Annasofie Wædeled-Møller

Learning and development consultant, RDDC, Denmark

I work with leadership and organizational support, where I develop and teach various courses, e-learning courses and workshops. My work is generally driven by the needs that my target groups have, but I currently work with the following key areas and themes: Psychological safety, Behavioral design, Leading high performance teams, DEI, Bias-conscious leadership and Leading in a digital era. In addition, I have often worked with and taught how to work with digital supported learning environments. I have extensive experience in teaching and advising learning and development initiatives and have developed and taught various courses in the Danish Defense’s pedagogical and didactical training courses. My theoretical view on learning and development is based on Problem based learning, Reflective practice learning, Learning communities, Psychological safety and Embodied learning. I often create a digitally supported dimension to the initiatives I work on. I find that the blended format works really well in supporting learning and development processes.

“If you’re uncomfortable – it means you’re learning” Supporting reflective practice learning by elevating psychological safety in learning communities

The learning objectives of this workshop are to gain a deeper understanding of how self-preservation can sometimes hinder the learning outcome in predesigned learning opportunities such as "After Action Reviews" and "Lessons Learned processes" and the ability to use leader/educator tools to support this.

The workshop is designed to be both active and engaging inviting the participants to engage in both activities using cases and digitally supported branching scenarios in Learnlab. Through activities and examples the workshop explores and answers the following questions: Why is learning often uncomfortable? How can the theory of reflective practice learning enhance learning from practice? How does the degree of psychological safety hinder or support the willingness to take interpersonal risk and boost learning and team performance? How can a narrative approach to practice combine the two and how can it be implemented in both leadership and educator-training?

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Learning science

Ea Als-Andersson

Teaching Consultant, RDCC, Denmark

Ea Als-Andersson has a Master of Arts in Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies.

She is employed as a teaching and learning consultant at The Royal Danish Defence College where she teaches trainers, sergeants and civil educators in pedagogy and didactics.

Christina Helleshøj

Teaching Consultant, RDCC, Denmark

Christina Helleshøj (cand.mag/MA) teaching and leaning consultant at The Royal Danish Defence College.

She is an experienced teacher and learning consultant. She has special interest in literacy, blended learning, feed back processes and development of teachers skills through action learning.

Empowering Student Writers in a World Influenced by AI Technology

This session operates on the premise that writing is an important skill to master for all students. In a world influenced by AI we as educators must be aware of teaching our students that writing is not about prompting a language model, it is a way to learn and to communicate.

We will introduce reflective writing as a scaffolding concept designed to help students enhance their (content-area) writing skills through various writing exercises. Reflective writing is applicable in various forms of education and can be implemented in both online and offline education, synchronous as well as asynchronous study courses. During this session you are invited to try reflective writing and participate in an informal talk about the possibilities and limitations of reflective writing.

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Learning methodology

COL Maksym Tyshchenko

National Defence University of Ukraine

Head of Research ADL Center of National Defence University of Ukraine. In 2013 completed Ph.D. studies at the National Defence University of Ukraine, scientific specialty is Information Technologies. Research and educational activities are focused on Advanced Distributed Learning implementation into the process of military education and training. Member of several international working groups dedicated to using information technologies in military education and training. Director of Ukrainian Partnership Centre of the Advanced Distributed Learning Partnership Network under the US government program Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative. Author of numerous publications on information technologies and Advanced Distributed Learning.

The approach to training faculties on using AI tools

The presentation aims to highlight the importance of training faculties and researchers on using AI chat bots in professional activities as well on ways of collecting, analyzing information, and preparing scientific articles with set of AI tools. The presentation will cover the benefits of using AI chat bots to automate routine tasks, such as data collection and analysis, freeing up time for researchers to focus on more complex tasks. Case studies and examples of successful implementation of training approaches on using AI chat bots and other AI tools in educational and research fields will be presented.

