APU Capstone - Action Research Plan

Action Research Report

Marcus Ohlenforst Jason Bullis

Education 526

Professor Matt Hixson Master of Arts: Educational Technology and Learning

ACTION RESEARCH REPORT 2

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this action research plan is to provide an interactive website for

junior and senior Marines to use during the preparation and planning phases of unit

training plans. The current content of the website focuses on the tactics, techniques,

and procedures related to patrolling and fire team attacks. In addition, an interactive

tactical decision making game was created to enhance the tactical skills for junior and

senior Marines on the battlefield.

SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION

The basis of this study includes the implementation of a “one stop, shop” for

resources and materials needed to successfully execute training in accordance with

Marine Corps doctrine. I chose this study because currently there are unique

challenges when trying to compile the appropriate information necessary to conduct

quality training. Each unit has specified Mission Essential Task Lists (METL) that must

be followed prior to deploying into any peacetime/wartime theater. In order to

accomplish this, small unit leaders develop training plans associated with those METL’s.

However, the problem is that each unit has there own Standard Operating Procedures

(SOP) for how to conduct training for their Marines and each leader has different

access, level of experience, and preparation time in order to accomplish this task.

Standardization has been an issue in the Marine Corps for quite some time. This

website will provide an environment where junior and senior Marines can access

doctrinal information, training plans, handouts, presentations, demonstration videos,

range regulations, base maps, tactical decision making games, discussion boards, and

innovative training ideas provided by small unit leaders across the Marine Corps.


SECTION TWO: IMPLEMENTATION

In trying to decide exactly what I was going to do for my Action Research Plan, I

requested from the APU staff if it was possible to do a “joint” project with another Marine

officer that is not only going through the same Ed Tech and Learning program as I am,

but who will also be transferring to Training and Education Command (TECOM) along

with me after we graduate. They agreed – so we got started.

We initially sat down and began to brainstorm various ideas and decided that we

wanted to implement a product that is not currently out on the market for other Marines

like us. We wanted to create something that would be practical, yet able to evolve over

time. So, we came up with the ideas of both an interactive training website and an

interactive tactical decision making game with access for both junior and senior

Marines.

Before spending a great deal of time creating these two products, we first needed

to initiate the presentation of them in order to get a feel from other Marines as to

whether or not it would be worth the time. We both have been previously stationed at

the School of Infantry located at Camp Pendleton, CA so we decided that its staff would

be our first choice for the idea. After receiving overwhelming feedback, we decided to

bring it up a notch and speak with some of the senior officers currently stationed at

TECOM. They also appreciated our ideas and gave us additional feedback to make

them better and potentially promotable to the chain of command. So, armed with an

arsenal of information, we went to the “drawing board” and began making our

prototypes.


INTERACTIVE WEBSITE

The next step was to start collecting information and developing the website.

Since we both have experience in different areas, we decided to split up the tasks. I

took on the role of website design while he began to collect training data and

publications from various doctrinal sources.

Website design takes on many shapes and forms from simple to complex. My

goal was to make a website that was not only visually appealing, but also user friendly

and easy to maintain. I initially was going to use Word Press as the primary means to

create the website, but then decided to conduct some research on other sites that might

provide similar capabilities yet are much more user friendly. Weebly.com was the first

phase of the website, but later I transferred all of my data over to Wix.com once I

recognized its potential. The selling point was their free website builder, user friendly

interface, professional templates, drag and drop design, and flash capabilities. Once

the template was created, the data was uploaded to the site and ready for use.


PATROLLING FIRE TEAM ATTACKS

The website is broken into two parts: Patrolling and Fire Team Attacks. My

portion of the design was patrolling and my counterpart’s portion was Fire Team

Attacks. We each found or created our own videos for the site and provided all

pertinent information related to the topic. The website would provide a login using a

user name and password. Once logged in, the user would be able to access all of the

training documents specific to their area of interest.

INTERACTIVE TACTICAL DECISION MAKING GAME:

Over the years, the Marine Corps has tried to adopt many different forms of

training. However, when it comes to a classroom environment, nothing really has

changed. In order to effectively reach the young audience of junior Marines, we as

leaders need something to capture their attention in a way that not only increases

learning, but also provides an interactive environment in the classroom.

APU has taught us that when creating a product, you should use as many

resources as possible in order to solidify the results. So, we quickly realized that


various programs such as iMovie, Photoshop, Audacity, and the Adobe suite can create

individual action items that were needed for our prototype. We combined their

capabilities with the use of videography and compiled it all into Keynote.

My action research study consists of a scenario based gaming program, which

allows Marines to access it from any computer with an internet connection anywhere in

the world. This tool eliminates competing requirements for on base training venues and

offers commanders an enormous amount of flexibility when planning and executing

training plans. The virtual decision making environment will provide leaders the ability

to train and educate their Marines without having to worry about reserving training

ranges, requesting ammunition, and coordinating transportation. This interactive

website will also provide planning factors such as the ability to select the environment,

strategy, tactics, and assets needed in order to accomplish their assigned missions.

The game design layout provides descriptive video, which shows visual graphics

of the actual Marines based upon their billet and title. In addition, the game also

provides real time graphics that change based upon the user’s decision choice.


GAME FLOWCHART

We pretty much reverse engineered this project. In other words, we knew

exactly what we wanted to do, so we jumped right into making the interactive game.

