Community/Continuing Education

• Continuing Education/GED Documents

Introduction

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) identified the following Community purposes:

• Supports local communities in educational and other development
• Engages people as active, productive members of their tiospaye and communities
• Offers frameworks for leadership development in the context of communities and organizations
• Provides lifelong learning through continuing education and community activities

OLC’s continuing education plays a key role in this community outreach. Continuing education refers to learning experiences that are connected neither to a specific degree nor academic credit course but that provide participants with continuing education in a particular field. Examples are professional training, post-graduate experiences, Lakota culture, physical education, in-service training, and conferences. Participants earn continuing education credits (CEUs) instead of academic credit.

Pursuant to the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act, OLC follows the criteria identified by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) in determining which activities allow for award of CEUs (see Policy 78-200).

Workshop Evaluations

Trainings

Online Food Handler Training

Vision

Rebuilding the Lakota Nation through education

Mission

To provide community members brief learning experiences that are relevant to their personal and professional lives.

GED Tutors

Survey Monkey Surveys

• GED Demographic Survey
• Community Needs Assessment

GED Documents

• Annual Report
• Monthly Report

The Community/Continuing Education Department began as the Adult Education department in 1973. The major component of the department was GED testing. In the years that followed the department grew to include community education, life coping skill workshops, adult basic education and GED tutoring. The name of the department was changed from Adult education to Community/Continuing education. This was translated into Lakota Language as "Tiospaye Iciyohikeya Wounspe", which means community and continuing education, which serves in the spirit of the mission and purposes of the College.

Community education is a philosophical concept that serves the entire reservation community by providing for all of the educational needs of its community members. It uses the local resources to serve as the catalyst for bringing community efforts to bear on their needs. In addition to the effort to develop a positive sense of community, improve community living, and develop the community process toward the goal of self actualization.

The Community/Continuing Education Department offers a program responsive to the needs of the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The department tutors are responsible for preparing students for taking the GED tests. The instruction provided for the student is on an individualized basis and set up to meet the individual needs of the student. Tutoring is provided at the local college centers. The majority Community/Continuing Education Department tutors are bilingual and live in the community they serve. The department offers life long learning through life coping skills workshops, and continuing education.

Career counseling is another feature of the department. Each student completes a Career Occupational Preference System interest inventory. This inventory assists the students in the selection of a career, and allows them the opportunity to pursue this career choice.

Major components of the department are:

• Adult Basic Education Skills Tutoring in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and mathematics.
• GED Tutoring in high school subjects of writing, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.
• GED Testing Services is provided with authority from Washington, D.C.
• Life Coping Skills Workshops are short courses in many areas such as; consumer economics, jobskills, law and government, Lakota culture and health.
• Career Counseling and Job Seeking Skills.
• Family Literacy