Learning methodology

Gustav Nyquist

Digital content producer, NDUC, Norway

Gustav Sigholt Nyquist is an adviser with a master's degree in journalism and documentary film.

He works as a digital content producer at Norwegian Defence University College where he produces videolectures, livestreams, podcast and other mediaproductions. Gustav has several years’ experience from film industry with fictional film, documentary, reality, commercial and information film both public and private sector.

At NDUC Gustav is responsible for the videostudio with all its technical aspect, and also have been involved in the startup of 3 new videostudios. Two in Norway and one in Gori, Georgia.

Let's edit a videolecture

A hands on approach for editing videolectures. In the workshop we will edit of a videolecture from start to finished. Teoretical there will be tips, tricks and some general good rules of thumb when editing.

I want to show you how to get control in a editing program and use the different media elements for a effective production. This is a crashcourse for teachers/lecturs who want to start with videoediting.

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Producing video lectures

Mr Martin Hans jensen

Learning Consultant at Royal Danish Defence College, Denmark

Martin Hans Jensen holds a Bachelor of education and Master of Information technology.

For more than a decade, Martin has focused on learning and IT. Today Martin is Learning Consultant at The Royal Danish Defence College, and here he works with Moodle, Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Blended Learning in the Danish Defence.

Captain Bo Posselt Kristensen

Danish Home Guard School, Denmark

Capt. Bo Posselt works as a case officer specializing in simulation and VR at the Danish Home Guard School. He has been engaged with learning and e-learning over the past decade, maintaining a strong interest in VR and educational technology.

Fidelity in Virtual Reality

In these days, many discussions revolve around the necessity of high fidelity in virtual reality (VR) training. High fidelity can lead to exciting, challenging, and effective training experiences, but developing high-fidelity VR is often time-consuming and costly. It is not always essential to have high fidelity to achieve the desired learning outcomes.

In this parallel session, Martin will briefly explain the concept of fidelity and focus on when high fidelity is necessary in VR training and when it is not crucial. Additionally, the presentation will provide examples of how to create the feeling of high fidelity without breaking the bank and explore alternative design approaches when high fidelity is not a possibility. Towards the end of the session, we will collectively examine different levels of fidelity achievable with one of the most widespread headsets in the market: Meta Quest 2.

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Learning technology

Miika Rouvinen

The Finnish Defence Forces, The Defence Forces Shared Services Centre, Learning and image services (ADL) unit

Mr. Miika Rouvinen works at Finnish Defense Force's ADL Office as a Head of Administration and Development of the FDF's eLearning Platform. He has been working with that platform in slightly different positions relating f.ex. to pedagogy, administration, and stakeholder co-operation about 10 years.

From short term goals to practical concept in developing FDF's digital learning

FDF's ADL Office and virtual FDF's digital learning's development group (recognised as whole as a National Center of Expertise in digital learning) have created a short term goal and endstate document for FDF's digital learning 2026 in co-operation with FDF's J7. This document has a broad view to demands for digital learning in different categories, which includes f.ex. learning culture, pedagogy, digipedagogical competences, content production, and technical development. After the endstate document, and J7's commentary for it, the same group started to work with a concept document, which should tell very practically what kind of steps we should take to achieve goals marked down in the earlier endstate document.

This presentation tells a little bit about goals set for the endstate, but more about those practical steps, and tasks we need to execute and implement for the name of developing FDF's digital learning's effectivity, usability, and technical possibilities.

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Developing digital learning

OR8 Anders Jakobsson

SwAF Land Warfare Center, Sweden

Army officer since more than 30 years. Last 20 years working with simulators and last 10 years head of VBS2/3/4 usage in SwAF. I was involved in e-learning efforts on LWC abaout 10 years ago and did host a Moodle server for some of SwAF minlitary schools.

Training soldiers with flexible simulators using StrisimPC

StrisimPC is a simulator system in SwAF. It is using the simulator program Virtual Battlespace 4 (VBS4). VBS4 is a very flexible simulator and are used from soldier level to company commander level.

