Study Abstract

Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP)

Systemic Research, Inc. has received a 36 month grant to continue working on implementation of a TCUP Self-Evaluation Template (TSET) and TCUP Performance Indicator Report (TPIR) for the National Science Foundation's Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP). Systemic Research completed a 24 month grant (9/15/02 - 8/30/04), "Development and Implementation of a Self-Evaluation and Assessment System for NSF's Tribal Colleges and Universities Program" (HRD-0223659) to design, develop, and implement TSET and TPIR. TPIR presents both TCUP individual institutions' and overall performance reports.

Initiated in 2001, TCUP is designed to enhance the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional and outreach programs, with an emphasis on the leveraged use of information technologies at Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. Within the context of TCUP goals and relevant GPRA requirements, Systemic Research proposed to continue the implementation of a TCUP indicator monitoring system, TSET, and relevant reports for program accountability. Each year Systemic Research will develop and deliver a customized annual TSET instrument to each TCUP site, host a TSET workshop, compile collected TSET data to produce TPIR, and administer the TSET web management system. The project team will conduct six site visits to gather additional information to publish case stories. Other activities will include hosting TCUP advisory panel meetings, presentations at NSF PI/PD meetings, and participating in relevant national conferences. Systemic Research will provide technical assistance to all TCUP grantees, and disseminate outcome reports to TCUP sites, NSF, and other stakeholders.

For wide dissemination, all publications will be available in three different formats; printed copy, CD-ROM, and web-based. The TCUP overall progress report will be disseminated nation-wide; individual institution reports will be disseminated as stipulated by the Data Release Form. Systemic Research will provide technical assistance to implementation TCUP grantees. The program impact, best practice models, program highlights, and case stories will be disseminated to the TCUP community, higher education institutions, education and research communities, other stakeholders, federal agencies, and Congress. The outcome reports will be further disseminated through various national conferences (such as American Education Research Association, American Evaluation Association, and National Center for Education Statistics). An updated sample of TSET will be posted on the Systemic Research TCUP website to allow prospective awardees to view the data requirements before they write a TCUP proposal.

The customized TSET will provide common measures of performance across all TCUP projects while considering uniqueness of tribal institutions. The site visits and case stories will identify best practice models. Systemic Research will provide comprehensive technical assistance to TCUP sites regarding academic indicator management and evaluation capacity building through numerous workshops, site visits, and on-going communication. Individual institutions' TPIR's will be returned to the respective institutions for their on-going project review. Annual TCUP workshops will further build capacity on key indicator management and self evaluation. The project team has experience in hosting large scale indicator and evaluation workshops and conferences while working on HBCU-UP, MIE and TCUP projects in addition to several K-12 evaluative studies. (see www.systemic.com)