Informal Learning Pathways through Mapathons for Military and Veteran Communities

作为在非正式环境中加强学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习(AISL)计划为在各种环境中进行STEM学习的创新研究、方法和资源提供资金。许多寻求过渡到高等教育或劳动力途径的退伍军人发现，将他们在服役期间获得的技能转化为民用STEM环境和现代劳动力具有挑战性。然而，由于STEM领域的独特职能和服务任务，许多回国的退伍军人在STEM领域拥有丰富的经验，包括地图和地理空间技术。这种地理空间技能对位置感知行业、公民科学和公共服务很有用。与此同时，军人和退伍军人家庭作为重点非正式STEM学习的重要公众受众，在很大程度上被忽视了。非正式学习活动称为“地图马拉松”，参加者参加绘图练习，并在开放平台上创建地理空间数据，以满足其社区和广大社会的真实需求。当退伍军人退役后寻求继续深造时，退伍军人的典型选择包括某种形式的正规高等教育。地图马拉松可能是一种可行的桥梁活动，它(A)认可退伍军人独特的、有价值的和需求旺盛的STEM技能，(B)支持终身学习。这项试点研究试图了解像地图马拉松这样的非正式学习经历如何成为退伍军人过渡到文职劳动力的可行途径。概念性方法关注军人和退伍军人家庭生活过程的现实，特别是建立在与过渡有关的变化理论的基础上，包括空间组成部分。该项目智力价值的基础是它对地点、规模和空间行为的明确包容和敏感性，直接建立在之前NSF资助的项目的发现和非正式学习途径的证据基础上。这项研究将通过解决以下问题来促进关于劳动力发展的知识：(1)退伍军人在多大程度上认识到他们在军事环境中获得的现有技能可以翻译到民用STEM环境中？(2)非正式学习经历如何帮助不同的退伍军人群体提高对地理空间劳动力能力的可译性的认识，建立对技术技能的信心，并激发在STEM领域进行正规学习的兴趣？(3)当退伍军人可以在一系列在线或地区地点进行正规STEM高等教育学习时，他们倾向于通过什么途径接受STEM高等教育？为什么？这项研究将在德克萨斯州的8个地点吸引320名参与者；采用深入的调查和采访；并使用空间分析来得出对研究问题的见解。军人和退伍军人家庭包括相当数量的人，他们来自通常在STEM领域代表性不足的群体。支持更多的退伍军人成功地过渡到STEM的高等教育道路或职业生涯，对国家来说是一项至关重要的服务。这项关于退伍军人从非正式到正式途径的研究将包括对位置在意义创造和他们在人生历程转型期间考虑的选择的现实中的重要性的创新理解。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches and resources for STEM learning in a variety of settings. Many military veterans who seek to transition to higher education or workforce pathways find it challenging to translate the skills they acquired during service to civilian STEM settings and the modern day workforce. Yet many returning veterans have significant experience with STEM fields, including mapping and geospatial technologies, because of their unique functions and service assignments. Such geospatial skills are useful for location-aware industries, citizen science and public services. At the same time, military and veteran families have been largely overlooked as an important public audience for focused informal STEM learning. Informal learning events called "mapathons" which enlists participants to mapping exercises and create geospatial data on open platforms that address authentic needs in their communities and the broader society at large. When seeking to further their education upon returning from service, veterans' typical options have included some form of formal higher education. Mapathons may be a feasible bridging activity that (a) recognizes veterans' unique, valuable, and in-demand STEM skills and (b) supports lifelong learning.This pilot research seeks to understand how informal learning experiences such as mapathons are viable pathways for veterans to transition to the civilian workforce. The conceptual approach pays attention to the realities of the life course of military and veteran families, especially building upon theories of change related to transitions to include a spatial component. The foundation of the project's intellectual merit is its explicit inclusion and sensitivity to place, scale, and spatial behavior, building directly from findings of prior NSF-funded projects and the evidence base for informal learning pathways. The research will contribute to knowledge about workforce development by addressing the questions: (1) To what extent do veterans recognize that their extant skills acquired, in military settings, are translatable to civilian STEM settings?; (2) How can informal learning experiences help a diverse veteran population increase awareness of the translatability of geospatial workforce competencies, build confidence in technology skills, and motivate interest to pursue formal studies in STEM fields in general?; and (3) What pathways do which veterans favor when they could pursue formal STEM higher education learning among an array of choices online or at regional sites, and why? The study will engage 320 participants at 8 sites across Texas; employ in-depth surveys and interviews; and use spatial analysis to elicit insights about the research questions.Military and veteran families include a significant number of people from group typically underrepresented in STEM fields. Supporting more veterans to transition successfully to higher education pathways or careers in STEM is a vital service to the nation. This study on informal to formal pathways for veterans will include an innovative understanding of the importance of place in meaning-making and in the reality of choices they consider during the transitions of their life course.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.