Through efforts and strategies employed during Phase One of the TCUP grant Chief Dull Knife College has seen remarkable results in the area of student interest in, enrollment in and completion of math and science courses. During Phase Two the college will develop a ?connected learning network? with local partner schools and the universities to address several ongoing endeavors begun in Phase One of the TCUP project. The use of research to expose students to STEM careers and the improvement of students' capabilities in gatekeeper courses can have a combined effect of positioning the student for continued success in STEM undertakings. The college seeks to broaden and enhance the accomplishments of Phase One by continuing to offer research opportunities to our students on the university campus, but also to expand these research experiences to the home campus and Chief Dull Knife College. Research concepts, processes, and outcomes will be incorporated into science and math course work at the tribal college. Research findings will be presented by students at national meetings. The research carried out will be shared with surrounding high schools and the university partners through an Interactive Video system linking the laboratories and classrooms at the remote sites. The college will broaden the scope of computer-delivered mastery based math courses delivered on campus, as well as, assist local high schools in implementing a similar methodology for mathematics delivery. Transferring what we have learned in Phase One about math preparation and retention to the high schools and helping them adopt changes can have a huge effect on completion rates and level of ?math preparedness? for incoming college students. Increased preparation results in more choices in all areas of science, technology, and mathematics for the student. The curriculum in math and science at the college will be reviewed and revamped to reflect increased math-science integration. The faculty will also work closely with the Project Director to incorporate research into current curricula in science and mathematics. The college will also continue to offer summer workshops designed to interest students in STEM related course work and careers. Students will interact with instructors from NASA and local faculty on projects ranging from 3D animation and design to Lego Robotics. Throughout the various projects the students and interns will be asked to take on increasingly complex leadership roles with students in other levels of the program. High school students will model for the younger grades, tribal college students will model for high school students and university students will model for tribal college students. Connecting the campuses together through Interactive TV will afford a first foray into this type of mentor/leadership interaction for Northern Cheyenne students. Students involved in research at the tribal college and their high school associates will be able to link with siblings and relatives at the university research labs.
Intellectual Merit: A major challenge facing tribal colleges who wish to prepare students for STEM careers is the lack of adequate preparation in mathematics. Mathematics course completion is the "gatekeeper" for enrollment in science and technology courses. Chief Dull Knife College also has learned from previous NSF funding that close integration of research within the classroom is a powerful mechanism for increasing student comprehension of the mathematical and scientific world. All schools need connections and partnerships with other educational institutions. We best serve our students when we integrate local scientific research with broader research programs at major statewide institutions in Montana. Broader Impacts of this funding - Partnering with the four year institutions and the high schools in areas of research, math-science integration and academic course delivery strengthens the overall process of recruiting and then retaining STEM students beyond the tribal college "boundary". Because the checkpoints separating secondary education from community college and then university education are becoming increasingly blurred with "distance", "online" and "Advanced Placement" options for students, the tribal college is uniquely positioned to facilitate a seamless transition from high school to the university degree. At Chief Dull Knife College this has been accomplished by establishing networks of support, exposure to research, and integrated instruction for the student. Through efforts and strategies employed during the TCUP grant, Chief Dull Knife College has seen remarkable results in the area of student interest in, enrollment in and completion of math and science courses. During the grant period the college has developed a "connected learning network" with local partner schools and the universities to address several ongoing endeavors begun in the first round of TCUP funding. The use of research to expose students to STEM careers and the improvement of students’ capabilities in gatekeeper courses can have a combined effect of positioning the student for continued success in STEM undertakings. The college has continued its efforts to offer research opportunities to students on the university campus, but also to expand these research experiences to the home campus at Chief Dull Knife College. Research concepts, processes, and outcomes have been incorporated into science and math course work at the tribal college giving students real world applications of scientific concepts. Northern Cheyenne related research was carried out including surrounding high schools and the university partners through an Interactive Video system which linked the laboratories and classrooms at the remote sites. The college significantly refined the scope of computer-delivered mastery based math courses delivered on campus. Utilizing what we had learned in the first TCUP project about math delivery and retention of students we greatly expanded the self-paced mastery program with huge effects on completion rates and preparedness for science courses and upper level mathematics courses. Average math completions prior to TCUP were around 30-35% and that included Cs and Ds. Now after the improvements students are completing in the 60-80% range with mastery at the A and B grade level in courses. Increased preparation results in more choices in all areas of science, technology, and mathematics for the student. Incorporating research into current curricula in science and mathematics has been a major focus of the current project. Throughout the various projects the students and interns have been asked to take on increasingly complex leadership roles with students in other levels of the program. High school students have become models for the younger grades, tribal college students have modeled for high school students and university students provide models for tribal college students aspiring to university degrees. Connecting the campuses together through Interactive TV allowed a unique type of mentor/leadership interaction for Northern Cheyenne students. Students involved in research at the tribal college are able to link with siblings and relatives at the university research labs.
