Belcourt 95-26134 This project is designed to achieve educational purposes through video and data interconnections. The educational purposes involve the development of new networking and user service training programs for both video and data networks, improvement of the teaching of SMET subjects in K-12 and postsecondary institutions that are controlled by Indians, and the improvement of education for American Indians in the health fields. The general concept of this application is to maximize the impact that already existing SMET coursework and programs have. This will be done by distributing the responsibility for offering programs throughout the AlHEC's video and data networks. Because the 29 institutions that compose the American Indian Higher Education Consortium are widespread, generally small, and chronically underfunded, there has always been an emphasis on sharing resources. There is wide variance among the institutions with regard to levels of SMET curriculum and the level of networking currently available. This interest in sharing through networking led to the formation of the AIHEC telecommunication project five years ago, in order to make use of technology to make limited resources go further. Since that time, there has also been a good deal of interest in the establishment of computer interconnectivity. Approximately 1/2 of the colleges have such connectivity. This project calls for funding for one year for developing programs that provide both short-term training in such things as using the Internet, using Interactive video, and technical support for networks. In the technology area, it also calls for the development of Associate's degrees in areas that provide user support. A second area of development in this first year is the Health Services area. AIHEC will identify areas of greatest need with the Indian Health Service and develop distributed programs in these areas. The colleges need certain things to make these operations possible. First, it needs faculty with u pgraded academic preparation in SMET areas and it needs students who are better prepared. Thus, there is a component that provides for distributed graduate education for both college and K-12 teachers. On the other side of infrastructure, many colleges do not have connectivity yet. For this reason, all the Tribal Colleges in Montana will be linked with a system that they have designed to provide maximum capability for uperading. Finally, the AIHEC Telecommunications Network will be utilized by providing uplinks to satellites at three sites, one each in Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota. These uplinks will be capable of feeding instruction to all 29 colleges; 7 colleges will be able to originate programming.
