COS Distance Learning Option

[PhoenixRisen]

So, I was browsing the "Stars-to-Bars" page for the Eaker Award to see if I'm missing anything (just need to present my speech and turn in my essay), and I noticed that there is now this link next to the options for COS or RCLS.  As far as I can see, this hasn't been discussed here.  If it has, my apologies.

It looks to be designed a hell of a lot better than the multiple-choice AFIADL-13 -- multiple essays on the various required subjects would, in my opinion, definitely help a cadet understand and retain the information better.  Although it's quite new (the memo is dated July 26th, has anybody had any of your cadets enroll in it?

[DakRadz]

I think if I get my Earhart soon, I'd do this and also strive to meet an RCLS next summer. Either way, this looks like an amazing program compared to what I know of the other.

No, it does not meet the actual in-person teamwork requirements. But the essays themselves seem- well, the topics are interesting to me, and I'd enjoy learning about and writing on them.

Seems an appropriate place to announce I am now a C/1st Lt.

[JC004]

Remember that you have to have a compelling reason to enroll in it rather than take an in-residence.

[SarDragon]

2. ELIGIBILITY. To qualify for the "COS Distance Learning Option," cadets must:
     a. Have earned the Earhart Award.
     b. Obtain their unit and wing commanders' permission (email "forwards" will suffice). Commanders: Please be mindful that the program's intent is to function as a "final resort" in service to cadets who are unable to attend the in-residence programs for good reason.

Emphasis mine.

If you have a good chance of going to RCLS next year, I don't think you fit the 'last resort' category.

[DC]

I'm not a fan of distance learning, but I am happy to see a program designed for cadets that cannot, for whatever reason, attend the in residence course. I don't think it will be an entirely adequate substitute, but it seems much more suited to the task than the old ECI 13. I like the writing requirements, but I wish they had included a speaking requirement as well, since speeches are a big part of the in-residence COS curriculum. They could be recorded and sent in or just evaluated at the squadron level.

Either way, it looks like a well designed and appropriately rigorous substitute.

[MIKE]

Based on the intent, I would drop this option.  It reads as "Oh crap! I'm a 20 and change y/o C/Maj and I want to get my Spaatz before I turn into a pumpkin." to which the standard response should be "Sorry about your luck."

[PA Guy]

I think this option will be grossly abused.

[Eclipse]

CAP is not a correspondence course.

[DakRadz]

Okay, let me rephrase.

I feel that both this and RCLS would be an adequate substitute for COS. As in, both of them to equal COS. Not one or the other.

And no, I probably won't do this one but at the same time it has potential (see above).

[Eclipse]

Who gets to decide the "last resort"?  I would say considering the scope of the activity, and the potential scope of the cadets grade, it needs to be approved by the Unit, Group, Wing, Region, and National Commanders before a waiver for this is granted.

We're talking about a very small number each year, and if you can get past that gauntlet, odds are you have a real need.

I also agree that "My clock is ticking and I never got around to it..." is not a valid excuse.

What's next?  Encampment via Skype?

[Ned]

For most of the history of the New Cadet Program, there was no "leadership school requirement" for the Eaker.

(Actually, there was no Eaker Award to signfify the completion of Phase IV, either, but you get my point.)

But when we upgraded the program to require some additional training outside of the squadron and wing, we needed to provide a "safety valve" for the tiny number of cadets each year who were unable to afford (in terms of time and treasure) to take a week or so away from college or job.

Remember, we are only talking about a "small percentage of a small percentage" to begin with.  The large majority of Eaker cadets will continue to satisfy the requirement via RCLS or COS. 

So the program was set up to allow a P-IV cadet to complete ECI-13.  According to our figures, less than 2 dozen cadets a year did so on their way to successfully completing our program.  (And as others have noted, ECI 13 wasn't a good match to begin with, but it was all we had.)

And now the USAF has discontinued the ECI course.  It is simply gone, and no longer available.  At first we had hoped that we could simply narrow the available choices and simply require all Eaker-bound cadets to take one of the in-residence courses.  But it is now obvious to us that we were too optimistic, and a small, but measurable, number of cadets cannot attend an in-residence course.

Accordingly, we have developed a distance-learning version to accomodate the estimated two dozen or so cadets each year that need it.  And the good news is that the new version is not an ill-suited off the rack course like ECI 13, but a carefully crafted curricula based on the standardized RCLS/COS curricula.  This course represents a lot of hard work on the part of the Corporate Team members in the CP shop at Maxwell.

It is new, and we will have to see how it works out.  And tweak it as necesary to ensure that it is a high-quality course.

Keep the feedback coming.


(And Bob, encampment is an issue for some cadets, particularly the overseas units.  We are open to thoughts and suggestions.)

