Are online courses really viable for leadership schools?

2014-03-12T12:29:11-04:00

As the concept and implementation of online courses ramps up, Does anyone else feel that these will slowly kill off resident courses?

More over, I am afraid that as leadership courses become an online course(Common Core) a very important atrition step will be removed.

I read often on here about the short comings of new soldiers and leaders.

Maybe I am making a false connection.

But it seems, on the outside looking in, that online courses and these complaints coincide.

I am all for continuing education, online or otherwise.

But I feel that all Leadership Courses (NCOES & OES) need to stay resident courses.

Response by LTC Paul Mullins made Mar 12 at 2014 12:45 PM

2014-03-12T12:45:07-04:00

I don't believe there is a high correlation between online courses and complaints about leadership, but I think there could be some.

I agree though that leadership courses should not be taught online. You can teach a common core that is not directly leadership (i.e. history, doctrine, etc) and then have a resident phase to cover the leadership aspects. You need to have that direct face-to-face interaction between the instructors and the students in my opinion, and more importantly the student-to-student interface. What you learn from your peers generally outweighed what I learned from instructors, especially in something like leadership where it is more art than science.

You can substitute VTCs and online options (like Sametime), but it just isn't the same no matter how much money or time it saves.

Response by Maj Chris Nelson made Mar 12 at 2014 12:53 PM

2014-03-12T12:53:03-04:00

While I am unaware of any data points to support a disparity between classroom and online type of coursework, I feel that some types of classes could generate this exact problem. Online courses work great for things such as Lit, English, some math, non-lab based science courses....there are some courses that I personally feel are NOT appropriate (but they are out there!). Some leadership course (theory can be done online, but some need to have some practicle that goes along with it), NURSING....I feel that basic nursing degrees need to be done in the classroom. I also feel that any advanced patient care based degree needs to be done in classroom, advanced nursing degrees that are not patient centric (such as mine which is MSN/Nursing EDUCATION) are ok as most of it is theory and not a hands on.

Response by CMC Robert Young made Mar 12 at 2014 1:17 PM

2014-03-12T13:17:23-04:00

SSG, I concur that there are pronounced concerns about the current generation of service members capacity to interact with their peer group, supervisors and subordinates; and I'm equally convinced that it stems from inordinate amount of time they spent as children playing on the computer as opposed to playing with real friends.

That said, the online training arena is likely a double edged sword in today's world. Because the current generation has been inculcated to interact in the digital format, training in an asynchronous environment probably appeals more to them and is beneficial for learning technical skills. It also allows people to check in and out as their schedules permit, and saves the service money required for transportation/lodging involving offsite brick and mortar institutions.

The other side of the coin is that leadership relies heavily on interpersonal skills which CANNOT be fully developed in the online environment. Because of this, I don't think we will see a complete demise of actual classroom training particularly in the leadership arena, but we may see it scaled back or altered to make it easier to achieve and less costly. The Coast Guard has developed some hybrid leadership courses

requiring students to complete portions of the training prior to reporting to the brick and mortar classroom. This may well be the way of the future for classes that need to have a physical interaction component.

We as leaders must remind those who plan our training what we need, and ensure that they deliver meaningful opportunities instead of just checking the blocks training.

Thoughtful post...;-)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2014 11:41 PM

2014-04-07T23:41:13-04:00

I completed my undergraduate at a traditional university and am nearly complete with my master's degree from a traditional university, but conducted online. I believe there are benefits to both resident and online schools and they both have drawbacks too.

I would not say that my interaction with others on campus made me a better leader at all. I believe my workplace experience, life experience, and the people I looked up to made me a better leader. On the other hand, I believe I learned more through my online courses because I directed the study. Also, when I interacted with others in the class (which was frequent, albeit online) the discussion was always about the material, not a party, weekend activities, or the hot girl in class. Frankly, online there were less distractions and I believe I am smarter for it.

I do believe there is enhanced value in resident professional schools because they often create a shared experience, an opportunity to develop one another, and a bond between leaders. I agree, that to the extent possible, we should retain as many resident versions of professional schools possible, but there is a side benefit of distance learning that may be overlooked. Distance learning happens while working so the lessons learned can be immediately applied to the workplace and sometimes can make the learning more impactful, so I am not opposed to distance learning either. So long as the individual takes the material seriously, I believe distance learning can sometimes be even more beneficial than resident schools that are removed from the immediate application of the new knowledge. It really comes down to the individual.

Bottom line: school NEVER teaches you how to lead by itself; it simply teaches you how to think and gives you a foundation to build on. My undergraduate degree is in Leadership Studies and it certainly didn't make me a good leader on its own. Leadership skill comes through experiencing good leadership, working with good leaders, and emulating good leaders.

I wouldn't blame online program for leadership failures, I would look at the lives of those failed leaders to see where they were failed. You will probably find the answer there.