DTIC ADA512239: The TENOR Architecture for Advanced Distributed Learning and Intelligent Training

11 Pages·1.2 MB·English

by  Defense Technical Information Center

(c)2002 American Instituf Aotee ronautic& As stronautr icPosu blished with Permissif oAonu thor(s) and/or Author(s)' Sponsoring Organization.
AM A A
AG2-14256
AIAA 2002-1054
The TENOR Architecture for Advanced Distributed Learning
and Intelligent Training
C. Tibaudo, J. Kristl and J. Schroeder
Ontar Corporation
North Andover, MA
B. Sorensen
USAF AFRL/HEA
Mesa, AZ
D. MacCuish
riACommand dnSa taff College
Maxwell AFB, AL
th
40 Aerospace Sciences Meeti& nEgx hibit
14-17 January 2002
Reno, Nevada
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1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED
JAN 2002 2. REPORT TYPE
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER
The TENOR Architecture for Advanced Distributed Learning and F33615-00-M-6033
Intelligent Training
5b. GRANT NUMBER
5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER
65502F
6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER
Cheryl Tibaudo; Joseph Kristl; John Schroeder; H. Barbara Sorensen; 3005
Don MacCuish
5e. TASK NUMBER
HA
5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER
0E
7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT
Ontar Corporation, 9 Village Way, ,North Andover,MA,01845 NUMBER
9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S)
11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT
NUMBER(S)
12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.
13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
14. ABSTRACT
This paper describes TENOR - the Training and Education Network On Request. TENOR is a multi-media, adaptive training
system, in which the content and rate of presentation is paced by the capabilities and requirements of the user. The web is an
ideal media for providing an adaptive training environment where the material presented to every individual is generated
"on-the-fly" and is tailored to the individual’s particular needs and capabilities. The entire United States Department of Defense
community is actively engaged in distance learning, and all the US military services are making a commitment to it. This also
holds true for a growing number of commercial and academic institutions worldwide, which have realized the importance and
economy of utilizing ADL and the web for education, training, information sharing and performance support. The TENOR
software advanced distributed learning (ADL) system has several primary advantages over other systems. This paper will
examine the details of the system architecture and its database fields, the lessons and modules developed, customization abilities,
and unique features such as cross-platform use, links to real-time information, audio capabilities, student-instructor interaction
options, and automatic bandwidth adjustments. It will also illustrate how a student will access, logon, and progress through a
lesson.
15. SUBJECT TERMS
16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF
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a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE 10
unclassified unclassified unclassified
(c)2002 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics or Published with Permission of Author(s) and/or Author(s)' Sponsoring Organization.
2002-1054
Abstract
This paper describes TEe NThrOta iR-n dE indnaug cation Netwn RoOrekq uest. TENOsRi
a multi-media, adaptive training system, in which the content and rate of presentation is paced by the
capabilities and requirements of the user. The web is an ideal media for providing an adaptive training
environment where the material presented to every individual is generated "on-the-fly" and is tailored to the
individual's particular nd cenaepdaas be ilehintiTteirse . United States Departmf eDone tfense community
is actively engaged in distance learning, and all the US military services are making a commitment to it.
This also holds truea rgof rowing numberf o commerciad lnaa cademic institutions worldwide, which have
reodfu cbateirowena,e l iitmehzraehtpid not ird nedtacngnno,ac naie no f ufmLootiyr DlmizaAintigo n
sharing and performance support. The TENOR software advanced distributed learning (ADL) system has
several primary advantages over other systems. This paper will examinee ht detailse ht fo system
architecture and its database fields, the lessons and modules developed, customization abilities, and unique
features sus ccarh oss-platform use, lino rkets al-time information, audio capabilities, student-instructor
interaction optionsd naa, utomatic bandwidth adjustmentst I.w ill also illustraa twsoeth udent will access,
logon, and progress through a lesson.
Copyright © 2002 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.
2
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(c)2002 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics or Published with Permission of Author(s) and/or Author(s)' Sponsoring Organization.
