Online, Outside, and in the Community: Making the Case for Science Education Relevance in Native American Communities

部落学院和大学计划(TCUP)的目标是支持为土著服务的高等教育机构建设其科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教学和研究能力。为了与这些目标保持一致，Leech Lake Tribal College(LLTC)项目名为“在线、外部和社区：为科学教育在美洲原住民社区中的相关性辩护”，提供了一系列连贯的活动，以加强学院的STEM学位课程。虽然该学位是为了让当代和未来的美国印第安人学生掌握进入竞争激烈且快速发展的STEM劳动力所需的技能，但社区调查显示，这些职业与社区内STEM教育的重要性和可及性之间存在脱节。为了解决这一脱节问题，LLTC项目建立了学院的能力，以提供相关的、高质量的STEM教学，并改善利奇湖社区内STEM教育的可及性。该项目的活动集中在四个主要领域：外展、扩大远程教育服务、改善获得技术的机会以及招收和留住学生。多个组成部分旨在改善STEM原住民学生的成果，包括增加原住民在STEM劳动力中的代表性，从而缩小Leech Lake社区内的经济差距。LLTC不断致力于培养准备好满足当地和地区劳动力需求的毕业生，正在扩大其传统的当地学生基础，通过社区服务导向的外展和远程教育发展提供可访问的STEM教育。该项目利用了一系列补充活动，包括1)在保留社区周围提供WiFi热点、计算机技能培训和计算机贷款计划，以增加学生的互联网接入；2)开发更多的STEM在线课程；3)使用反向设计修改发展数学课程；4)在地区高中开展一系列与文化相关的STEM外联活动；5)对教师进行远程教育教学技术的专业发展培训；6)形成STEM学生的队列结构；以及7)制定针对当地中学生的正式招生战略。LLTC教育能力的增强将为学院和社区带来长期利益，包括更多的STEM招生，更多的社区参与LLTC STEM，更多的本地毕业生进入当地STEM劳动力市场，以及改善当地人及其社区的经济稳定。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to support Native-serving institutions of higher education in building their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities. In alignment with these goals, the Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC) project named "Online, Outside, and in the Community: Making the Case for Science Education Relevance in Native American Communities" provides a coherent suite of activities that enhance the college's STEM degree program. While the degree was developed to equip current and future generations of American Indian students with the skills necessary to enter a competitive and rapidly evolving STEM workforce, community surveys indicate a disconnect between these careers and the perceived importance and accessibility of STEM education within the community. To address this disconnect, the LLTC project builds the college's capacity to provide relevant, high quality STEM instruction and improved accessibility to STEM education within the Leech Lake communities. The project's activities focus on four main areas: outreach, expanding distance education offerings, improving access to technology, and student recruitment and retention. The multiple components are designed to improve STEM outcomes for Native students including increasing Native representation in the STEM workforce, thereby decreasing economic disparities within the Leech Lake community.With their ongoing commitment to produce graduates prepared to answer the local and regional workforce demands, LLTC is extending beyond its traditional local student base to provide accessible STEM education through community service-oriented outreach and distance education development. The project utilizes an array of complementary activities including 1) the provision of wifi hotspots around the reservation community, computer skills training, and a computer loan program to increase Internet access for students; 2) the development of additional online STEM courses; 3) the modification of developmental math courses using Backward Design; 4) a series of culturally relevant STEM outreach activities in area high schools; 5) professional development training for their faculty on distance education instructional techniques; 6) the formation of a cohort structure for STEM students; and 7) the development of a formal recruitment strategy aimed at local secondary students. The strengthening of LLTC's educational capacity will result in long-term benefits for the both the college and the community including greater STEM enrollment, increased community engagement with LLTC STEM, higher numbers of Native graduates entering the local STEM workforce, and improved economic stability for Native people and their community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.