By Emma Wensing

More than 1.5 million courses have now been completed using Defence's corporate learning management system, Campus.

Since its inception nine years ago, this significant milestone demonstrates Campus' acceptance as an effective learning system.

Brigadier Peter Gates, outgoing Director General of the Defence Learning Branch, said with Campus recording 317,640 course completions in the last financial year, the benefits of an e-learning platform for large-scale training requirements were wide-ranging.

"Defence is embracing the future and moving towards more e-learning approaches," Brigadier Gates said.

"Learners can complete training at their own pace, different learning styles can be accommodated, exploring options and simulations is possible, and resources can be located and saved for future reference.

"Compliance is also more easily monitored."

The cost-efficiencies that come from leveraging technology are a significant driver in the continued engagement with e-learning course delivery.

"Campus has become a real capability for Defence and the real savings made in e-delivery and e-learning have allowed more money to be spent in the harder aspects of Defence capability," Brigadier Gates said.

About $106.5 million was saved in the last financial year via the e-learning capability Campus offers. In 2011-2012 the average cost of each Campus course completion was $5.20, compared with the average cost of face-to-face training of about $292 per individual.

In 2011-2012, 74,792 people completed at least one course on Campus, with an average of 5.2 courses completed per person.

An unclassified version of Campus, available via the internet, is scheduled to come on-line this financial year.