Building Bridges: Health Science Education in Native American Communities

描述(由申请人提供)：内布拉斯加大学医学中心(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获得的信任和合作精神，开发、实施和评估针对K-12年级美洲原住民学生的科学课程。该项目的长期目标是促进学生对科学的兴趣，培养更具科学素养的公众，并最终增加进入健康和科学职业的美洲原住民人数。改善为我们的美洲原住民伙伴服务的课堂上的科学教学是这个项目的关键。这一目标将通过创建和调整实际操作的、适合年龄的活动来实现。通过暑期讲习班、辅导和在职教育提供教师支持，将有助于实施新的科学战略和开发供部落学校使用的研究课程。通过从中学科学夏令营到选定高中生的扩展实验室研究项目的暑期体验，学生的参与度将得到提高。超越课堂，接触到家长和社区，对这个项目的成功也是至关重要的。社区教育计划将旨在促进健康生活，提高健康素养，并改善获得健康信息资源的机会。将在所有阶段进行专业评估，主要重点是评估该项目对教育和社区的影响。研究技术将包括态度和主题内容的基线和后期测量、参与者评估问卷和学生回溯性前测。促进美洲原住民社区的健康是该项目各个方面的最终目标。改进的科学教学和对健康职业的高度认识将鼓励学生进入这些职业，并有望将这些技能带回他们的社区。提高健康素养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.