The Department of Defense lacks specific performance goals and
metrics to assess the effectiveness of its advanced distributed
learning program and cannot ensure that it is achieving an
appropriate return on investment and other goals, the
Government Accountability Office has said.
It said DoD is increasingly using ADL–it does not require
an instructor’s presence and facilitates the use of varied
learning management systems–for senior and intermediate-
level officer professional military education.
However, many ADL students and alumni said the quality
outcomes of ADL did not compare favorably with resident
education programs, and some military policies reflect a
lower estimation of the value of this kind of training,
said GAO.
It said the technological challenges of balancing computer
access with network security, along with resource challenges
of funding and increased burdens on limited administrative
staff are additional concerns.
DoD’s oversight focuses on educational inputs such as
facilities, student to faculty ratios, and student body
composition, and because ADL is still evolving as a tool,
systematic evaluative processes have not yet been required,
but performance goals and metrics could help ensure adequate
return on investment, according to GAO-04-873.
