Broadening Participation of Veterans in the STEM Workforce through Service Learning

It can be challenging for military veterans to reenter the civilian workforce for various reasons, including finding purposeful work and learning how to network to pursue job opportunities. These issues make it difficult to create financial stability. At the same time, there are growing needs for data skills in the workforce and for STEM jobs that would benefit from the knowledge and capabilities that military veterans can offer. To address both the data skills gap and financial needs of veterans, this project explores using a service-learning approach to effectively engage all veterans in developing data skills. The Impacting Communities Through Data program will engage cohorts of veterans in workshops on STEM employability and acquiring data skills through local service-learning projects. The research investigation will examine the impact of service-learning projects on military veterans' data skills, attitudes, and potential career outcomes in STEM fields. The project broadens participation in STEM by welcoming all military veterans in San Diego County to participate in the program. There is some evidence that service learning is effective as a pedagogical approach for veterans, yet there has not been any significant study on this, particularly in utilizing an online medium for veterans to develop STEM skills. To meet the needs of veterans in transitioning to civilian employment, while balancing familial and caregiver responsibilities, the Impacting Communities Through Data program creates an online informal service-learning experience as well as data skills and STEM employability workshops to engage all veterans in meaningful work that develops their data skills. The project advances knowledge-building regarding informal STEM learning by answering three key research questions: (1) What are the relationships between participation in an informal service-learning project and STEM attitudes, data skills, and career-related outcomes?, (2) What are the differences in improved STEM attitudes, skills, and career-related outcomes between veterans enrolled in an online data skills course who also participate in an informal service-learning project and veterans who only complete the online course?, and (3) Which experiences during an informal service-learning project are most valued by veterans? Ten cohorts of 18-30 military veterans will participate in the program. The project utilizes a waitlist control design, responding to the above research questions by collecting and analyzing pre- and post-program participant surveys and follow up interviews. Analysis of survey and interview data will use both quantitative and qualitative methods. Project results will advance understanding of the impact of informal service-learning projects in improving STEM skills and employability for all military veterans. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.