The SimBLEND prototype application is designed to:

• 
  ► Attract young trainees to participate in the training through a familiar gaming interface
• ► Present standard CBT in Shareable Content Object Resource Model (SCORM) format that is managed by a Learning Management System (LMS)
• ► Quiz the trainee on CBT material and automatically score the results
• ► Present Virtual Vignettes that depict practical situations in which the trainee could practice the application of the concepts learned though the CBT and hone their skills
• ► Simulate realistic CND attacks and exploits by exposing network traffic data originated by commercial traffic generation capabilities
• ► Automatically score the performance of the trainee within these Virtual Vignettes
• ► Provide feedback to the trainee about his performance
• ► Recommend the next sequenced CBT, remediation CBT, or Virtual Vignette that the trainee should participate in

The SimBLEND prototype provides a unified look and feel of a game, interfaced to an LMS, for the instruction, training and competency evaluation of CND. The instruction of concepts is in the form of CBT to include instructional videos, standard text-based information, and quizzes related to the material. Training in the practical application of these concepts is presented as Virtual Vignettes that allow the student to virtually experience and apply knowledge gained from instruction. Each vignette has decision points where the content and unfolding of the vignette is influenced by the student’s actions and decisions. Competency evaluation is accomplished through the automated presentation and scoring of questions and answers related to the CBT, and scoring of trainee performance within the Virtual Vignettes. Collected metrics include clearly-defined measures, such as responding with the correct answer to a question, as well as indicators that an instructor can use to gain additional insight into the trainee’s performance, e.g. actions taken by the trainee in the Virtual Vignette.