The purpose of this module is to introduce you to the various lenses through which it might be important to view your curriculum. The concepts in this module are areas for consideration that are on the radar for inclusion in higher education programs. For these lenses, there are no specific ways in which they can or should be included in your curriculum. The integration of these ideas will be different for every field and every credential.

This module will provide some structure to begin thinking about these concepts and whether they are emerging in your discipline and/or teaching practices. Thinking about them now may provide insight into how you might capture them more purposefully in your credential design. 

The lenses we will explore in this module are:

1. Experiential Learning
2. Accessible Learning
3. Sustainability
4. Internationalization
5. Indigenization, Decolonization, and Reconciliation
6. ​Innovation

Use the workbook below to track your thinking about the various perspectives as you move through the module.

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Experiential Learning in an umbrella term used to cover all of the opportunities available to students to take part in sector-specific learning experiences. Experiential Learning is the process whereby students come to learn from experiences in educational, workplace and practice settings and integrate the contributions of those experiences in developing the understanding, procedures, and dispositions required for effective professional practice, including criticality. They are a chance for students to experience their field or industry and learn what’s expected of them before graduating. Employers are looking to hire students with practical knowledge and skills. They’re looking for graduates who are workplace-ready and the best way to develop some of those skills is learning by doing. That’s why it's important to consider how you will incorporate experiential learning into your credential in a way that is meaningful and effective.

Types of Experiential Learning

When considering the type of experiential learning that will work best in your program, there are many possibilities to consider. Depending on your discipline, some forms of experiential learning will be more appropriate for your students and more easily supported by your community partners. It is important to think about how you will incorporate experiential learning into your program at the design phase so that it works seamlessly and meaningfully with your other curriculum components. It is likely that expected activities in the experiential learning component of your program will require students to have various foundational skills and abilities to draw on for success.

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Six Guiding Principles for Experiential Learning

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) outlines six guiding principles of Experiential Learning:

1. The student is in a workplace or simulated workplace.
2. The student is exposed to authentic demands that improve their employability, interpersonal skills and transition to the workforce.
3. The experience is structured with purposeful and meaningful activities.
4. The student applies university or college program knowledge and/or essential employability skills.
5. The experience includes student self-assessment and evaluation of the student’s performance and learning outcomes by the employer and/or university/college.
6. The experience counts towards course credit or credential completion OR is formally recognized by the college or university as meeting the five criteria above

During the approval process of your proposed credential, you will be asked to speak to the elements of Experiential Learning and to identify how your program will fulfill these commitments. 

Ontario colleges are committed to ensuring accessibility to their services, programs and courses. Historically, the approach to access has been dominated by the academic accommodations approach. Although successful in many instances, this approach emphasizes an individualized, but largely retro-fit, solution for students with disabilities. On the surface, this approach has appeared to provide access for all students. However, the structure of an accommodation system can also be a barrier to access.  

• Retro-fit solution: Accommodations are made after the program, curriculum or course has been designed.
• Individual problem: Accommodations adapt the material or situation to the specific, unique needs of individual students which can further highlight the otherness of these students.
• Student-initiated: Accommodations rely on the student to initiate the process for getting their needs taken into account, a task that can be difficult for struggling students.

Another approach to access takes a more proactive and universal approach to alleviate barriers for students. Accessible education builds on principles of effective teaching and learning, many of which you may already use. An accessible education approach:

• Takes into account the diversity of students, including ethnic background, race, abilities, disabilities, age, gender, language abilities.
• Anticipates that students have diverse learning styles.
• Considers the learning needs of all students, including students with disabilities, when designing curriculum, courses, materials and instruction.
• Removes barriers to learning and thereby reduces the need for individual accommodations.
• Presents course content clearly and logically.
• Recognizes that students can express their understanding of course content in multiple ways.
• Provides equal access to learning, not just equal access to information.

Accessible education takes a proactive approach to prevent or remove barriers at the outset.

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There are different frameworks for conceptualizing accessible education and systematically incorporating access into your program. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is one example of an effective framework for accessible education and GBC has a great deal of informational and professional development supports for using this framework.

Universal Design For Learning (UDL)

UDL emphasizes flexible curriculum and teaching materials to differentiate instruction, using multiple modes of engaging students, presenting content and assessing comprehension, and using evolving communication technology to maximize learning opportunities for all students.

