The following is an 8-Week training plan designed to use Wikis for Collaborative Learning, Knowledge Construction, Critical Thinking, and Contextual Application.

21^st Century Wiki Warrior:  A Collaborative Approach to learning the Military Decision Making Process. 

In the U.S. Army, there is almost always an extensive answer to any possible question when it comes to policies, procedures, force structure, military law etc.  These answers come in the form of official publications that are categorized in to Administrative, Technical and Equipment, Doctrine and Training, Engineering, and Medical, with an extensive network of sub-categories to cover a wide range of topics and applications (Army Publishing Directorate, n.d.).  Most regulations are intended to be user friendly and easy to understand, where soldiers at all levels can educate themselves on a wide range of topics.  Publications such as ADP-1 “The Army”, seem to fit this bill by briefly describing what the Army is, what the Army does, how the Army does it, and where the Army is going (ADP 1 The Army, 2012).   In reality, many regulations can be lengthy, verbose, confusing, and poorly indexed, making it difficult to even find the regulation that covers your desired topic.  So, it should come as no surprise that the Army has a very extensive and complex process when it comes to making decisions.  This process is known as the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP), and is an integral part in providing the necessary staff analysis so that Commanders can make informed decisions, issue guidance and develop official orders.  The MDMP is a lengthy and complex seven step process with multiple sub-components to each step, requiring inputs and outputs across all staff sections and warfighting functions before moving on to the next step.  As one can imagine, learning to execute the MDMP takes time, experienced instructors, and if done properly, collaboration with the entire staff.

Target Audience:  The target audience for this lesson plan are students attending the United States Army Captains Career Course (CCC).  The CCC is a nine month course, with classes varying in size from about 60 to 80 students per class.  For the purposes of this Wiki project, students will break out in to small groups of approximately 5-6 individuals, then come together in larger groups of 20-30 students to execute a full scale MDMP staff exercise. 

Learning and Training Objectives:  This lesson plan is twofold.  First, the lesson plan is designed to teach students the intricacies of the MDMP through a collaborative small group Wiki project designed as an informative teaching tool.  Second, using the knowledge gained from the Wiki projects, students will come together as a larger group to execute the MDMP in a practical application staff exercise, known in the Army as a STAFFEX.  This lesson plan is designed to reach the following training objectives and outcomes:

-      Students will gain a thorough understanding of the steps involved in the MDMP.

-      Students will learn the basic functions of a Wiki space and how to utilize it as a collaborative tool within the staff process.

-      Students should understand:

o   The Commander’s Role in MDMP

o   The Staff’s role in MDMP

o   Commander, Staff and Subordinate Interaction

-      Finally, students will participate in a practical exercise where they will perform the MDMP in a collaborative Wiki space (Watson, n.d.)    

Rationale for using Wiki:  The MDMP is inherently collaborative in nature.  No one individual can execute the entire MDMP on their own.  It requires input from each staff element to provide a detailed analysis of what is required for the mission.  Since Wiki’s are an excellent tool for collaboration, it only makes sense to incorporate their use as part of a “collaborative forcing function”, requiring students to communicate outside of the classroom environment, share thoughts and ideas, and create and do, not just think about information that is presented (West & West, 2009).  Additionally, wikis are an open forum where others can view, comment and critique content.  This capability is important since the Army regularly conducts After Action Reviews (AAR’s) as a means to assess learning and apply knowledge gained to future training events.  The business of making decisions when other people’s lives are at stake is something leaders in the Army take very seriously.  This function of the wiki allows users to learn from their mistakes in the digital world before they turn in to real world casualties.   

Details on how Wiki is used: This wiki project will be used for collaborative learning, knowledge construction, and contextual application (West & West, 2009).  This will be a two-phase project.  In phase one, students will be divided in to small groups using the collaborative learning process to build a group summary on the seven steps of the Military Decision Making Process (West & West, 2009).  Students will use relevant doctrine, publications and resources to build a course of instruction on how to properly execute the MDMP.  In phase two, students will execute a team challenge, which West & West (2009) describe as a vehicle for brainstorming, testing, and developing creative solutions to real-world problems.  Students will come together in larger groups, where the team challenge will focus on executing the MDMP in a simulated combat environment.  Students will use the wiki to collaborate on their running staff estimates, develop courses of action, and wargame initial plans.   

Suggested Timeline:  This program will occur over an eight week period.  Week 1-3 will focus on wiki development and knowledge construction.  Week 4 will be used to review small group wiki pages, review the seven step model, and discuss the factors that drive the MDMP.  Week 5-7 will be used to execute the MDMP, utilizing the Wiki as a collaborative workspace, and Week 8 will be used to conduct After Action Reviews (AARs) and course critiques.    

Wiki Activity Evaluation:  Since this is a military course, students will be evaluated not only on the quality and content of the work, but the manner in which the work is completed.  The following evaluation criteria will apply.  

Evaluation Criteria	Unsatisfactory	Meets the Standard	Exceeds the Standard
Content: (Relevant, Accurate, Innovative, Sound Judgement)	Does not Contribute.	Contributes the minimum requirement.	Adds accurate and relevant content based supported by doctrine legitimate research.
Participation: (Collaborative, Develops, Promotes Group Participation)	Relies on other group members to contribute.  Does not take an active role in the STAFFEX.	Is present.  Participates with the group and contributes where necessary.	Is active in the staff process and construction of the wiki.  Regularly meets deadlines. Provides constructive feedback.
Character and Presence: (Adherence to Army Values, Maintains Military Bearing, Leads, Aides in the Learning Process)	Fails to maintain military bearing and adherence to standards.	Maintains the standard. Quiet Professional.	Sets the example for others to follow.  Leads by example. Professionally develops peers and subordinates. Takes charge in the absence of guidance.

References:

Army Publishing Directorate. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://armypubs.army.mil/

Headquarters, Department of the Army. (2012) The Army (ADP 1). Retrieved from https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/ADP.aspx

Watson, R. (n.d.).  Military decision making process. Retrieved from https://challenge2050.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/raun-p920-mdmp-version-13-01-attp-ay-11-121.pdf

West, J. A. & West, M. L. (2009).  Using wikis for online collaboration: The power of the read-write web.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The following is a list of useful documents and lesson/training plans: 

Training and Education Development in Support of the Institutional Domain 

MDMP Lesson designed by the Army's Combined Arms Center

The Military Decision Making Process Handbook