EAGER: Understanding the Impact of Making on Veterans in Pursuing STEM Degrees

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This project will use Maker pedagogy to develop workshops to test its potential for improving the effectiveness of learning pathways in STEM disciplines for military veterans. The workshops will provide training and educational awareness in engineering topics and will include computer-aided design (CAD), rapid prototyping, 3D printing, fundamentals of bio-inspired robotics, and additive manufacturing technologies. The project will address the nation's need for workforce to learn the most current and emerging skill sets. The workshops will be held at Old Dominion University in the Hampton Roads area of Southeastern Virginia, which serves a wide population of women, underrepresented minorities, and veterans entering into the engineering and technology workforce. The research team will develop and deliver two Maker Workshops serving military veterans to foster their STEM knowledge and careers and to develop their interest and introduce the skills needed for opportunities in advanced manufacturing. The project will carry out formative and summative evaluation that will support the development of an educational model that can be implemented in different institutions across the country with veteran or adult student learner populations. Evaluation will focus on veteran workshop participants' attitudes, behaviors, and skills, using observations from data collected through surveys and instruments, and teaching related activities. Project results and resources will be disseminated through conferences held by a wide range of Veterans' organizations and the American Society of Engineering Education, as well through relevant educational and professional journals.