Admissions and Policies
Accreditation
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy, as a premier Army Civilian Training Institution through rigorous quality assurance and evaluation practices maintains:
- American Council on Education (ACE) college credit recommendations for 26 active courses.
- International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) Authorized Provider to grant continuing education units (CEUs) for all courses 2 hours or greater in length.
- Accredited by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).
Admissions
General Admission to the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy:
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy offers programs and courses to meet the needs of the U.S. Army Family and MWR workforce and leadership. Courses are open for enrollment to sister services (U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Marines) and DoD agencies on a space available basis. All applicants must be registered at www.imcomacademy.com.
Registration in the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy’s Learning Management System (LMS), provides learners with an integrated central registration and course enrollment processes, web-based learning, a range of performance support tools and resources such as the Professional Development Program (PDP) as well as collaborative forums and a transcript repository.
Electronic Registration:
The School accepts students on a continual basis using electronic registration. All applicants need to have access to the World Wide Web to register in the School’s Learning Management System (LMS).
All students must register with the Learning Management System (LMS) prior to enrollment in a course. Please visit www.imcomacademy.com Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tab to learn how to register for an account and request enrollment in a course.
Course Type:
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy delivers workforce development through five modalities.
eLearning/Online training which is offered through www.imcomacademy.com learning management system. The online training is user initiated and self paced. Over 40 courses are available online and include courses such as Operation Excellence Customer Service and the Basic Management Course.
Residential Classroom courses held at the Installation Management Academy at Ft. Sam Houston.
Blended learning which leverages a combination of eLearning, weekly written assignments, blog posts, and/or a final project.
Virtual Classroom courses are hosted through the Army’s Microsoft Teams virtual platform. Learners meet in the Virtual Classroom and receive instructor-led content and complete assignments relating to the content taken from the Microsoft Teams sessions. Virtual Classrooms allow the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy to reach the Family and MWR Workforce in real time to provide on time, on target workforce development.
Course Selection Procedures
Applicants can expect the following when requesting enrollment in a course.
Resident Classroom courses: The following identifies the path from enrollment request to selection for a residential classroom course.
- Request enrollment at www.imcomacademy.com.
- Enrollment requests must be approved by the supervisor and the course instructor.
- Applicants are selected based off supervisor approval, target audience, completion of Foundation courses and completion of the course pre-requisites.
- All applicants will be notified of selection/waitlist/non-select status, 45-60 days prior to the start of the classroom course.
- Selected students and their supervisors will receive a congratulations email from the Course Manager with the following information:
- Travel Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Course Syllabus
- Any pre-work instructions
- Selectees will receive detailed travel instructions upon selection. Travel orders for both APF and NAF students are prepared and initially funded by the garrison, who are then reimbursed by HQ IMCOM G9.
Virtual/Blended courses: The following identifies the path from enrollment request to selection for virtual/blended courses. These courses include weekly online instructor-led virtual classroom sessions and consist of weekly assignments. Students who wish to apply for these course will:
- Request enrollment at www.imcomacademy.com.
- Enrollment requests must be approved by the supervisor and the course instructor.
- Applicants are selected based off supervisor approval, target audience, and completion of foundation courses and listed course pre-requisites.
- All applicants will be notified of selection/waitlist/non-select status, 15-30 days prior to the start of the Virtual or Blended course.
- Selected students and their supervisors will receive a congratulations email from the Course Manager with the following information:
- Supervisor/Employee Agreement
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Course Syllabus
- Any additional pre-work instructions
E-Learning/Online courses—These courses are self-paced. Most of the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy’s eLearning/Online courses do not require a supervisor or instructor approval. Learners who request enrollment in an eLearning/Online course will receive an email indicating enrollment. Typically, Students can begin their e-learning course right away.
There are a few online courses that will require instructor approval. Those course are indicated by (*) symbol in the course eLearning section. Selections are determined based off of target audience.
Academic Policies
Attendance Requirements:
Resident Classroom and Virtual Classroom —Your consistent attendance is crucial to the learning process. In order to receive credit for a Resident or Virtual Classroom course, you may not miss more than 5% of classroom instruction. The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy is your place of duty whether in residence at the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy or virtually through the Army’s Microsoft Teams virtual platform. You will be absent without leave (AWOL) if you are not in class during the required time. The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy will contact your supervisor if you are absent for any reason. Students may not miss the first session of a virtual classroom course.
eLearning/Online Courses—Learners are expected to complete eLearning/Online courses in a timely manor. Although the courses are self paced students will retain lessons learned by participating and completing in a given time period. Academy instructors will monitor student progress in eLearning/online courses.
