Lifelong learning: future for training and education

Army Communicator, Spring, 2006

Lifelong Learning is the future for training and education to the force. It will take traditional schoolhouse instruction and the latest methodologies in distance learning to create a blended environment that supports the Soldier regardless of location, whenever and wherever training is needed.

The most recent development in the LLL strategy is the LandWarNet eUniversity initiative. In support of the Signal Center's Army-wide plan to provide trained and ready Soldiers and leaders, the University of Information Technology is revamping the LLL portal, renaming it LandWarNet eUniversity, and expanding its look and feel to encompass all five goals of the LWN initiative: train and educate Soldiers on LWN; develop and educate leaders on LWN; provide LWN education for Lifelong Learning; provide LWN training support to the warfighter; and integrate combat development and research in training and education.

The Signal Center continues to forge ahead with the LLL concept meeting the commanding general, Training and Doctrine Command's challenge to export training to a Soldier anywhere, anytime using the most cost effective mix of locations, materials, and method, delivered just in time and on demand through the tenets of LLL. The execution of LLL has been accomplished through four primary tenets:

1. Assignment Oriented Training--designed to reduce lengthy resident training and get Soldiers to the field faster by focusing them on the equipment sets or mission skills they will find at their first unit of assignment.

2. Simulations--to get away from the heavy dependency on equipment for training.

3. Virtual Campuses--that place where the teachable moment occurs. The virtual campus for the Regiment is the Lifelong Learning Center.

4. Lifelong Learning Center--the technical hub for the LLL process where proponent content is created, stored, and delivered to the Regiment.

Assignment Oriented Training

We continue to load content on the portal for both MOSQ and sustainment training to make it available to Soldiers and leaders worldwide. In addition to the four AOT MOS 25Q, 25P, 25F, and 25S currently being loaded, we have completed two pilots for MOS 25B and one for 25Q for Soldiers who earned these MOSs by training using the LLL Technologies. Our goal is to continue populating the portal with training and education content for all of our MOS and Officer Areas of Concentration.

Simulations

The primary goal of the Simulations Branch is to develop and implement policies that improve the way the Signal Center analyzes designs, develops, monitors, and delivers its simulation products. Policies developed by the branch address Simulation Technical Requirements, Simulation Design Characteristics, Simulation Testing Requirements, Legal Requirements, and Simulation Development Timelines.

The following simulations were under development in 2005: S6, AN/TSC-85D, AN/TSC-93D, Phoenix, Tactical Hub Node, Local Area Network/ Wide Area Network, and Time Division Multiple Access/ Frequency Division Multiple Access, Master Reference Terminal Hub, Digital Tactical Operations Center/ Tactical Internet Management Systems, High Capacity Line-of-Site, Joint Network Node, Battalion Command Post Node and KU Trailer.

The final version of the DTOC/TIMS, HCLOS, JNN, BN CPN and KU Trailer Simulations were fielded in October of 2005 and made available via download through the UIT's web site. Access to simulations was available to anyone with an AKO account.

The University of Information Technology Virtual Campus

Before talking about The University of Information Technology's Virtual Campus operations and successes, most people need to know just what a Virtual Campus is.

Virtual Campuses are learning facilities equipped with the necessary hardware, software, and communications infrastructure supporting Distributed Learning. Included under DL facilities are The Army Distributed Learning Program Digital Training Facilities, Army National Guard DL classrooms, and U.S. Army Reserve high-tech classrooms. Students' homes and offices are also considered DL facilities when they are engaged in DL activities. The types of courses available from the Virtual Campus range from sustainment training all the way up to military occupational specialty qualification courses.

Training for everyone

Training for deployed Soldiers: The Virtual Campus is currently providing training to the 22nd Signal Brigade in Baghdad. This is a continuation of the successes of the Virtual Campus efforts with the 35th Signal Brigade in Iraq last year. The Soldiers are training during unit training periods and on their own time.

These Soldiers are able to easily browse UIT servers to download the requested training and train at the teachable moment (the best time for the Soldier to focus on training). The most popular training courses for the deployed Soldier are: Routers, Promina, A+, N+, Windows 2003 System Administrator and USC-60 VSAT. However, the Soldiers are not limited to just those training topics; through the Virtual Campus and LLC Portal they have access to all the open enrollment training and simulations that reside on the UIT server which include: six high end simulations, 65 CBTs and ~12 open enrollment technological courses. Being able to provide training to the deployed Soldier is a large part of Lifelong Learning and distributive training.