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On the heels of its already highly successful Crowd Man- agement Online, and Crisis Management and Human Be- havior Online courses ? both intended primarily to satisfy STCW training requirements for the cruise and passenger ship sector ? the Calhoon MEBA Engineering School has rolled out two new National Maritime Center (NMC) ap- proved Online Deck Of? cer Course Programs. The online programs designed to help deck of? cers renew or upgrade their licenses, Radar Renewal ($225) and Flashing Light ($100), allow self-paced study; and ultimately, testing at as many as 340 conveniently located Prometric testing cen- ters distributed throughout the United States. For mariners weary of endless travel during scheduled holiday periods for the purpose of satisfying the increas- ingly onerous burden of regulatory compliance, a small measure of relief is ? nally at hand. Course study materials include video lectures available online as well as for down- load to iPad, iPhone, or Android devices. USCG-approved Instructors are available to answer questions. The interac- tive online course materials recreate the test environment, so the student experiences the same interface used during the examination. If the ? rst attempt is unsuccessful, a re- test is offered during the same session. USCG-approved eLearning Courses and associated Learn- ing Management Systems (LMS) must satisfy the same qual- ity standards as would be needed for a similar class given in a traditional brick and mortar environment. Therefore, any training organization that wants deliver content as an online course, it must (as a minimum) assure the Cost Guard NMC that a long list of requirements are met. These include: Given these constraints, it is no wonder that few mari- time training centers have entered into this form of train- ing. When the Calhoon MEBA Engineering School re- ceived approval by the USCG ? way back in 2008 ? for its Distance Learning LMS, it was the product of a two-year effort adapting the DNV Standards for Maritime Training Centers to an eLearning environment. Since then, no one has yet duplicated the effort and CMES continues to de- velop courses for the platform. Originally set up to help the MEBA union manage training and travel costs, their Dis- tance Learning LMS platform is available to anyone in the maritime industry who can get access to a secure internet connection. The possibilities for more of this type of train- ing to develop are therefore endless. For now, CMES is the only maritime training school to ? gure out not only how to do it, but also to satisfy both Coast Guard and STCW requirements in doing so. Other STCW courses are in the CMES pipeline, too. These include ships stability and me- teorology for advancement to Chief Mate and Master. According to Chuck Eser, Director of Training at CMES, the RADAR Recerti? cation Online is doing well. Late last year, reported that about a dozen deck of? cers had done the refresher, practiced at home, and tested at a Prometric testing center. Eser continued, The system seems to work well. In November, the ? rst (ever) mari- ner completed CMES USCG-approved Online Flashing Light Program. He went through the Online practice ses- sions, scheduled his session at Prometric, and successfully completed the test.? Test results went electronically to the NMC database. And the cost? Just $100. More than three years ago, MarineNews editor Joe Keefe was one of the ? rst students to experience the CMES LMS system. During his journey to attain STCW credentials for his continuation status? USCG Deck Of? cer License, he took and completed two CMES, STCW Online classes; Crowd Management Online, and Crisis Management and Human Behavior Online. And, while the numbers of students taking advantage of the CMES system is not yet where they want it to be, Eser says that metric is moving in the right direction. Calhoon MEBA Engineering School pioneers two more distance learning programs. Where others wonder if it can work, CMES is up and running ? miles ahead of the pack. By Joseph Keefe Online and Way Ahead course documen-tation is accord- ing to USCG standards student identity is veri? ed synchronous training is part of the course online instructors are vetted and approved by the USCGtesting is secureinstructor identity dur- ing training is veri? ed student-teacher ratios support suf- ? cient interaction LMS has a high de-gree of reliability the LMS is secure, maintained, auditableSeptember 201398 MNMN Sept2013 Layout 96-111.indd 988/29/2013 4:40:55 PM