Submarine Officer of the Deck Training Using Virtual Environments: An Assessment of Training System Capabilities

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn recent years, virtual reality (VR), often called virtual environments (VE), has received an enormous amount of attention among training developers. Training developers are beginning to recognize the potential of VR as a flexible and effective training medium. A prime candidate for examining the effectiveness of VR systems is the training of officer of the deck (OOD) ship handling for the surfaced submarine. The virtual environment for submarine OOD ship handling training (VESUB) project developed, demonstrated, and evaluated the training potential of a virtual reality‐based system for OOD training. This article documents the effectiveness of the training provided by the VESUB trainer during the training effectiveness evaluation (TEE) of the VESUB technology demonstration.Data were collected on 15 ship handling variables grouped into seven skill categories. The results clearly indicated that the VESUB system was extremely capable of providing training to new recruits who knew very little about submarine ship handling, as well as refresher training for the experienced, qualified OOD. Significant learning was demonstrated on 11 of 15 performance measures. The results of the TEE strongly indicate that VR technologies can provide effective training on ship handling skills across a wide variety of experience levels.