Investigating Workload Measures for Adaptive Training Systems

Adaptive training systems have the potential to be tremendously beneficial for both trainees and trainers. The greatest challenge in creating adaptive training systems is the development of methods capable of reliably and unobtrusively monitoring the trainee’s cognitive state throughout the training process. Previous research suggests that eye tracking methods may be capable of supporting this requirement. The present study sought to evaluate the use of eye tracking methods across multiple tasks to identify potential limitations for its future implementation in adaptive training systems. The results suggest that, although eye tracking is capable of detecting fluctuations in operator workload related to the performance of tasks requiring focal vision, it is insensitive to workload fluctuations associated with tasks that can be performed using peripheral vision. This limitation must be considered by developers intending to use this technology within adaptive systems.