Grant Recipients
Principal Applicants
John Johnston, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Mary Robinson, First Year Engineering
Co-Applicants and Contributors
Naomi Paul, Centre for Teaching Excellence
Michael Seymour, Faculty of Mathematics
Brian Ingalls, Faculty of Mathematics
Elaine Lillie, School of Pharmacy
Matt Borland, Systems Design Engineering
Leslie Wexler, Centre for Teaching Excellence
Jessica Rumboldt, Centre for Teaching Excellence
Madison Hill, Centre for Teaching Excellence
George Freeman, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Andrew Beltaos, Mathematic Undergraduate Group
(Project Timeline: May 2021 - April 2022)
Description
There is urgency to incorporate Indigenous content and ways of knowing into teaching and learning practices at UW. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls for Action and UW’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan direct us to support Indigenous initiatives and strengthen relationships with diverse communities. Several faculty members seeking help with Indigenization have approached coordinators of a newly formed Community of Practice exploring STEM Indigenization (CoP) at UW. To facilitate the broader strategy of introducing Indigenous content and decolonizing teaching and learning practices within STEM, there exists a need to identify and develop authentic resources acceptable to Indigenous Communities. Guided by the “nothing about us without us” imperative, our process is centred on collaborative relationships with Indigenous knowledge keepers, allies who have already developed successful programs and STEM faculty seeking support. Once developed, the relationships can expand to produce authentic resources across the UW community.
Questions Investigated
- On a national level, what STEM teaching and learning initiatives engage with Indigenization and decolonization content and methods?
- What tools and resources are available to support the Indigenization and decolonization of teaching and learning for Waterloo STEM courses?
Findings/Insights
Environmental Scan
The environmental scan of Indigenization in STEM identified 3 overarching themes in the strategic visions across the U15: (1) developing and implementing Indigenous Knowledges into curricula; (2) recruiting Indigenous students, staff, and faculty; and (3) supporting Indigenous students and staff to ensure they can be successful.
Some key strengths include the University of Manitoba’s abundance of programs in place to support students transitioning into STEM fields, University of Calgary’s wide range of courses across STEM including both foundational and upper-year technical courses that discuss Indigenous ways of knowing, history, and perspectives, and the University of British Columbia’s focus on student mentorship.
Some limitations include a general (across the U15) lack of courses in STEM fields that discuss, let alone center Indigenous Knowledge and a lack of resources that support staff in developing and/or implementing Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum.
Survey
Initial survey findings show there is much uncertainty around what Indigenization and Decolonization mean. 14% of respondents were unsure what Indigenization means, while 6% of respondents were unsure what Decolonization means. This is despite most respondents stating that they have a high familiarity with Indigenous history, culture, and worldview.
49% of respondents reported that they have not been involved in Indigenization or Decolonization projects. Those that have been involved list things such as participation in on campus or community events, relationships with Indigenous family, friends, or colleagues, and individual learning. As such, most respondents list a low level of comfort in addressing Indigenous content.
Additionally, initial findings include identification of barriers to Indigenization including the ‘traditional’ university culture and values, a lack of support, fear or a lack of confidence, and a lack of resources; promising practices were identified, including collaboration, relationship-building, and having champions of the initiative. Further data analysis is still under way.
References
Alfred, T & Corntassel, J. (2005). Being Indigenous: Resurgences against Contemporary Colonialism. Government and Opposition, 40(4), 597–614
Andrews, L. (2023) Indigenization as a part of Decolonization and Reconciliation: IDR Interconnected.
P. Wolf et al., (2022) Decolonizing the Engineering Curriculum.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada or TRC (2015), Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
University of Waterloo or UW (2020), University of Waterloo Strategic Plan 2020-2025, Connecting imagination with impact