The following learning outcomes have been identified for those that complete the requirements of the CFO Leadership graduate certificate:

• Lead within and across organizational boundaries by leveraging knowledge of federal budgeting, financial accounting and reporting, data management and analytics, risk, internal controls, and audit for strategic advantage;
• Synthesize ethics, theory, practices, and technologies to promote effective decision-making and accountability across the enterprise, improve operations, and support financial management excellence;
• Communicate at the strategic level demonstrating command of the topic, logical organization, compelling argument, and excellence in English grammar and syntax.

The required courses for the CFO Leadership graduate certificate align with DoD Financial Management Competencies established by the OUSD/Comptrollers’ Workforce Development program. Past student evaluations have demonstrated with high levels of satisfaction with knowledge gained from CFO Academy courses and the expertise of CFO Academy professors. Positive feedback has been received from past graduates regarding the applicability of course work to job requirements and support of career progression. The program provides students with access to a variety of networking opportunities and supplemental learning opportunities such as viewing of lectures presented by senior leaders as part of the NDU’s Presidential Lecture Series.

As part of the C2 Technologies coordination with Detachment 3 and the 355th TRS, potential improvements were found from trending analysis aimed at incorporation of 360 Videos and Virtual Reality inclusion into the training and curriculum for A-10C student pilots. This analysis defined video production workflow and set the groundwork for the VR Laboratory at the 355th TRS. This effort was focused on capitalizing on VR integration with the attainable goal of eclipsing current deficiencies and reducing the high utilization rate on the current strained training assets (Full Mission Trainer Simulator and A-10 C Jet Engine Run Training).

VR equipment was purchased with squadron provided Innovation funds. This included video integration using VR headsets and incorporation of the Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) gaming equipment. Both 360 video and the A-10 DCS gaming platform were provided through commercial gaming PCs running HP Reverb G2 headsets (for DCS) with additional take home Oculus Rift VR headset providing student access to tailored 360-video focusing on spatial cueing of in-flight tasking.

The impact of this effort provided increased cognitive retention and cost savings. A purchase of VR training assets compared to less than 5 hours of single ship flight time. Subsequent savings associated with fewer training delays were shared with members of the 924th Maintenance Squadron and briefed to the 23rd Fight Group at Moody AFB.

The SHOTs program has become a service wide initiative at the IRS. Kelly designed SHOTs so each video was targeted to one topic, process, or action per video. This format allows employees to find solutions quickly and based on their immediate question or need. One employee’s feedback stated, ““When all training travel was cancelled due to the pandemic, we had to convert all our training for virtual delivery, specifically Skype. I used the SHOTs videos to learn how to manage content, like uploading and sharing PowerPoints. The SHOTs videos provide exactly the information I need, without excess filler information that I don’t.”

As a result of the SHOTs program, employees are able to save time, allowing them to be more productive. For instance, instead of an employee asking questions of their coworkers, coaches, or on-the-job instructors (OJIs) for help, months after attending training, they can search for and view a quick SHOT video. This helps employees get immediate help or answers and it saves the other employees time from having to answer their questions. One employee recently provided the following SHOTs feedback, “Having the SHOTs videos available, on-demand, saves a lot of time for OJIs where they don’t have to answer the same questions again and again. SHOTs are an invaluable resource.”

Last fiscal year, SHOTs had over 203,000 views internally and our current FY to date, we’ve had over 140,000 views.

Ninety-five percent of our students state our courses were extremely or very effective in preparing them to do their job and accomplish the WHCA mission. We believe our overall effectiveness is high because we created this process. This process started with a training needs assessment, 10-question survey, given to our 14 stakeholders. We followed-up with one-on-one meetings with each to go over results. The assessment identified gaps that led to the rapid design of three new courses as well as personnel augmentation to help us do more. Additionally, our permanent staff grew by two personnel. The assessment is now an annual requirement.

The second step in the process is our Institutional Advisory Committee (IAC) which we retooled to include more of our WHCA leadership and decision makers from across WHCA’s diverse occupational landscape. We shared what we gathered from our assessment with the IAC and they provided strategic directions and priorities. This yielded greater strategic alignment. It also allowed WTA to purchase a $400K Learning Management System and a $29K mission assessment software, which allows better measure of training effectiveness after the student leaves our classroom. We also received funding for an over due $500K WTA Facility/Technology Refresh project. The IAC meeting, held every 6 months, and our annual assessment are the cornerstone of our process. They help us maintain a high level of effectiveness across our 168 course offerings per year.