By Mary S. Kohn
The 2-13th Aviation Regiment has announced that three of its instructors have earned their Associate of Applied Science in Education (AAS-EDU) degree from Cochise College.
Richard Filipone, Warrant Officer Technician Course (Department of the Army Civilian/GS 12), Wesley Roy Hewitt, Jr., Quality Assurance (General Dynamics), and Jesse Martin, 15E Shadow Repairer (Raytheon), are the first on Fort Huachuca to earn this degree, which was accredited in February 2012.
Major David Pierson, left, congratulates Wesley R. Hewitt Jr. on being one of the first to earn the Associate of Applied Science in Education degree. Not pictured are Richard Filipone and Jesse Martin. (Courtesy of Mary S. Kohn)
“I find that adding this particular degree to my resume important for two reasons,” Hewitt said. “The first reason is the satisfaction for completing an ongoing goal, to improve ourselves and our programs to create the best prepared soldiers possible. The second reason is to have completed the majority (20 of 24 credits) of the positive education requirement for possible GS Educational Specialist 1750 positions that may become available in the future. I feel that as pioneers of the program, we now have a responsibility to share its importance with our fellow instructors to help mentor them to improve our mission.”
To complete the core 20 credits of the 64-credit degree, the instructors completed 27 Professionally Relevant Instruction and Development Education (PRIDE) program classes at the 2nd Battalion 13th Aviation Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade.
“I was excited to learn that I would be able to earn an AAS in Education degree if I completed all of the PRIDE courses,” Martin said. “Not only would I learn how to be a better instructor, I would also be earning a degree in the process. Having all of the courses given here at Black Tower made it even easier.”
The 20 credits comprise the following AAS-EDU courses: AAS-EDU 203 – Foundations of Instructional Techniques; AAS-EDU 204 – Learner Centered Instruction; AAS-EDU 205 – Theoretical Dynamics of Instruction; AAS-EDU 206 – Mentoring Practicum; AAS-EDU 207 – Instructional Design for Adult Education; AAS-EDU 208 – Capstone Practicum in Instructional Techniques.
The 64-credit Education Associate of Applied Science degree provides students affiliated with the military with an understanding of the fundamental principles and techniques of learner-centric instruction. The emphasis is on the skills used in training students in military subjects. For more information, visit the online Cochise College catalog or contact the Cochise College Army Education Center at (520) 533-2391 or fthuachuca@cochise.edu.