Fort Belknap College (FBC) is a tribally controlled community college located on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in northcentral Montana. The overall goals of the proposed project are to increase student participation and success in FBC?s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses and degree programs. This Phase II project will build upon the documented successes of FBC?s Phase I project, while addressing persistence challenges identified through the collection and analysis of Phase I evaluation data. In order to achieve the project?s dual goals, project personnel will carry out an integrated implementation strategy designed to accomplish eight student-centered objectives associated with: (1) enrollment in STEM degree programs, (2) participation in STEM summer academies, (3) performance on college placement exams, (4) participation in research and internship programs, (5) performance in STEM gatekeeper courses, (6) retention rates, (7) graduation numbers, and (8) transfer numbers. Primary project strategies for accomplishing these objectives include: (1) extensive outreach and recruiting programs, (2) pre-college summer STEM academies, (3) summer research and internship opportunities, and (4) supplemental instruction and tutoring for STEM courses. In addition to supporting these student-centered project activities, project funds also will be used to support: (1) the establishment of a data- driven annual review process for STEM programs, (2) comprehensive mathematics curriculum reform, and (7) ongoing faculty development opportunities. Evaluation activities will provide project personnel with the information needed to effectively monitor the project?s progress, improve its ongoing effectiveness, assess its success in achieving project goals and objectives, and communicate its outcomes to a variety of stakeholders.
Throughout Aaniiih Nakoda College there has been a push to infuse culture throughout all courses and to increase student use of library resources. In addition, as part of the College's TCUP project there has been a focus on making science courses more hands-on, resource-oriented, and rigorous. Efforts to revise and strengthen the instructional methods used in the science, mathematics and technology courses overall are progressing well with changes in course syllabi and student evaluation showing increases in such student-centered approaches as laboratory and other hands-on learning, research projects, and student use of the library and tutoring. There has been great success in increasing the number of science, math, and computer science courses infusing a cultural component. Prior to 2006, only 19% of the courses had any mention of a cultural component. That number increased to 67% in 2006 and by 2008/2009, 96% of the courses had some mention of a cultural component in their course syllabi. Cultural components consisted of a written library assignment involving the Native American cultural influence on chemistry, a focus on Aaniiih Nakoda College and federal environmental laws and regulations, class discussions of local geological formations with cultural significance. Student projects included research, identify, describe, present and demonstrate a native American game, either current or historic, which involves math, research or locate a traditional favorite recipe, reflecting particular local or regional culture and the use of math to create that specialty. Across fields there has been a significant increase in the number of course syllabi including some type of library work for students. The science, mathematics, and computer science included library activities such as: using info-trax, requiring library research in order for the student to locate and present examples of math in art, using library for internet use in locating maps, projects, and supplemental information and obtaining references from library for assignments. Science courses continue to include research projects. On average, three quarters of students taking science courses pass, with a majority getting grades of A or B. With the presence of the National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, high school students are exposed to the STEM courses during the summer academy and participate in rigorous intense classes while on campus. Our instructors focus on developing their level of education at a more advanced stage that is comparable to college courses. This has proven to be an effective and worthwhile endeavor for students entering into Aaniiih Nakoda College.
