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

部落学院和大学计划（TCUP）的一个目标是提高为美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，可以扩大学生在STEM领域追求具有挑战性、回报丰厚的职业的机会，为当地相关领域的研究提供机会，并鼓励教师群体超越传统课堂，寻求智力和专业发展。这个项目直接符合这一目标，而且可能被证明是其他小型社区学院类似参与的典范。该项目为学生和教师创建了密集的以研究为基础的生命科学培训课程，使用斑马鱼作为课堂实验的多功能模式生物。在第一个目标中，将由部落学院（a 'aniiih Nakoda学院、Chief Dull Knife学院、Little Big Horn学院和Fort Peck社区学院）的教师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。每一套课程都将反映与特定教师、学生和社区相关的问题。目标2，通过为期一周的强化课程，为部落学院教师发展或提高他们的研究思维和技能奠定基础，以指导各自学院的本科生研究工作。部落学院教师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师开发新的或增强现有的研究项目和研究型课程。目标3提出学生将参加课程，然后作为学生助教参与，以更深入地参与研究思维。在部落学院开设这些课程可以让学生参加他们社区的课程，并使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.