November 8, 2023
SIU researchers are investigating virtual training to promote faster, better decision-making in sports and more
CARBONDALE, Ill. — In games, medical procedures, military combat, and law enforcement situations, split-second decisions often determine the outcome. Scott Boatright, a doctoral candidate at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is conducting research to see if simulation and augmented reality can be used to train people to make faster and more effective decisions. . His research has already been recognized nationally with his $10,000 scholarship from the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA).
boat light, tampa, floridahas been working on a project for the School of Education’s Organizational Learning, Innovation, and Development (OLID) program with Peter Fadde, OLID professor of learning systems design and technology.
“The goal is to systemize and speed up the training and learning experience,” Fade said. “We can explore how we can take the seemingly intuitive decision-making processes that experts use, take their methodologies and expertise, and train others to use it more quickly. I asked myself.”
Boatwright said what drew him to SIU was the opportunity to work with Fadde and other SIU faculty on this innovative research using video occlusion technology, a type of virtual reality. Ta.
“I had a strong interest in applying the knowledge I learned in the classroom to the real world. Specifically, I wanted to apply innovative training methods and technologies such as augmented reality to create dynamic, high-pressure “It’s about improving human performance in environments where it’s more effective,” Boatwright said.
Better calls in sports
Boatwright’s research began with sports officiating.
For my master’s research project, I developed, implemented, and analyzed a program that incorporated the use of 360-degree video to train baseball umpires to better call strikes, balls, and fouls. His doctoral research takes it to the next level and transfers to the basketball court. There, the pace is faster and stakeholders have to make more decisions. He specifically focuses on what types of feedback are most helpful for learning.
But Boatwright and Fadde soon realized there was more to it than meets the eye. For example, if the referee literally calls every foul, every traveling violation and every other violation, a game could go on seemingly forever, Fadde said. Instead, referees make split-second decisions, anticipate actions, make decisions when officiating, and strive to make decisions in a way that applies fairly to both teams.
“When you talk to the best and most experienced officials, they often say that their expertise comes with experience,” Fadde said. “What Scott is doing is trying to find ways to help people get that knowledge, that intuition, that experience faster, so to speak.”
Boatwright and Fadde said honing the training and decision-making process in sports officiating could be used in the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), airport security, crowd control, law enforcement, the military, and even the medical field. Other meanings and applications are also possible.
Training with videos, modified reality
Mr. Fade has conducted extensive research on this technique for more than 20 years, and it has been honed to improve the batting averages of various professional baseball organizations as well as minor league and lower-level teams.
Now, Boatwright, with Fadde’s help, is looking to improve the skills of sports officials through technology. The referee watches the video, but unlike typical virtual reality, which captures the entire experience, video occlusion focuses only on “what you see,” as opposed to “what you do.” The participant watches the video, but perhaps he stops half a second before a foul or other violation occurs, giving him the opportunity to “make the call” and see the play progress and what happened. and get opinions from experts. In this method, participants are trained to predict behavior and make appropriate calls. Boatwright said it’s all about timing and making the right decisions.
Boatwright wrote his master’s thesis and took classes in cognitive psychology and decision-making while earning a degree in applied experimental psychology at the University of West Florida in West Pensacola in 2019, piqued his interest in the field of research. I did. He trains baseball umpires and uses 360-degree video and real-time training to improve the accuracy of his zone judgments, and pre-training sessions conducted at various speeds with video and virtual reality. We tested participants’ accuracy during and after training.
People who trained with any method except video at normal speed showed significant improvements in skill level, resulting in increased accuracy, reaction time, confidence, reduced stress, and a better training experience. did. He said this is an interesting aspect finding since many training programs simply use videos.
About court training
His current challenge is to create more complex research and training projects for basketball courts.
“There’s a tremendous amount of expertise needed there,” he said. “Refereeing is a good way to practice decision-making skills.”
He worked with intramural sports referees from SIU’s Recreational Sports and Services Department to use 360-degree video and through-the-court video to film participants during three different sessions each week for a month, with each participant Assess your decision-making skills and provide a video. Occlusion at normal and above-normal rates He performs reality training and provides feedback along the way.
In the end, he spends a considerable amount of time fully evaluating all the results.
“His research has great promise,” Fadde said. “Sports are rule-based and require a high degree of expertise, whereas athletes and officials must make split-second decisions. Similarly, other professions have the same standards and require this type of technical knowledge. Scott’s goal is to improve the physical aspects, make virtual training more realistic, and speed up the learning process to help people become more effective. The goal is to enable better and faster instant decision-making.”
Mr. Boatwright holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in business from Florida State University in Tallahassee and has several training programs, including SIU’s Extended Reality Development Academy (XRDA), a virtual reality applications and development training program. I have been involved in the laboratory of a certain faculty member. He holds his 3.96 GPA and is professionally published presenting his own research and is an associate professor and coordinator of curriculum, instruction and assessment in the School of Education, Fadde Miller and Grant Miller. I am working as a teaching/research assistant.
People’s Honor Award Winner
Boatwright’s research has already earned him an NTSA scholarship, which is awarded to future leaders in the modeling, simulation, training, and education communities. Mr. Boatwright will be a guest of honor at the 2023 Services/Interindustry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Florida in late November and will attend the upcoming conference to present his research. intend to do something.
Fadde said Boatwright was the first SIU student to receive the award, which was awarded based on his past and current research, as well as his expression of interest and suggestions for future research. Ta.
He said the OLID program (formerly the Workforce Education Development Program) has a long tradition of serving the military and currently offers eight off-campus locations, seven on military bases. Ta.
After earning his master’s degree and before beginning his doctoral studies, Boatwright completed an applied research program at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) program in collaboration with Department of Defense organizations, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and the Navy. I started working as a cognitive researcher. Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. He helped develop his system of training to practice advanced situational awareness and resiliency skills, field medical techniques, and tactical decision making, and found the work engaging and rewarding. Ta.
“That experience was really formative for me,” he said. “Once I complete my PhD in spring 2024, I hope to return to that type of research and incorporate the innovative research we are doing at SIU. It’s about continuing to research, educate and develop methods. I hope we can make a difference.”