Planning Grant For Assessment And Improvement Of Alaska's Tribally-controlled College's Science, Mathematics, Engineering And Technology Programs

阿拉斯加州巴罗市的Ilisagvik学院是阿拉斯加土著高等教育联盟（CANHE）的领导学院，CANHE是一个由阿拉斯加土著组织组成的非营利组织，在阿拉斯加创建和支持新的为阿拉斯加土著服务的学院。CANHE成立的部分原因是，在1990年，只有4%的阿拉斯加本地人获得了学士学位。阿拉斯加原住民在阿拉斯加大学和学院的科学、数学、工程和技术（SMET）课程的学生、阿拉斯加学校的教师以及需要这些技能的职业中所占的比例很低。关于阿拉斯加原住民高等教育成就的数据没有得到很好的收集。然而，对于阿拉斯加本地人来说，很明显，在SMET项目中，必须采用不同于州立大学多年来使用的方法来吸引和留住本地和农村学生。Ilisagvik将在项目为期10个月的规划和评估工作中担任领导和指导机构。Ilisagvik将聘请一位项目经理进行评估。CANHE成员工作组将创建一份使命声明，定义计划目标、优先事项和项目里程碑。一个外部咨询委员会将由伊利萨维克学院院长埃德纳马克莱恩博士（Dr. EdnaMacLean）担任主席，该委员会将审查规划工作并评估进展。工作组和管理人员将从六个成员中收集数据，并审查他们的任务、长期目标和优先事项。区域需求和优势将成为CANHE SMET总体规划的一部分，该规划将包括学院的资源、治理、文化、技术要求和资助策略。该计划将包括对所需教员和可供教职员指导的技能的评估，并列出每个地区所需的技术要求和基础设施支持。除了评估对Ilisagvik学院的具体好处之外，通过让所有CANHE成员参与到该计划的过程和最终实施中，收益将成倍增加。该小组将设计切实有效的方法，为分散的潜在学生群体创建、扩展和协作改进SMET项目，包括与其他地区合作，一些集中的支持活动，以及整合教师和学生参与的激励措施。考虑到社区之间没有道路的巨大距离，阿拉斯加农村电信和信息基础设施的原始状态，以及这些服务的高成本，有许多远程交付的问题需要识别、理解和解决。Ilisagvik开发了一套新的信息技术A.A.S.课程，并通过美国国家科学基金会、美国社区学院协会、默多克基金会和微软公司之前的资助，获得了一些基础设施来实施这些课程。CANHE成员正在开发其他项目。这些资产可以在整个州共享，以改善SMET的交付。总的来说，这些学院可以从多地区的本土学生群体中招收更多的学生来学习这些课程，并以更少的教师来授课，同时也利用了交叉注册的管理优势。数据、评估和计划草案将在采用前与每个地区学院的董事会和组织领导进行审查，以确认，并在必要时进行修改，以便满足每个地区的需求、方向和资源。

Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska is the lead college in the Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education, Inc. (CANHE), a non-profit group of Alaska Native organizationscreating and supporting new Alaska Native-serving colleges in Alaska. CANHE wasestablished, in part, because only 4% of Alaska Natives (1990) have achieved baccalaureate degrees. Alaska Natives are poorly represented as students in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) programs in Alaska'suniversities and colleges, as teachers in the Alaska schools, and in the occupationsrequiring these skills. Data on Alaska Native higher education achievement is notwell collected. It is obvious to Alaska natives, however, that different techniquesmust be used to attract and retain Native and rural students in SMET programs thanthose used for years by the state university. Ilisagvik will serve as the lead and mentor institution for the planning and assessment effort over the10 months of the project.Ilisagvik will engage a project manager to conduct the assessment. A CANHE membertask force will create a mission statement defining the planning goals, prioritiesand project milestones. An external advisory board will be chaired by Dr. EdnaMacLean, the president of Ilisagvik College, and will review the planning effort andevaluate the progress. The task force and manager will gather data from each of thesix members and examine their missions, their long-term goals and priorities. Theregional needs and strengths will become part of the CANHE SMET master plan whichwill include the colleges' resources, governance, culture, technology requirements, and funding strategies. The plan will include assessment of faculty needed and theskills available for staff instruction, and inventory the technology requirementsand the infrastructure support needed in each region. Beyond the specific benefitsof the assessment to Ilisagvik College, the benefits will multiply by involving allthe CANHE members in the process and the ultimate implementation of the plan.The group will design practical cost-effective methods to create, expand and collaboratively improve SMET programs for the dispersed potential student body including collaboration with other regions, some centralizing support activities, and integrating incentives to be involved for faculty and students. Given the vast roadless distances between communities, the primitive state of rural Alaskatelecommunications and information infrastructure and the high cost of suchservices when available, there are numerous problems of distance delivery tobe identified, understood and resolved. Ilisagvik developed a new Information Technology A.A.S. curriculum and acquired some of the infrastructure to carry out the classes through previous funding from NSF, the American Association of Community Colleges, the M. J. Murdock Foundation, and the Microsoft Corporation. Other programs are being developed by CANHE members. These assets can be shared across the state to improve SMET delivery. Collectively the colleges can register a greater number of students for these courses from the multi-regional Native student body and deliver them with a smaller number offaculty also taking administrative advantages of cross-registration benefits.The data, assessment, and draft plan will be reviewed with the board andorganizational leadership of each regional colleges prior to adoption to affirm, and modified if required, so that it addresses the needs, direction and resources of each region.