To date, more than 43,000 Soldiers have enrolled in the program. 21 percent of these Soldiers have reenlisted or extended their service to be eligible for eArmyU, while 27 percent are new to postsecondary education. 432 degrees have been conferred on eArmyU Soldiers as of March 9, 2004. This number is expected to grow significantly in the near future as Soldiers who enrolled in the program in 2001 complete their graduation requirements. Such demand indicates that Soldiers find web-based learning a highly desired alternative to conventional classroom-based learning and that eArmyU is empowering a new generation of Soldiers to achieve their educational goals.

eArmyU’s contributions to the field of online learning have been significant. The program has demonstrated that it is possible to create a virtual environment in which a large, highly mobile, nontraditional learner population can thrive. To achieve this on the scale of eArmyU requires integration of many complex components, including a robust portal, a secure and scaleable architecture, well-designed policies and processes, and a network of professionals dedicated to expanding the frontiers of online learning. eArmyU was developed and is operated by the Army Continuing Education System (ACES); the program’s prime integrator, IBM Business Consulting Services; and an extensive network of subcontractors. This combination has proved extraordinarily successful because the key participants focus on what they do best—ACES on vision, policy, and upfront counseling of Soldiers; IBM on technology development and maintenance, subcontractor integration, and operational process efficiency; and college and university Education Partners on delivering high-quality instruction and course content. Together these teams form eArmyU—a smart, stream-lined, and effective learning opportunity for Soldiers that advances the Army to the forefront of the rapidly developing e-learning movement.