Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) Grant

1. Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) Grant Or, “The Bucket Grant”

2. Theme of Grant • Support Native American Women in Earning Baccalaureate Degrees in a STEM Field by Refining andExpanding the NWIC Native Environmental Science Interdisciplinary Concentration Option

3. Advantages of the Interdisciplinary Concentration Option • Great flexibility for students in meeting their academic, professional, and personal goals • Students can integrate Native culture to a greater degree than in ES Concentration • Students can develop a broad range of degree options

4. More Choices • 5 credit NES Concentration Seminar • 30 credits of electives, taken at NWIC or elsewhere • 21 credits of Individualized Learning Courses

5. Challenges in the Interdisciplinary Concentration Option • Many potential students don’t see the relevancy of the program to their day-todaylives. • Many students need to improve critical thinking skills to be able to identify steps from their current position to a desired future position • Many students need to improve writing skills to succeed.

6. How the grant helps • Grant funds will support improvements to the Interdisciplinary Concentration option

7. Year 1 (2009-2010) • Assessment of program effectiveness and appropriate adjustments to its methodology • If needed, faculty and research staff who serve on students’ concentration committees will receive professional development opportunities on how to best support the student.

8. Year 1 (2009-2010) • Students encouraged to identify at least the chair of their committee during their sophomore year.

9. Year 1 (2009-2010) New 100 or 200 level courses developed • Critical Thinking for the Scientist • Expressing Yourself Orally and in Writing • Writing in the Context of Native Environmental Science • Interdisciplinary Thinking Courses offered for the first time in Year 2

10. new courses will emphasize these pedagogies: • Hands-on activities • Place-based activities • Collaborative learning activities • Service learning

11. Reciprocal Agreements with Other Colleges and Universities • Students can take up to 30 credits from other colleges and universities • NWIC faculty and staff will work closely with Fairhaven and Huxley to refine ICO • MOU will be developed • Formal Agreements with UW, WSU, UBC

12. Improving Extended Campus effectiveness • Yr 1: identify best practices to accommodate the needs of distant NES students • Yr 2: Implement findings • Hire half-time TA’s at Swinomish and Lummi • Imbedded in classroom, BSNES prerequisites and courses

13. New lab at Swinomish

14. Writing Tutors • Embed writing tutors in 100 and 200 level science courses with significant required writing (not in budget)

15. Objectives • Objective 1-6: Increase enrollment and graduation rates with specific targets • Objective 7: In Year 1, develop curriculum for four new 100 and/or 200 level courses • Objective 8: Engage freshman and sophomore NES students in at least one place-based, science-oriented service learning activity per quarter.

16. Objectives • Objective 9: Provide NES students with opportunities to hear or meet with Native speakers who work in the sciences (3/qtr) • Objective 10: Develop formal agreements with WWU, UW, WSU, and UBC to insure course transferability

17. Hiring Faculty • Three faculty at 0.6 FTE each

18. Faculty Responsibilities • Supervision of the Teaching Assistant at Lummi • Chairing and participating in students’ concentration committees • Curriculum development for new courses • Instruction of existing courses • Coordination of student internship programs

19. Other covered items • Guest Lecturers ($3,600): Native Americans who work in a STEM field will make presentations on a monthly basis • Field Trips ($14,400): Two field trips per month will be spread among many courses.