By Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Vasquez
ANTWERP, Belgium – Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey stay on course for higher education through the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education, April 5.
NCPACE course gives sailors the ability to take pre-college and undergraduate level class aboard deployed ships.
“There are two facets to our NCPACE program,” said Paul Jioia, chief personnel specialist, Monterey’s education service officer. “We have our instructor-led program where we have an instructor come aboard and our distance learning program where we get material sent to us from the Navy college office.”
According to Jiolia, Monterey is offering classes in academic skills, business, english composition, history, math and philosophy. Two of these classes are being taught by Christine Bertrand, a NCPACE instructor aboard Monterey.
“I teach academic skills and English composition classes onboard,” said Bertrand. “My classes are designed so that sailors can get undergraduate credits on the way towards an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree.”
Monterey currently has 35 students enrolled in Bertrand’s instructor lead class and another 17 enrolled in distance learning course.
“The unique advantage of the distance learning program is that students get to choose the courses that they are enrolled in, and it is tailored towards their degree plan, unlike the instructor led courses which require a set schedule,” said Jioia.
Monterey, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is on a scheduled six-month deployment operating in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.