eLearning’s Gone Army

When we think of using education to produce an educated, savvy workforce and increase retention we generally think of corporate strategies. However, these are the same goals stated in eArmyU ‘s mission statement.

eArmyU is an online training portal created for, and used by the U.S. Army. The initiative aims at Army-wide saturation. The program allows soldiers to earn a post-secondary certificate, or an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree, completely online. The more than 20 accredited colleges and universities offer 115 programs for the students to select from.

In addition offering one of the largest training programs in the world, eArmyU supports students with technology packages and community mentors. Technology packages allow students to train from around the world.

The technology package includes:
• Laptop
• Internet Service Provider account
• EArmyU Boot Camp tutorial
• E-mail account
• 24 x 7 helpdesk support

The eArmyU is comprised of five (5) program communities. Students are assigned to a community based on the field of study they have selected. Each community is assigned several mentors to assist and advise students.

The communities are:
• Arts, Humanities & Social Science
• Communications & Business
• Health, Nutrition & Education
• Mathematics, Science & IT
• Vocational Skills

The 100% tuition assistance has brought more than 30,000 soldiers into the program. eArmyU expects to reach 80,000 students by 2005, based on projected estimates of funding and the Army-wide initiative.