Submission of Assignments:
Assignment submission will vary depending on the course and whether it is a Residential, Virtual, Blended, or an eLearning/Online course. The primary Instructor or their designee is responsible to monitor, grade, and counsel students on their assignments. Resubmission of assignments is allowed per the Course Instructor.
Grading Policy
Rubric: is an evaluation tool for grading course assignments. Students will be given access to their course rubric upon approval/selection to the course.
Grading: Each student earns a course grade. You must achieve a minimum average of 75% in order to graduate. NOTE: Some courses require a higher minimal grade. Please check the course syllabus for grading standards. You may be required to complete an assignment after returning to your duty station or following the end of a course (this is course specific). For those courses, final grades are awarded after meeting the post-course assignment requirement(s).
Academic Standards: The minimum requirement for all course assignments and projects is 75%, unless otherwise stated in the course syllabus.
Each course may require part or all of the following:
- Pre-course assignments, assessments or self-evaluations.
- Individual assignments and/or projects.
- Homework.
- Group assignments and/or projects.
- Peer assessments/evaluations.
- Post-course assignments, assessments or self-evaluations.
Final grades will be posted upon successful completion of all assigned course work.
General Expectations:
Values: The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy embraces and promotes the Army Core Values, Army Civilian Creed, and the Department of the Army Standards of Conduct. You are expected to practice these shared values while attending the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy and traveling about in the community.
Virtual Classroom Course Expectations:
Virtual Classroom courses are conducted online through the Army’s Microsoft Teams virtual platform. Students must have a computer with access to the world wide web (www). A link to your classroom will be sent following selection for a course. Each participant will login to the virtual classroom through a dedicated single user devise. Sharing a computer for a virtual course is not authorized.
Course Schedule: Each virtual course will vary depending on course objectives. Courses will provide 2-16 hours of instruction which can run anywhere from 1-8 weeks in length. Please check the course description for time and length of course. Each virtual session will last no more than two (2) hours per session. A ten (10) minute break is provided at the mid-way point of the session.
Illness/Emergency: If you become ill or have a non-medical emergency (including base closure), please contact your instructor via email within 2 hours of the start of the duty day on the day of your scheduled virtual class. Your instructor may verify with your supervisor that you are in a leave status. If you cannot reach your instructor, call the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy at (210) 466-1050 (or DSN 312-450-1050) and leave a message for your instructor.
Administrative Support:
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy Help Desk is available for assistance with the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy website and/or transcript support. Assistance can be obtained through the following:
- Email—learners may email the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy at USArmy.IMCOM.Academy@mail.mil. The inbox is monitored on Monday—Friday during the duty day; responses will be provided within 24 hours.
- Telephone—learners may call the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy at 210-466-1050 and speak directly to the Help Desk. Help Desk duty hours are from 0700—1530, Central Time Zone, Monday—Friday,
- Self-reporting—learners who experience technical issues can work issues on their own by visiting the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page or by submitting a help ticket. Both are available 24 hours a day at www.imcomacademy.com
Students who are attending a resident course will also be provided with administrative support who will assist with TDY orders, travel vouchers, faxes, messages, etc.
Students who have been selected for attendance to a resident classroom course will direct course questions to the course instructor.
NOTE: See Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Administrative Policies
Privacy Statement:
References: DOD Directive 5400.11, dated 08 May 2007
U.S.C. 522, Freedom of Information Act
U.S.C. 522a, Privacy Act of 1974
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy is committed to protecting privacy of our students, staff, faculty, employees, and any other stakeholders in all communications and documents in the School’s possession. This information includes, but is not limited to, personal information, academic transcripts, academic records, emails, etc. Such information belongs exclusively to the individual, and cannot be released outside of the School without the prior written approval of the individual who owns these records, except as provided under the Family Education Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA).
FERPA Rights
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (“FERPA”) sets out requirements designed to afford students certain rights with respect to their education
records. In addition, it puts limits on what information the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy may disclose to third parties without receiving prior written consent from the student. The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy maintains Student educational records, provides students access to their records, and keeps information contained in those records confidential.
The Act covers anyone who has enrolled at the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy including:
- Active students currently enrolled in any Academy offering
- Former students and Alumni
Procedure to Inspect Education Records: Students have the right under FERPA to inspect and review their education records. A student may review his/her transcript by logging into their account at http://www.imcomacademy.com
Education Records are records directly related to a student and maintained by the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy, including: Transcripts, Collaboration space uploads and blog entries, and other records of significant contact with a student to include homework and e-mail correspondence.
When a record contains personally identifiable information about more than one student, the student may inspect and review only the information that relates to him/her personally.
Disclosure of Educational Records:
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy generally will not permit disclosure of personally identifiable information from the records of a student without prior written consent of the student.
