While there is a recent trend in postsecondary education towards
including mandatory Indigenous content as part of program
All students will
requirements, Confederation College has been embedding Indigenous
leave as global
knowledge into curriculum since 2011 through specially developed
citizens with an
Indigenous Learning Outcomes (ILO). The infusion of ILOs into
understanding of
program-specific courses throughout the College is intended to provide
Indigenous world
students with opportunities to develop an understanding of Indigenous
views
culture, context, and worldview in relation to their chosen career field.
As outlined in the Negahneewin Council 10 Year Vision, the ILOs also
afford students the opportunity to engage in their role as global citizens who demonstrate
respect for a diversity of perspectives.
The ILOs are a set of seven competencies as follows:
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Relate principles of Indigenous knowledge to career field
Analyze the impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities
Explain the relationship between land and identity within Indigenous societies
Compare Indigenous and Canadian perceptions of inclusion and diversity
Analyze racism in relation to Indigenous peoples
Generate strategies for reconciling Indigenous and Canadian relations
Formulate approaches for engaging Indigenous community partners
Developed by Negahneewin College, with support from Negahneewin
Council, the ILOs were created with the intention that all students
All students will
foster an understanding of Indigenous worldview that respects and
respect and
celebrates diversity towards social justice. The ILOs also align well with
celebrate
the Indigenous Education Protocol developed by Colleges and
diversity towards
Institutes Canada, and adopted by Confederation College in 2014,
social justice
which recognizes that the infusion of Indigenous knowledges into
curriculum will “strengthen colleges’ and institutes’ contribution to
improving the lives of learners and communities” (Colleges and Institutes Canada, n/d).
Approximately 95% of Confederation’s programs currently include two or more ILOs, with the
goal of expanding to 100% by 2017. In order to realize this goal, new supports have been
developed, including the hiring of a dedicated ILO Officer who will work with faculty to continue
to expand the infusion of ILOs into course content. Please visit www.confederationc.on.ca/ilo
for more information.