By Leslie Spotswood, ADL

ADL_Logo_2013-320X202Happy New Year from the ADL Team! We’re excited and ramping up for the year ahead. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the areas we will be focused on:

● The Broad Agency Announcement Process is a major undertaking right now. Quad Charts were submitted in December, and we have been busy reviewing to determine the submissions for which to request white papers. We look forward to great things from our performers in 2016.

● We are engaging the Services, DoD and other partners to identify requirements that will drive our R&D efforts. We’ll be conducting interviews, holding workshops, and using other means to engage with our stakeholders. Our goal is to define and prioritize requirements that will improve military training and education over the next 3-5 years.

● Growing our collaborative partnership network is another goal for 2016. Our current network includes 12 centers, academic institutions within the U.S. and locations across the globe. We have a number of nations and institutions interested in becoming part of our network, and we look forward to working more effectively with our current partners to increase the global impact of ADL capabilities.

As thought leaders in the area of learning science and technologies, ADL has found that one of the best ways to achieve greater influence is through collaboration and participation in learning related conferences and events. These conferences and events provide us with the opportunity to talk about our R&D efforts, as well as learn new things that are taking place within the community.

This past weekend, Dr. Elaine Raybourn, Dr. Karen Cooper, Dr. Damon Regan, Andy Creighton and Rob Chadwick (virtually) facilitated workshops during Otronicon at the Orlando Science Center. Elaine was instrumental in developing and teaching the “Hour of Code” Workshops, introducing children, ages 6-12, to the world of computer science and programming. Workshops were held daily January 16-18. Additionally, on January 16, ADL’s Virtual World (VW) Sandbox Team provided two 90-minute, hands-on workshops on the VW Sandbox, our open-source, web-based game development tool that allows you to author and deploy 2D/3D simulations and games via any internet connection.

Other upcoming events include:
● Dr. Sae Schatz will be presenting at the Human Systems Conference in Springfield, VA on Feb. 9-10.
● Craig Wiggins will be co-presenting on “Capture the Data of Experience” on March 13 at South by Southwest (SXSW) which is taking place in Austin, TX.
● Peter Berking will be co-presenting on “Choosing a Learning Record Store” at Learning Solutions which is taking place in Orlando, FL on March 16-18.
● Dr. Sae Schatz is the theme chair of “Lifelong Learning” for MODSIM World 2016 which is taking place in Virginia Beach, VA on April 26-28. ADL will be heavily involved in this conference, providing multiple presentations, and planning for and leading the “Adult Learning Workshop” and “Learning Science Corner.” Make sure to register!

Stay tuned through www.adlnet.gov/events for other upcoming events.

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