The development and implementation of a teaching and learning strategy at a modern military academy

Abstract

A strategy for teaching and learning was developed at Britannia Royal Naval College during 2006 in order to address several key issues. These included improving professional knowledge and skills retention, enhancing pedagogical practices to increase levels of student motivation, and adapting the training and educational package to an extremely diverse student population. Additional drivers such as those provided by externally accredited programmes of study were also addressed. This article presents a brief review of the development of strategies for teaching and learning in higher education, together with a history of teaching and learning in the military environment. Data from a recent MORI (Market & Opinion Research International) student survey conducted at Britannia Royal Naval College are presented and analysed. It has been found that the unique nature of the military education environment, where students from a wide variety of educational and ethnic backgrounds follow a compressed programme involving a combination of both training and education, requires the modification of existing best practice in the strategies for teaching and learning employed at ‘civilian’ universities. This case study, highlighting the key areas of the development and use of a bespoke teaching and learning strategy, shows how such a strategy benefits students, staff and the wider organisation. Findings highlight the fact that an appropriate balance of training and education enables military college officer graduates to cope with the unpredictable challenges of the modern world more effectively than training alone, pertinent to any organisation involved in professional training and education.