[Ron1319]

I'd like to see some clarification of what is meant by "final resort."  Other than that, I think it's a good idea to include more options to allow cadets to fulfill the requirement, especially if we have data that shows that cadets are not completing the program due to COS/RCLS. 

[ZigZag911]

CAP is not a correspondence course.

Yet sometimes other obligations (school, work, family) get in the way of attending the in-residence courses.

If the regular military finds correspondence/distance learning options acceptable, we should too.

[Eclipse]

CAP is not a correspondence course.

Yet sometimes other obligations (school, work, family) get in the way of attending the in-residence courses.

If the regular military finds correspondence/distance learning options acceptable, we should too.

To a certain degree, I agree.  But in cases like COS, RCLS, and encampments, the majority of the worthwhile lessons are the subjective
leadership and followership experiences that are impossible in a correspondence course.  I realize members have all sorts of
challenges to their participation, that's why they are called "challenges", and the effort of participation is one of the things that
makes the achievement have some weight.

[ZigZag911]

Again, I would maintain that if USAF can accept ACSC or even AWC accomplished via distance learning, CAP can live with RCLS conducted by the same means.

Now, perhaps we could take a lesson from the military and set up 'seminar groups", even if these need to be virtual rather than physical, to create the community of learners sharing an experience....which certainly is a genuine benefit.

[SarDragon]

Re: encampments, and OS units: being overseas is a handicap, but, IMHO, not a huge burden, unless a cadet joins at 15 or 16, right after they get to that foreign base. I was in an OS unit for just over two years, and was fortunate enough to do two encampments while there. They were tiny, and might not have been quite as good an experience as CAWG, MIWG, ILWG, or others, but the content met the requirements.

Currently there are only six OS units -three in Japan, two in Germany, and one in Korea. Average tour lengths are three years. Even if we have that worst case joining situation, and no OS encampments, that still leaves a couple of years to complete an encampment after returning to the US. I don't know what the current Space-A situation is, but that could be an option to get a cadet back to the States for a regular encampment.

[Eclipse]

Again, I would maintain that if USAF can accept ACSC or even AWC accomplished via distance learning, CAP can live with RCLS conducted by the same means.

But ACSC and AWC are not gateways to anything in CAP - they are "value-adds" in our context, and in the USAF context they are surrounded by years of structured in-face leadership and related training.

COS is a gateway to a grade and a unique experience in a cadet's life.

[coudano]

I did SOS in place of RSC
and I will do ACSC in place of NSC

[ZigZag911]

But ACSC and AWC are not gateways to anything in CAP

ACSC is alternative to NSC, either of which lead to Gill Robb Wilson Award

[Eclipse]

But ACSC and AWC are not gateways to anything in CAP

ACSC is alternative to NSC, either of which lead to Gill Robb Wilson Award

And the Wilson is a gateway to?

[Spaceman3750]

But ACSC and AWC are not gateways to anything in CAP

ACSC is alternative to NSC, either of which lead to Gill Robb Wilson Award

And the Wilson is a gateway to?

1. Complete ACSC
2. Complete Gil Rob Wilson Award
3. ??
4. Profit!!

[Ron1319]

I'm sure that whatever would go in for #3 would be a felony.

[Tim Medeiros]

What leadership experiences are at COS and RCLS?  The only thing MIGHT be TLPs, so a DL option is definitely viable.  What's the difference between a Cadet doing ECI-13 (back in the day, and yes I'm one of the ones that did it) and a DL COS?

[MSG Mac]

But ACSC and AWC are not gateways to anything in CAP

ACSC is alternative to NSC, either of which lead to Gill Robb Wilson Award

And the Wilson is a gateway to?

21 years and counting as a LtCol

[davidsinn]

But ACSC and AWC are not gateways to anything in CAP

ACSC is alternative to NSC, either of which lead to Gill Robb Wilson Award

And the Wilson is a gateway to?

21 years and counting as a LtCol

You don't need Wilson to get Lt Col.

[Briski]

What leadership experiences are at COS and RCLS?  The only thing MIGHT be TLPs, so a DL option is definitely viable.  What's the difference between a Cadet doing ECI-13 (back in the day, and yes I'm one of the ones that did it) and a DL COS?

The primary benefit that attending an in-residence course has over distance learning is the classroom experience.

At COS, cadets interact directly with both a USAF Reserve officer and an experienced CAP officer in their flights who help guide the cadets as they discuss the readings and lectures from Air University professors, airpower heroes (like Col John Warden and Col Ray Bean), and other subject matter experts.

