Use of an Indigenous Learning Bundle in an Engineering Project Course

Abstract

In response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada a range of Collaborative Indigenous Learning Bundles have been introduced at a Canadian university to provide ways for Indigenous knowledge to be incorporated into courses across the university. One of the first courses in the engineering faculty to use the Indigenous Environment Relations Bundle was a third year project course for the BEng Electrical Engineering program. The use of the bundle, through the learning management system, was part of the lecture series and was used in a class discussion with an optional reflection. The objective was to provide complementary Indigenous knowledge to the discussion of the environmental impact of engineering. A first year introductory engineering course used the First Peoples: A Brief Overview. The response of the students in both courses was respectful and produced thoughtful discussions. Those that undertook the optional reflection produced insightful and often personal thoughts on a particular place. The use of the bundles shows that Indigenous matters and information from knowledge keepers can be integrated into engineering courses.

Mapping Approaches to Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Curriculum at Canadian Universities

“…The idea was conceived of by Mohawk scholar Kahente Horn-Miller based on her own online teaching experiences where she developed a series of online modules based on broad level themes with interdisciplinary relevance. At Carleton, the Bundles (Steele et. al., 2020) became a way to digitize some Indigenous faculty members' lectures for other instructors to use without overwhelming the limited Indigenous scholars and community members in repetitively delivering the same presentations in university classes.…”

Ten calls to action to integrate Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives into the Biosystems Engineering Program at the University of Manitoba

“…There was no formal evidence reported on the success of the various initiatives, but rather descriptions of future work intended to determine their impact. In some cases, there was preliminary feedback from participants that suggested positive outcomes such as a greater understanding of intercultural themes and multiple perspectives (e.g., Sprowles et al 2019;Steele et al 2020), an understanding of how cultural differences influence design (e.g., Benning et al 2015), and the development of trusting relationship with an Indigenous community (e.g., Seniuk Cicek et al 2019b).…”

“…A similar method is used at Carleton University. Eight modular Indigenous learning bundles on a range of topics such as Indigenous Environmental Relations, Engaging with Indigenous Communities, and Indigenous Law and Conceptions of Human Rights are available to help educators introduce Indigenous content and perspectives from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers into their existing courses (Steele et al 2020). A first-year engineering course used the bundle First Peoples: A Brief Overview to build a foundation of Indigenous awareness and a third-year electrical engineering course used Indigenous Environmental Relations.…”

Indigenizing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programmed Engineering Education Curriculum, Challenges and Future Potentials

“…Friesen et al have examined the outcomes of increasing concepts of Indigenous concerns and knowledge in several design, capstone, and theoretical courses [7]. Work has also been done to inspect the integrations of learning modules and technical courses that are woven with Indigenous topics [8], [9]. In the United States and the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), discussions have been done to compare engineering and Native American philosophies of learning [10], increase recruitment of underrepresented and minority groups [11], explore how to engage with Native American communities and culture [12], and conduct participatory research with the communities [13].…”