Study 5: The best of two worlds: Gathering validity evidence for an integrated instructional design model for skills training and academic education at a military academy.

This study describes the gathering of validity evidence for the integrated instructional design model (i.e. TrEd ID model) from academic educators at the Netherlands Defence Academy through focus group sessions. At a military academy, officer cadets master military skills and strategic thinking through military training and academic education respectively. In frequently complex and dynamic operational settings, officers typically need to perform military skills and strategic thinking simultaneously.

As a result, it is crucial that officer cadets learn to integrate military skills and strategic thinking in a relevant way. However, military training and academic education are often separated learning tracks, lacking a common language and common methods. Addressing this issue, an innovative integrated instructional design framework was created in order to cater the requirements of both military training and academic education.

To gather validity evidence (the systematic collection and evaluation of diverse data sources to substantiate the credibility and accuracy of the assessment interpretations and ensure their alignment with the intended purpose) for this so-called TrEd ID model, we conducted a focus group study with academic educators from the Netherlands Defence Academy. The results of this study indicate that the TrEd ID model effectively meets the demands of both of these learning tracks.

Additionally, the results offer valuable insights for its potential implementation. Future research could focus on obtaining further validity evidence for the TrEd ID model from other stake holders in the officer cadets’ learning process. Further research could also investigate the necessary practical guidelines for implementing the TrEd model at a military academy.

Software ATLAS.ti (v24).

Methods

Focus group sessions: Thematic analysis.

Data description

Audio recording and transcript Officer education (Academic educators).