The effectiveness of an intelligent tutoring system for rocket training

Examines the application of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for use in training the complex skill of deploying a multiple-launch rocket system during a reconnaissance task. The task was conventionally taught using miniature replications of vehicles and launchers on a large table of sand. An ITS version of the exercise, called the Virtual Sand Table, replicated the training with the added advantage of informative feedback and computer-based coaching. A comparison group (n=209) used the conventional sand table and the treatment group (n=105) used the Virtual Sand Table during a four-hour training session. The results, as measured by a hands-on performance test, indicated superior performance by the Virtual Sand Table treatment group, with an effect size slightly more than one standard deviation unit