CAP Officer Basic Course - Launching announced

[A.Member]

What we really need are people that are effectively trained and knowledgeable as leaders.   I do not see how this change helps to accomplishes that. 

Please provide some details on how OBC does a poorer job of training than ECI 13.  Have you taken OBC and compared it to ECI 13?  Your whole complaint seems to be that it isn't hard enough to make people "really" work and that too many people will be getting promoted now who don't deserve promotions.

Read the paragraphs of my post subsequent to the portion you quoted.

And no, I have not completed the new course.  It is not currently open to members that have previously met the requirement.

[Short Field]

I did read them - and deleted most of my intial response in order to attempt to remain civil. 

I totally fail to see any reason to make training harder just to weed out people who don't have the "commitment" to finiish.  There is NOTHING I have see in CAP that is hard to do - outside of the frustrating and confusing processes we have self-inflicted on ourselves.    I am all for making things easier - so we end up with better trained and motivated people.   I am tired of losing people simple because they get tired of fighting the system to get the training they need and want.   

[A.Member]

I did read them - and deleted most of my intial response in order to attempt to remain civil. 

I totally fail to see any reason to make training harder just to weed out people who don't have the "commitment" to finiish.  There is NOTHING I have see in CAP that is hard to do - outside of the frustrating and confusing processes we have self-inflicted on ourselves.    I am all for making things easier - so we end up with better trained and motivated people.   I am tired of losing people simple because they get tired of fighting the system to get the training they need and want.

Then you clearly missed my point.  I'm not arguing to make things more difficult simply for the sake of making it difficult.  My argument is to make the training meaningful.  I do not see this change to the program accomplishing this at all.  I simply see it as a way for even more people to pin on rank for which they are not properly prepared.  That is actually a step in the wrong direction.

[EMT-83]

It was a bit more cumbersome process.   As such, a member had to "want it" more.  I consider this to be a good thing and it serves as an artificial barrier to keep those less committed from advancing further.

Then you clearly missed the point.  I'm not arguing to make things more difficult for the sake of making it difficult.

Guess I missed the point as well.

[A.Member]

It was a bit more cumbersome process.   As such, a member had to "want it" more.  I consider this to be a good thing and it serves as an artificial barrier to keep those less committed from advancing further.

Then you clearly missed the point.  I'm not arguing to make things more difficult for the sake of making it difficult.

Guess I missed the point as well.

Then perhaps that's the fault of the messenger.    

However, if we want to cherry pick, I thought the leading sentences of the these paragraphs would make my point clear:

What we really need are people that are effectively trained and knowledgeable as leaders...   

Now, in fairness, ECI 13 did not necessarily accomplish this either...

With this being a conclusion:

I'll try to keep an open mind on this thing but my initial reaction is this is a step in the wrong direction...

[JoeTomasone]

I had the ECI 13 course materials, and having taken the new course, I can safely say that I learned more *useful* information in the new course than I did studying the old material.

The new material is online, you can read it and (re)draw your own conclusions.

Did the old ECI 13 test have more than 400 questions???

[Angus]

First off, I agree 110% with Joe, the matterial in OBC is much more relevant.

Second, I just saw that my course completion posted to my e-services.  Sweet it's up less than 48 hours after I finished the course.

[Thrashed]

Do you print a OBC certificate or get one mailed to you?  I'm not reading all 14 pages if that has already been posted!

[Angus]

When I finished they gave me the option to print a certificate.  I've got to go back in and print it up.  I wasn't near a printer when I finished. 

[JoeTomasone]

Second, I just saw that my course completion posted to my e-services.  Sweet it's up less than 48 hours after I finished the course.

WOW.   Not bad!   I'm still waiting for my CAPF 24 to work its magic.   I don't know why I'm so impatient over this given that I can't pin on my tracks until April.   

Tom Petty was right:  The waiting IS the hardest part.

[Shotgun]

Did my part for the next cohort! Finished the course this morning and must say I really enjoyed the whole process.

I have to admit I was tempted to skip straight to some of the quizzes knowing that I could retake it knowing the correct answers. But I stuck it out and took the time to study each lesson and actually learned quite a lot.

Hopefully other people in this session will finish up quickly so that they can start third session early also.

Looking forward to the the Benjamin O. Davis award!

[Spike]

^ Can you tell us one thing you learned in the course that you thought you already knew??

[Angus]

Second, I just saw that my course completion posted to my e-services.  Sweet it's up less than 48 hours after I finished the course.

WOW.   Not bad!   I'm still waiting for my CAPF 24 to work its magic.   I don't know why I'm so impatient over this given that I can't pin on my tracks until April.   

Tom Petty was right:  The waiting IS the hardest part.

I'm waiting for the F24 Magic to take hold myself.  I believe it was emailed yesterday.  As soon as it posts I'm promoteable.  I can hear the faint sound of trains coming.   

[MikeD]

My group got an email today saying 16 Feb was our new start date, instead of 1 April. 

[JoeTomasone]

Second, I just saw that my course completion posted to my e-services.  Sweet it's up less than 48 hours after I finished the course.

WOW.   Not bad!   I'm still waiting for my CAPF 24 to work its magic.   I don't know why I'm so impatient over this given that I can't pin on my tracks until April.   

Tom Petty was right:  The waiting IS the hardest part.

I'm waiting for the F24 Magic to take hold myself.  I believe it was emailed yesterday.  As soon as it posts I'm promoteable.  I can hear the faint sound of trains coming.   

My 24 took a few days to post, CAPF 2 broke all known speed records - I think 6 hours between the time I sent the form (and request) to Personnel and the time I checked eServices and saw it was done. 


I still maintain that the new course is better than the old course.  You can bemoan the testing procedures and the open book nature of the test, but the goal is to have you LEARN; reading the question and searching the electronic publications would still make you read and learn the right answer despite any inclination you might have not to.

Just the fact that the course material is in PDF and available to anyone who wishes to (re)read it is a gigantic step forward.  The ECI materials I got were so re-re-re-re-photocopied that they were an absolute chore to read.   Bad contrast, tilted on the page, etc... 

[Capt_Redfox30]

Does anybody know what "Cohort" is open now?  As Group PDO I wanted to send out an update but since i already have Level 4 I cant apply for the course.  So if anyone has just applied and been accepted let me know.  Thank you. 

[MikeD]

I got an email this morning that the Feb 16th (originally April or May) group could start today.  Going to do my part to help the next cohort get moving faster then planed too.

[exFlight Officer]

I got an email this morning that the Feb 16th (originally April or May) group could start today.  Going to do my part to help the next cohort get moving faster then planed too.

Thanks. I am in the 15th May Cohort. Enjoy the course!

[Angus]

After some network issues my Level 2 finally posted.  Now awaiting the paperwork for those tracks.

[DrDave]

Say, I'm in the original 1 April cohort but have not received any emails stating we will be starting sooner. 

Can anyone send me a copy of that email?

Thanks,
Dr. Dave