtual Worlds for Readiness Training…

Incident Mgmt
& Homeland
Security
What makes a virtual
world suitable (or not
suitable) for preparing
for attacks and incidents
of any nature...
Michael L. Pack, University of Maryland
CATT Laboratory
Our Foray Into Virtual Worlds
• I-95 Corridor Coalition
– Consortium of MANY masters:
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Law Enforcement
Fire & Rescue
Towing & Recovery
Transportation Management
Medical
Media
– For the entire East Coast from Maine
down to Florida…
• More SOPs than you can imagine
• More institutional barriers than we
anticipated
• More diversity of users, education levels, and
cultures than we ever considered
What WE see as the advantages
• Can be very realistic and engaging (when done well)
• Can reinforce communication, teamwork, and
incident command structure
• Are safer than other methods of training
• Can be dynamic
– Keeps it interesting
– Affords quick and easy variations to scenarios
• Can automate performance measures
generation, feedback, and iterations
Convincing the masses…
Virtual
Worlds
Proponents
Virtual
Worlds
Technologies
Hy
pe
Potential
Clients &
Trainees
• It’s not just about the “environment/world”
• We often fail to pay close enough attention to the other aspects of
what makes for a successful program
• The devil is in the details
• Curriculum, trainers, usability, performance monitoring, etc. can be
more important than whiz-bang graphics and features
Where should our focus be directed?
• Core Competencies & Curriculum Development
• Delivery Method
– Just because you can be geographically separated
doesn’t mean you should be separated…
All
Equally
Important
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Usability! Usability! Usability!!!!
System pre-training
Trainer/moderator
Managing trainee expectations
– Towing example, FTL shooting example
• Performance monitoring & After Action Reviews
• Subsystems
Our System
Performance Feedback
Other Applications
• Field Clients
– FTA
– Military
– Boy Scouts of America-Eagle Scout Project
• Command & Control
– Center Communications
• Design Acceptance
– Persons with Disabilities
Questions
For additional information contact
Michael L. Pack,
Director, CATT Laboratory
[email protected]
301-405-0722