Trans-formative Capacity Building: Targeted STEM Infusion Project Grant

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。该项目由内布拉斯加州印第安人社区学院(NICC)指导，题为“转型能力建设：有针对性的STEM注入项目”，通过建立微生物学实验室和开发微生物学实验室课程，直接满足TCUP的目标，为学生进入劳动力大军和/或进入另一所机构攻读四年制STEM学位做好准备。该项目的目标是确保实验室设备齐全，并制定适当的规程和培训，优先考虑学生和工作人员的安全。实验室课程将包括与当地相关的内容和循证教学方法，并将进行试点测试，以优化其支持学生学习的有效性。该课程保证完全可以在内布拉斯加州的高等教育机构之间转移。NICC的视频会议能力成功地为三个校区提供了课程，包括这个课程，扩大了项目的覆盖范围。NICC的使命是为所有学习者提供优质的高等教育和终身教育机会。扩大学院的科学学科是推进这一使命的一种方式。微生物学是众多STEM学士学位课程的必修课和/或经批准的选修课，它的增加支持了学生获得学士学位的途径，并为拥有公立、私立和部落实体的毕业生提供了更多的职业选择。该项目加强了NICC的实验室健康与安全计划(HSP)，并在HSP协议方面培训了所有STEM教师，使学院的所有实验室课程和学位课程受益，从而建设了NICC在STEM教育和研究方面的能力。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. The project directed by Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) titled “Transformative Capacity Building: Targeted STEM Infusion Project” directly addresses TCUP’s goal through the establishment of a microbiology laboratory and the development of a microbiology laboratory course that better prepares their students to enter the workforce and/or matriculate to another institution to pursue a four-year STEM degree. The project’s objectives are to ensure that the laboratory is fully equipped and protocols and training are in place that prioritize student and staff safety. The laboratory course will include locally relevant content and evidence-based instructional methods and will be pilot tested to optimize its effectiveness in support student learning. The course is guaranteed fully transferable across Nebraska institutions of higher education. NICC's videoconferencing capabilities successfully enable the delivery of courses, including this one, to serve three campuses, broadening the reach of the project.NICC’s mission is to provide quality higher education and lifelong educational opportunities to all learners. Expansion of the science disciplines at the college is one way to advance that mission. The addition of microbiology, a required course and/or approved elective for numerous STEM baccalaureate degree programs, supports students’ pathways to baccalaureate degrees as well as additional careers options for graduates with public, private, and tribal entities. The project’s work to strength NICC’s Laboratory Health and Safety Plan (HSP) and to train all STEM faculty in the HSP protocols benefits all laboratory courses and degree programs at the college, thereby building NICC’s capacity in STEM education and research.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.