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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between character traits and academic performance, as measured by grade point average of AFJROTC cadets. The sample consisted of 20 randomly selected male cadets and 20 female cadets enrolled in AFJROTC classes at Sullivan South High School. Data were collected using a questionnaire modified from the "What Do You Really Believe" survey. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, t test for independent samples, ANOVA, and Multiple Regression. The results indicated a significant relationship between character traits and academic performance. No significant difference was found in gender on character traits and academic performance. Also no significant difference was found on character traits and number of semesters completed. A significant multiple correlation was found on all four subcategories of the composite character traits with moral behavior indicating the greatest influence. This study suggests that cadets' behavior and academic performance are positively influenced by strong character education programs. (Contains 2 tables.)

A critical first step in developing training systems is gathering quality information about a trainee's competency in a skill or knowledge domain. Such information includes an estimate of what the trainee knows prior to training, how much has been learned from training, how well the trainee may perform in future task situations, and whether to recommend remediation to bolster the trainee's knowledge. This paper describes the design, development, testing, and application of a Web-based tool designed to assess a trainee's understanding of a content domain in a distributed learning environment. The tool, called the CRESST Human Performance Knowledge Mapping Tool (HPKMT), enables trainees to express their understanding of a content area by creating graphical, network representations of concepts and links that define the relationships of concepts. Knowledge mappers have been used for several years, almost always as an aid for organizing information in support of problem solving or in instructional applications. To use knowledge maps as assessments there must be a reliable scoring method and there must be evidence for the validity of scores produced by the method. Further, to be practical in a distributed learning environment, the scoring should be automated. The HPKMT provides automated, reliable, and valid scoring, and its functionality and scoring method have been built from a base of empirical research. We review and evaluate alternative knowledge mapping scoring methods and online mapping systems. We then describe the overall design approach, functionality, scoring method, usability testing, and authoring capabilities of the CRESST HPKMT. The paper ends with descriptions of applications of the HPKMT to military training, limitations of the system, and next steps. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

In this study we report on a test of a method that uses ontologies to individualize instruction by directly linking assessment results to the delivery of relevant content. Our sample was 2nd Lieutenants undergoing entry-level training on rifle marksmanship. Ontologies are explicit expressions of the concepts in a domain, the links among the concepts, and the governing constraints of these links. We have developed an ontology for the domain of rifle marksmanship. The ontology contains over 160 concepts and over 160 relationships that capture the different types of relations among the concepts (e.g., causal, part-whole, classifying, functional). The content was drawn from Marine field manuals, and interviews with snipers and coaches. Concepts were tagged with instructional content (e.g., definitions, explanations, elaborations, multimedia examples). Relations were tagged with an explanation of why the particular relation holds under particular conditions. Assessment is tied to instruction via influence (Bayesian) networks. Performance on assessment items determines what content is pulled from the ontology for delivery. For example, if a Marine scores poorly on all assessment items related to breathing control, then instructional content tied to the ontology concept "breathing control" (and any linked concepts) could be delivered. Conversely, if a Marine scores low on items that suggest poor knowledge of the shot group associated with poor breathing control, then only a shot group related to breathing might be delivered. Our test of this approach appears feasible and promising. The Bayesian network appeared to be successful in identifying knowledge gaps, and relevant and targeted content was served to Marines. Learning appeared to be occurring at a faster rate over time for Marines who received targeted instruction compared to Marines in a control group. Implications are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.) [The work reported herein was supported under the Office of Naval Research.]

After Operation Desert Storm and the end of the Cold War, Congress began to reevaluate the focus of U.S. military activities and proposed using some military assets and training to help address critical domestic challenges such as drugs, poverty, and unemployment. In particular, some policymakers saw an opportunity to use the military's capabilities to address domestic needs by providing role models for youth and training and educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. Section 1091 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 established the National Guard Youth Challenge Program (Challenge Program) as a pilot program to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of military based training to improve the life skills and employability of high school dropouts. After the program was permanently authorized in 1998, Congress began limiting the share of state operating costs covered by the federal government through the Department of Defense (DOD), which initially paid for 100 percent of these costs. DOD now pays 60 percent of state operating costs, and states provide 40 percent. In addition, the authorizing legislation for the Challenge Program allows the Secretary of Defense to use nondefense funding sources in support of the program. This document reports the findings of the Comptroller General's recent study of the Challenge Program, focusing specifically on: (1) the historical trends of the Challenge Program, including program expenditures, participation, and performance; (2) the extent to which Reserve Affairs and NGB have determined actual program costs and the consequent need to adjust the federal and state cost share; and (3) the extent to which NGB has provided oversight of the program. Also studied was the extent which Reserve Affairs and participating states have made an effort to obtain alternative funding support for the Challenge Program. Appended are: (1) Scope and Methodology; (2) National Guard Youth Challenge Program Sites; (3) Comments from the Department of Defense; and (4) GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgment. (Contains 22 footnotes, 2 tables, and 6 figures.)

