As the world changes, a gap has grown between the way students learn and the way many schools continue to teach. Today's students learn in a non-linear way. According to recent studies, students learn more about doing their jobs in informal learning environments and use social media platforms to connect with experts in the field. However, only a few military schools have found ways to blend the formal, informal, and emerging technologies to enable these new 21st century learners.

This study looks at the profiles of emerging learners and offers recommendations into how professional military education (PME) can support these learning styles and the students who aspire to gain this knowledge. Based on a review of over 20 educational reports and interviews with students at each level of PME, this paper outlines the characteristics of these 21st century students and looks at how PME must adjust from performance-based to outcome-based learning in an effort to place greater emphasis on choosing and using learning strategies rather than about taking on knowledge and skills that are quickly outdated. This paper includes a detailed case study of how an advanced blended learning solution could be applied to a military classroom.