Not all of the games produced through the serious games initiative meet the adaptive assessment demands of simulation-based training. Simulation-based training aims to provide students with real-world capabilities acquired and practiced in a simulated environment. However, real-world working conditions may be ill-structured and unpredictable; students must be prepared to adapt their skills to a changing environment, and a training environment must be able to employ adaptive performance metrics. One approach to developing this adaptive capability in students is to situate them into multiple simulated contexts, with different tasks to perform under various conditions to specified standards, and with the aggregate of training situations adequately covering the space of real-world situations. This presentation will describe game design templating for developing sufficiently varying simulated tasks to ensure that the simulated training environment meets real-world adaptive needs.

1. Better Outcomes Through Varied &
Adaptive Training for Games &
Simulations
Jamie Pina, PhD, MSPH
Research Scientist
Center for the Advancement of Health IT
Robert Hubal, PhD
Senior Research Psychologist
Substance Abuse Epidemiology and Military Behavioral Health
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2. What I’m Playing...
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3. Today I’ll talk about:
1. My story
2. Gaming and simulation
3. Assessment in simulated training
4. A template for getting good coverage of a
learning area in simulated training environments
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4. www.gamesforhealth.org

5. A game consists of 4 components
1. Goal
2. Rules
3. Feedback System
4. Voluntary Participation
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6. Training often lacks an important
component:
1. Goal Participation alone is not
the desired outcome.
2. Rules
3. Feedback System
4. Voluntary Participation
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7. Training demands assessment
Understanding What does the student know
how to do?
participant
progress is key to In what context?
the success of the
training
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8. Simulation based training
Simulated vignettes
are used to teach
participants skills
and measure their
capabilities.
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9. Skill transference
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10. The real world is not pretty
1. Ill-structured
2. Unpredictable
3. Noisy
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11. Designing with skill transference
in mind (getting coverage)
The following six parameters can be
modified to help the simulated
environment be as challenging as
the real world.
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12. Temporal factors
Time fidelity
Time pressure
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13. Sequencing Aberrations
Errors of omission
Errors of commission
Errors of sequence
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14. Incomplete information
Participant must complete a task
without adequate information
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15. Tool variability and function
Used properly
Proper selection
Availability
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16. Variation of actors
Presence
Number
Behavior
Participant response
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17. Environmental Distractions
Background activity
Control responsiveness
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18. Implications
These parameter modifications can be incorporated into
future designs to achieve breadth of the training
simulation.
They can be used as heuristics to evaluate current designs.
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19. Conclusions…Thank you!
Coverage in simulated training is crucial to skill
transference.
Performance must reflect real-world environments.
Modifying simulations using this template can
provide a foundation for better development
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20. For more information…
Jamie Pina, PhD, MSPH Robert Hubal, PhD
Research Scientist Senior Research Psychologist
Center for the Advancement of Health IT Substance Abuse Epidemiology and
RTI International Military Behavioral Health
jpina@rti.org rhubal@rti.org
781-434-1778 919-541-6045
Skype: jamie.pina.rti
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