The Air Command and Staff College is launching a new version of the non-master's "correspondence" program during the last week of September.

This comprehensive distance learning transformation is designed to enhance critical thinking skills and improve the educational value of professional military education for mid-grade officers and civilians, officials said.

While the content remains similar, the learning experience will be completely different. Along with lesson narratives, reading materials and lesson progress checks, students will encounter videos, computer-based interactive learning activities and "game-like" exercises, all available in an online environment. Self-paced study will be enhanced through collaborative online seminars that enable students to engage more deeply in course concepts via faculty-guided, peer-to-peer interactions.

"Senior leadership has charged us to develop adaptive, critical-thinking leaders capable of meeting the dynamic challenges presented by our complex security environment," said Dr. Bart Kessler, dean of distance learning programs at ACSC. "We are working to meet that challenge with the next-generation ACSC distance learning program."

Building on lessons learned from the online master's program launched in 2007, ACSC distance learning developers leveraged technology and collaborative learning to create an interactive learning experience that eliminates the traditional "box of books," comprehensive multiple-choice exams and trips to base test centers. While several hundred officers and a number of civilians are able to attend ACSC in-residence for 10 months each year, the distance learning programs enable thousands more to complete PME at their own pace from locations around the globe.

Current distance learning students have received notification about program completion deadlines as a means to help prevent any interruptions in student PME progression.

More information about the new ACSC DL program will be posted at http://www.au.af.mil/au/acsc/distance-learning.asp. 

(Courtesy of  Air Command and Staff College.)