Tradecraft Academy
Overview

All Source Analysis Tradecraft Academy

Analytic Training to Meet Tomorrow's Mission Needs

As part of CACI’s Tradecraft Tailored to Operations (T3O) FrameworkTM, CACI’s All Source Analysis Tradecraft Academy provides industry-relevant expertise and the latest technology needed to train your workforce through relevant, timely, and comprehensive instruction. The academy provides analytic training that meets Intelligence Community (IC) directive standards and mirrors existing government training, such as the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) Professional Analyst Career Education.

Instructional Design
Tradecraft

Curriculum

Our curriculum was developed by a team of expert analysts, including a retired DIA senior analyst for tradecraft and quality and a former instructor at the National Intelligence University. We designed our curriculum to deliver training at any level, from entry-level analysts to experts.

Analysts who train in our academy deliver the highest quality analysis to meet evolving mission requirements. As part of our ongoing commitment to meet those requirements, we develop unique training programs such as the digital data literacy program as well as specialized training supporting full-motion video analysts and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) analysts.

Past Performance

One of CACI's customers began sending analysts through the Tradecraft Academy in 2019 and over the course of a year, customers saw a noticeable improvement in the quality of analysts' work, often exceeding government expectations. The next year, CACI made courses available online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CACI kept in touch with analysts, pushing them to complete courses and certifications.

“I don’t think there’s another company out there that has something quite like this,” said a customer program manager.

Courses
 

All Source Analyst Foundations Course

The Foundations Course provides essential training in analytic tradecraft for the entry-level analyst or someone new to all-source analysis. This course builds from an introduction to the IC to a capstone module where the learner writes a current intelligence product. This foundation in analytic skills allows a new analyst to hit the ground running.

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All Source Analyst Intermediate Course

The Intermediate Course provides the next level of training to hone analysts' skills. This course starts with a case study and progresses through modules to produce both an analytic briefing and an analytic product that meets analytic tradecraft standards. This course consists of seven modules that build on the prerequisite Foundations Course. The course incorporates computer-based training modules, quizzes, readings, discussion board postings, and written assignments. The course is delivered over three days in a blended training environment.

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All Source Analyst Advanced Course

CACI developed the Advanced Course modules in response to client feedback on a need for topical or "just-in-time" training for a team or a group. Analysts don't need to complete the modules in order or all at once; they are a compilation of advanced skills that analysts would want to acquire. Completing all modules should give an analyst understanding of how to handle more complex types of analysis.

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Additional Instruction
Digital Data Literacy

The Digital Data Literacy Course provides an overview of what data science is, who might be on a data science team, how data science can help with problem-solving and analysis, and the ethical and legal ramifications of using open-source data. This course was developed at client request. The modules are as follows: 

  • Data Science: Data Science Overview
  • Framing Opportunities for Effective Data-Driven Decisions
  • Learning Data Science: The Basics of Data Analytics for Business Professionals Exploring Data Visualization
  • Essential Elements of Predictive Analytics & Data Mining
  • Data Visualization: Charts & Graphs
  • Big Data: The Legal Perspective
Full Motion Video (FMV) Support

CACI provides intelligence imagery support across multiple intelligence disciplines to teach analysts how to derive information from images and collateral materials. Our full motion video (FMV) analysts support deployments in hostile areas, operating as intelligence surveillance reconnaissance (ISR) tactical controllers (ITC) to turn ground unit requirements into essential information. Our teams provide actionable intelligence to the warfighter by providing real-time support through monitoring data feeds, comprehending observed activity, alerting decision-makers, and providing immediate feedback on mission results. We also provide tasking, collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination (TCPED) support by accessing and integrating FMV data from airborne and other sensors.

Targeting Support

CACI provides worldwide targeting support typically through kinetic or non-kinetic solutions. If the proposed target is a facility, infrastructure, or an equipment location – or a known location of hostile individuals or forces – kinetic targeting solutions can be used against that target. Non-kinetic solutions – like distributing air-delivered pamphlets in an information campaign, employing a computer virus on a key computer network, or injecting misinformation into an enemy environment –can be performed if the best course of action is to disrupt or shape the enemy’s ability to function. CACI analysts work with customers to employ both solutions and develop the best targeting solution.

Curriculum Development

CACI's methodological approach expands on the ADDIE instructional system design (ISD) model by adding planning and maintenance to the cycle, creating the PADDIE-M model:

  • Analysis: Vetting and prioritizing needs into requirements and assigning them to the proper source for solutions. A gap analysis is conducted to determine the goal and target audience.
  • Design: Creating a blueprint for the required course led by an ISD-skilled Course Developer (CD) and honed into a Training Control Document (TCD) with course parameters and requirements.
  • Development: Subject matter experts create the course according to TCD specifications and under the direction of the CD. This phase continues with ad hoc customer reviews until the initial course draft is complete.
  • Implementation: Teaching the course. A pilot offering is taught to a group of students within the target audience.
  • Evaluation: Testing the course throughout its life cycle to ensure it is meeting the expected outcomes.

