Military education is adapting to technological changes
at a rapid pace. Technological advancements in the military have always been
part of the process of defending core American values. The use of online
education is growing for traditional schools and military training. A study by
Anthony Artino discusses the social-cognitive view of motivation and
self-regulation in understanding students’ satisfaction and learning outcomes in
the Navy (2007). The design of courses
and student understandings determine their overall success in learning new
skills that can be adapted to military needs.
The Department of Defense spends more than $17
billion on military education and has converted the majority of its educational
capacity to computer supported distance learning programs (United States
General Accounting Office, 2003). Traditional schools are also adjusting their
educational processes to something more virtual. According to a survey of 1,000
colleges by the Sloan Consortium (2005) they found that 63% of colleges that
offered face-to-face undergraduate courses also offered online courses and 56%
believed that online education was strategically important.
Students come
with all types of impressions of online education that range from the valuable
to the mundane tasks of training. Some of these students have little to no
academic background and find themselves behind the curve in updating their
knowledge. Other students view themselves from their family background and
personal experiences that impact their ability to succeed in online education.
Students who feel that their education
is important are more likely to have higher outcomes than those who don’t
(Pintrich, 1999). They are willing to put in more time and be more motivated
about their work. Student success was based in their self-efficacy (Lynch and
Dembo, 2004). Self-efficacy being the belief the student can actually
accomplish what they set out to accomplish based upon their skills and
abilities.
Successful online students came
with more technological abilities than other students (Kearsley, 2000). They
are strong users of cell phones, laptops, tablets and other modern
communication tools. Such skills can be adapted to the modern use of technology
that is part of weaponry and military communication. Students are capable of
mastering introduced technology faster.
204 Navy personnel engage in the
study with 74% male and 26% female. The study confirmed other literature findings
that motivation and prior experience predicted outcome. Those that believed in
the benefit of education and found courses interesting did better than those
who didn’t. In congruence with social-cognitive models it is important for
students to believe they can do well, be motivated, but also understand the
importance of the training. Online educator can consider the need to put
education within a proper and broader context of benefit.
Artino, A. (2007). Online
military training: using a social cognitive view of motivation and
self-regulation to understand students’ satisfaction, perceived learning and
choice. Quarterly Review of Distance Education,
8 (3).
Kearsley, G. (2000). Online education: Learning and teaching in
cyberspace. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Lynch, R., & Dembo, M.
(2004). The relationship between self-regulation and online learning in a blended
learning context. [Electronic version]. International
Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5(2).
Pintrich, P. R. (1999). The role
of motivation in promoting and sustaining self-regulated learning. International Journal of Educational
Research, 31, 459-470.
The Sloan Consortium. (2005,
November). Growing by degrees: Online education in the United States, 2005. Retrieved from http://www.sloan-c.org/resources/growing_by_degrees.pdf
United States General Accounting
Office. (2003). Military transformation:
Progress and challenges for DOD’s advanced distributed learning programs (GAO
Publication No. 03-393). Washington, DC: Author.