Background e ahcnatdp abio limtty e alhtecf tvohc eol ntoetnt
each individual student's requirements and
e hT Ontar Corporation sah developed a system capabilities. The software has been developed and
architecture and prototype software that implements a te ehtsst npeoed cific training ta rosfkF orce
unique solution for the training of force protector Protection personnel, but the architecture and
tr iAe SaUFm ehot rosrf ce, using advanced approac sgih eneral enoug ohth andla ew ide ranfgoe
distributed learning (ADL) techniques. This solution trainind ngae ducational tae srakc eWus.r rently
is called TENOR, which stands for the Training and working with severalS U Government dna public
Education Nen twRooerqk uest. TENOR uases academic institutions to develop additional country
unique approacho t implementing training overeht modules. We are also working with private
intero ntpert ovide anytime-anywhere trainniong commercial busino edstseev selop medical training
desktop, lar pnotootp ebook comd Ppneurtsaeorn sal modules and leisure travel modules.
Digital Assis etahPntatslm sd saunPcaih lo t Currently, web based ADL is not taking advantage of
Handspring units. TENOR is a multi-media, adaptive the many features that are unique to a web
training system in which the content and rate of the environmr eoexFnatm . pe kwlen, ow tl htlraaat inees
presentation of material are paced by the capabilities t odando ve ahsnat mctae e ratr eoe, veenh tt hllaat
and requiremee uhnts fteos r.e same hn operattiona req uire rotrainefes prepa ring
lev foetrl aining. Supervisors require "big picture"
This paper is divided into two sections: the TENOR information, whe ihlwte orkers nee eh"dtn duntas
architecture and its development, and the Forcn eiade asl imr obebfdeoilaw ts" emhaTterial .
Protection Module. Ontars ah been workinga no providing an adaptive training environment where the
PhasI eS mall Business Innovative Research contract material preseno tetevd ery individs ugiae lnerated
withe hUt nited Stater siAF orce Research Laboratory "on-thes i-t afdlinylao" reo tdth eir particular needs
o tdesi dgnadn evelon apA dvanced Distributive and capabilities.
Learning, or as we call it, an intelligent training
system. It utilizes the enormous capabilities of the Furthe e ey hrmwmrwbeteochaerincei vsh, e
web, PDAs, and traditional desktop technology. information is rapidly changing due to the
Development will continue undea r PhasI eI SBIR tremendous advances ni technologyoot ton eht. nI
contract, with work anticipated to start in a month or distant future, the capabilities of handheld computers,
two. This ADL system is called TENOR, for sue hPct shea rsonal Digital Assistants (PDA's) using
Training Education Network on Request. There have the Palm®S M ro Windows® EC operating systems
been a numbef orr ecent learning systems developed will rival those of current desktop machine. The
that leverage off Internet technology. TENOR uses a highly mobile, wireless features of these devices
unique approach to implementing training over the make them ideal platforms for anytime-anywhere
Internet. Now it is being more fully developed and ADLt At. his time, these PDAs present several
implemented, use ihnltagt est wireless technology challenges. For instance, they have less "real estate"
and several testing partners. or screen size than desktop machines and bandwidth
is currently limito etd1 4.4 baud modeehmTs.
s adwes itgIno etsdo lve training preohbtl eromfs TENOR system accomplishes stti aT suOkNs ysib ng
specific situaf toioFn orce Protection training. sb y tpsaebtatwo igtcru eibns, g training mataer niail
Currently the Air Force has bases and other facilities database and creating customized web pages on the
r FiAoe rfc hueepe tthAurh ortnrettm e,I cyytb e.d fly.
n wswoil-loc ha slaltveide "mini marino epstr" otect
the bases. The resulting architecture and tools of
TENe Osrual Rldi atia srbtorlfieb uted learning tasks,
for both militd anracy ommercial (schodonals
industry) users. As a matter of fact, an end goal of
the SBIR program is commercialization.
The TENOR software architecture is designed to
deliver training e oIhvnetter nrjnoues tt aybnoau t
topice b p tnrhaecaste a nt bneirdo wser-based
interface. The software highlights include a
database-driven storage of knowledge content and
lesson formatting, the ability to adjust lessons to As is becoming increasingly known and accepted,
match the limitations of the student display platform, Advanced Distributed Learningr oA, Da Lm si, ethod
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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of providing instruction to students who are not develop a more educated, informed and techno-sawy
physically located at the training facility. It can be as military.
