What is your opinion on CBT (Computer based traning)?

It has its place; however, as I witnessed graduate students at a local university sitting in a classroom staring at a computer, with a professor being broadcast from across the country, we have to be honest: Human interactivity, candor, sharing of adult-learner-veteran experiences are what makes the classroom and knowledge promulgate!

I truly believe CBT can not replace Instructor based training. The human interaction is invaluable.

It's good for certain topics. However, when you're talking about 'A' school or 'C' school, it has no place in the school house, other that to run required simulations (depending on the rate......oops, I mean NOS....or whatever title you go by).

As someone who works within the IT field, I can say that there are some places where CBT is okay. Notice the "okay" in that last sentence. If you're just learning the fundamentals of Microsoft Office then there's a case to be made for CBT.

I haven't seen a computer based course yet for "building a functional computer system and then setting up working voice and data circuits" that beats being in an actual classroom with an instructor. I'd equate it to sitting in front of a screen to learn marksmanship with an M-107A1, and maintenance on an M-16.

Part of the reason you now have CBT practically across the board is mostly because some defense contractors buttered up a few people in Congress, and in military appropriations. The other part is that it's getting harder and harder to get and keep qualified instructors when the civilian market pays better. Especially with those same contractors and educational facilities telling everyone, as loud as they can, that to be qualified you need an advanced degree in computer science, ten or more certifications, etc. I'm sure your A School in Pensacola could find instructors for a whole myriad of subjects if graft wasn't being spread around so liberally.

If it is combined with actual classroom time and/or hands-on experience then it's not a bad thing.

Don't forget that the training for ITA school have been moved and the time have been shorten while going to ITA school. So IT training really start at your first command doing your PQs. But the military bearing part use to be a pretty big thing in boot camp, so I do not know why your sailors are lacking it.

In my opinion the idea of a CBT isn't that bad, i went through CBT base "A" school, but like you mentioned it's easy to just pass and know nothing. When i did get to my duty station i knew little to nothing about radios or how to set up circuits, i would have known more to just go to my station then wast time at the beach. Sorry station is severely lacking actual education, even networking side of the house. Every class room has an expensive rack full of router, switches all of which aren't used for teaching the class, enough equipment to set on the students desks to learn the inside and out of it. That would have been very beneficial to actually learn about the router and day to day tasks that are performed on it.