Development and Validation of Measures for Army Aviation Collective Training

Simulation-based Aviation Training Exercises (ATX) are critical for preparing U.S. Army Combat Aviation Brigades for deployment. However, while offering the opportunity to practice mission segments at the unit level, the effectiveness of this training remains unclear due to a need for objective assessments focused on observable team behavior. Unit Commanders and trainers need tools for measuring collective task performance in order to understand performance gains, facilitate feedback, and guide the learning of aviation tactical teams. To address this challenge, a set of aviation team performance measures were developed, data were collected to validate these measures, and strategies were created to facilitate application of the measures to collective training events. The measures used behaviorally-based observations to assess performance of aviation tactical teams. The measures were used at multiple ATX events to assess performance of aviation tactical teams. Data were collected on inter-rater reliability and on agreement between the measures and overall mission performance. Results provided evidence of both acceptable reliability and validity for the measures. Moreover, requirements were developed for electronic data collection tools that can be used by unit Commanders and trainers to assess team performance at collective training exercises