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Recently the Army has committed to establishing BLC online at the soldiers home. Do you feel this method of teaching will actually give soldiers basic knowledge of being a NCO or do you feel its better to continue the school course after the virus.
Posted in these groups: 
Basic Leaders Course (BLC formerly WLC PLDC)
NCO Academy
SGT
Leadership
Development
Basic Leaders Course (BLC formerly WLC PLDC) NCO Academy SGT Leadership Development
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 30
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Hell No. People try to fly though the online course and do not learn anything. This will only make things worse.
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Leadership development requires institutional training and hands on experience.
The items that don’t get stressed are letting everyone stand up front and march the formation and lead PT and pitch classes. We all were forced in PLDC(WLC for you millennials).
So, in other words, no, bring back the schoolhouse when we can.
The items that don’t get stressed are letting everyone stand up front and march the formation and lead PT and pitch classes. We all were forced in PLDC(WLC for you millennials).
So, in other words, no, bring back the schoolhouse when we can.
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I took the equivalent PLDC back in 1991 and got out as a SP4. 17 Years later I joined the Reserve as a SPC and was promoted to SGT in 18 months. I don't think what I learned 17 years earlier really had any effect on how I am as an NCO. I developed as an NCO thanks to good mentorship and some harsh lessons early on. I don't know what is being taught in the BLC-DL course compared to what I learned back in 1991. I know that I learned and excelled at land nav, and all the basic communication lessons. I totally sucked at D&C. I have a hunch that D&C and Land Nav lessons are not very robust in the DL course work.
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1SG (Join to see)
1SG Walter Craig it was a testable when I went through PLDC active duty in Germany back j in 1991. 4 Classmates ended up failing out. It was the easiest Land Nav I have ever been to. The tree vegetation boundaries on the map had easy to recognize shapes (for example, an area that looked like a duck beak). All you had to do is notice that a point plotted on the map was right at the tip of the "beak" or some other boundary shape. Then you could climb a small hill and see the shape in real life, do terrain association, and go right to your point.
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All DL teaches an SM is how to google answers. The OAS experimented with this in the early 2000s and the results were horrible. SMs who passed DL couldn’t tell a combination wrench from a lug wrench or a firing pin from a bobby pin. I spent POI hours and personal time catching them up. I can’t imagine DL NCOES will have better results.
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I’m attending the first hybrid BLC. 1/2 POI and 1/2 online. I do like this method, however, I can’t imagine doing it ALL online. For example, PRT evals are done with only one rank consisting of 3 people at a double arm interval. That works, considering the circumstances (even though the SGL is close and not 6 feet apart). I agree with someone who mentioned “for temporary measures.” I don’t see it being effective for long term at all.
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Continue the school course. Some subjects, like leadership, are best present in a military setting so their is interaction with instructors and other students.
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The bus must continue to move. We need NCOs to get through schools. So yes
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I don’t see it helping. These schools are in person and physical for a reason. Many of the lessons have to be in classrooms. Some of the projects that you’d do on poster board anyhow, that could be online no problem. But learning how to conduct PT, in ranks inspections, and D&C can’t be done online. I would wonder how they’d rate your leadership potential through this.
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SGT Kenneth Curtis
1SG Walter Craig there is that. But I’d hope that there is a plan for this. I’d like to add, it’s impossible to train future leaders in leading a patrol and tactics if you’re not doing it in the field with your class. Sure, you can learn at your home unit, but this is one of the sections of the school house instructions.
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SGM Robert Murray
I see any form of continuing education helpful. First of all, distance learning helps people to FIRST improve their communications skills, for as we know, most people can't effectively articulate a thought process on paper for shit! People just can't write. Isn't THAT a BASIC SKILL FOR LEADERS? Effective communications? "Oh, I just join the Army to do some term paper!" How asinine does that sound? If you put your people in for awards or do evaluations, you have to write. Many things, as it relates to leadership can be done online. Hell, I could evaluate a PT test if you had the tools in place.
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Honestly I graduated from BLC with a 96.68 but if you have basic knowledge of the army and have been in at least 3 years, BLC isn’t much help
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SGM Robert Murray
I disagree as well and in particular your comment about BLC not helping. That comment sounds shortsighted. You talk as if a 96.68 is something to be proud? Should you reflect on life being a continuous improvement experience, you failed in 3.32% of your knowledge. That failure could possible relate to the LIVES OF YOUR SOLDIERS! You're going gloat on a 3% death rate. You gonna tell some family of a lost one, "well, I got 97% of them through? Be happy about that. . .and oh, take this flag and thank you for your family member's service. Don't let your arrogance overwhelm you, young sergeant.
Our elite forces say anything not 100% is unacceptable. You need to pick up the pace. You're 3% behind.
Our elite forces say anything not 100% is unacceptable. You need to pick up the pace. You're 3% behind.
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SGT (Join to see)
That’s a whole other topic, me disagreeing is an opinion...the point of me pointing out my gpa was to state that even with that grade from day 1 to day 30 my knowledge did not increase...but back to the point blc online I “personally” think will not be much help...DNC, PRT, and everything else in between can already be found in black in white or YouTube! It’s a big difference physically doing it vs watching through a screen. Just think about all the online training we do now...do you actually sit through it?
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What ever happened to good ol' BNOC and PNOC? Of course the was no such thing as 'on line' back when. I'm lost when it comes to today's Army and some of their new methodologies. As an old 19D it was training,training,training and hump, hump and hump some more. Whether it was helicopter insertion or in Sheridan's, gun jeeps or M113 90% was hands on.
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