Distributed learning (DL) is a key element of the Army s training strategy, and the Army plans to expand the use of DL and change how it is developed and delivered. Several studies were undertaken to develop and test new tools and metrics to assess training and to document the impact of Army DL courses at the program level. The project also assessed the abilities of Army information systems to support efficient data collection for DL evaluation."

The U.S. Army s Command and General Staff School offers its Advanced Operations Course (AOC) for junior field-grade officers using both traditional resident instruction and a model referred to as blended distributed learning (BDL). This report assesses the effectiveness of AOC-BDL based on student and graduate surveys and identifies best practices for BDL from empirical research and case studies."

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of the Common Core the first phase of the U.S. Army's system for developing critical thinking skills in its officer corps and the extent of differences among course venues: distributed, resident, and mixed delivery. Future evaluation should focus on whether the best possible outcomes within venues, rather than equivalent outcomes across venues, are achieved."