simple as viewing an instructional video obtained
from your local public library to the more complex ADL is also becoming an important component of
situation of a multimedia, interactive web site. In the civilian academic institutions. One recent report
past, ADL has been implemented using methods finds thS U 0ac1 nito 7 llegew son offer some form
based a no varietyf o technologies, including training of online learning, including courses, lecture notes,
materials presented via mail, videotape, CD-ROM and online study groups. That number is increasing
and closed-circuit television. The explosion of daily. Many institutionse ra also offering two-dna
Internet technology and software tools provides a four-year degrees a einvticroemly puter.
methodf o delivering high quality content almost Commercial firms are also increasing their use of
instantlo yt remote locations. Current Internet ADLr oft rainingd nao ther distributed learning tasks.
stand ebua srndaeo cdstd eliver text, graphidcnsa, The TENOR software ADL system developed has
multimedia audd inoav ideo elements into widely several primary advantages over other methods of
available browser software. This promises to ADL previously developed. They include:
revolutionize the delivery of distant learning and has
particular advantages for presenting information that platform flexibility, which allows TENOotR
is rapidly changing or that must adapt to the support multiple ply atbfsoirmmus ltaneously
requirements of different trainees. formatting the training material for different browser
systems, ranging from "traditional" desktop
ADL for Training computeo Prts ersonal Digital Assistantesh st uscah
Palm and Windows PocketPC;
Te hrseaerev eral advan nIatna tgoeertns et-based
implementationf o Force Protection training. First, trainee level of expertise, which enables the material
the Internet provides easy aco cttersars ionfing e fhple eyrttec.hbr" srantee ioa nonotett"eete dd
remote usern sin.a os neTrtnreobhue fe csdo rtioe tr Consequently, the lesson is easily tailored in real time
presd enaanvt ailable dure ihnttrgoa nin dinnag, to accommodate the capabilities of the individual
facilities are needed beyond an Internet connection trainee;
ana d host browser. Seconn daI, nternet based
solution provie dahebts ilio trtya pidly dudpad arote trainee customization, e mhssyteasitnes m
courseware information, ot match changing customized to the individual trainee throughout his
conditions and requirements. Third, a browser-based DoD career. As the individual advances, changes
courseware prove idhoetps pora tuu ronsoetiftr y jobs, etc., the system tracks the trainee's
interact with the system and customize the training to requirements for future training needs;
his or her level of expertise or an interest in the
subject. Fourth, current standards allowe hts ame training material, which is decoupled form the
n int eeiurnsaer b tldh onoeset wfosoorlku tstion s systems a mucs ah poss niab ailinve telligent
topics or material that should not leave the interface. The experts who implement the training
organization. Thee scraeo mpelling advantages over matern ieaacal sily compose their lessons using text
traditional methods of distance learning that make an based, audir oov ideo material from a remote site
internet-based training solution worth a close look. withoy unnate eo dtk nowr ou nderstane hsdtt ructure
of the training material database;
The web is an ideal media for providing an adaptive
training environment we hmheartte erial presenotetd Lesson updates, in which the training material is
every individuas il generated "on-the-flsiy dn"a e d hidnneattaateasribflaay cs aee uipvdated
tailored to their particular needs and capabilities. The structure,d na finally,
entire US Department of Defense community is
actively engaged in distance learning. For example, Flexibility of training material. The TENOR
at the Air Force Command and Staff College at system can accommodate any type of training
Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, over half the material, including engineering, maintenance,
trainees are "off site." Similar numbers are reported medical, weapon handling, etc. An expert in any area
by moe hts fUot nited States military's training can interact with the system via the web and create
organizations. All the US military services, and training materiy naka rolif ndf o application.
many of those worldwide, are making a commitment
to distance learning. Military officials believe ADL TENOR achieves its objectives using three general
will augment recruiting and retention efforts and help concept ess.he rtvF eisrris tb ,ased seohftwTare .