As part of its transformation to prepare the armed forces to meet current and future challenges, the Department of Defense (DOD) is expanding its use of advanced distributed learning (ADL) techniques in senior- and intermediate-level officer professional military education (PME).To determine whether DOD uses a systematic process for evaluating the results of ADL application, this study examined DOD?s metrics for assessing program effectiveness, compared DOD?s criteria for converting courses to ADL with those of private sector institutions, and identified challenges to ADL implementation. Researchers reviewed and assessed policies and guidance of several DOD offices responsible for overseeing PME activities, studied experience in the private education sector and other parts of the government in measuring the effectiveness of education programs, and surveyed 437 current students and graduates of senior- and intermediate-level PME programs regarding their PME experience. Overall, DOD does not have specific performance goals and metrics with which to assess ADL effectiveness in PME. Although there are established frameworks for assessing program effectiveness by focusing on metrics for learning outcomes, DOD?s oversight focuses on educational inputs such as facilities, student to faculty ratios, and student body composition. Criteria for converting PME courses and curricula to ADL vary by school and military service, are based on subjective choices as to which content is suited for online delivery, and are focused solely on nonresident programs. DOD?s implementation of ADL programs for PME compares favorably with private-sector institutions. Cultural, technological, and resource challenges affect ADL implementation. Five appendixes present study scope and methodology; methodology for the survey of nonresident PME students and graduates; survey responses; ADL applications and additional features of nonresident programs; and comments from DOD. Contains five appenhree tables.

This report is the result of the first investigation by an independent body of a problem that has plagued the U.S. Air Force Academy for at least a decade, and possibly since the admission of women in 1976. At the direction of Congress, the Secretary of Defense appointed seven U.S. citizens with expertise in the military academies, behavioral and psychological sciences, and standards and practices related to proper treatment of sexual assault victims. It is clear from the review of nearly a decade of efforts to solve the problem of sexual assault at the U.S. Air Force Academy that the common failure in each of the efforts was the absence of sustained attention to the problem and follow-up on the effectiveness of the solution. Between 1993 and 2002, there were 142 allegations of sexual assault at the Academy, an average of more than 14 allegations each year. In addition, a survey in May 2003 showed that 80.8% of females who said that they had been victims of sexual assault did not report the incident. Information from a variety of sources shows that the responses of Academy and Air Force leadership have been inconsistent and have lacked a long-term plan to address the institutional culture that does not condemn sexual harassment or assault sufficiently. Another recent indicator of the problem is that one in five male cadets responding to a survey did not believe that women belong at the Academy. A new leadership team that took office in April 2003 has begun implementing changes in the Academy's institutional culture, military training, living environment, and sexual assault reporting processes. Sections of the report are: (1) "Executive Summary"; (2) "Introduction"; (3) "Awareness and Accountability"; (4) "Command Supervision and Oversight of the Academy"; (5) "Organizational Culture and Character Development"; (6) "Intervention and Response to Sexual Assault"; (7) "Recommendations"; (8) "Conclusion"; and (9) "Appendixes." The report contains 10 appendixes with supplemental information, including survey responses. (SLD)

The General Accounting Office (GAO) surveyed students and faculty at the academies operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force to educate and train young men and women to become leaders and effective junior officers in the military services. A web-based survey of 12,264 students and 2,065 faculty members at the 3 service academies on questions related to such student life issues as academic and military programs; gender- and race/ethnicity-based discrimination and harassment; and preferential treatment. Results from students included the following: 59-71% reported that quality-of-life problems are openly confronted and/or solved to some, little, or no extent; over 90% rated their academic programs as good or excellent; a quarter to a third rated their academy's performance standards for developing military officers as too low; and over 80% of students not recruited as athletes reported that athletes receive preferential treatment during the admissions process. Results from faculty were similar, but they were less likely to say that quality-of-life programs are seldom openly confronted and/or solved; a quarter to a third agreed that their academy's performance standards for developing military officers were too low; and 72-90% responded that recruited athletes receive preferential treatment during the admissions process. (Contains 4 appendices, 16 tables, and 30 figures.) (MO)

