Australian Army Upgrades PME Platform

The Australian Army has debuted its new Professional Military Education (PME) platform, named “Cove 4.0,” in what is the platform’s biggest ever upgrade.

The Cove PME platform which has been available since 2016, has allowed the Australian Army to offer a range of professional development content, tools and resources to develop its soldiers and officers at all levels.

The Cove 4.0 platform now offers gamification, challenges, leader boards and other user-experience enhancements. “It aims to increase engagement, celebrate progress and foster friendly competition, making professional development an engaging and meaningful experience rather than a solitary undertaking,” an Army release said.

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Johnson, of Headquarters Forces Command, said Cove 4.0 was a game-changer for Army PME. “PME is crucial for developing our soldiers and officers, so we've designed Cove 4.0 to engage and reward members and units that conduct professional development regularly.”

Learners using the new PME platform can earn experience points and “level up,” unlocking unique achievements, compete with other members and units, and becoming eligible to win prizes.

New features in Cove 4.0 allow users to track their progress, participate in challenges, set professional-development goals and rewards members who invest in their professional development.

Major Andrew Stokes, of Headquarters Forces Command, said Cove 4.0 made it easy to integrate professional development into a daily routine. “We've received positive feedback so far; many users are enjoying the new platform.”

Further updates and improvements are planned to Cove 4.0, including the ability to create and join groups and learning hubs, enabling a personalised PME experience, facilitating group discussions and providing the ability to coordinate PME for teams.

[Editor’s note: Additional information on Cove is available here.]