Building Bridges: Health Science Education in Native American Communities

描述（由申请人提供）：内布拉斯加州大学医学中心（UNMC）在阿伯丁地区部落主席健康委员会（AATCHB）的支持下，将利用我们在过去五年中与内布拉斯加州和南达科他州的部落学校和社区合作中积累的信任和合作精神，开发、实施和评估针对美国土著学生K-12年级的科学课程。该项目的长期目标是促进学生对科学的兴趣，培养更有科学素养的公众，并最终增加进入卫生和科学职业的印第安人人数。改善课堂上为我们的印第安伙伴服务的科学教学是这个项目的关键。这一目标将通过创造和适应动手，适合年龄的活动来实现。教师通过夏季讲习班、指导和在职教育提供支持，将促进新的科学战略的实施和开发供部落学校使用的研究课程。学生的参与度将通过暑期体验得到提高，从中学的科学营到选定高中学生的扩展实验室研究项目。走出课堂，接触到家长和社区也是这个项目成功的关键。社区教育计划将旨在促进健康生活，提高健康素养，并改善获取健康信息资源的途径。将在所有阶段进行专业评价，重点是评价项目的教育和社区影响。研究技术将包括基线和后测量的态度和主题内容，参与者评估问卷，和学生回顾性预测试。促进美洲原住民社区的健康是这个项目各个方面的最终目标。改善科学教学和提高对卫生事业的认识将鼓励学生进入这些职业，并希望将这些技能带回他们的社区。提高健康知识和健康生活的公共宣传将促进更好的个人健康决策。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), with the support of the Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board (AATCHB), will leverage the trust and cooperative spirit that we have garnered over the past five years working with tribal schools and communities in Nebraska and South Dakota to develop, implement, and evaluate science curriculum targeting Native American students grades K-12. The long term goals of this project are to promote student interest in the sciences, foster a more science literate public, and ultimately to increase the number of Native Americans entering health and science careers. Improving science instruction in the classrooms serving our Native American partners is key to this project. This objective will be accomplished by creating and adapting hands-on, age appropriate activities. Teacher support through summer workshops, mentoring, and in-service education will facilitate implementation of novel science strategies and development of a research course for use in tribal schools. Student engagement will be enhanced through summer experiences from science camps for middle school to extended laboratory research projects for select high schools students. Reaching beyond the classroom to parents and communities is also critical to the success of this project. Community education programs will be designed to promote healthy living, increase health literacy, and improve access to health information resources. Professional evaluations will be made at all stages, with major emphasis being placed on evaluating the educational and community impact of the project. Research techniques will include baseline and post measures of attitudes and subject content, participant evaluation questionnaires, and student retrospective pretests. Advancing the health of Native American communities is the ultimate aim of every aspect of this project. Improved science teaching and heightened awareness of health careers will encourage students to enter these careers and hopefully to bring these skills back to their communities. Public outreach that increases health literacy and healthy living will promote better personal health decisions.