Military Review English Edition September-October 2014 | Page 42

student accomplishment of learning objectives.21
Finally, evaluation of learning can also be enhanced
by using other forms of data to improve the SPL.
This may include data from commanders regarding
graduates’ performance on the job following graduation and interviews or focus groups with students or
faculty to gather feedback about the overall learning
experience.22

A Proposed NCOES Self-Paced
Learning Model
Learners enrolled in an NCOES SPL course could
continue to meet daily with their learning peers and
course facilitators to participate in group discussions,
problem-centered exercises, or targeted feedback
sessions, or to attend guest lectures.23 Flexible grouping
should be used throughout an SPL course to have students with varying levels of experience and skills socially sharing knowledge and exchanging understanding.
Many of today’s LMSs can support a combination
of discussion boards, journals, or social media during a

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Stadel, NCO Journal

learning environments (referring to LMSs such as
Desire2Learn, eCollege, Jenzabar, Blackboard, and
Moodle) can capture transactional data on student
behaviors related to a learner’s personal patterns,
usage, and browsing time within the LMS.19 One
example is the Social Networks Adapting Pedagogical
Practice (SNAPP), which combines content analysis and a social network analysis tool within a
course learning environment.20 The LMS known as
Blackboard has developed an analytics solution called
Blackboard Analytics for Blackboard Learn that
monitors learner usage patterns and progress through
courses and assesses online learning tools.
The goal of using such analytic tools is to provide
information on students’ interactions with learning
objects and on their virtual interaction with other
students in a course. For self-paced NCOES courses, learner analytics could support continuous improvement of the instruction by providing real-time
information on the overall effectiveness of the course
structure, the instructional content within it, and

Staff Sgt. Chantel Duhart of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, reviews course work during a resident Battle
Staff NCO Course at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas, .
40

September-October 2014  MILITARY REVIEW