Chief Learning Officer Magazine is running an article by Lindsay Edmonds Wickman which features Outside the Wire, a VEILS® developed last year to help train the US Army’s Forward Support Company:
Imagine being in a hostile foreign country commanding a unit of fresh-faced soldiers. You want to be prepared, you want to make good decisions and you want to be a leader.
But how can you truly prepare someone for this role? One possible answer is simulations, such as Outside the Wire, a WILL Interactive Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulation (VEILS®), a cross between a feature film and a computer game that immerses individuals into potentially real situations and circumstances.
“Just the opening scene of Outside the Wire, where you have people who are being shot and killed [is] enough to awaken lieutenants, who [will] now understand the impact of their decisions — that they’re responsible for lives under their leadership,” said Gayle Olszyk, deputy to the commander for training at the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and Schools.
“What choices you make are going to impact a lot of other people. That’s a reality that is very difficult to present to an officer in a written scenario. This is the reality of what you’re going to be facing when you get to Iraq.”
Read the full article here.