CACI enhances the ADDIE framework by incorporating a “planning” function before initiating the ADDIE framework and a “maintenance” function following the ADDIE framework. This provides additional rigor, oversight, and repeatability to the ADDIE framework and provides accurate curriculum development and sustainment.

  • Planning: We execute this function to ensure roles and responsibilities are well defined and project scope and critical path are well documented at the start of a project. This enables all stakeholders to focus on outcome-based results and it addresses customer planning needs to effectively and efficiently meet surges in training requirements. Planning enables us to position resources and content to meet future requirements.
  • Maintenance: We execute maintenance to formally establish curriculum configuration management. Regular and even ad hoc reviews ensure course content remains relevant. Course maintenance facilitates these mandatory revisions and provide the supplemental material for candidate passages in subsequent course masters. This approach provides a method to schedule curriculum content reviews. 

PADDIE-M

Technical Writing

The Technical Writing Course provides instruction to help analysts improve and focus analytic writing style to focus on the customer, plain writing, and a review of common grammar errors. This course was developed at a client's request. The modules are as follows:

  • Writing in Plain Language
  • What's the So What
  • Tips for Better Business Writing
  • Grammar Tips for Better Writing
Digital Data Literacy

The Digital Data Literacy Course provides an overview of what data science is, who might be on a data science team, how data science can help with problem-solving and analysis, and the ethical and legal ramifications of using open-source data. This course was developed at client request. The modules are as follows: 

  • Data Science: Data Science Overview
  • Framing Opportunities for Effective Data-Driven Decisions
  • Learning Data Science: The Basics of Data Analytics for Business Professionals Exploring Data Visualization
  • Essential Elements of Predictive Analytics & Data Mining
  • Data Visualization: Charts & Graphs
  • Big Data: The Legal Perspective
Full Motion Video (FMV) Support

CACI provides intelligence imagery support across multiple intelligence disciplines to teach analysts how to derive information from images and collateral materials. Our full motion video (FMV) analysts support deployments in hostile areas, operating as intelligence surveillance reconnaissance (ISR) tactical controllers (ITC) to turn ground unit requirements into essential information. Our teams provide actionable intelligence to the warfighter by providing real-time support through monitoring data feeds, comprehending observed activity, alerting decision-makers, and providing immediate feedback on mission results. We also provide tasking, collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination (TCPED) support by accessing and integrating FMV data from airborne and other sensors.

Targeting Support

CACI provides worldwide targeting support typically through kinetic or non-kinetic solutions. If the proposed target is a facility, infrastructure, or an equipment location – or a known location of hostile individuals or forces – kinetic targeting solutions can be used against that target. Non-kinetic solutions – like distributing air-delivered pamphlets in an information campaign, employing a computer virus on a key computer network, or injecting misinformation into an enemy environment –can be performed if the best course of action is to disrupt or shape the enemy’s ability to function. CACI analysts work with customers to employ both solutions and develop the best targeting solution.

Curriculum Development

CACI's methodological approach expands on the ADDIE instructional system design (ISD) model by adding planning and maintenance to the cycle, creating the PADDIE-M model:

  • Analysis: Vetting and prioritizing needs into requirements and assigning them to the proper source for solutions. A gap analysis is conducted to determine the goal and target audience.
  • Design: Creating a blueprint for the required course led by an ISD-skilled Course Developer (CD) and honed into a Training Control Document (TCD) with course parameters and requirements.
  • Development: Subject matter experts create the course according to TCD specifications and under the direction of the CD. This phase continues with ad hoc customer reviews until the initial course draft is complete.
  • Implementation: Teaching the course. A pilot offering is taught to a group of students within the target audience.
  • Evaluation: Testing the course throughout its life cycle to ensure it is meeting the expected outcomes.

CACI enhances the ADDIE framework by incorporating a “planning” function before initiating the ADDIE framework and a “maintenance” function following the ADDIE framework. This provides additional rigor, oversight, and repeatability to the ADDIE framework and provides accurate curriculum development and sustainment.

  • Planning: We execute this function to ensure roles and responsibilities are well defined and project scope and critical path are well documented at the start of a project. This enables all stakeholders to focus on outcome-based results and it addresses customer planning needs to effectively and efficiently meet surges in training requirements. Planning enables us to position resources and content to meet future requirements.
  • Maintenance: We execute maintenance to formally establish curriculum configuration management. Regular and even ad hoc reviews ensure course content remains relevant. Course maintenance facilitates these mandatory revisions and provide the supplemental material for candidate passages in subsequent course masters. This approach provides a method to schedule curriculum content reviews. 

PADDIE-M

Technical Writing

The Technical Writing Course provides instruction to help analysts improve and focus analytic writing style to focus on the customer, plain writing, and a review of common grammar errors. This course was developed at a client's request. The modules are as follows:

  • Writing in Plain Language
  • What's the So What
  • Tips for Better Business Writing
  • Grammar Tips for Better Writing
Contact

For more information, contact:

Mike Mourelatos
EMAIL

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