Many RCLS programs follow this same general model. Those RCLS programs that do not typically have their own unique models that differ slightly, but still provide an incredible classroom experience with live instructors to teach the material, and real classmates to exchange ideas with.

In-residence courses also provide a chance for informal networking. I'm still in touch with some of my classmates from GLR-N RCLS in 2004, as well as my COS teammates from 2006. I'm still in touch with a few of the cadets I instructed at COS '10, and I'm in regular contact with those I taught at the 2010 GLR-S RCLS.

While it's obviously preferable that a cadet attend an in-residence course, I'm glad there's a distance learning alternative. Since it follows the COS curriculum, this is an incredible CP initiative. I really didn't learn a whole lot when I took AFIADL-13 as a C/2d Lt in 2004, because it was designed for Seniors. While I'm not necessarily proud to admit it, I passed the end of course exam easily without having completed anywhere near all of the readings. The COS distance learning option eliminates that possibility by replacing a multiple guess written exam with some pretty intense essay assignments that will be evaluated using the same standards as written assignments completed during the in-residence COS course.

Given that the distance learning option includes 350 pgs of reading + 7 essays (for a combined total of 5,200 to 7,500 words), my guess is that the average cadet will not be able to complete this option in a week and a half like they would the in-residence course options. It will require a greater commitment to complete this course load while juggling the school/work/family responsibilities that prevented them from attending COS or RCLS in the first place. In general, 500 word summary essays are easy; it takes a lot of talent and effort to BS a 700-1000 word essay that's evaluated on comprehension and synthesis.

I know this is a "last resort" kind of a deal, but would there be a provision for cadets like DakRadz to complete RCLS, and then enroll in the COS distance learning course later on? Obviously they would need to go through the same vetting process (unit commander, wing commander, activity director), but would the time/effort/resources costs outweigh the benefits of encouraging cadets who are excited to simply learn more?

[Tim Medeiros]

What leadership experiences are at COS and RCLS?  The only thing MIGHT be TLPs, so a DL option is definitely viable.  What's the difference between a Cadet doing ECI-13 (back in the day, and yes I'm one of the ones that did it) and a DL COS?

The primary benefit that attending an in-residence course has over distance learning is the classroom experience.

At COS, cadets interact directly with both a USAF Reserve officer and an experienced CAP officer in their flights who help guide the cadets as they discuss the readings and lectures from Air University professors, airpower heroes (like Col John Warden and Col Ray Bean), and other subject matter experts.

Many RCLS programs follow this same general model. Those RCLS programs that do not typically have their own unique models that differ slightly, but still provide an incredible classroom experience with live instructors to teach the material, and real classmates to exchange ideas with.

This we agree on, the point I was trying to convey, in response to Eclipse, was that there generally isn't a leadership role for the attendees other than "student".  While education is a vital aspect of growing ones self as a leader, I find myself hard pressed to see that as a leadership role in the traditional sense.

In-residence courses also provide a chance for informal networking. I'm still in touch with some of my classmates from GLR-N RCLS in 2004, as well as my COS teammates from 2006. I'm still in touch with a few of the cadets I instructed at COS '10, and I'm in regular contact with those I taught at the 2010 GLR-S RCLS.

This is the main reason I went to these activities, though I spend less contact with my classmates from SERCLS 2002 (only 6 of us total), COS 06 (mainly keep in touch with my fellow Spaatz that was there with me and a few SMs) and the SERCLS I staffed (mainly keeping in touch with the curriculum developer).

While it's obviously preferable that a cadet attend an in-residence course, I'm glad there's a distance learning alternative. Since it follows the COS curriculum, this is an incredible CP initiative. I really didn't learn a whole lot when I took AFIADL-13 as a C/2d Lt in 2004, because it was designed for Seniors. While I'm not necessarily proud to admit it, I passed the end of course exam easily without having completed anywhere near all of the readings. The COS distance learning option eliminates that possibility by replacing a multiple guess written exam with some pretty intense essay assignments that will be evaluated using the same standards as written assignments completed during the in-residence COS course.

You will find nothing but agreement here, especially the ease of completing AFIADL-13 for a cadet.

Given that the distance learning option includes 350 pgs of reading + 7 essays (for a combined total of 5,200 to 7,500 words), my guess is that the average cadet will not be able to complete this option in a week and a half like they would the in-residence course options. It will require a greater commitment to complete this course load while juggling the school/work/family responsibilities that prevented them from attending COS or RCLS in the first place. In general, 500 word summary essays are easy; it takes a lot of talent and effort to BS a 700-1000 word essay that's evaluated on comprehension and synthesis.

I only hope others realize this, especially cadets thinking of this as an option to utilize while using busy summer/spring schedules as an excuse.

