Institutional structures and individual stories: experiences from the front lines of Indigenous educational development in higher education

Abstract

Since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s Calls to Action in 2015, many post-secondary institutions have hired educational developers (EDs) to support instructors in the Indigenization of curricula and pedagogy. Drawing from a Canada-wide study, and best practices identified in the literature, this article explores the experiences of educational developers EDs in these roles, and proposes strategies for how institutions of higher education can better foster transformative change and practices inclusive of First Peoples in Canada.

This isn’t plug and play: intersectionality, Indigeneity, and EDID work

“…Before embarking on who should be sitting at EDID decision-making tables, I need to define how that work contributes to extra labour burdens on those working in these spaces and explore the distinctions between Indigenization and EDID work. Maaka and Fleras (2005) noted that Canada was going through a transformational change at the start of the 21st century and there was an uptick in Indigenization in institutions such as universities following the TRC (Raffoul et al, 2022). Extra labour is required when there is a serious and authentic commitment to Indigenization because it is not plug and play or add and stir.…”

“…When people with lived experience are hired to work in institutional spaces because they have the credentials to do the work, you better avoid voice appropriation. But when hiring people to work in these spaces, it is essential to consider the workload (Raffoul et al, 2022). This work should not be uncompensated extra labour.…”

“…There are common threads when exploring Indigenization plans at different universities, but each institution works with local understandings of processes and relationships. Research by Raffoul et al (2022) on Indigenization on university campuses involved an environmental scan of educational developers at Canadian institutions. They found that while there was a widespread commitment to advancing Indigenization agendas, often, this space was under-resourced.…”

“…While there is overlap in EDID work in that there is the decentering of power structures, there are calls to stop conflating Indigenization with EDI work (Raffoul et al, 2022). Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization work does not address the specific needs and history of Indigenous Peoples, just as Critical Race Theory (CRT) does not address the legal and political experiences of Indigenous communities because of the role of colonization (Brayboy, 2005).…”

Jóvenes indígenas y educación superior a distancia en Querétaro: expectativas y experiencias

“…Tomando en cuenta este movimiento cultural de los estudiantes y los egresados indígenas, el modelo de educación a distancia del Tecnológico podría contribuir la mejora de los procesos locales de organización y gestión para la construcción de alternativas de desarrollo sociocultural autónomas, mediante la integración de contenidos y actividades interculturales, incluyendo cursos de lengua otomí para el nivel superior. Este puede ser un paso importante para desarrollar procesos no solo de inclusión, sino de descolonización de la academia, que implican la reestructuración de los planes y programas de estudio, en los que se consideren los conocimientos y las prácticas de enseñanza-aprendizaje locales, así como la participación de maestros y personal administrativo de origen indígena al interior de las instituciones de educación superior (Raffoul et al, 2022).…”