The Chief of Naval Education and Training (CNET) has taken another giant step in support of its mission to "Transfer More Knowledge to More Sailors, Faster and at Less Cost," with the official opening of the next generation of distributed learning technology -- Navy E-Learning.
"The new Navy E-Learning web site offers more than 800 information technology (IT), 350 soft skill, and 37 military courses, via a single, integrated portal on the World Wide Web," according to Bill Dyas, CNET's Distributed Learning Branch Head in the Education and Strategies (ETS) Division. The IT courses range in scope from beginning computer applications, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Excel, to more advanced courses such as Local Area Network/Wide Area Network administration and programming/development, C++, Java and Visual Basic. Soft skill courses will encompass leadership, management and other professional development curriculum.
The Navy courses include Damage Control Petty Officer, Introduction to the Naval Reserves, the Department of Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) Systems Thinking, and a variety of Command and Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance/Information Operations (C4IS/R) courses. The number and variety of courses will expand incrementally, as web-based courses are acquired from industry and existing Navy courses are converted for Web delivery. "Navy E-Learning is truly a big step forward for our Navy," said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, MMCM (SS/SW/AW) James L. Herdt. "Our Sailors are the direct beneficiaries of the inspirational foresight and initiative of the coordinators and leader at the Chief of Naval Education and Training."
The goal of Navy E-Learning is to provide access to courses that provide the knowledge and skills the Navy workforce needs to empower themselves and foster lifelong learning habits.
Individuals logging into Navy E-Learning will be able to control the time, place, and extent of learning. Herdt also said that, "the Navy E-Learning is the perfect example of Sailors gaining more and more opportunities to grow professionally. You'd be hard pressed to find an organization that gives its people more opportunities to realize their full potential."
Other expanded capabilities of the new Navy E-Learning Web site are access to DON and DoD training and education, Video Teletraining course catalogs links to other education, training, and professional development information, and a Cyber Café. Students may study with other classmates via the on-line chat and threaded discussions capability of the Cyber Café, as well as access newspapers from around the world and search education, training, and professional development references and links.
Information on the Navy College Program (NCP), which streamlines and enhances a Sailor's opportunity to earn a college degree while serving on active duty, and information from the Navy Advancement Center can be accessed directly via Navy E-Learning. Users can search the catalog for courses by identifying skills or occupations, of interests. They can identify personal skills they want to improve, assess their level of proficiency, track improvements and identify Navy E-Learning courses aimed at developing the selected skills. Navy E-Learning will also manage, track, and record course usage and completions. Navy E-Learning is available at no cost to all DON personnel and family members enrolled in Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), that includes active duty, reserve personnel, civil service employees, and active duty family members. Naval personnel with access to the Internet, either from work or home, can access Navy E-Learning, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For Sailors on ships without continuous Internet access at sea, there are several initiatives are underway to develop alternative methods to provide access to Web courses and other online resources by the end of 2002.
In the future, users registering for a course will find courses already recommended for them by the Navy, based on their pay grade, rating, designator, and Navy Enlisted Classification Code. Each phase implemented in the future will provide greater capability, a wider variety of Navy and industry developed courses, access to colleges offering courses through the NCP on the World Wide Web, and improved course and student administrative functions that can be distributed to the command level. "Navy E-Learning and career-long learning will become part of the fabric that makes up everyday Navy life, becoming as commonplace as e-mail is today. Navy people are winners and Navy E-Learning will play a vital part in giving every member the opportunity to win both professionally and personally," states Saundra Drummer, Director of CNET ETS Division.