Papers on Training Systems Design

I have spent 15 years of my career at the Aviation Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois, where I participated in and then directed a flight training research program. I focused on the design of flight training simulators (on the similarity relationships between the aircraft-environment system and the simulator) and on the development of special instructional strategies to enhance the acquisition of flying skills. Although I now focus on Cognitive Systems Design, I continue to develop ideas about Training Systems Design.

Cognitive Systems Design

The Design of Cognitive Systems

In my papers on Training Systems Design, I argue against the mindless high-fidelity approach to Training Systems Development. A training system is a pedagogical device and should be configured to maximize training effectiveness. Most assuredly, some properties of a training system should accurately reflect their counterparts in the real world but no one who talks about skill transfer knows how to identify that sub-set of critical properties. While at Illinois, I developed a comprehensive strategy for identifying candidate properties by analysis and confirming their relevance by empirical evaluation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watchthe Flash Movie, The Mystery of Distributed Learning [or download the zip folder, 12 MB] & download the paper

 

Explicit and implicit horizons for simulated landing approaches. Human Factors, 1991, 33, 401-417.(with Y.Liu) [PDF, 0.6 MB]

 

Active rehearsal versus map study as preparation for a flight navigation exercise. Human Factors, 1999, 41, 467-473. (with R. S. Bone as first author) [PDF, 0.1 MB]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A radical theory of skill transfer & a proposal that popular theories of skill transfer lead to circular argument & do not support training system design

An informational perspective on skill transfer in human-machine systemsHuman Factors, 1991, 33, 251-266. [PDF, 0.6 MB]

Flight instruction: The challenge from situated cognitionThe International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 1995, 5, 327-350. [PDF, 1.6 MB]

 

 

 

 

 

This issue is more complicated than it seems. Here I illustrate the conflict in the data and suggest a way ahead.

An empirical study of mission rehearsal in flight navigation (from Randy Bone’s Masters thesis)

An empirical test of specific informational invariants that guide a pilot in the landing approach

 

 

 

An interpretation of the theory of Situated Cognition & countering the idea that it offers little

 

 

Last update: Wednesday, February 17, 2021
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Some Flight Transfer History

Proof of the Pudding by Paul E Dittman, the original flight transfer study conducted at the University of Illinois in the late 40s. This study stimulated the US Air Force interest in the use of simulators for flight training.

Special Topics

What is a Cognitive System?

The Air Space as a Cognitive System

A Paradigm Shift in Safety Management

Modeling of Cognitive Workflow with the Brahms Simulation Environment