American Institf uAotee rona dAuntsiactrs onautics
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server he ohAsttDs L soa ftsw innaogrle e server, AOR Model of Learning - this lesson discusses the
operated and maintained by the training provider. way that students learn from experien tcIper. ovides
Students connect to this server using standard a useful reviewe ht wosh fo tudent must yap attention
Internet browser software, which simplifies student to the lessons of experience, both in this training and
requirements. Use of a server provides security and throughout life.
flexibilitye ht ni development dna updatingfo
training material. The lessons are created in HTML, Knowing Onese- ltf his lesson provides accoetss
a widely used standan rIadd. ditie ohnlte, ssons some personality d e telnshestattutss dent discover
provide support for generating Javascript language what kind of person he is, and how he is likely to
scripts, which adds considerable flexibility and interact with others. Sinn ciaem portant component
capability to the presentation of lesson material. of Force Protection involves human interaction (with
other members of the team, as well as with the local
authorities and population), this helps the student
Database driven lessons - TENOR defines an
understand personal sd twrenenagaktnhe ssses when
architecture where the material that makes up each
going into this job.
lesss osa istn o enrrf eidoieda s tabase tables. Lesson
material is stored in a knowledge database that can
Air Force Core Values - this lesson provides a
consist of text, graphics, or multimedia elements.
summaryr iA fo Force Core values. Since Force
Additional database tables define the layout of each
Protection pers eolnriao knecet ln oly mcioe ntact
lesson screen. The lesson screens are generated by
with representativesf o foreign countriess a wellsa
e shetrver software when request oeisdna ,st efaod
news media operations, si ti valuable ot reviewriA
static set of lesson material, the screens are dynamic
Force core valueo sst han ott hese potentially visible
d nthaus easily updated. Fe ierpladros viodetd
missions, person nanccoeln duct themsael vneis
assign bandwidth requiremd enexnaptse rtise level
manner consistent with Air Force standards.
information to each element, which the software can
o t esucustomize lesson presentation rosf each
Humanitarian Interventions- this lesson provides
student's ability, requiremend tbnsar, owser platform.
an overviewf on on-governmental organizations that
get involved in providing humanitarian assistance
Decoupling of content and presentation - a unique
abroad. Many Force Protection emrisasion s
advantagee ht foT ENOR architectures i that lesson
expeco tetod cn ciutar ndem with humanitarian
contend ntap resentation era maintained ni separate
efforts by these organizations, which may or may not
database tables. This allows lesson displays to be
be coordinated with the US government. After
customized to match the limitations of platforms of
completing this lesson Force Protection personnel
interest (such as small PDA screens), and also lets
evhare tiawo bwufilsoa l roe rganizatis oswnaaes l, l
multimedia elements be supported on more capable
their sponsors and agendas.
systems. The lesson content creator can provide
unique versions for every platform, or a single default
After complf eottihoen se manp daolettovrey l
version that runs on all platforms.
lessons the student can then select the country or area
The Force Protection training module is supposed to wh eehFrtoe rce Protection training will odcncuar
provide relevant information for Force Protection learn more about it. The overall goal of the "region"
personnel aboo udtet a pf looortye ign locaethioTn. training is to provide background information,
training can be accessed from any computer cod nutnseexaftu ,l informa Fa otoiroctne Protection
connected either inte hoIt nterner oti ntn oai nternal person working overseas. These lessontons era
DoD server. This allows eht trainingeb ot scholarlye hcttoruer naonrtteiorsnyg eiiso n
accomplished rapidly and efficiently. question. The training thus focuses on items such as
history, economy, government structure, country
The Force Protection module developed in Phase I
infrastructure, roads, facilitiesd n,a languageehT.
co1 mn sofidostus le 0 wt1oitph ics, encompassing
PhaseI effort developeda p rototype training module
about 60 screens. There are 4 overview lessons that
for a single country: Montenegro. A fully developed
first mue scbt omple eshttt euydbd ent. These lessons
Force Protection training module would provide
provide general instruction thae t shthutedlpe nts
training lessons on many countries and regions, so
know more about themselves and how they might
that airmen deply onylaoi noctga tion coutelgd
interact with other ma eFm ofbroceres Protection
accurate and useful familiarization with the place in
team. The lessons are summarized briefly as follows.
which they will be working.
