HPOG Promising Practice: Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - Education, Training, & Support Services

Publication Date: April 8, 2021
Current as of:

Towaoc, CO

Distance Education brings healthcare training home.

Health-Care Ute Project (HCUTE) uses Distance Education to connect rural, at-risk adult members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe with post-secondary education. Education options for reservation Natives are usually inaccessible and unfamiliar. The few tribal members who leave often find the experience culturally intimidating, and dropout rates are high. For those who succeed, they do not return to the reservation after accepting jobs in their field, which weakens the local infrastructure.

HCUTE combats these challenges by bringing college to the reservation, naturalizing advanced education in the local community. The course calendar and classroom content is adapted to suit Native patterns. Broadcasting lessons filmed live at local colleges directly to the reservation helps students develop familiarity with outside learning environments and technology. This a critical force in helping Native learners enter and complete a technical training program.

Distance Education is growing in popularity. It consists of various forms of live, interactive digital conferences between teachers and learners. Distance Education is distinct from Online Education where student and teacher rarely interact face-to-face. In Distance Education, virtual one-on-one and classroom conversations via video feed generate full-topic understanding. In effect, the teacher is virtually present before students and vice versa. Distance Education upholds the face-to-face strength of campus learning.

HCUTE launched its first Distance Education course, Computers in Healthcare in 2019. With broadcast feeds from more colleges, the Ute Mountain Tribe can begin to grow post-secondary education. The feeds also enable healthcare employers to witness and take part in the developmental process of students. Most importantly, individuals feel that their own reservation is a reliable source for modern, expert learning in fields necessary for its growth and welfare.

HCUTE launched its first Distance Education course, Computers in Healthcare in 2019. With broadcast feeds from more colleges, the Ute Mountain Tribe can begin to grow post-secondary education. The feeds also enable healthcare employers to witness and take part in the developmental process of students. Most importantly, individuals feel that their own reservation is a reliable source for modern, expert learning in fields necessary for its growth and welfare.

This Promising Practice was self-identified by the grantee and information contained in this document was provided by the grantee.

HPOG Promising Practice: Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - Education, Training, & Support Services  (PDF)