The U. S. Air Force First Sergeant Academy has transformed its curriculum from a traditional “brick-and-mortar” education experience to a mixture of facilitated distance learning and in-resident classroom time to teach future first sergeants. What was once a three-week in-residence course is now four weeks of distance learning followed by two weeks at the academy, which is located on Gunter Annex at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (U.S. Air Force graphic)