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(c)2002 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics or Published with Permission of Author(s) and/or Author(s)' Sponsoring Organization.
thee hifTnlyte. rnet browss ee iurh ctsl eiseadn t
A numf boeurn ique features capiethatli zniong
platform for the learning system. The lesson
abilityf o browser computers were built inteoht
presentation uses existing HTML standards for
Phas Iel esr seooxFnasm . pla eli ,s npikr onvai doetd
display ted nxat multimedia informatioronf,
internet service that gives the current weather in the
maximum compatibility across browser software and
capital of Montenegro. This allows an interested
indr oepfelda tform independence. This approach
student to check the weather as frequently as he is
combines a wide range of display and interaction
interested, and start to get an intuition of the current
capability with existing off-the-shelf solutions to
conditions there. Another unique feature added in is
prova ipdo ewerful syt sgtaerem atly reduced costs.
audio narration of a number of scenes, created with
Ontar's consulo tatthni ts n pMrooDjaeccCt ,uish. Usia ngs er fioedsa tabase tab oltesst ore both
The audio is loaded as a background sound on knowledge and formatting information provides
computers that are capable of playing it during the several advantages overe ht "hard-coding"f o lesson
lessons, adding to the effectiveness of the presentatiod nnam aterial. First t,i provides some
presentationr oF. systems with insufficient separation between the knowledge content and the
connection bandwidth (such as a modem connection), displf aoyth at knowledge. This alloe whstse ver
the audio is not sent so that the lesson is not bogged flexibility ni adaptinge ht presentationeht ot
down nid ata transmission delays. These providae capabilities (and lie mvhiatrtaito ifouons sp )ossible
sampling of the powerful options that can be browser platforms tha att rainee might use. TENOR
supported in lessons hosted in the TENOR software. s i implemented LLD a sa that runsa no server with
either Microsoft Internet Information Server 4 or 5
s Aother countrier ors egio enraasd des ada dditional (US), or the Microsoft Personal Web Server (PWS).
modules to the Force Protection training, they will The server also requires the establishment of an
likely not follow this lesson structure exactly. Each appropriate ODBC do ta eshdth aaaNttb taSabDsae se
country aroun ewhdt ors aluhdn ique features thearat e abcc entsasabelcde s we sitohhftitnw are.
important for Force Protection personnel to be aware
d trnaoaifn ,ing me ucbsu tstomr itzoheofd se areas. Centrale ht ot TENOR systeme ht si definitiondna
use of the databases used to store the learning content
and lesson structure. Ontar made a conscious
Database and Features Overview
decision early on to use standard relational database
technology to implement this feature. There are
e hT basic TENOR systemo wt sah parts. Firsta
many COTS database products than tac serve this
relational databass eiu seo dts tore boe thhbt asic
need, with capabilities ranging from limiteo dtt ruly
knowledge elements and its structure into lessons.
enormous. To limit the constraints imposed by
Secondlya , server based program accesseehst
selecting a proprietary database system (and then
various databased nbsa uilde hstt raining lessonnso
being locked ine ht nsot esoeu stir ver)e ,ht software
the fly as the student works through them. The sever
interface to the databases was designed to use the
softs wcioaur epled wa rieth latively small static site
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) convention.
o htandle initial connectid opnnraos vide features that
This convention provides a generalized API to the
change infret qonne ue bcoee dronde td tanlatye nod
database content, at the cost of some performance on
American Instituf Atoe eronaud tAincass tronautics
(c)2002 American Instituf Aote eronauti& cAs stronautr icPos ublished with Permissif oAon uthor(s) and/or Author(s)1 Sponsoring Organization.
the server end. The advantages of database vendor- the lessons can input criteria to apply to the inputs so
independence were judged to outweigh performance that some typf oe score bin inamgc plemented.
issues. In concept any relational database software TENOR also supports a non-interactive, or "lecture
that has an ODBC interface can be used for the hall", presentation mode for each lesson. In this
TENOR databases. mode the server, not the student, controls the pace of
presentatione ht fo materiale hT. forwarddna
e hdaTtabase te arbaaclecse ssed w eihcthotidn e backward buttons are removed from the lesson
using the ODBCDirect object model within the interface screen. Howeve e e"hshrIttta ,n ftotee ract"
Microsoft DAO (Data Access Objects) framework. and "Exit" buttons are checked during the display of
e hTtablee rsar egistereds a ODBC data sourcenso any screen, to allow the student to interrupt the
the server, and the resulting DSN (Data Source presentation either for a question or to terminate it
Name) string provides access to them through ODBC early.
drivers installen di WindowA s.s erief os data
structuree srad efined withine hTt ENOR server code, Five general types of database tables are defined in
and when they are needed, separate subroutines have the TENOR system: knowledge database, the lesson
been written to populate the structures with the structure tables, the lesson presentation tables, test
current values from the tables. Connections databases, and the student database. TENOR is
established to ODBC databases are used and then starty eubds ina gb rowso eltra une TchhtE NOR.ASP
removed as quickly as possible, since maintaining file locae thetr tdae oh toT fotE NOR directory
open database connections can have a large impact create ehdt noh ost serve ehtr roFO. ntar server
on server performance. hosting TENOR, this means that the browser uses
http://10.0.0.2/tenor/tenor.asp as its starting URL.
