System Design
Army Excellence in Leadership (AXL)

Approach
The AXL project leverages the best practices of case-method teaching and uses Hollywood storytelling techniques to create fictional case studies addressing specific leadership issues. We have also developed software prototypes that take students through the case-method teaching approach. This project is a collaboration with ARI’s Leader Development Research Unit.

Filmed Cases
--Based on real-life experiences in the COE
--Presents tactical missions with embedded leadership issues
--Uses Hollywood storytelling techniques

The goal is to create a coherent set of filmed cases for interpersonal skill development. We will draw on a framework developed from doctrine and other leader development frameworks. Our first case, “Power Hungry,” is a 13-minute film about a food distribution operation in Afghanistan. We are current developing our second case, “Trip Wire.” We expect to develop more cases with ARI-LDRU through 2007.

Technologies For Case Method Teaching
The goal is to create flexible applications that can be tested and used by soldiers in a self-directed learning environment and also support instructors in a classroom. To provide widest access to the AXL system, it will be delivered through two mediums. The AXL system will be delivered online, through a web-based application that provides an interactive experience. The AXL system will also be adapted into a DVD-based solution.

The online system will provide a dynamic and interactive experience for the students. The system will draw on the ICT’s research in natural language processing to allow the student to interview characters from the cases through free-text questions. These interviews will provide the student’s with an opportunity to “think like a commander” as they gather more information about the case. ICT will also be pursuing artificial intelligence research in intelligent tutoring to allow the system to track and control the student’s learning experience.

The DVD will provide access to the filmed cases, menu-driven interviews with the characters, and multiple-choice, multimedia-based Q&A.