A college of one

At home near Fort Benning, Ga., Army Staff Sgt. Raymond Honea

Drill Sgt. MarkYoung marches a line of privates into a Fort Benning classroom for training. While keeping an eye on the privates,Young pops open his laptop and works on homework for a course he's taking for his associate's degree from Troy State University at Fort Benning. After the privates quiet down in the barracks at night, Young hooks into the Internet to send his assignment off to his professor.

The Army wants soldiers who are sharp, technologically savvy and capable of independently making decisions-the same kind of people who do well in online education courses. Honea and Young are two of thousands of soldiers participating in a unique elearning program, an Army-sponsored, soup-to-nuts higher education portal that has stirred a buzz throughout distance-learning circles. The portal's success or failure will provide lessons for agencies aiming to provide employees more than just on-the-job training.