In TENOR, the student must select which module to
e hTstudent then logn isw ita h user namdnae
d utnhsaee, n which lesson within that modoutle
password. He will see 6 buttons, which provide
e lhf ispoTtos ss w.inboolrek mo ddlunelsaesso ns
acceo sgts eneric support functions, including forums
era generated from those currently defineehdt ni
and help. O enshctteu ds eashnelt ecte adt raining
TENOR database tables ("topic lisd nta"" topic
moe dshuo ctwlrt ee, ons erodink i splayed. Thsiis
structure" tables). Only modules thate hatp polty
don ybTe ENOR first queryie nhdgt atabase tables
current stus dade(ent termined e fhsrottumd ent
that describe the selected module to determine what
database ee n elhtedrrsitiaseso spdn )la nyliaesdt s,
lessont cis oe lnhf ilosttea t dsisnnosans , dis isplayed
are modified by the progress so far of the student.
one ht screen. Lessons that have already been
Oncea lessons i selectede hst, erver software loads
na ehighlighrted waith estu dentht ybcomp leted
the lesson definition tables first ("lesson overview
asterisk. Once the student clicks on the "Begin
and "lesson structure" tar bothlfeas t leeshsTon) .
Lesson" button, he can start working. Now the
browser and platform type is determined, and then
student can interact with the server while taking a
the browser type table ("layout option" table) is used
lesson. He can: get help; move to any point within a
otse elhaetpcpt ropriate ta rboslfcers een layout
lesson; replay and review a segment of the current
definition ("screen structure" table). For every screen
lesson; compose a question and send it to an
in the lesson, the screen elements are loaded from
"instructor"; exchange comments and questions with
any of the knowledge databases ("knowledge
other students; terminate the lesson; search the
element" tables) and formatted using the selected
TENOR knowledge database for additional material;
"screen structure" table. Status is maintained on
take a test; configure the defaults for the training
where the student is and has been, so that backward
session, based on the student's current computer
and forward screen motie boa ncnacc omplished.
parameters; resume a lesson; bookmark the lesson;
e lheexstsi ton. Embedded audio tracks naerhratte
f eoac dhn e navleae slssu oiaent hioAtn ttesot(ts )
content on the screen, if the browsing platform has
ensure that the student has mastered the material to
the correct hardware and necessary bandwidth. Even
an acceptable degree. It is possible to define a lesson
simplen eA ahfufanceDncidtts ihPveelld y present
that includes zero tests, or to have more than one test.
d tgenrxaat e puhhste iocrt.s
Sincee ht student interfaces i baseda no browser, test
questione sus standard HTML inpd unatd isplay
One component of the TENOR software is its
elements to pose problems and collect student input.
relatively small Web-site front end. This collection
A pool of questions can be maintained and actual
of static HTML pages hand eltheatss tkosn tohdat
tese tb nsgac enerated from random selections from
change significantly over time, and thus it makes
the pool, so that the tests are not identical when
more senso etc reate these pages ars elatively static
repeated. Test inpue rstae st odhtre desndiag, nfeor
HTML than to regenerate them constantly. This front
American Institutef oA eronauticd snAa stronautics
(c)2002 American Instituf Aote eronauti &cAs stronautr icPos ublished with Permissif oAonu thor(s) and/or Author(s)' Sponsoring Organization.
end handles the initial connection of the trainee into The server software is the heart of the TENOR
e hstystemt Ia. lso works wie thshte rver softwaroet systemt i dn,aa ccomplishes several essential tasks.
