Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      25th AF training breakthrough seen as 'game' changerPublished Feb. 17, 2015
                    
                    By Wayne Amann
                    
                    
                    25th Air Force Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO - LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) --**Visionaries at 25th Air Force are merging advances in technology with innovation and creative thinking to revolutionize how Airmen are educated, trained and developed in the intelligence community.Their competency and proficiency based approach does not involve sleight of hand, but it is MAGIC.The eyebrow-raising acronym stands for Mobile Apps & Games for Intelligence Courses, which marries state-of-the-art presentation technology with graphics, text, voice, video, sound effects and animation to create effective, engaging learning experiences."We found there was a need to more effectively reach our target student population," said Frank von Heiland, the chief of the Force Development and Training Division and Senior Language Authority for 25th Air Force. "A lot of research was done to ensure this approach was right, including some very sophisticated peer research."Of the approximately 12,000 Air Force enlisted intelligence professionals, 70 percent of those Airmen have less than five years of service, and are millennials. MAGIC's premise centers on game-based learning (serious games), targeting the training needs of the millennial generation, coupled with mobile learning (m-learning)."Another factor that drove the need is the migration of Air Force Special Operations Command Airmen to electronic flight books," von Heiland said. "This meant our 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group Airmen would all be carrying iPads on their missions."   This 'gamification' teaching method enables instructors to challenge Airmen with realistic scenarios that require students to employ detailed analysis and problem-solving skills to meet specific learning goals and objectives.The unique technique leverages simulation technologies with immersive learning, enabling trainees to re-enact exact circumstances multiple times, reviewing the consequences of different actions. This gives a more in-depth learning experience, the important takeaways of which are improved retention and critical thinking skills.MAGIC gives students more training time to practice and apply what they've learned instead of sitting through instructor-led training in a classroom."We started two years ago by taking the Air Education and Training Command approved curriculum for the Airborne Cryptologic Operator Course at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, including materials for very complex subjects like electromagnetic wave propagation, network fundamentals, radio wave propagation and super heterodyne multiplexing and converted them from PowerPoint and text presentations to fully interactive apps and games for students," von Heiland said.  The m-learning aspect of MAGIC literally plays into the hands of today's ISR-focused Airmen.Mobile learning affords self-directed Airmen access to information via their smart phones or tablets around the clock, fostering a more conducive learning atmosphere.The ability to access learning anytime, anywhere through distributed mobile learning is a methodology the Air Force is increasingly looking into. Successful implementation of MAGIC is seen by young intelligence professionals as the direction their training is headed."The feedback we're getting from Airmen is that this is the delivery method of the future for intelligence education and training, and they want more every day," von Heiland said.This capability mirrors the 25th Air Force education and training vision for the intelligence professional, "to develop and maintain skilled ISR analysts and operators capable of meeting the challenges of operational adaptability in an era of persistent, complex, conflict and change."Besides its accessibility upside, MAGIC utilizes a more adaptable and instructional design, creating training that's more operationally relevant and individually tailored.MAGIC proponents see this modern approach as a 'game' changer in the way education and training is delivered to intelligence professionals, better positioning them to meet the ever-changing landscape of warfare.modernization 



training 



technology 



apps 



Mobile Apps & Games for Intelligence Courses 



MAGIC 



25th AF Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil