SAF INTRODUCES ENHANCED LEARNING PORTAL

Imagine being able to access soldiering lessons and speak to your instructors anywhere, and even post questions to your peers across the cohort. Come November, this will become a reality with the roll-out of LEARNet Portal 2.0.

The new portal was launched on 1 Oct at the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Learning Symposium held at the SAFTI Military Institute.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Lieutenant-General (LG) (NS) Neo Kian Hong noted that the SAF remains committed in its drive to transform how learning is done across the force.

He said that the SAF has set up many institutions and initiatives to realise its learning and training goals. "While the SAF is a robust learning organisation, things continue to evolve," said LG (NS) Neo, Permanent Secretary (Education Development) at the Ministry of Education. He was the former Chief of Defence Force before his current appointment.

LEARNet Portal 2.0 boasts many new features that support learning better. They include an integrated set of learning tools such as forums, blogs and knowledge repositories, which can be accessed with a single login. Previously, users had to login multiple times to access various applications within the portal.

"It's (also) about the reach - LEARNet Portal 2.0 allows NSmen, Regulars and NSFs outside of SAF premises to be able to pull the content," said Commandant SAFTI Military Institute Brigadier-General (BG) Benedict Lim.

Content organisation has also been streamlined so that learners have a better overview of the topics they are interested in, said BG Lim. "We have also expanded the content which is available for LEARNet Portal 2.0."

The SAF and the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) started developing LEARNet Portal 2.0 in December last year and completed the enhancements in September this year.

Said Mr Ambrose Goh, a DSTA engineer who was part of the team behind LEARNet Portal 2.0: "The team took into consideration the latest learning pedagogies in SAF in the portal's design.

"Through the portal, knowledge can be easily created, shared and obtained by servicemen. Such an approach will allow soldiers to learn on a deeper level."

The annual Symposium is into its third edition. In a departure from the previous two events, this year's Symposium features in-depth workshops by international speakers. Previous editions saw short seminar-style conferences and exhibitions.

The SAF Learning Innovation Awards were also presented at this year's Symposium. They recognise Training Institutes and their staff for learning innovation. Taking the Gold award was the team from the Air Warfare Training Institute, Republic of Singapore Air Force for their project on video-playback assisted debriefing.

One of the workshop speakers, Dr Vanessa Dennen, said: "I've been really impressed listening to and seeing all the different ideas that you are bringing (into the SAF).

"That shows me that this is an organisation that is really thinking forward about - not just accepting the way that training and learning has always been done - but trying to be on the edge of that and be at the forefront."

Dr Dennen teaches courses on instructional design and research methods for new and emerging technologies at the Florida State University, United States.

Another speaker, Mr Julian Stodd, said: "How we learn today has been transformed by technology changing social behavior.

"By taking a keen interest in the latest learning pedagogies and technology, the Singapore military is being very progressive in staying relevant to the new developments in training and learning."Mr Stodd from the United Kingdom is a writer and blogger who works with organisations worldwide to improve their learning strategy and implementation.

This year's Symposium also saw the establishment of a 12-member SAF Learning Transformation Advisory Board, chaired by LG (NS) Neo. Comprising members from the public and private sectors in learning-related fields, the Board will advise the SAF on training effectiveness, latest industry developments, learning technologies and best practices.

"The setting up of the Board is a good thing. It brings ideas together to create a better learning environment (for the SAF)," said BG (NS) Winston Toh who is one of the Board members. He is also Deputy Chief Executive (Operations Group) at the Workforce Development Agency.

The two-day Symposium concluded on 2 Oct and was attended by about 450 SAF personnel.