determine the characteristics of the host platform, First, it handles the lesson interface, screen by screen,
e platformh displayte browserh type, t inclu ding to the trainee. Once a lesson is initiated, the student
e cchaoptna ndbeinclitatiyo ,n bane duwhseTidrth . browser begins a direct dialog with the server
can either specify this directly, or some simple software hesT.e rver programs generate each screen
software tests can be run once to determine these of each lesson on the fly, first by determining from
param eehtpTearrsa. mee tersartso red wehitth the lesson databases we hnhatet xt appropriate screen
student and re-used for future training sessions, with is, and then extracting the knowledge elements and
an abilito yat lways override hsett ored defauelhtTs. layout information and using this to build an HTML
front end handles establishing a secure connection if page and hand it back to the trainee browser. The
necessary, and provides the infrastructure to host the HTML code is customized to the capabilities of the
help for the system, as well as the discussion forums host browser, as the course creator did when
provided to allow students to discuss the lessons with populating the knowledge and layout databases. The
each other and exchange relevant information. server software also respondso t input fromeht
trainee, if any, and then either generates pages in
The front end also collects demographic and other response to the trainee input or continues on with the
support informat eihost ntnou dent, througha series lesson. It also tracks student performance and stores
f o input screens. This information allowehts results within the trainee database for later use.
performance of the trainee to be tracked and provides
ehht ooe hkst roosf ftwaro etc ustomize presentation Since the lesson display tool in TENOR is a browser,
fmoaterial. Apps rboievian lg obtained through the presentationf o informations i organized intoa
appropriat riAe FSU orce channelsr ofc ollectiondna series of screens. Screens can consist of static
safeguarding of this information, and suitable information such as text and graphics built from the
protections agaiy nnasct omprome irsaeb eing database, or it can include multimedia elements as
developed. well. Any valid browser form input element,
including button, text box, list input, etc., can also be
Central to the TENOR system is the definition and displayed anywhere in a lesson screen, thus providing
use of the databases used to store the learning content the ae bhltei lsriostfyoo tnh ave custom branches,
and lesson structure. Ontar madea c onscious separate hyperlinr nkoes ,sted levf eionlsf ormation.
decision early on to use standard relational database The actual layoutd na presentationf o each screensi
technology to implement this feature. There are customized for the browser capability of the student,
many COTr Soc, ommercial off-the-shelf, database whs idcia eh ste t esufrhtdmoater i tnnttae'sd session.
products that can serve this need, with capabilities One primary task for the server software is to
ranging from limitedo tt ruly enormouo sTl.i meihtt determine, based on the student's inputs, what the
constraints imposed by selecting a proprietary next screen is that should be displayed. Lessons are
database systemd n,at hen being locked inetsuo sti assembled in a preferred order, but TENOR provides
on the server, the software interface to the databases the abilityo t randomly access other screens withina
was designed to use the Open Database Connectivity y tnilmeao set estx oa.ri ont , Sie nshccter eeernas
(ODBC) convention. This convention proviades being be hfute l nihyalot,t c curate determinatiofon
generalized API to the database content, at the cost of the next appropriate screens i very important.
some e spee eharrvdfhteov rraT mnnetnaaodng c.e es
f odatabase vendor-independence were judgeotd An expert at a remote site creates the training
outweigh performance issuese hT. availabilityfo material using an "Authoring tool", which will look
Java versionf os this interface, callee hdt Java and m fiveh eeotlr y much like Microsoft Worrdo
Database Connectivity, or JDBC convention, was Power Point. TENOR masse aehgxepts ert's material
aa lsos trong positive feature that encouraged and putse ht ni ti databaser of futures a esu needed.
adoption of a database convention with ODBC-based
software access. In concept, any relational database
softwarn eOa DtshaBaht C int eeubrsr fnoeaafdcc e knjuune name assigno tehtd is knowledge element
taijype type of information in this clement
e ThtENOR datae bihnatsi nteiIas.l Force Protection
knomtent ] actual content, or pointer to content (depends on knjypc value)
training system, the Microsoft Foxpro database takeyword keywords that apply to this knowledge element
provided adequate capability and was thus used to knjource source this content was taken or derived from
knjtbted names of other related knowledge elements
create that system.
knjramment comments on this item added by the knowledge expert
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(c)2002 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics or Published with Permission of Author(s) and/or Author(s)1 Sponsoring Organization.
