Useful

**in_the_cheapseats** · 24-04-2009, 10:33

Boss,

Something that I felt envious of the US Army when I worked along side them was the attitude that pervaded all rank levels which was the desire to better ones self academically. It is one I'd love to see in our Forces.

We pay lip service to it although we are getting better at it since the introduction of the enhanced learning credits scheme (although as someone who used it it still felt like trying to get blood out of a stone). A lot of us have to or choose to go back into some sort of education after we leave. 4 (3 ex reg and 1 TA) out of my MBA class (25) last year fall into that category, and that was just one school.

The number of people that are on the site, talking about PRINCE, OU, MBAs, the conversion of in-service qualifications to those that are useful in the "real" world, as well as those that approach the site from academia for samples seems to be a constant. At the moment these turn up all over the place and I think it would be beneficial to stick these together to help individuals transitioning to the outside research what may be useful in the future as well as for those interested in improving themselves whilst still serving.

Could I therefore suggest that a useful forum to be introduced could be one for Education, perhaps in the Normal Life segment?

Thanks

**in_the_cheapseats** · 25-04-2009, 21:34

Bump - wouldn't mind opinions on this folks. I realise we have the training wing but that is full of mil course and quals stuff. I'm talking about more civilianised qualifications.

Boss - any come back?

**msr** · 25-04-2009, 21:39

Sounds like a good idea.

No if only they would offer ELCs to the TA...

MSR

**BoomShackerLacker** · 25-04-2009, 22:30

Some cute observations; and to fire from the flanks it has to be said the general US culture of 'aspiration' and the 'American Dream' burnt deeply into an inclusive edjumacation system, where our troubled system remained highly exclusive i.e. metal work for the unwashed and Oxbridge for the privileged.

That is changing but woefully too late; there is a cultural change where post-graduate education doesn't require a first degree for entry and often those without first degrees prove able to offer more 'criticality' in their Masters work.

One thing, amongst many, blue-rinsed Cameron will destroy in the anti-quango rhetoric are the very bodies that are helping this inclusivity; that is the Lifelong Learning Networks around the country that are funded excellently by Broon's mob but will be slashed back leaving edjumacation inexorably and slowly (Senge Mr Cheap?) declining, so much so, that we'll end up with elitism all over again. Great work is being done to grow the confidence of the British in their relationship with 'learning'; and it is cultural. The quite wonderful Michelle Bamma brilliantly inspired recently to say 'smart is cool' and behind her were youngsters whose communities pour scorn on learning, regrettably.

**BoomShackerLacker** · 25-04-2009, 22:48

...and very much yes to an edjumacation forum - happy to contribute to this also!

**E-Layer** · 26-04-2009, 00:24

**BoomShackerLacker** · 26-04-2009, 08:26

[quote="E-Layer"]

Originally Posted by in_the_cheapseats

...contribute to the ongoing plagiarism problems that universities have :D

...

snipped by BSL... and couldn't let this throw-away-thought go unremarked:

Due to students having to submit work electronically as well as in 'hard' form it is amazing to behold all the coloured lights that appear on the flange-wangler when someone has 'accidentally', and how irritating it is when this happens, inadvertantly-copied-and-pasted a friends', former-colleagues'-and-former-student-on-the-same-courses'-work-from-last-year into your own masterpiece; thus making plagiarising frighteningly likely to secure meeting-without-nescafe along with a small invoice to retake said module whilst taking your other modules. Previously it was down to the academics' 'nose' to sniff out errant swotters, that is, most got through!

**Fallschirmjager** · 26-04-2009, 08:32

It would be good to cover the likes of:

Learning credits
Resettlement courses
Education & IT courses within the army
What is worth/not worth doing
mature students
help in course work
how to cheat!