Department of

Military Strategic Studies

 

Learning Philosophy

Our department's approach to learning blends intellectual rigor with professional relevance.  As a department in the USAF Academy 's Humanities Division, we are committed to a broad education that develops critical thinking skills and problem-solving processes that cadets will need to fulfill present and future Air Force requirements, as outlined in such documents as Air Force 2025, Air Force Vision 2020, and Joint Vision 2020.  In coordination with other Academy faculty, we integrate education, training, and experience to enhance the Academy's learning outcomes for each cadet.  As military educators, we are committed to inquiry and critical discourse, rather than passive transmission of unexamined ideas, to involve teachers and students in the construction of knowledge.  Our emphasis is on education, supplemented with training where needed to achieve educational outcomes, and active classroom, simulator and laboratory experiences to motivate cadets to embrace the challenging responsibilities of Air Force officership.  This professional role demands MSS instructors who strive first and foremost, to be leaders and thinkers in our field of study.  We become subject matter experts in MSS, our field of study.  The battlespace is a complex and often uncertain environment that requires engaged understanding of conceptual and technological developments.  To plan and operate in this dynamic, joint and combined environment, Air Force professionals need to be familiar with contending theories and applications of military power.  This requires an ongoing commitment to staying up to date with contemporary issues.  Intellectual rigor in MSS is not simply an academic requirement.  As professional Airmen we are responsible for sharpening our mental edge so we can fully understand and effectively counter threats.  As Airmen-Educators, we also are students and practitioners of effective teaching methods--methods that enable us to fulfill the Academy's learning outcomes and the Dean's educational outcomes.  Exploring the content of our field of study is a vital ingredient to mastering the competitive business of employing military power in its multiple contexts. We learn and practice different ways of effective teaching.  The Military Strategic Studies faculty are dedicated to continual improvement as experts in both subject matter content and the processes of learning.  As instructors progress toward the responsibilities of assistant professor, they develop competence within at least one branch of the two defining academic divisions in the department (military strategy and military operations).  Instructors learn to cultivate in their students the art of how to think, rather than simply what to think, by employing active teaching methods and experiences such as critical discussions, teaching cases, joint projects, wargames, air and space simulator operations, flight operations, and seminars.    We create the conditions for mission success.  Our mission is successful learning, a process of student-teacher interaction that involves more than setting high academic standards.  It requires creating an environment where both instructors and students want to learn.  An atmosphere imbued with professional purpose, mutual respect, and genuine curiosity is fundamental to motivating students to take intellectual risks, and learn.  For the instructor, this means preparing multiple paths of inquiry for each lesson, drawing out all students to participate, and asking questions rather than feeding answers.  Given the dynamic nature of our field of study, we actively cultivate the construction of knowledge with new theoretical approaches and learning methods.    Our integrated approach to learning is designed to develop the character and judgment required for sound decisions and effective actions in demanding environments.  We commit to active learning as our common goal because as instructors, we play a critical role in the Academy's mission to develop leaders of character for our future.

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