Evaluation of SMART Program 2.0: Process Evaluation

The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program was established in 2006 as a scholarship for service program to enhance the Department of Defense's (DOD) workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills and disciplines that are needed by DOD. This process evaluation is a follow-up to one conducted in 2015–2018 and will be followed by an outcome evaluation. The SMART Program is inherently complex, with many stakeholders looking to address a broad set of workforce needs, and distributed across many facilities of the three Service Components as well as the Fourth Estate agencies. Due to continual effort to improve the program, new directed requirements, suggestions from stakeholders and/or recommendations from the prior IDA evaluation, the SMART program processes have evolved over time. In general, these changes had a positive influence on procedures and activities. Additionally, despite the complexity of the program, each stakeholder demonstrated flexibility in adjusting the program processes to address challenges created by the COVID pandemic.