Posted by Courtney E. Howard
WASHINGTON, 1 Nov. 2011. Officials at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) needed a soldier training system. They found their solution at Blackboard Inc. in Washington. Army officials are adopting Blackboard Learn 9.1 as its platform to train more than 150,000 soldiers annually through its Lifelong Learning program. The online training program--offering more than 35,000 Army, Air Force, foreign language, and cultural courses in roughly 40 schools nationwide--will run on Blackboard's learning management system.
TRADOC is the U.S. Army command that oversees the training of Army forces, the development of operational doctrine and the procurement of new weapons systems. As more institutions requested access to its learning management system, TRADOC officials conducted a vendor evaluation to select a comprehensive, command-wide solution to fit the Army's unique requirements for providing a classroom-based learning platform that can be scaled to support residence, instructor-led and distance learning.
The Blackboard Learn platform will support TRADOC's Army Learning Concept 2015 initiative, which emphasizes the use of blended, continuous learning environments to meet mission demands through in-depth, customizable training. TRADOC will also use the platform to keep officers continuously enrolled in classes to access the latest information as they face combat situations on evolving battlefields throughout their careers.
By expanding their training program with Blackboard Learn, the Army estimates that it will reduce waitlists for mandatory courses by 18,000 students and extend training to more than 96,000 additional warfighters annually.
"The training tools required to wage a successful military campaign need to rely on innovative technologies that go beyond basic knowledge of strategy and tactics and creates an environment where soldiers can share information and ideas about mission-critical duties in real time," says Tim Hill, president of Blackboard Professional Education (ProEd).