The presentation will cover the usage of this simulator system in SwAF and present the system itself. SwAF uses StrisimPC for a variety of purposes. The simulator is available on almost all garrisons in Sweden and is used for training different tasks such as soldier tasks, group leader giving of orders, platoon leaders leading of squad leaders, company commanders leading assault. The simulator also contains part task training possibilities such as: Handling of detailed simulated equipment as CV9040D, Remote Weapon Station (VS01) and training of forward observers ordering artillery fire. The simulator contains the whole earth as 3D world in low resolution and the whole of Sweden in mid resolution. Smaller parts are in high resolution. The SwAF can change the terrain them selves at any time and any instructor could change the terrain scene in an exercise for a specific purpose.

As a complement to the presentation there will also be computers from a mobile set of StrisimPC to try at the workshop.

Practical use of (emerging) learning technologies

Mr Marcel Terpstra

Ministry of Defence the Netherlands / Center of Expertise Digital Learning

Mr. Terpstra has twentyone years of experience within the field of digital learning within the Dutch Ministry of Defence, experienced as a developer, staff employee research and developement and as a project lead.

TIY: Teach IT Yourself: How teachers can make simple, interactive, gamified (free!) content

In this presentation, multiple tools are presented in an overview to facilitate teachers to make their own interactive blended content using open-sourced, free tools. Using the free software of H5P/Lumi, highlights will be presented with a critical view to feasibility and usibility for teachers. together with the group dirrefent possiblities will be explored, hands-on, bring your own laptop! 

Would you like to participate in the workshop? Then make sure you have installed Lumi (see attachment) on your laptop. (the program does not work on a tablet or telephone)
However the interactive curses you have created on your laptop do work on all devices!

So bring your own laptop with an installed version of Lumi.
For the workshop you also need 3 images on your laptop. (see downloadlink)

Installing_LUMI.pdf    Download images (ZIP)

If you just want to watch and hear what is being said, no problem! A live demo will also be given And there are handouts ready for you if you want to try it at home.

 Download presentation     Download Handout

Practical use of (emerging) learning technologies

 CANCELLED  

Dr. Andy Van Schaack

Vanderbilt University, USA

Dr. Andy Van Schaack is a professor at Vanderbilt University with appointments in the Peabody College of Education and the School of Engineering. He teaches courses in social science research methods, judgment and analytical reasoning, attribute development, and technology forecasting. He founded and served as Chief Scientist for several Silicon Valley-based companies where he earned over a dozen patents on educational technologies. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Madison Sarratt Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (Vanderbilt University's teacher of the year award). In 2018, he was named an honorary midshipman by the Vanderbilt University Naval ROTC unit, and in the spring of 2022, he served as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Austria.

From Theory to Practice: Detailed Descriptions of AI-Enhanced Instructional Activities

In this session, Dr. Van Schaack will provide detailed descriptions of the instructional activities he presented in his keynote presentation, illustrating how they can be implemented in real-world academic and training environments. Each activity will be broken down into actionable steps, ensuring that participants can easily adapt and apply them. The session aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, demonstrating how AI can be used to enhance the cognitive processes that promote the acquisition, retention, and transfer of knowledge and skills for students and trainees.

Mr Gigi Roman

NATO School Oberammergau

Mr. Gigi Roman Course Director, NATO School Oberammergau, NATO Certified Instructor and the Advanced Distributed Learning (eLearning) Coordinator responsible for NATO School's online education, training and online content management, including new product design and strategic relationships for the organization learning management system, authoring tools and collaboration solutions. In previous roles with NATO School and the PfP community, he has overseen the development of web-based knowledge management systems and the repurposing of instructional materials for online delivery. Member of the Advanced Distributed Learning Working Group and the Educators Working Group of the PfP Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes. Prior to NATO School, he worked with a variety of groups at the Military Academy, International Security Network, George C. Marshall Center, PfP Consortium on project management, online content management, online and classroom training.

