This video and the reflections by the veterans was informative and emotional. They represented a cross-section of the veterans that we see in the Technical Division from construction to marine technology. We love having veterans in our programs because their experiences are very beneficial and make them great candidates for some of our opportunities (hydrographic surveying, electrician, biomed).
The challenges veterans face in a the classroom (both f2f and online) can be immense. As Brie stated earlier, each veteran is unique and requires different amounts of support. The important part is identifying those challenges up front. We have had veterans that have physical or traumatic injuries that make a given task (physical or cognitive) difficult. We have had veterans struggle with the transition back to the classroom. There are many opportunities to provide support for them both in and out of the classroom. These include:
Structure
- Consistency is course design, expectations, and methods
- This structure lends itself to tech classes
The "why"
- Why are the learning something? Why is it important?
Community
- Veterans can be the biggest asset in a class to build a sense of community. They also need that community and support.
- Listening - what is causing issues? How can we help?
Outside of the classroom, NMC excels and I have used the following:
- Scott Herzberg - He is my first call or email when I have question or concern
- Red Flags -- Some instructors are reluctant to use these, but they are great. They get everyone involved and support the student.
All of these methods would be beneficial to non-veterans as they may have the same needs. I see no negative consequences.
One statistic that is frustrating is the 70% of veterans drop out. That is a statistic I would like to see improved. Scott has done a great job working with us on identifying military experience that can be converted to competency-based credit. This has worked very well in Marine Tech and Eng Tech - Biomedical. I would like to see us do that more often to encourage program completion.