I know this is a "last resort" kind of a deal, but would there be a provision for cadets like DakRadz to complete RCLS, and then enroll in the COS distance learning course later on? Obviously they would need to go through the same vetting process (unit commander, wing commander, activity director), but would the time/effort/resources costs outweigh the benefits of encouraging cadets who are excited to simply learn more?

Intriguing question.  I know I took RCLS, COS and AFIADL-13 all in an effort to learn what the other courses didn't teach and expand my knowledge, I'm sure there are others out there among the current generation of cadets.

[jimmydeanno]

I am actually disappointed that this was implemented and that the resources of our NHQ were wasted putting this together.

In reality, we are talking about the top 2%(Eaker %?) of cadets in the first place.  That is about 525 cadets in our entire organization.  Factor in the number of cadets who would "need" this option that haven't gone to COS (using ECI-13 numbers) and we're talking about a percentage of cadets that is virtually non-existent. 

So, on one hand, we will probably have such an insignificant number of cadets who qualify for the option that it was a complete waste of time putting the course together.  And on the other, so few cadets will take it that we will probably never encounter a significant enough number to point and say, "that course is detrimental to the program."

Additionally, we will have to pay one of our NHQ staffers to administer, update, etc a program that will have few, if any, cadets actually enroll.

I am glad that it is a "last resort" option, so we don't have cadets miss out on the experience that can only be had at an in residence course.  The "I can't make it to COS" excuse is pretty weak, considering that everything, including airfare is covered.  You even get the money you pay-in as a deposit back throughout the week as a per diem.

[Ned]

In reality, we are talking about the top 2%(Eaker %?) of cadets in the first place. That is about 525 cadets in our entire organization.  Factor in the number of cadets who would "need" this option that haven't gone to COS (using ECI-13 numbers) and we're talking about a percentage of cadets that is virtually non-existent. 

Like I said, our figures suggest 18-24 cadets per year.

And like all Earhart/Eaker types, these are terrific young women and men who are still focused on "advancing their education and training rapidly to prepare [themselves] to be of service to [their] Community, State, and Nation."

Or something like that.   

Reasonable minds can differ, but if a couple of dozen of cadets a year would benefit, I think it was a good investment of the Corporate Team's time and efforts.

Additionally, we will have to pay one of our NHQ staffers to administer, update, etc a program that will have few, if any, cadets actually enroll.

True enough.  But remember, we only award 30 or so Spaatz Awards each year, and we expend a fair amount of administrative effort for that relatively small group of cadets as well.

Like I said, reasonable minds can differ on where to draw the line.

I am glad that it is a "last resort" option, so we don't have cadets miss out on the experience that can only be had at an in residence course.  The "I can't make it to COS" excuse is pretty weak, considering that everything, including airfare is covered.  You even get the money you pay-in as a deposit back throughout the week as a per diem.

I think COS is a terrific bargain and an outstanding activity that is among our best.  (Note:  I am a faculty member and am accordingly biased.)

BUT, the fee is $400 which is not a negligible amount of money.  Yes, each cadet is subsidized by appropriated and corporate dollars and airfare, billeting, meals, etc.  are included.

But $400 is $400.  I don't know about you, but I was on financial aid when I was in college and I had to scrimp and scrape to put together the fee when I went as a cadet.

But I agree with your overall assessment that the large majority of Eaker cadets will attend COS and/or an RCLS and never use this option.

Thank you for your service to our cadets.

[noodles]

Long overdue...and probably needs to be/will be expanded in future months/years.   Distance learning for SOC/ACSC/AWC is an option for AF officers...and it works fine for them.  Not everyone gets to attend school in-residence; it is somewhat selective for SOS and very competitive for ACSC and AWC (and equivalents). CAP is not the AF or military...but distance learning has worked for both. It also provides some standardization (from curriculum development to grading) that is severely lacking in the RCLS world (no two are the same).

The economy is hurting families (who may not have the resources to send their cadet to an RCLS in the region or somewhere else in case of scheduling conflicts) and the DoD.  When I attended COS x2 I paid for the pricey ticket to MGM.  I'm glad that CAP now subsidizes that cost...but wonder how much longer that can go on for in this fiscally constrained environment. This is a good solution to a requirement that did not always exist. 

120 days is a pretty quick turnaround for this amount of writing (~7500 words in 7 assignments).  If NHQ really gives these papers the hard look (and kicks some back with "sorry, this needs to be re-done due to x, y, z) this will not be a walk in the park.  If this is expanded beyond being a "in case of emergency break glass" option there stands to be some good lessons learned when it comes to time management and accountability ("sorry, you failed to complete all assignments in 120 days...") that cadets need to learn NOW...and all too often CAP fails them in doing so.