Design and development of PC‐IMAT

NPRDC has been tasked to provide empirical evidence of effective instructional strategies for the acquisition of conceptual knowledge under the project name PC‐IMAT (Personalized Curriculum for Interactive Multisensor Analysis Training). The domain to be investigated and demonstrated includes those concepts required for the successful planning and execution of antisubmarine warfare (ASW), specifically, the conceptual knowledge underlying the prediction of sound transmission paths and detection ranges. Navy‐standard models which are used in fleet SONAR prediction systems are available to support the learners’ conceptual understanding of the elements of the oceanographic environment which affect acoustic propagation. To date, these models are employed in a microcomputer based, stand‐alone delivery architecture in both a linear interactive courseware (ICW) format and in modules suitable for independent exploratory learning. Midshipmen taking SP411 (Underwater Acoustics and Sonar) are currently using PC‐IMAT to help investigate what are the effective instructional strategies which convey understanding of a complex multivariate domain (like ray trace or propagation loss models). Research on ‘‘scientific visualization’’ (to enhance comprehension and retention) and student feedback will also be used to help develop and evaluate other training materials including beamforming, reverberation, target motion analysis, and scattering. [Work supported by ONR.]