ADL Initiative Gears Up for Virtual I/ITSEC 2020

This year’s Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the world’s largest modeling, simulation, and training event, has switched to an online format. The virtual I/ITSEC, now called vIITSEC, will be held from 30 November to 04 December, with the same mix of panel and paper sessions, tech tutorials, exhibits, keynote addresses, and special events as previous in-person years have offered.

Participants will include senior government and military leaders, industry contractors, academic researchers, and international partners. The ADL Initiative team will present three technical papers, deliver two technology tutorials, and moderate one special-event panel session at vIITSEC.

Special Event

On 02 December, ADL Initiative Director Sae Schatz, Ph.D., will moderate a panel on Readiness Digitalization, focusing on DoD’s ongoing Enterprise Digital Learning Modernization (EDLM) reform. Panelists include Lora Muchmore, SES, Director of the Defense Business Systems Directorate, Office of the Chief Management Officer at DoD; Jim Seacord, SES, Acting Director of the Human Capital Management Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence at DoD; Dawn Luepke, SES, Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Personnel Management’s Center for Leadership Development; and Amy Rogers, Chief Learning Officer for the Civilian Workforce, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at DoD.

Technical Papers

ADL Initiative scientists and engineers authored three technical papers for vIITSEC. All are focused on digital learning modernization and were selected for the conference after a rigorous review process:

• Enterprise Digital Learning Modernization: What, Why, and Who Says So? is authored by Kelly Sims, Sae Schatz, Van Brewer (SETA contractor), Amy Rogers, and Sharon McMahon. This paper focuses on the reform’s origin, structure, and implementation progress.
• Metadata in the Future Learning Ecosystem is authored by Yihua Liu (SETA contractor). This paper focuses on the ADL Initiative’s work to create new learning object metadata guidance for DoD stakeholders, including recommendations to facilitate their adoption and transition.
• From Silos to Manifolds: Strategies for Improved Learner Record Administration is authored by Ashley Reardon (SETA contractor) and collaborator Jerry Gordon. This paper summarizes various initiatives to harness DoD learner data, arguing for data federation rather than a single standalone repository.

Tutorials

Two ADL Initiative tutorials will be presented at vIITSEC, including one nominated for a Best Tutorial award.

• Understanding and Applying cmi5 in an xAPI Solution (Best Tutorial nominee) will be presented by Andy Johnson (SETA contractor) and collaborators Art Werkenthin and Mike Hernandez. This tutorial provides an in-depth look at cmi5. It describes implementation details, best practices, as well as community activities and resources.
• Building an Education and Training Data Strategy will be presented by Brent Smith (SETA contractor) and collaborator Jerry Gordon. This tutorial examines core concepts of data interoperability in training/education systems, and it decomposes existing systems into the basic building blocks required to support lifelong learning.

All vIITSEC panel sessions, papers and tutorials will be available online, on-demand from 30 November 2020 through 01 March 2021. In addition, “Meet the Authors” opportunities will be scheduled on 01-03 December.