The Iowa Stater
May 2001
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Native American schools tap ISU expertise
Model programs on the environment and natural resources is the goal of a two-year agreement between the College of Agriculture and four tribal colleges. The four schools–Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Crownpoint, N.M.; Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, Kan.; Oglala Lakota Community College, Kyle, S.D.; and Lac Courte Ojibwa Community College, Hayward, Wis.;–are owned and controlled by Native American tribes. Like Iowa State, the federal government has made them land-grant schools.Tribal college instructors are developing the content for courses in bison management, elk herd management, environmental protection and ethno-botany (preservation of basic crops). Iowa State is providing technical expertise and faculty training so the courses can be offered as part of a distance education program. Harold Crawford, professor of agricultural education and studies, coordinates the project.
Tom Ingebritsen, zoology and genetics, and one of the frontrunners at Iowa State in distance education and online courses, leads the faculty training sessions. He covers everything from designing course materials for the Internet to instruction in using classroom technologies.
A $221,000 challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding the partners' work.
Course models were tested last fall and fine-tuned this spring. The goal is to offer the classes online in the fall. The distance education project is part of the Ag college's ongoing relationship with tribal colleges going back to 1998.