Integrating MPC&A System Design into the Instructional Systems Design Model to Develop Training Curricula

The U.S. Department of Energy Safeguards and Security Central Training Academy (S&SCTRA) was initially created to meet protective force training needs with a limited number of firearms courses. As the S&SCTA expanded training into all aspects of a Materials Protection, Control and Accountability (MPC&A) integrated system, emphasis shifted from ad hoc course development meeting specific job or individual requirements to creation of broad-based curricula that represent MPC&A system based training needs. This change in emphasis necessitated a reassessment of the application of Instructional Systems Development (ISD) to produce broadly integrated curricula instead of discrete, non-integrated courses. This reassessment was also necessary since the S&SCTA trains to policy and requirements that apply to all facilities, while facilities train to procedures that apply to their specific system and individual pieces of equipment. The conclusion was that mirroring the protection system design process to design a curriculum and thenfollowing ISD to produce courses within that curriculum produced a better integrated training program for the needs of S&SCTA.