The main focus of this paper is to illustrate how West Point (New York) equips future U.S. Army officers with an appreciation and understanding of cultural knowledge. A unique, multidisciplinary goal-based approach to curricular design and assessment of students, as well as the academic program, is described, focusing on the structure, process, and content of student experiences that contribute to the achievement of the cultural perspectives goal. The paper reviews what the institution's assessment data are telling them about student achievement of this goal and how they use this evidence to improve the academic quality of the curriculum. The paper draws informative lessons from the experience, particularly in terms of models and processes that may prove helpful for other colleges and universities throughout the United States that are striving to ensure their undergraduates acquire a robust cultural perspective. (Contains 4 figures, 2 tables, and 11 references.) (Author/BT)

This study included a literature review of mentoring practices in Army and civilian organizations and an exploratory research effort concerning mentoring practices in the U.S. Army. The research effort consisted of 11 people (9 Army personnel and 2 civilians) were associated with training programs at an Army post. Participants completed a mentoring questionnaire that contained items about their mentoring experience and the impact of mentoring on their career and personal development. They also responded to structured interview items, which proved their notions about current and possible future mentoring practices. This investigation's findings have led to a potentially viable and much needed definition of mentoring, with a key element of the process involving a strong personal bond between protege and mentor. Mentoring also seems to be pervasive in the U.S. Army; however, the Armys mentoring processes, while effective, may not be optimal. This investigation's data also suggest the need for a telementoring system, which could be a harbinger of 21st century mentoring practices. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/SLD)

In response to the need of military leaders to be better prepared to plan, support, and conduct joint (multi-service and multi-national) operations, Congress enacted the Goldwater- Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. Positive steps were taken to implement provisions in the Act that address the education, assignment, and promotion of officers serving in joint positions. At the request of the U.S. House subcommittee on Military Personnel, the Government Accounting Office evaluated impediments affecting the ability of the Department of Defense (DOD) to fully respond to provisions in the Act. Annual DOD report data were analyzed; interviews were conducted with DOD officials; and 557 officers were surveyed. The study found that the DOD has not determined how many officers should complete the joint education program. In 2001, only 1/3 of the officers serving in joint positions had completed the program. In that same year, more than 1/3 of critical joint duty positions were left unfilled because of a lack of trained joint specialty officers. The DOD still relied on waivers to promote officers; analysis showed that 58 out of 124 officers promoted did not meet the joint education requirements. In order for the DOD to be assured that it is preparing officers in the most effective manner, it was recommended that a strategic plan be developed that would do the following: (1) identify the number of joint specialty officers needed; (2) provide for the education and assignment of reservists who may serve in joint organizations; and (3) provide more meaningful data to track progress made against the plan. (There are 15 tables and figures. Five appendices include DOD statistics and the survey questionnaire). (AJ)

Trends in the academic field of adult education were examined by exploring the collective perspectives of 52 long-time university professors in the United States. The following data sources were used: biographical vitae; written responses to an interview guide; and semi-structured oral history interviews conducted primarily by telephone. The study findings were used to construct a model of the first three generations of adult education professors. Across the generations, the early experiences that led people to the academic field of adult education manifested similar patterns, with most individuals having come from teaching, cooperative extension, religious education, and military education. Most of those interviewed supported a definition of adult education emphasizing core beliefs about the unique differences separating adults from children as learners. Many were self-described generalists who referred to adult education as a field of practice focusing on concepts of androgyny and transformative learning. Areas of concern cited by those interviewed included the decline in university graduate programs, fragmentation of the field into various subfields of practice, increasingly narrow research and literature, and a lack of national political representation. (The following items are appended: list of participants; diagram of adult education genealogy; and information about the 18 individuals and 12 books most frequently identified as influential by practitioners.) (MN)

