Department:
Master of Educational Technology program /Language & Literacy Education
Project lead:
Dr. Leah P. Macfadyen
Project members:
Daniel Gallardo (M. Ed. student), Natasha Boskic, Parm Gill
Reflection:
What led you to your project/inspired your work? What values and principles guided the development of your project?
Throughout the summer of 2020, I co-chaired the Faculty of Education’s Online Education Faculty Mentors team. We planned and facilitated multiple online sessions for Education colleagues focussed on design for remote and online teaching and learning. In many of these sessions, colleagues asked for help, suggestions and advice regarding online learning design to support Indigenous pedagogies. I came to understand that there is a significant gap in our understanding of and support for online learning designs that integrate Indigenous perspectives, knowledges, pedagogies, and experiences. This is true in the UBC teacher education program, and in the Faculty of Education more generally.
I therefore proposed this project to begin the work of exploring, supporting and sharing designs for Indigenous online pedagogies. To quote colleague Dr. Cynthia Nichol, I see such a project as one of pedagogical witnessing. I contribute to it my expertise in online learning design (and related research), my record of interdisciplinary scholarship, and my networking strengths. To undertake the project, I am (we are) seeking out and collaborating with Indigenous students, scholars and educators, and allies, to gather their wisdom, learn from their experience, and co-develop best approaches to sharing their insights regarding online design.
What have you learned so far?
In summer 2021 we are engaged in the critical first step of this project: undertaking a thorough scan and review of available literature and materials that explore and describe learning designs for Indigenous online pedagogies. We are seeking out and inviting input from colleagues and scholars who are active in such work. Who are the Indigenous pioneers of eLearning and online learning design? What research and other literature exists documenting and evaluating online learning design to support Indigenous pedagogies? Can we identify valuable reference resources, use cases, and other exemplars to inspire colleagues working in this area? This environmental scan will, in the first instance, allow development of a current reference resource for Faculty of Education colleagues as they urgently seek ideas and insights to assist their online teaching plans.
So far, we are happy to discover a real flourishing of recent examples, resources and scholars in this area. We are discovering that “online design for Indigenous pedagogies” has not yet coalesced into a field of study in its own right, but that a rich collection of possible models and frameworks are emerging that we can share with colleagues.
Where do you plan to go? What impact/influence have you or do you see your project making?
We have begun discussions with colleagues Natasha Boskic (Director, ETS) and Parm Gill (Learning Designer, ETS). Both colleagues have previously worked on digital projects with Indigenous scholars, and are keen to advise on and support development of the envisioned online resource.
We are determined that the resource we develop will not simply become a ‘reading list’ that is likely to be overwhelming and non-useful for busy colleagues. Instead, we want to think carefully about implementing a resource design framework that will allow colleagues to quickly discover and integrate design elements that support what Tessaro et al. (2018) call the “five Rs of Indigenizing online education”: relevance, reciprocity, respect, responsibility and relationships.
Ultimately, we see this collaborative resource as one that will be sustainably hosted online by ETS, and updated as scholarship and practice develop.