Recruiting Distance Learning: eArmyU Program Helps Keep Soldiers Educated

THE LAST MAN WAS DRAFTED IN the United States in December 1972. This gave rise to the Modern Volunteer Army (MVA) Program, which was designed to strengthen professionalism, enhance U.S. Army life and develop a modern accession system. To ensure a quality and trained force, MVA advertising moved through phases based on attracting and motivating a target audience of enlistment prospects. Advertising slogans since that time have ranged from Today's Army Wants to Join to the widely admired and highly effective All That You Can Be campaign, which was retired on Jan. 10, 2001. The Army adopted a new slogan, An Army of One, which was meant to focus on the strength and teamwork of the Army as a united force of many soldiers, while reinforcing the concept that each individual makes a unique contribution (Rosenberg 2001). Despite shrinking manpower pools and concerns over the country's recession, the quality of recruits was sustained over the years with the inception of important incentives for recruitment. These included the Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP), the Army College Fund (ACF), and, in 1985, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). Through the 1980s recruiting challenges continued with reduced advertising budgets, downsizing of the military and a strong economy that provided America's youth with many other career options outside of the military (Evans 1993). The military and, more specifically, the Army, have offered these various educational incentives in the past, which for the most part have been successful--serving as recruiting and retention incentives. Today, and for the projected future, the Army University Access Online (AUAO) program, or Electronic Army University (eArmyU), will go beyond these programs to benefit both the soldier and the Army. The soldier is given the opportunity to receive a quality education, while the Army retains an educated member. It was the intent of former Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera to make educational incentives available to soldiers that boosted incentives for recruiting and retention. Most importantly, these incentives provided the basis for retaining educated information Age-savvy soldiers. Members of the Army have many unique areas of their job that require more education. New equipment and weapons systems require a more educated soldier who is prepared to face the new and changing environments that require a knowledge of science, technology, history, culture, law and human behavior to be successful (Burlas 2001). The dilemma was, and still is, the need to educate the soldier and fit the education into the individual's military schedule. Because of their unique responsibilities, soldiers are often in a difficult position when pursuing a college education. It was necessary, even mandatory, to provide education to the soldiers who are mobile by the nature of their career. Thus, the mobility obstacle and constant changes of learning institutions based on the myriad of military moves had to be addressed. Bringing the educational institution to every soldier, and allowing him or her to continue with the same institution or an institution of choice, is a solution for success; and distance learning is an avenue for educational success. It was also important to find a variety of institutions both willing and equipped to take on the daunting task of educating a large number of soldiers in several different areas of study, all with varying schedules, located worldwide. And it was important that these institutions had instructors capable of developing online instruction. For the AUAO/eArmyU program, the Army supplied soldiers with up-to-date technology and equipment. It was equally important that participating institutions were able to provide equipment compatible with communications and online instruction, including training and support for instructors. Accreditation responsibilities require that member educational institutions provide effective and credible course assessments, as well as ensure academic honesty of online students. …