We filmed all of the video footage, uploaded the files to the computer, solidified the

automation and timing of the slides, and linked specific slides to each other in order to

finish the first prototype of the game. However, we had to continuously make changes

along the way because we never established the groundwork for the game flow.

Several months later, we completed our flowchart, which showed proper

navigation throughout the game. This completely changed the way in which the slide

navigation worked, so we had to go back to the drawing board on a large portion of the

project. Although it changed many times along the way, we deliberately implemented

simplicity into the design for the purpose of allowing ingenuity and flexibility.


GAME OVERVIEW

We decided to use a first-person shooter game to act out the decision points

along the way. We set up an HD video camera and used the split screen method (4

screens on one display) in order to video specific scenarios. We used 4 people to play

the part of each person of the fire team. We decided prior to filming, exactly what each

person was going to do and where they would go on the map. This process took many

hours of filming and a ton of editing, but once we were able to consolidate the scenarios

into usable footage, they were transformed into a pretty solid product.

The overall goal is to take the interactive game from a platform like Keynote and

convert it to an online platform. The biggest challenge is not only the process of

converting each slide into an image and uploading all of the graphics, but also syncing

up the timing of specific videos and animated slides.


GAME TEMPLATE

The delivery of the content is sequenced by mission. The mission endstate is

pre-determined, but the process of decision making is up to the user. The strategy is

based off current Marine Corps tactics. The game is sectioned into several decision

points where the user has to make a tactical decision based upon the enemy’s action.

The interface can be connected to current Marine Corps training websites. It can

be accessed either by Common Access Card (CAC) or by user name and password.

All game statistics will be captured via an online database. The navigation layout is

visually appropriate to what a Marine would typically encounter and provides detailed

instructions on what the end user will need to accomplish.


GAME SCENARIO

This scenario plays out in a desolate part of Afghanistan where a squad of

Marines (three fire teams) was separated due to an ambush from a Taliban force. Two

fire teams head north and one fire team heads south into an empty cave, which they

establish as their patrol base. The dislocated fire team’s mission is to conduct a patrol

north through unknown enemy territory in order to link back up with the rest of their

squad. This leads into Decision Point 1, which provides options for the player to make

the most reasonable choice without getting himself or a team member killed.

All video graphics were filmed using a high definition video camera, the “Call of

Duty: Modern Warfare II” split screen display, and four players with gaming controls.


SECTION THREE: RESULTS

The results of our Action Research Plan were very positive. At the conclusion of

the (4) user trials, each Marine provided answers to the specified tasks and general

comments concerning their feedback.

When we first derived the proof of concept for our idea, we were unsure as to

how to capture the details in a simple, yet comprehensive manner. Nonetheless, both

ideas will have a tracking mechanism similar to “google analytics” where all information

related to the site can be compiled into various forms of feedback. This will allow the

website to generate statistics about the user profiles and more in depth data for the

administrator to view. These exciting and innovative concepts are something that with

our experience and fresh mindset, we are able to unveil what could potentially be the

way of the future for military training.


SECTION FOUR: CONCLUSIONS

This project has been an interesting and hugely rewarding experience. I thought

I knew all there was to know about certain programs like Microsoft Power Point, iMovie,

and Keynote – but I was greatly mistaken. It was amazing to see the website and

interactive game evolve over the course of this program and we completely intend to

pursue their application for use in the current military training cycle. In order to

capsulate specific learning points, I decided to organize them by areas of interest.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT: In order to do this successfully, the program will

require the development of distinct technical skills and management strategies.

Computer programmers will be necessary to create the all inclusive gaming program

that allows updates and technical support. One of the primary goals would be to have

both the website and the interactive game as “self-sustainable” as possible. In turn, this

would allow the management team the flexibility to have minimal manpower

requirement and the resources to fund the project.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT: The Wikipedia definition for Research &

Development is “discovering new knowledge about products, processes, and services,

and then applying that knowledge to create new and improved products, processes, and

services that fill market needs”. I feel that this definition specifically targets what our

ultimate goal is for this project. We want to take current doctrinal publications, orders,

and directives in combination with lessons learned and apply this information to the

current needs and requirements of our military.


SECTION FIVE: GENERAL COMMENTS

I feel that this Action Research Project was somewhat of an adventure for me.

Because I was allowed an enormous amount of flexibility with my capstone, it permitted

me to think far “out of the box” and create something that was so definitive and

dynamic. That is what makes this exciting and we can’t wait to see where it goes

beyond the walls of this program.

The part I liked the best about this project was the opportunity to create a game

using a program (Keynote) that is not developed for interactive game play. I learned a

great deal about web design, slide content, timing, and a lot more. In addition, this

project also forced me to come in contact with people and organizations that have the

resources and expertise to get something like this idea off the ground floor. Since I now

have a solid foundation, I am able to move forward with creating a business plan and

developing marketing strategies in order to present the idea to right partnering agency.

Overall, this project made me reflect on when I was an instructor and how

complicated it was to track down information for classes that I was required to teach or

training venues necessary for range qualification. The action research process is an

excellent practice to research, prepare, analyze, and execute a functioning and credible

solution to whichever challenge was originally identified as a problem.

Documents

APU Capstone - Action Research Plan