Education Continues, Even In War
Jan 9th, 2006
It is perhaps the last place you'd ever expect to see a college classroom: on the front lines during a war. But when your classroom is online, anything is possible.
Boston.com
reports:
Not many college students can say they have done schoolwork while standing guard with an M-16 automatic assault weapon in the middle of a war zone. Skip Spoerke, a 29-year-old Army Reserve sergeant, can.
In an example of what might be called extreme long distance learning, the Brockton resident has spent 14 months serving in Iraq and the last few overlapping months studying at the Berklee College of Music via computer.
Spoerke — a trumpeter who in civilian life is a member of the East Bridgewater-based band VMF (Various Musical Forces) — just completed a Music Business Specialist certificate, a three-course, nine-credit study of the music industry. He did so by taking advantage of high-speed Internet connections to further his studies through the Army University ACCESS Online program at eArmyU.com.
A number of online universities have begun to cater to those in the military, offering MBAs, professional certifications, and even law degrees to people who can't attend school in person, full-time. According to the eArmyU.com website, more than 60,000 soldiers have enrolled in programs at 29 accredited colleges and universities through eArmyU.com.
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