Distant Education

In addition to the resident courses described earlier in this catalog, the Civil Engineer School (CES) serves several thousand students annually through non-resident programs. Satellite broadcasts, on-site courses, and on-site seminars deliver job-related education to the workplace. These non-resident programs are described below.

Satellite Courses and Seminars
First thing to do is to contact your base Education Center and register a classroom to receive the satellite broadcast. Satellite courses and seminars are transmitted from the school to specially equipped classrooms at base Education Centers. Two-way audio connections permit students to interact with the instructor while viewing the course on large-screen monitors.

Enrollment for all courses at the Civil Engineer School opens ninety (90) days before each class start date. Enrollment for Web courses closes fourteen (14) days before class start, and satellite courses close twenty-five (25) days before class start. Seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is important to apply early in the enrollment period. The on-line application form collects all the information needed to process an application; a DD Form 1556 is not required. (Contractors may also attend some courses and should follow special "Contractor" information on the application page.)

Each application moves through several steps: your supervisor must approve the application and course directors must evaluate the application in terms of the course content and your credentials. Throughout this automated process, we will keep you informed by e-mail status updates.

Whether or not we can offer you a seat in a class depends on several factors: your supervisor's approval, how many seats we have available (for satellite courses), how closely your credentials match the intended audience for the course, when you apply, if you have secured a classroom through your base education center, and whether a student from the course has stepped up to be the facilitator for the offering. When you are admitted, we will send you specific information about the class. In all cases, we will keep you updated by e-mail.

Bases may videotape satellite broadcasts for future use but will not receive CES course credit. For overseas bases that do not have access to satellite downlink, videotapes of satellite courses may be made available on a case-by-case basis. Many USAFE bases can now receive our satellite broadcasts, which is our primary delivery method. Tapes will not be available if the base can receive broadcasts.

Satellite broadcasts are included in the Course Schedule section of this site and the exact hours of broadcast are available on the GETN schedule.

For further information on the satellite schedule or enrollment procedures, contact the school's Director of Distance Education, DSN 785-5654, ext. 3502 or commercial 937-255-5654, ext. 3502.

On-Site Courses
CES instructors can bring some resident courses to civil engineer personnel at their home base or a nearby base. The content of the on-site course is usually identical to the same course offered in residence, although small modifications are sometimes possible to tailor the course to site-specific conditions.

The requesting agency funds instructor TDY costs. CES may ask the requesting organization to print school-furnished text material locally to reduce shipping costs. On-site courses and seminars may also be provided to overseas commands, usually as regional sessions. For regional offerings, the student’s organization funds student travel and per diem, if required. The requesting agency arranges lodging and local transportation requirements for the instructors, reserves appropriate classrooms, and provides needed audiovisual equipment.

On-Site Seminars
On-site seminars provide short and intensive coverage of subjects tailored to the needs of requesters. CES offers seminars in three general subject areas: engineering design and programming, engineering management,and environmental management. Within each of these general subject areas, there are numerous topics that are combined to fit requester’s specific requirements. This specialized emphasis in a particular area of local concern at base or command level ensures a seminar that addresses the educational needs of the students.

Seminar topics from different general subject areas can also be combined to further customize a seminar to meet local needs. On-site seminars usually are 2-5 days in length.

Examples of seminars in ENGINEERING DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING include:

HVAC Control Systems: Provides engineers and HVAC technicians with fundamental and applied control system theory, along with laboratory style hands-on experience.

Architect-Engineer Contract Management: Provides engineers and contracting personnel involved with the development and execution of A-E contracts the fundamentals of contract management.

Prime BEEF Wartime Skills: Provides wartime skills education specifically tailored to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officers and NCOs to prepare them for their wartime tasking of providing and maintaining mission essential facilities in contingency situations.

Project Programming: Provides personnel doing project programming, community planning, designing, and contract management the fundamentals of the programming process and its associated regulatory and policy guidance. Local programming issues can be addressed.

Requests for these seminars should be directed to Head, Department of Engineering Management. Phone DSN 785-5654, ext. 3505 or commercial 937-255-5654, ext. 3505.

Examples of seminars in ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT include:

Housing Applications: Covers the management of the Housing Flight. Typical class discussions focus on customer service, facilities management, assignments and terminations, maintenance and repair, general officer quarters, unaccompanied housing, and furnishings management. Specific curriculum decisions are made by the CES faculty and the requesting organization.

Housing Management: Provides the flight chiefs and supervisors the fundamentals of an effective housing management program and stresses the interactions with other BCE flights which are needed to successfully meet housing needs. Shorter seminar than Housing Applications.

Operations Management: Provides the Operations Flight chief and supervisors the fundamentals of work flow management within the operations flight and between operations and other flights.

Quality/Customer Service: Provides the fundamentals of developing and maintaining an effective customer oriented organization. Topics include communications, team building, customer relations and service, and dealing with angry customers.

Requests for these seminars should be directed to Head, Department of Engineering Management. Phone DSN 785-5654, ext. 3505 or commercial 937-255-5654, ext. 3505.

Examples of seminars in ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT include:

Hazardous Waste Management: Emphasis is placed on the installation hazardous waste management plan, its design implementation, base specific requirements and pollution prevention.

Pollution Prevention: Emphasis is placed on the basics of developing an installation's Pollution Prevention Management Program (PPMP). Pollution prevention opportunity assessments are presented as the main building blocks in developing the PPMP.

Introduction to the Installation Restoration Program: Provides personnel involved with the IRP the fundamentals of the program. Topics include a basic overview of legal, regulatory, and environmental responsibilities of personnel managing the IRP.

Requests for these seminars should be directed to Head, Department of Environmental Management. Phone DSN 785-5654, ext. 3511 or commercial 937-255-5654, ext. 3511.