PEEC Workshop 2014: Building a Bridge to the Future

Sisseton Wahpeton Community College, Agency Village SD

Investigators

Abstract

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the STEM instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the STEM curricular offerings at these institutions expands the opportunities of their students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be culturally significant, and encourages a community and generational appreciation for science and mathematics education. The Pre-Engineering Education Collaboratives (PEEC) strand of TCUP is designed to increase the number of American Indians in engineering by helping tribal colleges establish two-year pre-engineering courses and degrees that seamlessly articulate to four-year engineering programs, and to provide research and service learning projects that are regionally and culturally relevant. Sisseton Wahpeton College, a tribal college located in South Dakota, will convene a workshop for the sixteen partner institutions that are involved in the four PEEC projects. The workshop will provide a forum for PEEC administrators, faculty, and researchers to share and learn new strategies for pre-engineering study geared toward American Indian tribal college students. New models for effective engineering degree tracks, appropriate curricula, methods of instructional delivery, along with the necessary support mechanisms will be discussed helping to assure tribal college students successfully earn engineering degrees. At the workshop, projects will present what qualitative and quantitative outcomes have been achieved and what could have been done differently. Projects will be asked to identify issues they encountered that hindered the PEEC process along with any implemented or planned solutions. Identifying strategies for continued funding will be a critical workshop outcome. A formal report will be written that captures the workshop findings and recommendations.