BAA-RQKH-2015-0001-IndustryDay-Q As.doc

BAA-RQKH-2015-0001

Methods and Technologies for Personalized Learning, Modeling and Assessment

Industry Day Questions and Answers

Question 1: Is the emphasis to the new Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) mostly 6.1 or 6.2?

Answer: There is a range of funding opportunities. From basic or foundational research (we call this 6.1 research) to more exploratory but applied research (we call this 6.2 research) to advanced development research (this is what we call 6.3 research) and then there is transition research funding (which the lab typically doesn’t have but the program offices we collaborate with do) and finally a set of funds that are used to help align and sustain operational systems potentially updated with our research outcomes (this is called 3400 funding or operations and maintenance).

Question 2: Are there any particular instructions on the White Paper submittals?

Answer: The complete instructions are posted at FedBiz Ops.

Question 3: Are there any restrictions on publications of research?

Answer: Each contract or award will be reviewed separately and we will make a determination. We will determine what disclosure of information is based on each individual award. Having said that, it’s important to note that just about everything we do here needs to go through some level of review and approval, to include a possible public affairs review and approval.

Question 4: With regard to Technical Area 1 Competency-Based Approaches for Training and Performance Requirements Analysis, does this area apply to the full range of training of personnel, such as pilots, as well as the airmen supporting the missions?

Answer: Absolutely. We are looking to research once and apply to as many operational mission sets as we can. We are also interested in the seam between military and civilian operations where the two communities are likely to come together to support a common mission – customs and border protection and disaster response are examples potentially.

Question 5: With regard to Technical Area 1 Competency-Based Approaches for Training and Performance Requirements Analysis, has the career field education plan been implemented through the Air Force and are they available to the public (on-line)?

Answer: Career Field Education and Training Plans are available from Headquarters Air Force for many Air Force occupations today.

Question 6: With regard to Technical Area 1 Competency-Based Approaches for Training and Performance Requirements Analysis, to what extent is there a preferred approach to assessment development and validation?

Answer: It’s open. Innovation is good. Best practices are also good. It is important to note that developed performance capture, analysis and tracking systems have to be able to use the real world data that we can harvest from operational systems and training environments. Good theoretical approaches and methods to assess and monitor reliability and validity are important here.

Question 7: With regard to Technical Area 1 Competency-Based Approaches for Training and Performance Requirements Analysis, how much adaptive learning and assessment will be incorporated in this area?

Answer: Could be anything from real-time to paper & pencil. For example, Ready Aircrew Program in fighter community could have something like that as a roadmap for an individual’s learning trajectory within the context of the larger organization’s mission sets. Could also go as far as adaptive training, where the system actually adapts in real time to what it sees in the learning today and what it knows about the proficiency or performance end state desired.

Question 8: With regard to Technical Area 2 Criterion Development and Readiness Standards Definition for Non-Traditional Work Applications, what criteria assessment would be considered for collaboration and trust between humans?

Answer: Be able to track trust and collaboration and do something with the context where it is or isn’t happening. Basically we are interested in ensuring that humans and machines are engaged and collaborating. We need to be able to track that engagement and collaboration and its impact on learning and ultimately on mission success.

Question 9: With regard to Technical Area 2 Criterion Development and Readiness Standards Definition for Non-Traditional Work Applications, are you looking for systems that would support data sharing tracking collaboration?

Answer: Yes. For example in theater command and control cells want to be able to track data back and forth so that you can use it to identify training and job requirements. Developing comprehensive models of performance and prediction is important to us as well. The data needs to be warehoused and used in common ways and with common pedigrees to make routine assessment tracking and prediction practical and not a resource drain.

Question 10: With regard to Technical Area 6 Complimentary Family of Trainers Development and Validation, to what extent do local science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outreach to secondary and post-secondary students around the gaming environment require bringing in educational partners? Can there be subs on any of the work that is proposed in this area?

Answer: STEM is an open exchange. We use Wright Scholars, which brings 12-15 new high school juniors and seniors to work with the lab every summer. We also have previous summer students return to be mentors. We solicit “Challenge Problems” as a way to frame some of the summer STEM activities. The Challenge Problems can come from just about anywhere, USAF needs, local collaborator interest items, student suggestions, etc. There is an opportunity to do things you’d like to see, like a challenge problem. If you have technology that you’d like to bring into the Gaming Research Integration for Learning Laboratory (GRILL), go for it. Ideas can be proposed in white papers, too. Also go to the website for examples of these challenge problems in action: gamingresearchintegrationforlearning lab.com.

Question 11: What kind of enterprise architectures would be developed from scratch or integrated from smaller systems or components?

Answer: For example Close Air Support 2.0 Cryengine, Xplane, Unity and Virtual Battlespace Simulation 2 game engines connected via our gateways and connected together to collect and pass data. The connection of those things is an enterprise architectures and available on the website are open source. Like to share for the purpose of STEM. Larger scale distributed mission operations network (DMON) large scale integrated network that pushes data around for warfighter training. Get some of our game engines accredited to support the DMON.

Question 12: Could you describe more of the existing STEM programs and relate this interest to some of the potential work under the BAA?

Answer: Area 6 Complimentary Family of Trainers Development and Validation is a sweet spot for STEM work. Think about how research in the other five areas could be applied in gaming context and brought in. Gaming environments that are used for STEM can also be used for prototyping to more complex systems. Our team stays engaged with the community throughout the year, but today our student and teacher STEM hands-on at the GRILL is summer only. Longer term we hope for year round student and teachers. We support the State Attorney General’s Office First STEM study design virtual representation of school and work fire evacuation. Working with schools to create virtual representations of their school in a game engine. Students can walk through their school virtually and first responders can see the school layouts as a situational awareness and safety strategies builder. Working primarily with high schools today, but we are talking with different universities about how we can do a handoff from the high school to incorporate into their curricula. Pulling the GRILL high school threads through college – independent of degree or discipline. Currently talking to Sinclair Community College, University of Dayton, Wright State University, and the University of Cincinnati to integrate the STEM.