Military Review English Edition March-April 2014 | Page 55

C A P TA I N S ’ E D U C ATI O N
Fourth, most CCC classrooms need to be updated
with educational technology and configured to
support small-group instruction. Finally, students
questioned for the study overwhelmingly emphasized the benefits of a resident course requiring a
permanent change of station (PCS):
● Learning from peers and instructors with
diverse backgrounds (including Army, other service, and international military students).
● Personal and professional development and
networking opportunities.
● Time to achieve balance and to reset.
Sixty-one of the original 71 recommendations
from the 2010 CCC study have been fully implemented, and eight others are being implemented. All
of the five key findings and associated recomendations have been addressed.
First, small-group leader selection is now a priority
assignment, coordinated between branch commandants and U.S. Army Human Resources Command.
Small-group leaders also receive the same faculty
development program as instructors at the U.S.
Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC),
focused on educational instruction and facilitation.

U.S. Army captains at Fort Benning conducting wargaming during
the new Captain’s Career Course common curriculum pilots. (U.S.
Army)

MILITARY REVIEW

March-April 2014

Second, the CCC common core curriculum has
been rewritten completely to apply adult education
principles and reflect Doctrine 2015. The course
now uses the experiential learning model. Student
requirements include several briefings, writing
assignments, and a comprehensive exam.
Third, CGSC’s School of Advanced Leadership
and Tactics, established in October 2010, provides
staff management of the CCC and is the proponent
for the common core curriculum. The Combined
Arms Center Commandant/Director of Training
Conference and the Army Learning Coordination
Council now provide governance of CCC. Fourth,
the number of classrooms updated with educational
technology and configured to support interactive
small-group instruction has increased, with more
classroom upgrades planned as part of TRADOC’s
Army School Classroom Modernization Program
known as Classroom XXI (referring to a program
to transform classrooms into state-of-the-art
student-centered multimedia environments with
24/7 remote access). Finally, the CCC will remain
a resident course, requiring a PCS.

From Initial Concept to an
Approved Mid-Grade Learning
Continuum
In 2010, the 2015 CCC concept for implementing an approved mid-grade learning continuum for
captains and mid-grade officers was described as
follows:
Upon promotion to first lieutenant, all officers
would take an Army learning assessment
(ALA), which establishes a baseline for each
officer’s learning requirements. If significant
gaps are identified in an officer’s foundational
proficiency required for resident phases,
he or she would be required to complete a
preparation course (which is also for sister
service and international military students).
The common core resident phase (currently
at 7 1/2 weeks) would be completed at the
curr