From the CAST website, the UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. While a UDL approach may reduce the need for individual accommodations, it doesn't necessarily preclude the need for certain students to have accommodations. You can access an interactive version of the guidelines here udlguidelines.cast.org/

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During the approval process of your proposed credential, you will be asked to speak to the elements of accessibility and flexibility and to identify how your program will fulfill these commitments. 

Heads of State and Government, senior UN officials and representatives of civil society gathered in September 2015, as part of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These objectives form a program of sustainable, universal and ambitious development, a program of the people, by the people and for the people, conceived with the active participation of UNESCO.

Education has the unique position of not only being one of the categories of sustainable goals but is also positioned to foster and contribute to many of the other goals. Many of our college programs help to nurture the UNESCO vision through the considered inclusion of outcomes and content that will speak to them in varying degrees.  When developing the curriculum of your program, it would be worthwhile to consider if and how these goals can be represented in the content and encouraged in your graduates. More details can be found at en.unesco.org/themes/education/sdgs/material

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Sustainability at George Brown College

Internationalization: The process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of postsecondary education.

Internationalization in the contest of higher education is further broken down into two branches: internationalization at home and internationalization abroad. The first stream focuses on helping students develop international understandings and intercultural skills on campus. The second stream encompasses the same activities but requires the movement of people or programs within international environments.

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Internationalization of the curriculum is ‘the incorporation of an international and intercultural dimension into the content of the curriculum as well as the teaching and learning activities, assessment and support services of a program of study.’[3]

This definition implies that an internationalized curriculum will:

• Engage students with internationally informed research and cultural and linguistic diversity;
• Purposefully develop students’ international and intercultural perspectives: the knowledge, skills and self-awareness they need to participate effectively as citizens and professionals in a global society characterized by rapid change and increasing diversity;
• Move beyond traditional boundaries and dominant paradigms and prepare students to deal with uncertainty by opening their minds and developing their ability to think both creatively and critically;
• Be supported by services and co-curricular activities focused on the development of intercultural competence and international perspectives

A Conceptual Framework

Internationalization of the curriculum (IoC), is an essential component of the broader concept of internationalization in higher education and is variously interpreted and enacted within post-secondary institutions. In part, this is attributed to the different ways of thinking and approach issues that are associated with different disciplines, but other factors are also important. These other factors include the relative importance recognized by faculty to the different contexts within which they work. The layers of context and their possible impact on the way academics think about internationalization and the curriculum are represented visually in the conceptual framework. Each layer of context, directly and indirectly, interacts with and influences the others, creating a complex set of conditions influencing curriculum design.

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During the approval process of your proposed credential, you will be asked to speak to the elements of Internationalization and to identify how your program will fulfill these commitments.  For more information on Internationalization consider accessing the following resources:
[1]  Knight, J. (2004). Internationalization remodeled: definition, approaches, and rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education, Vol. 13, No. 2, 205-221.
[2] Brookes, M. & Becket, N. (2011). Developing Global Perspectives Through International Management Degrees. Journal of Studies in International Education. 15 (4), 374-394.
[3] Leask, B. (2009). ‘Using formal and informal curricula to improve interactions between home and international students’. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(2), 205-221. 
[4] Leask, B.(2019).  ALTC National Senior Teaching Fellow, IOC in Action, by Wendy Green, UTAS 
[5] Leask, B. (2019).ALTC National Senior Teaching Fellow, IOC in Action, by Wendy Green, UTAS https://ioc.global/publications/

Each of us will come to this section of the module having done different kinds of thinking and with different kinds of obligations to the concepts of indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation.

This section will provide a brief overview of some of the ways the college has begun to understand the path towards reconciliation.  You are encouraged to continue your efforts beyond this limited introduction using the resources provided here, those you have or will come across on your own journey, and through conversations and collaborations with first nation communities.  

We will begin by trying to clarify what is meant by the terms indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation.

Indigenization

Indigenization is a process of naturalizing Indigenous knowledge systems and making them evident to transform spaces, places, and hearts. In the context of post-secondary education, this involves bringing Indigenous knowledge and approaches together with Western knowledge systems. This benefits not only Indigenous students but all students, teachers, and community members involved or impacted by Indigenization.

It is important to note that Indigenization does not mean changing something Western into something Indigenous. The goal is not to replace Western knowledge with Indigenous knowledge, and the goal is not to merge the two into one. Rather, Indigenization can be understood as weaving or braiding together two distinct knowledge systems so that learners can come to understand and appreciate both.

