Education + Training

Relevant Policies

  • Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Policy
  • Discrimination and Harassment Policy
  • Student Conduct Policy

Capitalized terms below are defined in policy.

Some of the many barriers to Disclosing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) include the fear of not being believed or of being blamed. Those fears are not unfounded; misconceptions around sexual violence are prevalent in society.

For example, many people incorrectly assume that if a person did not scream, fight back, or explicitly say “no,” there must have been implicit consent. Anyone receiving a Disclosure, investigating, or adjudicating a complaint, and even those who have been subjected to SGBV themselves might hold these and other false beliefs.

Education on these and other topics is designed to correct these misconceptions, ideally removing the barriers survivors commonly experience when seeking support and information on the options available to them. The goals of education and training around SGBV are to:

  • help those who have been subjected to SGBV feel safer in Disclosing and seeking support;
  • ensure that those who receive Disclosures know how to appropriately support and refer;
  • equip investigators to use Trauma-Informed interview techniques in order to get the best information possible from Complainants, Respondents and witnesses; and
  • ensure that decision-makers in complaint processes are able to appropriately interpret the evidence before them.

SGBV-related Education + Prevention Opportunities

The Sexual and Gender-based Violence Disclosures Procedure encourages all members of the University to take advantage of essential learning opportunities related to SGBV. These courses are recommended for anyone with a role that might involve receiving disclosures of SGBV, including instructors, advisors, human resources personnel, and anyone who needs to understand the University’s approach when a Disclosure is received.

* Note that the following mini-tutorials do not qualify for mandatory training requirements listed below; if the training is mandatory for your role, please enroll in this course.

Mini-tutorials on policy awareness + application

SGBV training topics on the VP EDI YouTube channel. Learn about various topics including:

Consent education

Sexual Assault Centre Building a Culture of Consent online course

Gender-inclusion + Anti-oppression

Request educational workshops from the Landing or the Office of Safe Disclosure and Human Rights.

Responding to Disclosures

Online guide: How to Respond to a Disclosure of Sexual Violence

Mandatory Training

As a result of a Government of Alberta directive, section 3.a.ix of the Sexual and Gender Based Policy mandates “all individuals involved in administering, advising on, investigating or adjudicating SGBV complaints in any University complaint process have appropriate training” as outlined below.

Foundational Training

This is required training for all staff involved in SGBV Complaints, including investigators, decision-makers, Student Appeal Panels, Options Navigators, and anyone who advises them.

The Foundations of Campus Sexual and Gender-Based Violence online course, includes the following four modules:

  • The Basics of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
  • Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the University Environment
  • The Complexities of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
  • Survivor-Supportive Practices

This course is available to the entire university community.

Self-enroll

Those who complete the mandatory course will receive an acknowledgment of completion, which must be updated after three years.

Role-Specific Training

The Foundations of SGBV online course is the prerequisite for additional courses based on an individual’s role within the institution’s response to disclosures Training is currently available for the following roles:

  • Options Navigation Network (ONN) participating staff.
  • Decision-makers applying interim measures (and anyone advising them).
  • Investigators of SGBV and other interpersonal harm complaints.
  • Decision-makers in SGBV and other interpersonal harm complaints (and anyone advising them).
  • Student Appeal Panel members (and anyone advising them)

Employees or external investigators requiring any of these mandatory courses can contact svrc@ualberta.ca to be enrolled.

Student Awareness Training 

Mandatory awareness training is available for all University of Alberta Students with the goal of building a culture of Consent to prevent Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV).

Learnings in Access, Community + Belonging

To deepen this work within the broader landscape of initiatives at the University of Alberta, explore the Access, Community and Belonging Learning Resources, which offer broader tools and perspectives. Together, these resources support ongoing development and strengthen your capacity to contribute to safer, more responsive, and inclusive university environments.