Environmental scan and evaluation of key attributes of training scenarios involving moral-ethical dilemmas for military personnel

Funding opportunity

Environmental scan and evaluation of key attributes of training scenarios involving moral-ethical dilemmas for military personnel.

Anticipated timeline and budget

Background

Learning to manage distress in situations is crucial to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operational readiness, effectiveness, and sustainment. There are many ongoing efforts to assist military personnel to manage such distress such as the CAF Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) program. However, one area that requires a specific focus, is preparing soldiers for those operational situations and decisions involving moral challenges, often involving conflicts among their values and beliefs.

Historically, paper and pencil scenarios have been used as moral and ethical education tools, focusing on the stages of moral decision making and the importance of making a correct decision. Increasingly, engineering advancements are replacing traditional training methods with technology-driven modalities like virtual reality (VR). As immediately appealing as such new training technologies are, fundamental questions remain about developing effective scenarios that resonant with and provide maximal instructional value for a given population, like deployed military personnel. In addition, systematic evaluations of new technologies are required to ensure that training objectives are met, and that improved performance occurs.

Researchers from relevant fields are invited to submit proposals to conduct an environmental scan of the latest developments relevant to the development of military moral decision-making scenarios, and to provide recommendations for a follow-up conjoint analysis on such virtual scenarios.

Research objectives

This funding opportunity is seeking submissions to conduct an environmental scan of academic literature, public documents, emerging trends, best practices, and challenges in moral-ethical dilemma scenarios, including recommendations for a conjoint experiment.

Final report to include the following:

• Final research report that outlines new and emerging research, best practices and approaches for developing scenarios involving moral ethical dilemmas (including scenarios developed for VR environments).
• Identify and summarize academic literature and public documents regarding the types of virtual scenarios and key attributes of moral-ethical dilemmas relevant to military personnel.
• Example attributes for consideration include perspective, interaction with leadership, decision-making role, moral-ethical dilemmas, urgency, physical distance, naturalistic decision making, experience, demographic variables, and demographic factors like sex/gender and ethnicity.
• Provide recommendations on how to systematically evaluate the different features within each of the identified key attributes of scenarios involving moral-ethical dilemmas.
• Provide recommendations for gender-based analysis and considering factors from both end user and leadership perspectives.
• Provide recommendations for experimental design of a follow-up conjoint analysis from the end-user and leadership perspective based on the identified attributes and features from the environmental scan.
• Bibliography of documents used to produce the final report.

Desired outputs

See table below

Number	Description of Deliverable	Quantity and Format	Delivery Date
1	Submit a research report that outlines the key attributes and features of scenarios involving moral-ethical dilemmas as identified in the environmental scan and recommendations on how to systematically evaluate the different features within respective attributes.	Presented in English via teleconference with the Scientify Authority (SA) and electronic format, MS Word document	December 31, 2024
2	Submit the design for a follow-up conjoint analysis of the key features within respective attributes for moral-ethical dilemmas suitable for publication in the open literature	Presented in English via teleconference with the SA and electronic format, MS Word document,	March 1, 2025
3	Attend an initial project meeting, and monthly update meetings to report on progress to date on drafts of documentation in tasks 1 and 2, and a final close-out meeting	Teleconference with the SA	March 31, 2025

Applicant qualifications and requirements for selection

• Proposals must be led by a senior investigator with a PhD in in neuroscience or psychology, specifically in mental health studies.
• Previous experience and extensive knowledge of CAF training for moral ethical dilemmas and the impact of moral injury are required.
• Experience conducting and publishing systematic literature reviews and/or research reports on mental health, mental health training and moral injury.
• At least one publication utilizing conjoint analysis methodology.
• At least one of the following: publications, research grants, awards or projects, as a proven record of carrying out mental health research in the CAF.
• Access to a variety of online databases.
• Strong expertise in experimental design, as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications.

Application deadline

Please download and submit the Research Funding Application form.

Enquiries

Questions about this funding opportunity can be emailed to the VAC Research office.