Marines

40 seats await MarineNet users

5 Mar 2004 | Lance Cpl. Rich Mattingly Marine Corps Base Hawaii

Rows of slowly fading screens are blinking in the Learning Resource Center (LRC) aboard MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, as a network analyst at the LRC gets the room ready for the Marines that will train there.

Soon, Marines will be hard at work with online Marine Corps Institute courses, Professional Military Education courses, Internet technology training and general business courses.  All of these courses are offered online through the use of the center's 40-seat computer lab and the MarineNet online learning management system.

MarineNet is the Marine Corps network that delivers online, computer-based training and testing such as MCI courses.

"MarineNet truly makes the training any time, anywhere," said Steve A. Brown, director of customer outreach for the College of Continuing Education, which currently manages MarineNet.  "A lot of Marines are finding that using MarineNet is preferable to the classic 'red books' of the MCI.  Sometimes results are posted on the total force system and credited before the Marines can even get back to their offices or unit."

Brown continued, saying MarineNet brings flexibility, speed and alternatives to the Marine Corps' training and education programs.  And these programs include many more options than MCIs.

Marines are able to access MarineNet courses from computer stations available in their offices now, as well as through the computers in the LRC.  After logging in, a Marine can easily click on the desired course and begin to learn, or even take the test associated with the course.  With the aid of a high-speed Internet connection, Marines can even complete coursework at home.

Unit training managers can receive a proctor password once they have participated in a unit training manager training session at the LRC.  Otherwise, Marines must visit the LRC in order to take the test associated with an MCI or other MarineNet course.

At a recent unit training manager training session, Maj. Tom Wright, MarineNet learning management systems officer with the CCE, instructed Marines involved in their units' training on the use of MarineNet.

"We've had more than 50,000 enrollments at MarineNet since we launched," said Wright.  "We expect the number of enrollments to double by next year."

Wright emphasized the ways in which using MarineNet could continue to push responsibility for training to the individual Marine, rather than having the unit sacrifice force readiness by shutting down normal operations to accommodate training.

"With MarineNet, Marines can access courses any time and really improve themselves with Marine Corps-related subjects, earn promotion points with MCIs or even get basic training requirements like the Marine Corps Common Task Training [Basic Skills Test] out of the way," said Maj. Larry Smith, assistant operations officer with MarineNet.

According to a Marine Corps White Paper, or guidance, on the MarineNet LMS, "When a registered user logs into MarineNet he/she is provided the ability to view all of the courses offered by the system and can request enrollment in any distance learning course.

"The MarineNet system takes into account the mobility of Marines and provides the ability for users to interact with the MarineNet system regardless of location."

With MarineNet, Marine training remains as constant it has always been, even as it shifts into a modern, high-speed digital medium.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii