I__. - International Military Testing Association

Cost-Effectiveness of Home Study using Asynchronous
Computer Conferencing for Reserve Component Trainings2
Ruth H. Phelps, Ph.D.
Major Robert L. Ashworth, Jr.
U.S. Army Research Institute for the
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Heidi A. Hahn, Ph.D.
Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
Abstract
The resident U.S. Army Engineer Officer Advance
Course was converted for home study via asynchronous
computer conferencing (ACC). Students and instuctors
communicated with each other using computers at home,
thus creating an ttelectronic classroom". Test scores,
completion rates, student perceptions and costs were
compared to resident training. Results showed that:
ACC performance is equal to resident and costs are less
than resident.
Geographical dispersion, limited training time and civilian
job and family demands make travel to resident schools for
training and education difficult for the Reserve Component (RC).
Not only is it a hardship for soldiers to leave jobs and family,
but their units are unable to conduct collective training when
soldiers are absent. In addition, training soldiers at resident
schools has become so costly that HQ TRADOC has proposed a 50%
reduction in the number of soldiers traveling to resident
training by 2007 (TRADOC PAM 350-4).
The purpose of this paper is to summarize an investigation
of an alternative means for meeting the educational requirements
of the RC. The goals are to (1) develop and test a new training
option, using asynchronous computer conferencing (ACC), that
1 These data are summarized from Hahn, H., Ashworth, R.,
Wells, R., Daveline, K., (in preparation). Asynchronous
Cornouter Conferencinq for Remote Delivery of Reserve
Comnonent Traininq (Research Report). Alexandria, VA: U.S.
Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social
Sciences.
2This paper is not to be construed as an official Department
of the Army document in its present form.
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