Personally identifiable information is disclosed (some items are mandatory, some discretionary) from the records of a student without that student’s prior written consent to the following individuals or institutions or in the following circumstances:
- A MWR Academy officials who have been determined by the school to have legitimate educational interests in the records such as school officials or the employees supervisor. A school official is a person employed by the school in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position.
- This includes, but is not limited to human resources and accounting staff for purposes of the tuition reimbursement plan; or a person employed by or under contract to the school to perform specific tasks, such as an auditor, consultant, or a student serving on an official committee or assisting another school official.
- Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school.
- Accrediting commissions or state licensing or regulatory bodies to carry out their functions.
- Appropriate parties in health or safety emergencies.
Equal Opportunity:
References: AR 600-20, Army Command Policy, Chapter 6 and Appendix D
IMCOM Command Policy 4, Equal Opportunity
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy is an equal educational opportunity school:
- The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy follows all federal guidelines including Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 relating to the recruitment, employment and retention of employees.
- The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in any of its policies, procedures or practices.
- The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy’s nondiscrimination policy covers admission and access to, treatment and employment in, school programs and activities.
Sexual Harassment:
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy policies prohibit sexual harassment.
The school abides by the policy and appeal procedures of Assembly Bill 803, ― Protection For Students and Staff Regarding Sexual Harassment.
If a student experiences sexual harassment problems, he or she should immediately notify the Director, MWR Academy, 2280 Signal Road, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234 (210) 466-1050.
Affirmative Action:
Reference: IMCOM Supplement 1 to AR 690-12
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy strives to overcome any ethnic, economic, disabled, and/or gender under-representation in the composition of the student body or any factors that discriminate against students who seek to be educated here.
The School has responsibility for ensuring equal educational opportunities for all eligible employees of Family and MWR, IMCOM. Within its capacity, the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy will provide for the prompt, fair, and impartial consideration of all grievances regarding race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or national origin.
The Installation Management Command provides access to grievance procedures for all students and encourages the resolution of student’s problems on an informal basis.
As an equal educational opportunity school, the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy complies with Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974.
The school will make every attempt to eliminate any remaining barriers that cause significant under-representation of minority, disabled, or economically, educationally, or socially disadvantaged students.
Non-discrimination:
References: Army Regulation 690-12, Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action.
Department of the Army Memorandum 690-6, Delegation of Authority for Civilian Personnel and Equal Employment Opportunity Program.
The School provides a teaching/learning environment that is free from any type of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, status as a parent, lawful political affiliation, marital status, physical/mental disability (if not a job factor), membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or any other non-merit factor.
This applies to the selection of students for courses, course completion requirements, testing, grading, student discipline, graduation requirements, and travel reimbursements.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/504:
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy does not unlawfully discriminate based on physical or mental disability.
Code of Conduct:
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy has established the following Code of Conduct for all members of the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy community including students, faculty, and instructors. Those found to have committed a violation or to have attempted to violate this Code of Conduct will be subject to disciplinary actions. Members of the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy community are expected to conduct themselves professionally, and refrain from acts of misconduct including but not limited to the following five categories:
- Dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation or furnishing false information, or forgery, misuse of academic or administrative materials.
- Harassment, stalking, humiliation, name-calling, the use of insulting or offensive language, cyber-bullying, threatening communications, abuse and intimidation.
- Conduct, in speech, written communication or behavior, that is racist, sexist, ageist, or that is otherwise prejudicial against a particular community or social group.
- Disruption or obstruction of the normal operations of the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy; including unauthorized use of any of the School’s facilities, informational or material properties, and resources.
- Conduct that is disorderly, lewd, lascivious, indecent or otherwise inappropriate, or that constitutes a breach of the peace; including violation of the School’s policy that prohibits bringing alcohol, recreational drugs, or firearms onto the School’s property.
All members of the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy community who become aware of violations of the Code of Conduct have a responsibility to report them to the appropriate authority.
For violations of an academic nature, the appropriate authority is the Director, MWR Academy.
For minor violations of an interpersonal nature, the appropriate authority is the Chief, Design and Evaluation or Chief, Development and Delivery.
For all other violations, including any instance of intimidation or sexual harassment, the violation must be reported to the Chief of Human Resources and/or the Equal Opportunity Office.
Usually the person reporting the violation will be required to make an official statement and/or a memorandum of record to document the incident.
The appropriate authority will investigate the complaint and take suitable disciplinary action, which will also be documented.
Academic Integrity*:
Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. The School for Family and Morale, Welfare, Recreation has adopted the following academic integrity standards and expects you to uphold the standards as outlined below:
- I will not lie in my academic endeavors.
- I will not cheat in my academic endeavors.
