Deployed service members continue their education online

In the past, military deployments often meant disruptions in soldiers' college education. But thanks to the expansion of distance learning, this is frequently no longer the case.

"A lot of my students are soldiers serving our country around the world," said Laurie S. Coltri, an adjunct professor of legal studies at University of Maryland University College.

Although not every duty station is equipped for distance, or online, learning, most leaders agree that the U.S. armed services have a good record when it comes to facilitating troops' education.

"Where soldiers have access to the Internet, many have continued taking classes, even in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to Tim Battle, lead education services specialist for the Army Education Center at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Fort Myer, Va. "Soldiers in downrange areas have been able to continue their education in both theaters."

In some ways, soldiers can make ideal online students.

"Military personnel come with discipline in place, so they tend to be more committed to completing a program, they study well and they have the skills necessary to succeed," said Jeff Arthur, vice president of financial assistance for ECPI College of Technology, which has campuses in Virginia. "We have students overseas that attend our online campus and we try to support the services in any way that we can."

All branches of the armed services offer distance learning options, mirroring trends among civilian higher education institutions, according to the Department of Defense website.

Statistics show there has been an increase in the number of military students pursuing higher degrees via the Internet. At Kaplan University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., military enrollment went up by more than 300 percent over the three-year period from 2008 to 2010 and topped 11,000, according to school spokeswoman Stacey Kovalsky.

One reason for this increase is more flexible policies that provide a safety net for service members pending deployment.

"When students receive a change of orders, such as deployment, and cannot complete their courses, the university forgives tuition for the terms they can't complete," said Kovalsky.

According to GoArmyEd.com, more than 32,000 soldiers have permanently changed duty stations from their original enrollment sites and now participate in the eArmyU online education program from 50 countries, four U.S. territories and all 50 states.

Navy personnel have a particularly successful history of distance learning through the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education, according to Arthur. "The Navy is a little bit unique because of their ships. People at sea are learning because the military promotes education as the way to get promoted in the military," he said.

Said Battle: "There is really no reason why a soldier wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity to get an education. We even offer free SAT testing opportunities."