Soc uw@m arenas_axt

Develop America's Airmen Today ... for Tomorrow

1The Intellectual and Leadership Center of the Air Force

Fly – Fight – Win in Air, Space, and Cyberspace

Meeting Distance Learning Challenges at the USAF Squadron Officer College (SOC)

Dr. Fil Arenas & Capt Peter Axt, Squadron Officer College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama




Student OutcomesInstitutional C

ompetency ListO

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ME

Pol

icy

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ME

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Cont Ed Strategic Guidance (CESG)

Leadership Insights

What does the Air Force expect of our Company Grade Officers (CGOs)?




• Resident Programs:• Faculty-Development• Squadron Officer School (SOS)

• Distance Learning Programs:• Leadership Development Program• Online Master’s Program• SOS Course 20

• Meeting Distance Learning Challenges:• Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)• Second Life (3D VLE Platform)• Virtuspheres

SOC Overview




Faculty Development

Recruitment

Welcome Package • References• Organizationo Dutieso Mission

TPAESIP

Teaching Skills Workshops

Subject Matter Experts

Evaluation Discussions

Policy Discussions

Research Presentations

APID

Entry Role Continuance

2 Weeks 2 Weeks

1 Class

‒ Theories and Principles of Adult Education (TPAE)‒ Practical Applications of Adult Education (PAAE)‒ Supervised Instruction Period (SIP)‒ Advanced Principles of Instructional Design (APID)

PAAE

Qualifications




Squadron Officer School

MissionEducate, motivate, and mentor Captains as current and future Air Force leaders

HistoryActivated in 1950 with roots to the Air Corps Tactical School founded in 1920

Learning AreasLeadership

CommunicationProfession of Arms

Warfare & Security StudiesInternational Security Studies




7 classes graduating 2500+ total students per year Targets USAF Captains with 4 to 7 years of commissioned service

Active Duty Line

(Warfighters)

80%

Active DutyNon-line

(Medical & Legal)

Guard & Reserve

Civilian & Int’l

Officers

8%6% 6%

Typical SOS Student Mix




70 Lessons with 25 days of instruction

Essential Skills for Student

Success: Tools for School

The CGO: Introspection &

Self-Development

The CGO in the Work

Environment: Organizational

& Team Leadership

The CGO as a Leader in the USAF: The

Family Business

The CGO as a Component of the US Military: The Joint Perspective

The CGO and Future Challenges: Strategic &

Global Perspectives

Target: Applied Leadership!

Finely Tuned for Success

• Problem Solving• Goal-Setting• Critical Thinking• Building and Argument

• Compare self to ideal leader

• Emotional Intelligence• Decision-Making• Followership

• Teambuilding• Delivering Feedback• Leading Change• Improving Processes

• Leadership in a Global Context• Theory & Doctrine• AF Roles & Missions• Cross-Cultural Competence & Negotiation

• Joint & Coalition Warfare• Instruments of Power• Civil-Military Relations• Range of Military Operations

• Critical Analysis• Strategic Communication: AF in

Society• Regional Issues Panel• Warrior Symposium




Distance Learning Programs

Online Masters Program

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Images+distance+learning&view=detail&id=7A76BB2F043270914040C8E71D1D4869EA9DF242&first=31&qpvt=Images+distance+learning&FORM=IDFRIR




Leadership Development Program

• Online, self-paced courses expanding leadership-development opportunities for AF CGOs

• Professional Continuation Education Credit

• Delivered via Blackboard with proctored testing• Students have up to 6 months to complete each course

• Launched in 2010 with 700+ students currently enrolled




Leadership Development Program

• Organizational Leadership:Focuses on challenges influencing mission capabilities

‒ Resource stewardship, continuous improvement

• Flight Commander:Enhances ability to inspire and develop diverse groups

‒ Taking care of people, diversity awareness

• Expeditionary Leadership:Explores regional factors affecting national foreign policy

‒ Cultural awareness, warrior ethos

• Officer Development:Addresses roles and professional responsibilities

‒ Speaking/writing effectively, active listening




Online Master’s Program

• Expeditionary Military Operational Art & Science degree

• Complete, accredited, graduate-level learning experience• Delivered via Blackboard & facilitated by credentialed instructors• 8-week terms (7 core and 4 leadership courses)

• Launched in 2010 with 100+ students currently enrolled

Core Program Courses:




Online Master’s Program

• SOC provides four courses concentrated in leadership:

• Foundations of Officership:Structured opportunities to assess leadership development

• Team-Building Leadership:Multi-disciplinary approach to building teams

• Expeditionary Leadership:Intercultural Contexts for deployments

• Organizational Leadership:Methods to enhance mission outcomes

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Images+distance+learning&view=detail&id=7A76BB2F043270914040C8E71D1D4869EA9DF242&first=31&qpvt=Images+distance+learning&FORM=IDFRIR




SOS Course 20

• For those unable to attend in-residence• Enhances critical thinking skills for target population• Delivered via Blackboard with proctored testing• Students have up to 18 months to complete program

• Launched in 2009 with 8,000+ students currently enrolled




SOS Course 20

• Core Curriculum Areas (138 total program contact hours)

• Decision Making: Comparative analysis of decision processes, metrics, risk analysis, & other analytical tools for decision-makers

• Ethical Leadership: Examines personal and professional accountability, responsibility, & core values for decision-makers

• Building Teams and Coalitions: Foundation for team leaders; creating positive, effective, team environments & coalitions




Distance Learning Challenges

• Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)

• Second Life (3D VLE Platform)

