Training Evaluation in the Military: Misconceptions, Opportunities, and Challenges

Abstract

Due to a number of misconceptions about training evaluation in the military, these evaluations are rarely done. In this article, we review recent findings that identify obstacles to training evaluation in the military and offer some alternatives for dealing with these problems. Further, we discuss the use of theoretically driven evaluation outcomes to provide evaluators with information that can feed back into the training system. Finally, we discuss future challenges for training evaluation in the military environment, such as the evolution from physical to cognitive tasks; training large, distributed teams; and the use of simulation in training design.