Mr. Ryan Williams

NATO ACT in Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Mr. Ryan Williams NATO ACT in Norfolk, Virginia, USA boasting more than 15 years of expertise in eLearning across diverse roles, he embarked on his journey as a programmer, proficiently hardcoding Flash and JavaScript many years ago. His proficiency extends to multimedia design, video production, and adept delivery through Learning Management Systems (LMS) and SCORM. Presently, he actively contributes to a spectrum of projects focused on emerging technologies, including virtual reality, augmented reality, 5G delivery, haptics, and Artificial Intelligence.

Generative Artificial Intelligence in Training and Education: Hands-On Workshop for Learning Technology Innovations

The landscape of education is undergoing a revolutionary shift fueled by the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This hands-on workshop provides a comprehensive journey into AI fundamentals and their expansive applications, ranging from natural language processing to computer vision, with a spotlight on the dynamic realm of Generative AI. At the heart of our immersive exploration is Generative AI, a specialized discipline poised to revolutionize education and training by crafting innovative content across text, images, audio, and video. Delving into the possibilities, we will navigate through renowned generative AI platforms and tools, featuring chatbots such as: OpenAI, Bard, and Bing. The workshop transcends theoretical discussions, offering participants tangible insights into prompt engineering—an indispensable technique for tailoring prompts to effectively elicit desired outputs from generative AI models. Through hands-on activities and interactive sessions guided by expert facilitators Mr. Gigi Roman from NATO School Oberammergau and Mr. Ryan Williams from NATO Allied Command Transformation, participants will actively engage with generative AI technologies, gaining practical experience in leveraging these tools for training and educational enhancement.

The workshop's focus extends beyond theoretical frameworks, fostering a deep understanding of the real-world applications of Generative AI in educational contexts. By the workshop's conclusion, participants will emerge with a heightened comprehension of AI's potential and the nuanced challenges it introduces to the educational landscape. Empowered with this knowledge, attendees will be equipped to integrate Generative AI tools and techniques seamlessly into their teaching and learning environments. The workshop aims to inspire innovation, cultivating a dynamic and forward-thinking educational experience that harnesses the transformative capabilities of Generative AI. Equipment needed: BYOD: e.g. laptop, tablet, smartphone with Internet access.

Practical use of (emerging) learning technologies

Dr. Aaron Presnall

Jefferson Institute, USA

Dr. Aaron Presnall is a leader in transatlantic efforts to transform security cooperation systems and training. He is President of the Jefferson Institute, a non-partisan, not-for-profit corporation that creates and deploys digital tools integrated with research and education platforms to empower engaged access to information. Presnall serves as a Senior Advisor to OSD P&R/Force Education and Training, and is National Chair of the NATO PfP Consortium ADL Working Group, spearheading multinational cooperation to innovate training capabilities. As the Principal Investigator on ADL Initiative projects for the Viking 18 and Viking 22 exercises, he played a lead role in the operational integration of eLearning and unified Learning and Performance Analytics in training events.

He is a leader in the premier DoD online learning and training/simulation conferences, serving on the Council of Chairs for NTSA’s iFest and on the I/ITSEC Education Subcommittee. Before founding the Jefferson Institute, Presnall held positions at the EastWest Institute office in Prague and was EastWest’s Regional Director of Southeast Europe in Belgrade.

His Jefferson Institute work also has included directing NSF Arctic Social Sciences data visualization and community engagement projects, and leading projects for the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; the Norwegian and Netherlands ministries of defense; and the Knight Foundation, German Marshall Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Presnall was a Lecturer at the University of Virginia for six years, teaching a course on promoting democracy in countries emerging and transitioning from authoritarian regimes.

