THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS COURSE

Abstract

Since the early sixties, the armed services of the United States have been moving progressively toward refinement of the teaching/training process for soldiers and civilians employed in the business of national defense. The major military services have all moved to a position whereby they are generally using systematic approaches to training analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The developed course, a copy of which is included in this dissertation, was pilot tested on a sample of contractor personnel, and the pre- and posttest data were analyzed. This analysis demonstrated that the contractor course as implemented and evaluated was perceived as a significant intervention tool for all contractor personnel developing training materials for the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School. The course was viewed as significant regardless of the amount of education or previous experience in training development on the part of the contractor. The successful completion of the course culminated in the recommendation that all contractors working for the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School take such training; that other armed services agencies implement such training, using the results of this study as justification; that colleges and universities develop programs to train private-sector contractors in the function of systematically designed instruction; and that additional studies be conducted to determine the actual dollar savings made possible by having contractor personnel trained prior to actual contract letting.