Pathways to Indigenous STEM (Ma:cidag wo:g STEM Wui)

Tohono O'Odham Community College, Sells AZ

Investigators

Abstract

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the nation's Indigenous students. The "Pathways to Indigenous STEM (Ma:cidag wo:g STEM Wui)" project at Tohono O'odham Community College (TOCC) directly addresses these goals by increasing the number and diversifying the delivery mode of STEM courses and strengthening the academic support for students. Expanding the STEM curricular offerings and improving the academic environment to better meet the needs of Native students encourages students to pursue challenging and rewarding STEM degrees and careers, thus diversifying the nation's workforce and contributing to our country's prosperity and security. The knowledge gained from studying the efficacy of the project will contribute to our understanding of best practices for recruiting and retaining underrepresented students in STEM and preparing the next generation of STEM professionals. The "Man in the Maze Education Model" (MiME) developed at TOCC will serve as a culturally-based framework for curriculum development and program assessment and will provide an intentional and systematic approach to Indigenizing TOCC's STEM curriculum and programs. The project will realize these goals by focusing on four objectives: (1) Application of a culturally responsive education model that integrates STEM disciplines in a culturally-responsive manner, (2) increasing the number of curricular offerings in the Physical Sciences and online STEM courses, (3) promotion of the professional preparedness of students by engaging them in internships and research experiences, and (4) increased support for transitioning students from high school to TOCC and TOCC to other colleges. This project will result in an assessment and design for STEM instructional improvement that will incorporate elements of self-determination and culturally-based education within the context of the current generation of Tohono O'odham students. The project plan includes unique and innovative instructional strategies that are compatible with the Tohono O'odham culture with a goal of preparing students to face current and future challenges using both 21st-century knowledge and traditional knowledge. Incorporating an Indigenous education model based on the MiME Model represents a significant contribution toward understanding how to implement and assess culturally-based education. Although the MiME Model is culturally specific to TOCC, the model's concepts for integrating STEM into a traditional cultural knowledge base can be adapted for application at tribal colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.