Therefore, we recommend that you use the word Indigenization cautiously and take care not to use it when Indigenous content is simply added to a course or when something Western is replaced with something Indigenous. Rather, it refers to a deliberate coming together of these two ways of knowing.

Decolonization

Decolonization refers to the process of deconstructing colonial ideologies of the superiority and privilege of Western thought and approaches. On the one hand, decolonization involves dismantling structures that perpetuate the status quo, problematizing dominant discourses, and addressing unbalanced power dynamics. On the other hand, decolonization involves valuing and revitalizing Indigenous knowledge and approaches and weeding out settler biases or assumptions that have impacted Indigenous ways of being. Decolonization necessitates shifting our frames of reference with regard to the knowledge we hold; examining how we have arrived at such knowledge; and considering what we need to do to change misconceptions, prejudice, and assumptions about Indigenous Peoples. For individuals of settler identity, decolonization is the process of examining your beliefs about Indigenous Peoples and culture by learning about yourself in relationship to the communities where you live and the people with whom you interact.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is about addressing past wrongs done to Indigenous Peoples, making amends, and improving relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to create a better future for all. Chief Justice Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has stated, “Reconciliation is not an Aboriginal problem–it involves all of us”  With reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, we are not only talking about a relationship between two individuals, but we are also talking about a relationship between multiple groups of people and between many generations over hundreds of years.

These definitions are adapted from: Pulling Together: A guide for Indigenization of post-secondary institutions. A professional learning series. Authors: Asma-na-hi Antoine, Rachel Mason, Roberta Mason, Sophia Palahicky, and Carmen Rodriguez de France. You can access the full text below.

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Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and Education

In 2017, Colleges Ontario began work on a system-wide survey to understand how institutions were responding to the report’s recommendations and to benchmark where colleges were in relationship to the TRC’s calls for action on education. Development of the survey was led by a working group of representatives from Colleges Ontario and the Indigenous Peoples’ Education Circle (IPEC), a sector committee of college educators, counsellors and administrators who work together to support Indigenous students’ access and success within the college system.

The working group created a unique reporting framework by identifying the Calls to Action related to post-secondary education and translating them into meaningful actions, initiatives and opportunities to improve outcomes for Indigenous learners and address reconciliation. 

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The final framework incorporates Indigenous themes and understandings and is built around the four-directional model, an interpretation of the medicine wheel, with Indigenous learners at the centre of the model. The framework was finalized after receiving feedback from senior college administrators, IPEC, and local Indigenous communities via college Indigenous Education Councils (IECs). 

The information below comes from the Review of George Brown College Truth and Reconciliation and Anti-Racism/Diversity report. Clicking on the diagram  will take you to GBC's Diversity, Equity, and Human Rights page on Insite where you can read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's College Benchmarks report, the Review of George Brown College Truth and Reconciliation and Anti-Racism/Diversity report, and other related documents.  

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What Can You Do Right Now?

​As educators, we all have a role in Truth and Reconciliation. George Brown College has made a commitment to making Indigenous Education a priority at the college.

In order to support this commitment, the college has asked all faculty to complete the Four Seasons of Reconciliation professional development course.

In the course of your professional development activities, you are encouraged to access the professional development course below and complete the modules. Whether you complete them now or down the road is up to you and your program chair.

Link: info.reconciliationeducation.ca/pd-landing-page Password: sweetgrass.

During the approval process of your proposed credential, you will be asked to speak to the elements of Indigenization/decolonization and to identify how your program will fulfill these commitments.

Innovation in a program can happen in many ways which include those within the teaching and learning environment and those within the discipline itself.   Innovation emerges from the interactions of the organization and the world around it. Innovation is at the boundary of our thinking and actions and involves the constituents, economies, and global forces in our specific context. For an organization to be innovative, it must adhere to certain basic values, e.g., trust and integrity, honesty and openness, compassion and commitment while adopting innovation values such as freedom, intuition, curiosity, beauty and fun.

The Innovation Network proposes that there are seven competencies for innovation. The 7 Cs of innovation which, when considered, help educators enter an innovation mindset.

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During the approval process of your proposed credential, you will be asked to speak to the elements of Innovation and to identify how your program will fulfill these commitments. 

For more information consider accessing Morris, L. (2003) On Being Innovative. Innovative Higher Education, 27(4) below.

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