Pilot I

 

Pilot I was a series of two courses offered through five participating institutions from January 2021 through June 2021. These courses and this pilot were designed to provide an opportunity for the USNCC to collect data to evaluate and assess program design, institutional partnerships, student outcomes, and impact for service readiness. The program focus areas were offered through participating institutions designated as follows:

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Cyber Security

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Cyber Security

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Nuclear Engineering

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Data Analytics

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Military Studies

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Student selection for participation in the Pilot I program was completed by each service (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) in the Fall of 2020 and resulted in approximately 550 students from the three service branches. The USNCC stood up several working groups in conjunction with service leadership to establish foundational policies and effective administration of the USNCC and programs offered. These policies, along with service policies, identified the process for future enrollment and participation in Pilot II.
Pilot I courses were delivered one at a time and spanned 8-12 weeks in duration. Courses and instruction were asynchronous, which did not require the student to be online at any certain time but did require interaction and participation throughout the week for successful course completion. Student course load required participation in a similar fashion to online schools, allowing Service members to complete courses during nights and weekends; not during the work day.

Bridge

Following the completion of the two designated Pilot I courses, the USNCC offered a bridge program consisting of four courses for students who desired to continue with the USNCC and current partner institutions. These four courses bridge the gap between Pilot I and Pilot II. To continue in the USNCC Bridge program, students were required to apply and be accepted into a USNCC designated degree program. Students who currently remained in the USNCC as part of the bridge program were required to have their JST and any prior college experience (via official college transcripts) evaluated by the partner institution in order to apply prior college credit or credit for prior learning towards the enrolled degree program.

The USNCC Pilot program is separately funded from other service-related educational opportunities. Pilot I participants did not need to use their service-related tuition assistance (TA) or personally pay to attend these pilot courses. The USNCC funded all tuition, mandatory course fees, and digital course materials for these courses and funded application fees when applicable.