This document contains three poster presentations from a conference on human resource development. "Intrinsic and Extrinsic Work Motivators: Implications for the Incoming Air Force Officer Workforce" (Stephanie K. Johnson, Jason J. Davis, Christopher Rate) reports on a study that explored the literature relating to work motivators to find Air Force specific data on intrinsic and extrinsic work motivators and use that data to investigate the occupational selection hypothesis and occupational socialization hypothesis and their relation to retention in the Air Force. "MBTI (Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator): A Tool to Enhance Team Learning" (Brenda S. Gardner, Sharon J. Korth) describes how the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator can be used to enhance team learning in a graduate-level human resource development program. "Using Technology to Help Foster Critical Thinking and Reflection in Distance and Classroom Instruction: A Poster Presentation of the 'R9' Process" (David Ripley) describes the development and application of the R9 process, which is an original pedagogical strategy to increase critical thinking and reflection in domain knowledge based courses in distance education and face-to-face classroom settings. The paper discusses selected R9 application issues and presents an example illustrating the process activities, venues, and instructor roles involved using the process in a typical class. All three papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Electronic performance support systems (EPSS) help users accomplish tasks, using computational technologies. Scaffolding is the process through which efforts are supported while engaging a learning or performance task. A number of different types of scaffolds are possible, including conceptual, metacognitive, procedural, and strategic. Each of these types of scaffolding is defined in this paper, and a case study involving the application of different scaffolding approaches is presented. The Tactical Readiness Instruction, Authoring, and Delivery (TRIAD) project is developing a set of authoring and delivery tools that will enhance the quality of tactical guidance disseminated through the United States Navy. The bulk of requisite knowledge and skill is developed through experience and personal study of tactical publications (including Tactical Memoranda, or TACMEMOs) and combat system doctrine. TRIAD is a PC-based system being designed and developed to improve the coherence and usability of TACMEMOs. TRIAD will provide authors with an integrated tool set to enable them to create tactical documentation using a variety of multimedia presentation techniques, and to create associated interactive multimedia instruction to support the documented tactic/doctrine. In turn, readers will receive a multimedia tactical documentation "product set" that supports tactic/doctrine presentation and briefing, instruction, quick reference, and facilitation of electronic feedback regarding tactic/doctrine evaluation. TRIAD's online author interview scaffolding of TACMEMOs is emphasized. (Contains 13 references.) (AEF)

During the year 2000, 1,737 students were randomly selected to represent 231,000 students participating in 1,350 JROTC programs in three regions of the United States. The intention of this study was to identify whether a dominant learning style preference would be revealed for this student population as compared to the learning style of the general population of high school students. Also examined were the following: variations in gender and ethnicity patterns that might contribute to the shaping of policies and programs to achieve the JROTC mission more effectively; whether a unique learning style characterized the instructors who worked with JROTC students and how their styles compared to the general population of secondary instructors; and whether gender or ethnic differences in learning styles existed within the group of participating JROTC instructors. Based on findings an analyses of both JROTC students' and instructors' learning style portraits, recommendations were developed for enhancing curriculum and instruction for JROTC students in harmony with the implementation of strategies and program course content initiated by Cadet Command. An overview of the Dunn and Dunn Learning-Style Model is provided. Includes two tables and three figures. An appendix lists instruments for identifying learning style, with grade/training level. (Contains 190 references.) (AEF)

A student evaluation of teaching in an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program was designed and implemented without formal validation. This study addressed the usefulness of the previous evaluation and whether the questions were the most valuable for students and faculty, especially for the improvement of teaching. An interview instrument and protocol were developed based on an extensive literature review. Formative and summative committees were used to provide feedback during the interview development stage. Interviews were conducted with the instructors of freshman, sophomore, and senior ROTC courses and two cadets from each of the four academic levels, freshman through senior. Interviews identified important areas of concern about the Air Force ROTC teaching and courses. Findings suggest that the previous evaluation instrument contained two questions unrelated to stakeholder concern and lacked questions related to six areas of concern. It was not considered to be an effective method of evaluating teaching and course concerns. Thirteen appendixes contain supplemental information, the interview protocol, and interview findings. (Contains 2 tables and 26 references.) (SLD)

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Education jointly developed the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Career Academy model, which provides a framework for implementation of an innovative vocational education program designed to keep dropout-prone students in school. The program, which combines military training with special schools-within-schools, was implemented at nine high schools across the United States. A case study approach was used to examine the progress made by the nine schools in implementing the eight components of the JROTC Career Academy model and to identify ways of improving the program. The study's key conclusions were as follows: (1) the JROTC career academies made fair progress toward implementation of the model; (2) reforms in instructional practices developed more slowly than structural reforms; (3) school leadership played a major role in successful implementation; (4) lack of formal agreements between the program's sponsors and the school districts and between the districts and the schools hindered implementation from the outset; and (5) lack of expenditure guidelines hindered long-term program sustainment. (Seventeen tables/figures are included. Profiles of the participating districts and schools and a table detailing implementation progress by component and year are appended. The bibliography contains 56 references.) (MN)