By Dr. Joe DiRenzo
Professor in the Intelligence Studies Program at American Military University
Today’s students do not want to simply be lectured to or presented a series of publications to read, analyze, and report on. They want to work through real world issues, generally presented as case studies for individual and group analysis. Technology allows today’s students to be in the middle of a problem without ever leaving their desk.
The hallmark of any top-flight graduate program is the ability of students to take the material taught and apply it to real life decision making, problem solving, and course of action development. One example of this is the end of course simulation that has been developed for students in the American Military University School of Security and Global Studies graduate Intelligence program course in Threat Analysis course (INTL634). This simulation based training is as true to life as you can possibly make it.
But what is a simulation? Simply put it is a technique that uses a situation or environment created to allow persons to experience a representation of a real event for the purpose of practice, learning, evaluation, testing, or to gain understanding of systems or human actions. In even simpler terms it bridges the gap between knowledge and practice.
In the INTL634 scenario, the student is presented a quick moving international threat which requires key decision making. Students are presented key milestones in an event that impact international safety and security by subject matter experts. There are different turns that drive the problem and opportunities for the student to assess how an issue would be dealt with in the real-world intelligence community. The simulation concludes with the student being asked a series of questions that form the basis of a graded assessment.
This use of simulation follows a national trend that is being played out throughout the Armed Forces. With budgets being optimized and the need for readiness at the very forefront of strategic thinking, simulations are being tapped as an effective training tool.
Notes National Defense magazine, “Perhaps because of widespread experience with electronic games, young military personnel adapt quickly to the new teaching methods, their superiors said. ‘Generation X is very comfortable operating in a simulation environment,’ said Marine Lt. Col. Frank McCallister, a team leader for the Simulator Master Plan at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), in Patuxent River, Md. Simulators also are being used on a broader scale, to train military commanders for all types of operations and scenarios. Law Enforcement is also using it to sharpen skill sets and promote teamwork.”
Students will find that simulation based training allows for the perfect opportunity to use complex applied competencies and apply them to a real world threat.
About the Author
Dr. Joe DiRenzo is a professor within the Graduate Intelligence Program at American Military University. He is a retired Coast Guard officer, former Coast Guard Chief of Intelligence within the Caribbean and is currently the Coast Guard Chair at the Joint Forces Staff College.
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