Ukraine Military Medical Training & Education Requirements

The Armed Forces of Ukraine has an urgent demand for additional MILMED personnel across all levels and specialties. However, there are limited available faculty and staff to support the required training and education to meet AFU operational readiness. The Ukrainian Military Medical Academy (UMMA) aims to increase and improve its use of eLearning for both medical professionals (e.g., personnel in UMMA’s academic programs) and field medicine specialists (e.g., first responders) who perform tactical medical tasks. The Partnership for Peace Consortium’s (PfPC) Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Working Group convened a workshop, “Distributed Learning in War,” on September 5-6, 2023, with the NATO Centre of Excellence (COE) for MILMED in Budapest, Hungary. A panel of 41 civilian and military distributed learning experts from 18 NATO and Partner Nations and Organizations, including Ukraine, analyzed technology-enhanced learning relevant to Military Medicine in wartime. Ukraine Military Medicine requires learning solutions, short- and mid-term, that enable effective training and education to meet current and post-war Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) operational requirements. Allies and Partners require immediate coordination and accountability to provide more efficient and effective means of delivering such capabilities to the AFU and across partnerships. Some vital AFU Military Medicine training and education requirements can be met by improved distributed learning capabilities.

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Practical use of (emerging) learning technologies

Anna Therese Klingstedt

Projectmanager, NDUC, Norway

Therese Klingstedt has an MA in political science and works as a senior R&D communications advisor.

Her responsibilities encompass the development and implementation of marketing and communications strategies for NDUC seminars and conferences.

She handles text creation, video editing, and graphic design across various digital platforms.

She is an experienced journalist and editor of several academic series. Presently, her focus is on enhancing digital workflows pertaining to events and the broader scope of R&D management. 

Line Patricia Moreno

Projectmember, NDUC, Norway

Line Patricia Moreno works as an event consultant in organizing seminars and conferences. In addition to her primary role, she also assists the senior R&D communication advisor, ensuring that NDUC's seminars and conferences gain visibility.

Her background ranges from organizing music festivals to handling conference dinners for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is presently working on enhancing the digital registration for conferences and seminars, simultaneously exploring the use of AI focusing on image synthesis. 

Which type of webinar is best suited for equitable dissemination of R&D at NDUC?

As a higher education institution, the Norwegian Defence University College (NDUC) is legally obligated to disseminate knowledge. One of the tasks of the academic staff is to support this endeavor. 

Open seminars and conferences play a vital role in sharing knowledge with stakeholders in the defence sector, academia, and society at large. The support functions are primarily centralised in Oslo, particularly in relation to research and development (R&D) support. The NDUC consists of several schools and an institute located in various locations in Norway. Smaller departments located further from Oslo do not have the same proximity to R&D event support as larger departments. Consequently, NDUC aims to establish a research dissemination platform accessible to everyone, regardless of location, with webinars serving as an ideal solution. There are various ways to organize a webinar. Hence, we will explore the following question:

How can we build enhancing webinars through engagement and psychological safety?

This workshop aims to gather feedback from its participants to enhance the webinar experience. We will introduce various webinar formats and emphasise the creation of an environment characterized by psychological safety and open dialogue. Participants will be exposed to common challenges encountered in webinars, ranging from technical issues and participant engagement to presenter nervousness. Towards the end, participants will also have the chance to share their own views and solutions. We invite you to explore the challenges and opportunities of webinars and we invite you to contribute to the development of a webinar format that promotes psychological safety. 

Link to project description on the NDUC website:
https://www.forsvaret.no/en/research/projects/utvikling-av-nytt-webinarkonsept-for-forsvarets-hogskole

Learning Science

Staff Sergeant Preben Vindholmen

Royal Norwegian Air Force

Staff Sergeant Preben Vindholmen began his military service in the Army in 1995. The following year he started at the technical command school in the Norwegian Air Force. After a few years as a technician within the Air Defense System NASAMS, Preben started as an instructor at the Norwegian Airforce Training Centre.