This e hbt"r soiotn usguls" portiof onT ENOR. mode, existing lessr ooknns owledge elemeernats
There are three general types of databases that are displayed and the expert can edit them or create new
implemente het Tdni ENOR system. Fierhts sit lessor notse sts from theA mco. mplete ranfgoe
knowledge database. This contains the knowledge, functions required to support a lesson, such as the
w maorar terial, that e hwte rtbaui lisnl neiidn g de evheetslotap bdmf lonietseahnsm tftos en t
lessons. It is decoupled as much as possible from the completion criteria, can also be edited and associated
layout and presentation of the learning material. The with each lesson. When this interface is completed it
knowledgs ieb rokp euinn ta o serif eoks nowledge will provide a powerful extension of the TENOR
elements, nwraahcnigceh from bf uoltleextst syso tetaml low supr potorfarit nf ionarg bitrary
displ aasy nceorde o etdn ocumenr otms ultimedia topics.
eleme ehknTntso. wledge database either directly
holds this information or contains pointers that direct The third type of database maintained in the TENOR
e hstofte whltoa orctea e htiitno ffono rmatiooTn. system relates t eoht trainee characteristics and
assin ssit earchd oneatsh er database manipulationfos performance. Any basic demographic information
material stored externa elht ot database, keyword e asbhtoutud tent ts hniae tes dmeida intained here,
fields for material are maintained. along wia trhe cf otorrda ining compld estntiaoatnu s.
This allows the software to authenticate a student's
The second type of database is the layout, or lesson, identity and limit access to the system, which is an
database. This database first organizes elemenftos important consideration for something exposed to the
knowledge information into screens, wehhti cerah open Internt Ieat.l so provide hebtsa seline data
basic unit of display within this browser-based needed to track student progress. This allows the
learning systeme hpT.o sitiod nana ttributef soe very softwo atreg ive both train denaesus pervisors
knowledge element displayee dra storehet dni feedba ncpokr ogress. Software addition oTts ENOR
database, and different values for the layout and are under consideratio oatn llow repof roptsr ogress
display are maintained for different browser e gbtoe nerad etne-amd ailed directo lttyr aindeneas
platforms. This is how the lesson presentation can be supervisA orssu. pervisor interfas ciea lnsio
generalized to support a wide range of client system development that will allow lists of required and
capabilities. Additional tables within this database recommended training lesso renoasfc, h stuedbe ontt ,
then order the screens and related learning material stored and then used when that student connects to
into a coherent lesson. Tests to evaluate the the system and accomplishes further training.
comprehe emnhsta io foettoe nndr sinuaalr, e tehhatt Now to discuss the current Force Protection module
trains aemhe astere ehmtd at neaar cioactle ptable that has been developed in TENOR.
level, are also maintained within this database and are
associated with lessons. Support is also provided to Force Protection Module
store lesson objectives and other related lesson
material. Rapid deploymenf ot competent military teams
throue gwhhootruld t requires operationally trained
Theo swdeta tabase ervas ery comn pgaclr deonxaw persoe npbn roeetpl areo mdt anal gltaheo rt edantas
quite large even for a moderately complicated lesson. empll locayo ntingenciersiA. SCUu rerhetn ntliy
Development has started on a series of graphical user Force, these force protector teams are comprised of
interfaces that will allow experts to populate these individuals who differ in competency skill levels in
databases with meaningful knowledge and lesson the fields of medicine, intelligence, communication
material, without having to be database software and sen cIuardidt eyith .fiootrnc ,e protectors
experts. This software operates in two modes. In the assigna e todet am generally originate from different
first, the expert can create screens, or lessons, on a geographical locations and have varied operational
storyboard software display. Text, graphicdsna, missions and experience levels. To further
multimedia elements can be inserted, moved, and complicate the US Air Force force protector team
organized as required. The software extracts both the mission, individual team members likely are
knowledge elements and the layout information from unfamiliar with each other, o hnadvee tailed
the led se pseonohxpenpautshel ra ctttyree sabted knowledge of the deployment location, and are not
database with the appropriate values. The software trainede ht ni specificse ht fo taskse b ot performed.
then provides options sucs ha previellwa nos These troops, however, me ubpsrt ovided wehitth
possible platforms, from desktop to PDA systems, maximum trad pinnrioantge ction available. Travel
and over a range of bandwidth settings, so thl aflot artche e rpt roaooltlfeoo nchwt aotv br esouddget s
course desig nnaeecvr alue ahrtetes dunaladtsj ust e amhctco eosstt s red ccneoanmt plete traidnninag
them as needed for optimum effect. In the second equipment, and troops are not able to gather at a
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics