Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      snapshot of legacy paper CDCs and then computer screen with world map and U.S. Air Force logoWith a charter to help advance force development and transform how Airmen learn, the Air Force Career Development Academy at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., has reimagined the service’s career development course design and delivery model to bring it into the 21st century learning environment. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Dan Hawkins)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

AF Career Development Academy transforms CDC content, delivery to AirmenPublished July 20, 2021
                    
                    By Dan Hawkins
                    
                    
                    Air Education and Training Command
            **KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) --**With a charter to help advance force development and transform how Airmen learn, the Air Force Career Development Academy at **Keesler Air Force Base** has reimagined the service’s career development course design and delivery model to bring it into the 21st century learning environment.
Using an approach to modernization centered on rapid curriculum development and agile curriculum updates, with an emphasis on tasks that are mission-focused, the effort ties to the people-first approach of Air Force Chief of Staff **Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.**'s **Action Order-A (Airmen)** and directly contributes to developing Airmen to ensure they are ready for the future fight.
“We want every Airman trained within a modern, learner-centric model that befits their experience and education right when they walk in the door, as well as throughout their careers,” said **Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos**, **Second Air Force** commander. “The CDC modernization program is another great example of how we are **accelerating change** by investing in learning options that allow Airmen to learn in the connected way they’re already familiar with in today’s world.”
The legacy CDCs used textbook-style delivery with between 100 and 600 pages of reading, evaluated with multiple-choice assessments. The more modernized process includes the use of interactive, student-centric instruction with a focus on performance-based assessments and realistic scenarios.
“It’s no secret our CDC systems, processes, and courseware needed to be modernized because the program wasn’t meeting the needs of today’s Airmen or the career fields,” said Lindsey Fredman, Air Force Career Development Academy director. “Our new approach, which will be housed in **myLearning**, is now more mission-focused, Airmen-centric and competency-based than ever before.”
The CDC modernization process is done in four stages: analysis and discovery; design and prototyping; beta testing and implementation; and followed by evaluation.
Under the old model, the analysis and discovery process to develop or update a CDC could take two to three years depending on the number of tasks involved.
“Using rapid curriculum development, updates for an entire modernized course can take as little as a month or two,” Fredman said. “Moving forward in design, we now use CDC writers to provide subject matter expertise on their career field’s tasks, and provide that information immediately to the instructional designers, speeding up the process to develop and implement robust, effective courseware.”
Another new aspect in CDC design is the introduction of interactive content, which allows students to pace themselves through realistic training scenarios and performance-based assessments.
“Whereas before CDCs were simply words on paper, we have brought interactive training to the curriculum,” Fredman said. “For example, in the helicopter maintenance course, we are integrating interactive 3D engine models to identify components and even replicate malfunctions so an Airman has to diagnose and solve a realistic scenario that could happen out in the field during the training.”
Another example is in the missile and space systems electronic maintenance career field CDCs, which are currently undergoing modernization.
“We’ve been working with AFCDA since March to modernize the 2M0X1A 5-level CDCs into a fully interactive online course,” said Master Sgt. Peter Pleasanton, a 532nd Training Squadron flight chief based at **Vandenberg Space Force Base**, California, and the 2M0X1A CDC author. “We are developing content in Adobe Captivate and will be using myLearning.”
Another example is the 2T3X1 Air Force specialty code, which is the mission generation vehicular equipment maintenance career field.
“We really appreciate the guidance and IT support from AFCDA as we bring our CDC delivery method to an electronic platform that has interactive capabilities versus 14 volumes,” said Master Sgt. Arun Sebastian, assigned to the 344th Training Squadron at Naval Base Ventura County-Port Hueneme, Calif., and author for the 2T3X1 CDCs. “With our career field being extremely hands-on oriented, the interactive capabilities modernizes and expands the learning environment.”
From an agility perspective, the focus on task analysis specifically means courses can be updated much closer to real-time thanks to the use of proven AFNET-approved software.
“Considering the CDCs have been predominantly PDF text booklets for the last couple of decades, the career field is excited to have this opportunity to modernize the course,” Pleasanton said, adding the target for completion of the 2M0X1A CDC modernization is in fall of 2021.
The focus on tasks in the new process also meant removal of information Airmen didn’t necessarily need in the context of the CDC itself.
“In every instance, we are really taking hard looks at the ‘fluff’ in terms of content and where it can be cut down,” Fredman said. “One of the biggest things we learned was Airmen in the field felt there was too much content that didn’t tie directly to a task, or it wasn’t mission-focused.”
Understanding that some of that extra information might prove useful to Airmen outside their CDCs, the AFCDA now provides career fields proposed training plans that bridge knowledge gaps from the CDCs to tasks normally performed on the job, Fredman said.
As part of the modernization process, AFCDA is collaborating with certain career fields, such as logistics readiness, civil engineering and dental, to assist with the modernization process, Fredman said.
“We are working together to develop the 2T3 CDC’s which is one of the biggest changes our career field has seen in the realm of upgrade training,” Sebastian said. “Our career field manager is excited to see the product improve upgrade training across the enterprise."
Using an AFCDA liaison to ensure the process is standardized, the liaison can guide a career field as they take on task analysis and even course design to further speed up the modernization process.
“We really appreciate the guidance and IT support from AFCDA as we bring our CDC delivery method to an electronic platform that has interactive capabilities versus 14 volumes,” Sebastian said. “With our career field being extremely hands-on oriented, the interactive capabilities modernizes and expands the learning environment.”
“For instance, the medical career fields have instructional designers and many are using our CDC model to help them modernize,” Fredman said. “Career field managers are helping by leveraging resources they have to help speed up the timeline by helping us build courses.”
After the collaborative courses are built, AFCDA takes ownership of any updates, student management, courseware validation, and end of course surveys. Career field managers will also have access to data that will provide information on how individual career fields are performing.AFWN 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Air Force Career Development Academy 



CDCs 



Air Education and Training Command 



Career Development Course 



modernization 



transform the way we learn 



AETC 



force development 



action orders 



ACOL 



Second Air Force 



myLearning

Related Links
        "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast - Epi 54 - CDC Modernization Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil