Action Research Report
Marcus Ohlenforst Jason Bullis
Education 526
Professor Matt Hixson Master of Arts: Educational Technology and Learning
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.