Using Extended Reality to Teach Protection of Civilians in Higher Military Education

The Norwegian Armed Forces educate future joint staff officers to better understand the role, utility, and limitations of military force in protecting civilians from violence in armed conflict. At the center of this education is the threat-based approach to protection of civilians that redefines and details the role armed forces play in protecting civilians from different perpetrators of violence. Educators have experienced obstacles in teaching this new approach, as it challenges existing doctrinal thinking about force in contemporary armed conflict. These challenges inspired a search for a new and innovative way to overcome learning thresholds, leading to the development of an Extended Reality (XR) application to support teaching of the threat-based approach. The application employs several immersive experiences, including a new form of embodiment that combines digital avatars and 360°-videos, an agent-based simulation, and a collaborative map visualization. The pedagogical approach is built on threshold concepts theory, empathy, and peer learning. Preliminary results point to faster and deeper learning, and a significant interest in using XR to improve learning in higher military education.