NEWS

Troops Learn Cultural Awareness with New Media

Cultural awareness is an increasingly important issue for many NATO armed forces. Faced with out-of-area deployments in a hostile or challenging environment, military planners are keen to ensure that service personnel can quickly gain an appreciation of local cultural sensitivities. Traditional methods of teaching cultural awareness, such as face-to-face workshops, may no longer be adequate in a complex and busy environment. New learning technologies, however, present many exciting new opportunities and can provide attractive solutions.

Sean Nugent of LINE Communications will tell delegates at ‘Security and Defence Learning 2008’ about the “scenario based, media rich approach”, which LINE has developed for the British Ministry of Defence.

“With current deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is essential that military service personnel are fully equipped with an awareness of the local culture, customs and language. Personnel need to be able to identify issues and minimise risks to stop them getting out of control. Cultural awareness requires changes in behaviour and attitude; this cannot be taught by simply delivering factual information out of context; consequently, the standard e-learning approach of providing knowledge in a page turning format is not sufficient to equip military personnel for deployment.”

LINE’s award-winning package is based around a number of scenarios, with supporting information and real-life video clips of soldiers returning from theatre.

Sean Nugent MSc is an Account Manager at LINE Communications. He has had direct hands-on experience of developing e-learning in the Defence sector. This has given him a clear insight into what works for the target audience in this environment and how to make e-learning a success. He has a particular interest in working with organisations to embed learning technology within learning programmes, and using technology to transform learning and development. He has overseen a number of large-scale complex blended learning programmes for a range of customers including the UK Border Agency, (formerly the Border and Immigration Agency) the UK Ministry of Defence, the National Australia Group Europe and the UK National College for Schools Leadership. He has extensive experience of developing e-learning programmes for use across the corporate, defence, education and public sectors.

To view the agenda: http://www.security-defence-learning.com/agenda.php

About Line Communications

LINE Communications has been in the multimedia learning business for over 18 years. We have extensive experience of designing and developing e-learning content and providing strategic learning consultancy in the Defence and Government sectors. We are at the forefront of learning technology and have won many awards for our world class projects. LINE has offices in London Sheffield and Zurich. http://www.line.co.uk/

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