At the beginning of the 2000s, he experimented with using Learning Management Systems as a tool in his own teaching, and developed web-based emulators for use in teaching. From 2008, Preben has worked full-time with ADL in several areas. He has led both course productions, but also implementations of learning platforms.

Through collaboration with the Norwegian Defence University College (NDUC), Vindholmen has participated in ADL projects in Serbia and Georgia. From 2021 to 2022, Preben served for NDUC as an ADL officer. For the past two years, in the position chief of section for the Norwegian Air Force's ADL competence center, he has led the technical development of the Norwegian Armed Force's new learning platform.

Senior Advisor Fredrik Amland

Norwegian Cyber Defence

Fredrik Amland began his military service in the Army in 1988 at the Infantry Officer´s Training Course as his mandatory conscript service. 

After receiving his second lieutenant rank, he obtained a business degree at Norges Handelhøyskole, then returning to the Army for UN and NATO missions in Lebanon and Bosnia as a media officer (PIO) on battalion and brigade level. After a business career including Russian and Eastern European investment programmes and a law degree from the University of Oslo, he returned to the Norwegian Armed Forces, in the Cyber Defence Digitalization Unit, as a senior adviser in 2011, while also serving part time as an interpreter, Inspector and Escort Officer under the Vienna Convention and Open Skies arms control programmes and as Deputy J-2 in UNMISS in Africa in 2016.

Through collaboration with the Norwegian Air Force, Amland has supported the latest Norwegian ADL project as an innovation facilitator, advisor and integrator, ensuring scalability and satisfactory security for a commercial cloud based military service on the Internet for all branches of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Senior Executive Officer Bjørn André Fauske Hjelle

Royal Norwegian Air Force Training Centre Kjevik

Bjørn André Fauske Hjelle is employed as a Senior Executive Officer at the Royal Norwegian Air Force. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Technology and Design, as well as a Master's degree in Multimedia and Educational Technology. Currently, he is in the final stages of completing postgraduate studies in pedagogy.
 
He serves as a Multimedia Producer, leveraging his expertise in course development, media production, digital consultancy, and teaching within both digital content production and educational technology. Presently, he is responsible for managing the Royal Norwegian Air Force's learning platform and their remote teaching studio. Over the past two years, he has actively participated in various roles in the development of the Norwegian Armed Force’s new learning platform. He currently leads a group responsible for user testing the new platform.

New Moodle LMS in Norway

The Norwegian Armed Forces Learning Platform.

The story of how 5 different learning platforms became one without a separate project organization. A story about the work behind, collaboration, development and operations.

Vindholmen is a staff sergeant at the Air Force School Center Kjevik/Kristiansand, where he is head of the section for digital support of teaching and training. He has headed the group that has had the main responsibility for the technical aspects of the solution, including authentication and integration with the Norwegian Armed Forces' HR system.

During the presentation, he will be joined by Mr. Fredrik Amland from the Cyber Defence's Digitalisation Department and Mr. Bjørn Andre Fauske from the Air Force School Centre. The latter will talk about technical development collaboration and how the platform works functionally, respectively.

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Learning tools

Lt Col Viktoriia Krykun

National Defence University of Ukraine

LtCol Viktoriia Krykun (PhD in Education) is an expert in language testing according to NATO STANAG 6001, blended learning, and officers’ soft skills development. She holds a position as a Chief of the Language Testing & Research Section of the Foreign Languages Education & Research Centre of the National Defence University of Ukraine. She actively engages in various international scientific initiatives under the NATO DEEP umbrella, focusing her expertise on addressing challenges in computer adaptive language testing according to NATO STANAG 6001, and advancing development of cultural awareness. Justyna Kowalczys - NATO DEEP eAcademy Deputy Director for English Language Training. An ESP and e-learning specialist involved in NATO DEEP ADL activities since 2019. Her area of expertise is ADL material design and didactical input combined with experience of structuring e-learning modules for ESP and cross-checking activities. A certified NATO STANAG 6001 examiner. Leader of NATO DEEP eAcademy projects on "Multimedia tools for e-teacher and e-instructor"; "Social media & VR for education and society" and "AI Tools for Education".