• Virtuspheres




Squadron Officer College Challenge

“We must define and embrace innovative approaches, whether through AFSO21, Future Learning programs or individually developed initiatives to continually enhance our mission effectiveness and efficiency (Gen Lorenz, 2010)




Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)

Professor Stephen Heppell writes in the foreword of his book Virtually There: Learning Platforms –

“Learning is breaking out of the narrow boxes that it was trapped in during the 20th century…VLEs are helping to make sure that their learning is not confined to a particular building, or restricted to any single location or moment.” (2007)

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.masternewmedia.org/images/virtual_worlds_main.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.masternewmedia.org/virtual_reality/virtual-worlds/virtual-immersive-3D-worlds-guide-20071004.htm&usg=__KjoDlfp9j8YHgzWfewejxBAzS4A=&h=341&w=450&sz=43&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=OVc3sOh8wJInCM:&tbnh=146&tbnw=193&ei=F7c0Td6aFcWt8AalyYndCA&prev=/images?q=3D+virtual+worlds&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1R2BFLR_enUS379&biw=1259&bih=592&tbs=isch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=550&vpy=81&dur=4743&hovh=195&hovw=258&tx=149&ty=88&oei=F7c0Td6aFcWt8AalyYndCA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0




What are VLEs?

A virtual learning environment is a system designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting.

A VLE will normally work over the Internet and provide a collection of tools such as those for assessment, collecting and organizing student grades, questionnaires, tracking tools, and other teaching aids.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://perspectives.3ds.com/wp-content/uploads/Connect-to-world-content.png&imgrefurl=http://perspectives.3ds.com/surprise/connect-product-lifecycle-with-world-content/&usg=__d6nN20trFfceCC39jfKjcFX3DNk=&h=315&w=437&sz=171&hl=en&start=610&zoom=1&tbnid=3vAfTiqsnJ12jM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=168&ei=n7k0TdyoKM-W4gaA8JTMCg&prev=/images?q=3D+virtual+worlds&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1R2BFLR_enUS379&biw=1259&bih=592&tbs=isch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=306&vpy=215&dur=6490&hovh=191&hovw=265&tx=146&ty=107&oei=lLg0TdH9G4L-8AbS-L3ICA&esq=20&page=35&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:610




SL Virtual Universities (300+)




3D Virtual Learning Environments

Research suggests that 3D VLEs utilizes simulations to create environments for a learner to participate in simulations where they can explore the observable world and abstract concepts. It is also suggested that 3D VLEs allow learners to participate in authentic activities, “but with the use of scaffolding provided by teachers and peers” (Burton, 2008).




Other VLE Opportunities

Medicine Architecture Art

Science Engineering Simulations




DoD Virtual Inquiry

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/images/view/53972




Navy (20+)

Computerworld (2010):The NUWC has used 3D modeling tools before, but now they are actually using Second Life for training and to test out situations which involve other issues like collaborative engineering, rapid prototyping, battlefield simulation and cognitive modeling.




Army (12)

“The Army Second Life effort will actually consist of two virtual islands. One of them, will serve as a "welcome center" with an information kiosk and the means to contact a recruiter, the other will offer, says Gen Wallace, "virtual experiences like jumping out of airplanes, and rappelling off of towers and using a weapon, to see if we can get some kind of recruiting benefit out of this social networking.” (2008)




Air Force (14)

The first virtual Air Force base opened its doors to the world 2 Dec 2008, heralded by Maj. Gen. Erwin Lessel III, the Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and Assessments at Air Education and Training Command




Air Force Initiatives

“Everyone who comes into the Air Force will be given an avatar, and that avatar travels with them, grows with them, changes appearance with them,” Larry Clemons, of the Air Education and Training Command, told the magazine. “It will provide them a history of where they’ve been and a notion of where they’re going.” (2010)




Air Force SL Regions

Huffman Prairie Huffman Prairie OmegaHuffman Prairie Chi Huffman Prairie DeltaHuffman Prairie Gamma Huffman Prairie KappaHuffman Prairie Theta Huffman Prairie Sigma

MyBaseMybase ZetaHolm CenterSOCAFRL AFIT




Air Force Regions Maps




Avatar Development




First Generation Vignettes

Ethical Leadership (V1) 2009




Second Generation Vignettes

Groupthink (V3) 2010

FRLM (SBA)




Second Life Transition




SOC Virtual Campus




Faculty Development




Air Operations Center




Virtual Air Operations Center




Virtusphere

•A locomotion platform that allows users to be completely immersed into their interactive virtual experience.

•Consists of a 10-foot hollow sphere, which is placed on a special platform that allows the sphere to rotate freely in any direction according to the user’s steps.

•Wearing a wireless, head-mounted display, the user is able to walk and run being immersed into a virtual environment.




Uses

• Gaming• Military• Law Enforcement • Health and Fitness• Education• 3D Architecture • Virtual Travel • Events and Shows• Home Gaming




Virtusphere Demo




Meeting Distance Learning Challenges at SOC

2

Questions?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.engdl.uah.edu/EduFair2_001Jan2009.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.engdl.uah.edu/dlnewsletter.php&usg=__44n7mVYNPWVagqJiufTwTPmbof8=&h=817&w=1152&sz=150&hl=en&start=612&zoom=1&tbnid=Ux_R55Cqqe-6vM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=171&ei=bLU0Tdz4A8qSOsm48bYC&prev=/images?q=second+life+virtual+campus+images&um=1&hl=en&sa=G&rlz=1R2BFLR_enUS379&biw=1259&bih=592&tbs=isch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=119&vpy=308&dur=7940&hovh=189&hovw=267&tx=171&ty=139&oei=FLM0Tc_5OMys8AaBnPHTCA&esq=35&page=35&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:612

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