Pathways to Student Success Initiation Project

Aaniiih Nakoda College, Harlem MT

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this initiation project is to transform STEM education at FBC by establishing an integrated pathway of learning that will strengthen instructional effectiveness and promote student success. The project will achieve this goal by: (1) initiating an intensive, six-week A?anin-Nakoda STEM Summer Academy for incoming science majors that will prepare them for the rigors of college-level STEM instruction; (2) restructuring existing science curricula to create a new Integrated Science A.S. degree program designed to foster academic excellence and prepare students for greater success in upper division STEM courses and degree programs; and (3) establishing the foundation for implementing a B.S. degree program in Holistic Environmental Science at FBC through curriculum expansion, professional development, and institutional capacity-building. Beginning with pre-college enrichment activities and culminating in a baccalaureate degree program, the project will offer students a continuous pathway of learning grounded in the A?anin and Nakoda worldview and guided by a complementary educational philosophy that encourages students to practice science through cross-disciplinary, collaborative, project-based learning activities and relevant applications. The project?s overall effectiveness will be evaluated in terms of its success in achieving a series of eight student-centered outcomes related to measurable increases in student participation, learning, and success in science courses and degree programs.