We skipped across the U.S., landing on military bases from California, to Nebraska, to Florida. Every move brought with it new challenges and differences, but the bases maintained consistency in providing useful resources for online education that suit the lifestyle of service members and their dependents.
It made me wonder, as a military spouse, if all the bases had these resources — as I found out later, most of them do, and for little to no cost to the veteran or spouse. I realized that even if we were to travel to a foreign destination, a military base would provide the tools to make online education possible.
[Learn what the military community should know about online learning.]
Here are just some of the great resources military bases provide the online student on base.
1. United Services Organization: The United Service Organizations has existed on military bases and airports since World War II. Designed to maintain morale for troops and their families, and with locations both on U.S. soil and overseas, USOs provide games, entertainment, food and support services. For the online student, USOs offer access to computers with free high-speed Internet. This means that, whether deployed or stationed stateside, the online military student can always find a good place to study within the walls of the closest USO.
2. Base libraries: Base libraries almost became a scarcity when, in 1996, the U.S. Department of the Navy began closing some of them. But in 1998, Congress directed the Secretary of Defense to suspend any further library closings. A 2006 Purdue University report stated that libraries provide a neutral zone where rank has no importance, and are where families stationed overseas have access to materials in English. Military libraries can assist the online student by providing research materials as well as computers and Internet access.
3. Temporary lodging: Whether a service member is transitioning from one duty station to another or vacationing in an area with a military base, military lodging can provide affordable accommodations. Most of them include the amenities that most other hotels provide, including in-room Wi-Fi. Temporary lodging also exists across the globe, on military bases as well as at military resorts. Whether moving for orders or if traveling for leisure, military online students can take advantage of temporary base lodging to make sure they complete their assignments.
[Discover how to connect with fellow veterans as an online student.]
4. Barracks: Most barracks on military bases have Internet service providers, allowing for unmarried soldier students who live on base to complete their assignments from the privacy of their own room. Though enlisted members may not have as much time to themselves as those with higher ranks, they at least have this resource available to them for whatever time they can manage.
The takeaway: Military bases provide the tools for success in the online program environment and provide similar resources around the world for a consistent online learning experience.
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4 Great Places to Study Most Military Bases Offer Online Students originally appeared on usnews.com
