Measuring and Assessing Maneuver Squad Leader Adaptability Navy SBIR FY2016.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2016.1 Topic No.: N161-060 Topic Title: Measuring and Assessing Maneuver Squad Leader Adaptability Proposal No.: N161-060-0407 Firm: Design Interactive, Inc. 3504 Lake Lynda Drive Ste. 400 Orlando, Florida 32817 Contact: Gwen Campbell Phone: (407) 706-0977 Web Site: http://www.designinteractive.net Abstract: The Rapid Evaluation of Adaptability in Decision Making (READ-M) tool is a scenario-based software tool that will objectively assess cognitive flexibility, change detection, and anomaly detection. READ-M will assess decision making adaptability for up to a company of Marines within 30 minutes by automatically collecting performance metrics. By leveraging a tablet-based, interactive 2D scenario authoring tool developed for the Army combined with validated SJT methodology and content, scenarios can be rapidly authored and modified based on SME feedback during the development and validation phase, and the TDG-like interface provides Marines with a familiar platform to enable rapid assessment. READ-M will present a running narrative of tactically relevant scenarios which provides users an opportunity to (a) identify changes and anomalies and their significance, (b) flexibly apply their knowledge of Mission, Enemy, Troops, Terrain & Weather - Time, Civilian (METT-TC) analysis and follow commander's intent by adapting their decision outcomes (i.e., ratings of courses of action) as environmental and situational variables change. It will then compare the user's performance to performance profiles based on every level of the Maneuver Squad Leader Mastery Model to determine the appropriate level of proficiency from the Mastery Model and report it to the MCTIMS system. Benefits: READ-M will provide multiple benefits in efficient and effective system development, for the Small Unit Leader, and ultimately for the USMC. Leveraging Playbook's rapid authoring capability allows for SJT-based scenario visualizations to be quickly authored and modified as needed during development. This will save scenario development time as well as ensure face validity of the scenarios. Leveraging the SJTs validated in an infantry SUDM context also contributes to the face validity of the system as well as the criterion validity in correlating with SUDM performance, and saves additional scenario development time. Integrating changes and anomalies tied to METT-TC analysis and commander's intent provides a clear structure for implementing the adaptability metrics and ensures that these metrics are rooted within Warfighting principles, which should decrease the variation in performance within each level of the Mastery Model, and makes some of the metrics easier to automate. By collecting objective performance measures tied to the CARS of change detection, anomaly detection, and cognitive flexibility, in addition to measuring adaptability, the scores for the CARS will provide insight into where user skills breakdown to pinpoint training needs and/or "readiness." Return