- I will not practice plagiarism. It is plagiarism to:
-
- 1.Copy words and present them as your own.
2.To copy words, even if you give the source, unless you also indicate that the copied words are a direct quotation.
3.To copy words and change them a little even if you give the source.
4.Express someone else’s ideas as your own.
- I will give prompt notification to my instructors when I observe academic dishonesty.
- I will model behavior that reflects the spirit of Army values. Further, I will insist that my fellow students also model that behavior.
Failure to uphold these standards may result in your dismissal from MWR Academy training.
* Adapted from the U.S. Army Management Staff College Honor Code and the University of Oklahoma Academic Integrity Policy
Acceptable Use of Information Technology:
References: AR 25-1, Army Information Management, dated 31 May 2002
AR 25-2, Information Assurance, dated 15 November 2003
Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), dated 10 January 2002
Administrative Assistance to the Security of the Army Policy Letter,
06 February 1997
AR 380-67, Personnel Security Program, dated 09 September 1988
Acceptable Use of Government Furnished Automated Information System (AIS) – Policy Memorandum # 7
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy, Installation Management Academy web site must be in support of education and research consistent with the purposes of the School, IMCOM, and the U.S. Army.
No use of the School’s web site shall serve to disrupt the use of the network or the web site by other users.
All communications and information accessible via the School’s web site should be assumed to be the property of the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy.
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy technological equipment and resources may not be used to install or illegally obtain software or data. Any software installation on a government owned computers must be approved by the IT Department.
An account is assigned to an individual and must not be used by others. The individual is responsible for proper use of the account, including password protection. The individual must take all reasonable precautions, including password maintenance and file and directory protection measures, to prevent use of their account by others.
Student records and course work are considered confidential and are to be protected in accordance with federal and state laws and School policies.
Copying, renaming, changing, or deleting files belonging to the School or any other user with malicious intent is prohibited.
Attempts to bypass the School’s standard technological procedures are prohibited (e.g., hacking). This includes, but is not limited to, attempts to discover another user’s password, taking resources from other users, distribution or execution of a program that damages another user’s files or computing resources, and gaining access to resources for which proper authorization has not been given.
The School’s computing resources, including email and other electronic communications, will not be used to harass others. Sending of obscene, abusive, or threatening messages is prohibited and may be a violation of state and/or federal law.
Accessing pornographic or obscene material via the Internet through the School’s computing resources that is not related to work or educational purposes is prohibited.
The Information Technology department, in conjunction with the administration, will make decisions on whether specific uses of the School’s web site are consistent with this policy.
Fair Use of Copyrighted Material:
References: 17 U.S.C, Section 107, U.S. Copyright Act
The Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. Section 107), applies to the digital environment without regard to the medium of the original work.
Fair use does not supersede licensed resources, unless the terms of controlling agreements specifically defer to U.S. Copyright Act 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
Fair use depends on a case-by-case examination of facts surrounding each case, and the four factors identified in U.S. Copyright Act 17 U.S.C. Section 107:
- The purpose or character of the use; including whether such use is of a commercial nature or for nonprofit educational purposes.
- The nature of the copyrighted work used.
- The amount and substantiality of the work being used.
- The effect of the use on the market for or value of the original work.
The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified by the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research.” If a patron makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy licenses several instruments for limited use in our courses. This license does not extend to students who want to duplicate and redistribute the material back at their installations without prior consent. The MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order, if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
American Council on Education (ACE) Transcripts
Instructions can be found in this document.
ANSI/IACET Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)
The Installation Management Academy, MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The MWR Academy complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
As a result of this accreditation, the MWR Academy is authorized to issue the IACET CEU.
Download the IACET-CEUs documents below for more information:
Official Transcript Request Form
Official Transcripts
Academy official transcripts are issued only to those students who have successfully completed classroom or e-Learning courses at the Installation Management Academy, MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy.
Official transcripts are processed on a first come, first serve basis. The turnaround time, for mailing or receiving from our office, excluding delivery, is three to five days.
Instructions for requesting transcripts:
- Transcript request must be made in writing. The request form is available here.
- Upon completion of the form, please print and sign.
- Mail, scan and e-mail or Fax completed form to:
Mail: Installation Management Academy, MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy
2280 Signal Road
Building 4022
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234
Phone: 210-466-1050
E-mail: usarmy.jbsa.imcom-hq.mbx.academy-help-desk@army.mil
Please place in the subject line: Transcript Request
Fax: 210-466-1032
Travel Information
Attending residential courses with the MG Robert M. Joyce MWR Academy requires timely and detailed planning. There are several steps you will need to take before and after attending training to assure smooth travel and appropriate reimbursement.
After you have received your selection notification you will need to complete the required travel documents.