Using Collaboratively Designed Research Based Courses to Develop Tribal College Research Capacity and Increase Student Success

部落学院和大学方案(TCUP)的一个目标是提高为本国土著学生服务的特定高等教育机构的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教学和研究能力。扩大这些机构的研究能力扩大了学生在STEM领域追求具有挑战性的、有回报的职业的机会，提供了可能与当地相关的领域的研究性学习，并鼓励教师群体将目光投向传统课堂之外的智力和专业成长。该项目与这一目标直接一致，而且可能被证明是其他小型社区大学类似参与的典范。该项目为学生和教职员工创建了基于研究的密集培训课程，将斑马鱼作为一种多功能的模型生物用于课堂实验。在目标1中，将与部落学院(A‘aniih Nakoda学院、首席迟钝刀学院、小大角学院和佩克堡社区学院)的教员和蒙大拿州立大学博兹曼分校(MSU)的研究人员合作，创建一系列课程。每套课程将反映与特定教师、学生和社区相关的问题。目标2，通过为期一周的强化课程，为部落学院教职员工发展或提高他们的研究思维和技能奠定基础，以指导他们各自学院的本科生研究工作。部落学院教员和密歇根州立大学科学家之间的合作将继续支持部落学院教员开发新的或加强现有的研究项目和基于研究的课程。目标3建议学生参加课程，然后作为学生助教参与，以便更深入地参与研究思维。在部落学院提供这些课程允许学生在他们的社区内参加课程，并允许这些课程成为未来努力的垫脚石，包括他们部落学院的研究项目和密歇根州立大学等四年制大学的项目。

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the research capacity at these institutions expands the opportunities for students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be locally relevant, and encourages a faculty community to look beyond the traditional classroom for intellectual and professional growth. This project aligns directly with that goal, and moreover may prove to be a model for similar engagement at other small community colleges.The project creates intensive research-based training courses in the life sciences for students and faculty, using zebrafish as a versatile model organism for classroom experiments. In Aim 1, a series of courses will be created, in partnership between faculty at tribal colleges (A'aniiih Nakoda College, Chief Dull Knife College, Little Big Horn College, and Fort Peck Community College) and research faculty at Montana State University-Bozeman (MSU). Each set of course curricula will reflect issues relevant to the specific faculty, students, and community. Aim 2, through week-long intensive courses, lays the foundation for tribal college faculty to develop or enhance their research mindset and skills to mentor undergraduate research endeavors at their respective colleges. Collaboration between tribal college faculty and the MSU scientists will continue to support tribal college faculty as they develop new, or enhance existing research projects and research-based courses. Aim 3 proposes that students will attend courses and then participate as student TAs for deeper engagement with the research mindset. Offering these courses at the tribal colleges allows students to attend the courses within their communities and permits these courses to act as stepping stones for future endeavors, including research programs at their tribal colleges and programs at 4-year universities like MSU.