Lt. Col Olena Rybchuk

National Defence University of Ukraine

She graduated from Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University, specialty – military psychology.

Served as a psychologist officer of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Currently, she is PhD military student of the National Defence University of Ukraine.

The field of scientific interests is critical thinking, including development of officers' critical thinking.

Mr. Serhiy Doma

Center for Civilians in Conflict, Ukraine

Serhiy Doma, Senior Military Advisor, Ukraine Country Program, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) Serhiy Doma is the CIVIC (Center for Civilians in Conflict) Senior Military Advisor in Ukraine. He joined CIVIC in January 2017. In 2017-2022 he contributed to launching numerous initiatives at the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including introduction of civilian harm tracking policies and practices as well as training the AFU officers on incorporation of protection of civilians in armed conflicts into combat operations planning. He served as an officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2014-2015 and in 2022-23 at various positions at the high-level and field commands in the course of large-scale invasion to Ukraine and was honorably discharged in July 2023 in the rank of a major. Since July 2023 he returned to his work as a Senior Military Advisor at CIVIC. His interests include societal resilience, civil-military cooperation, civilian harm tracking and mitigation as well analysis of NATO standards and practices vis-a-vis his first-hand experience of a combat officer and a veteran of Ukraine-Russia war. 

VR for officers’ training: scenarios

Virtual reality as an enhanced training tool has been used for professional development of the military since the 80s. However, VR is mostly popular for training technical skills, dealing with equipment, weapons, vehicles and medical aid. As early as in 2018 VR started to be used to train protection of civilians (inter alia, at Allied Command Transformation, Norwegian Defence University College).

In 2022 National Defence University of Ukraine initiated the research on using VR for officers’ soft skills development. The first stage of the research was the survey held with around 200 respondents in September 2023. Based on the survey’s results there were defined the main soft skills to develop, such as leadership, communicative skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking. Since 2023 the National Defence University of Ukraine and Center for Civilians in Conflict cooperatively have been working on developing VR scenarios based on the experiences from Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. These scenarios are designed to train the military how to operate in the combat zones in presence of civilians, including gender aspects (for military and civilian perspectives, within military environment), applying protection of civilians-based approach and a set of soft skills. During the development of scenarios one of important aspects we have focused our attention were aspects of cognitive biases and heuristics to identify the level of critical thinking. The set of scenarios are both for individual and collective training sessions. In 2024-2025 the scenarios will be transformed into VR training sessions to be used for training the military in Ukraine.

Learning methodology

Elisabet Malvebo

Malmö university/Swedish Naval Warfare Center

As educational developer at the Swedish Naval Warfare Center I hold a special interest in development of learning spaces, didactics and methodology in professional education. I am currently working on my PhD project in higher education pedagogy and simulation-based teaching and learning at Malmö university.

What is it that we call simulation-based teaching and learning?

Simulation-based teaching and learning is far from new in education. Educating to and practicing in vocation as close to reality as possible, without causing injury or material and financial high costs, has been done for many years. As education to professions enters the academic organization, so do their traditions in teaching and learning, and thus these teaching and learning practices also enter higher education pedagogy and become part of the educational development in colleges and universities. One strength in this change process is that the area of simulation-based teaching and learning is also discovered systematically through research. So, what can this research contribute to?

This is a presentation of preliminary results from a systematic literature review within a PhD-project. The aim with the structured review is to provide an organized overview of the nature of the research done in the field of simulation-based teaching and learning in academic education to professions, with an entry from pedagogy. It holds a critical approach and strives at uncovering questions such as: what and how is being researched what themes and domains are highlighted and what can we learn from this?

Co-presenting with Dr. Marie Leijon, Associate Professor at Malmö university.

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Designing and developing learning assets