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Distributed Learning Course (DCL)

Name of the Student

Institution

Course

Date
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Distributed Learning Course (DCL)

Introduction

Distributed Learning Course (DCL) IV is an asynchronous set of the content of

courseware that gives meaningful proficiency-based programs that enhance learning approaches

to personal development and encourage people's initiative. It is online-based and compulsory in

the solder career, and it continues throughout the entire profession of a solder, besides building

its content in noncommissioned officer education courses. Distributed Learning Course is

formulated in four levels, and it supports a robust evaluation and feedback system, which

incorporates self-evaluation tools. The DCL’s complied set of content must be completed within

the specific solder's career point, more precisely, before attending a Warrior leader or senior

leader (Straus et al., 2011).

Most Important Part of DCL IV

DCL IV is vital as it bridges the institutional and operational conditions and domains for

continuous and sustainable personal growth and development. More so in the army, its

implementation improves and enhances its readiness by integrating self-development into a

learning approach in their career. The system supports a robust self-evaluation process that

entails feedbacks domains that are well defined and structured into the leadership development

process (Cotter, 2003). The DCL IV program establishes a link between self-development needs

and noncommissioned officer’s development efforts by ensuring that a meaningful leadership

process is fostered. DCL bridges the set institutional domains to allow growth for both warrior

and solder leaders. It exists to help people gain information and skills by following a set of

learning steps in addition to formal learning and experiential learning. DCL is a resourceful

aspect in distributed leadership, even though its lack of institutional focus degrades the
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development of army officers in understanding, internalizing, and disseminating tactical

leadership within operational and strategic goals. However, this has been overturned in the army

system. The initiation of the knowledge-based assessment makes personal development learning

and acquiring personal skills easily monitored and assessed.

Due to the DCL IV learning platform, junior-ranked officers in the army currently

address difficult and complex situations and make crucial decisions with strategic outcomes that

superior officers would have made in the previous wars. With the increasing complexity and

pace of modern rivalry, it is becoming increasingly clear that optimizing commanders in all

battlefield setups is unattainable without a dynamic aspect of self-development knowledge

(Cotter, 2003). For modern leaders who will function in complicated and un-withstanding

situations, SSD is a vital talent. However, because of the limited time available for army training

and education, it’s impossible to prepare leaders for all probable wars and atypical tasks they

would face.

The value of self-development learning in the combat zone is growing and the army must

produce a working term of Army self-development and give supporting elements to enhance

adoption (Straus et al., 2011). Leaders in the military are currently made through similar

operational tasks and essentially equivalent education and training courses. While there will be

some variation due to the speed and capacity of various individuals to learn, this strategy is

unlikely to develop innovative and diverse leaders. Therefore, the army must be fully engaged in

combat innovation if we are to drive battlefield innovation. By ensuring that the self-

development domain is adequately integrated into the leader development process, DCL

connects self-development demands to NCO professional development initiatives. Besides, it

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will create a link between the institutional operational realms, allowing for long-term personal

growth.

How DCL IV Changed Me

The DCL IV has significantly changed my decision-making aspect both career-wise and

on a personal level. Before undertaking the DCL IV, I was always compelled to make irrational

decisions that hugely impacted my career and personal life. According to a recent study from

UCL, irrational conduct occurs due to emotional emotions produced when presented with tough

decisions (Cotter, 2003). In most instances, particularly during my first year in the army, I was

subjected to making decisions that countered logic and were based on a non-intuitive judgment

that I made in haste while considering no outcomes. This made me suspended and faced

disciplinary actions due to my irrational decision-making, which barred me from assuming a

leadership role in the army by then. However, this changed after taking the DCL IV, which made

me more instinctive while making decisions with outcome expectations prioritized either in line

of duty or in personal life. As a result, I was able to assume leadership roles in the army. Thus,

DCL IV helps curb confusion and retardation in the development of the contemporary generation

of army leaders.

Conclusion

The DCL concept poses personal development responsibility on each individual who

aspires to lead people and make appropriate decisions amidst inconveniences. Hence, its set of

content provides well-defined courses that enhance learning approaches at the personal

development level as it develops leadership aspects of people. Thus, taking personal

responsibility and learning from what has been guided is the essence of self-development.
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References

Straus, S. G., Shanley, M. G., Yeung, D., Rothenberg, J., Steiner, E. D., & Leuschner, K. J.

(2011). New tools and metrics for evaluating Army distributed learning. RAND

ARROYO CENTER SANTA MONICA CA.

Cotter, C. L. (2003). Formative evaluation and improvement of the distributed learning phase of

the Army Staff Course (pp. 1-89). Royal Roads University.