Nearly ten years ago, the Faculty of Native Studies began creating Indigenous Canada — a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) dedicated to educating the public about Indigenous histories, perspectives and contemporary experiences with non-Indigenous Canadians. At the time, MOOCs were relatively unknown in Canada, and online course development was an emerging field that Native Studies was embarking upon as a new way to tell Indigenous stories and fill in the gaps in many Canadians’ education.
Creating Indigenous Canada involved a lengthy and careful process of gathering together academics, staff, students, Elders and community contributors. Under the leadership of Savage Bear (nehiyewak/Cree, PhD and now director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute) and project manager Alena Rosen, this course was developed alongside other University of Alberta MOOCs, such as Mountains 101 in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation and Bugs 101 in the Faculty of Science.
Developing a sought-after resource
After its launch in 2017, Indigenous Canada garnered the attention of learners, and by 2018 it was the most popular MOOC in Canada. We never dreamed that Indigenous Canada would eventually have over 589,000 student enrollments by 2024. The Faculty of Native Studies’s emerging friendship with writer, producer, director and actor Dan Levy encouraged Canadians to learn and, in particular, to be open to learning from Indigenous leaders at a scale that was previously (very nearly) unthinkable. Dan Levy’s endorsement and ongoing relationship elevates the course and its visibility, and he continues to model a commitment to reconciliation and leadership as a non-Indigenous person.
Indigenous Canada continues to be a sought-after resource, and nearly a decade after its creation, the Faculty of Native Studies has recently updated the MOOC’s material to reflect the evolving political, legal and policy relationships between Indigenous peoples and Canada. We have likewise re-released new material to stay current and timely and to be responsive to student feedback that has been gathered since the course’s inception. Through Indigenous Canada and the many other degree, certificate and continuing education programs we offer, the Faculty of Native Studies is contributing in its own way to systemic change, building communities and, indeed, even shaping the world, despite our humble beginnings and small stature as a stand-alone faculty at this large and growing institution.
Some may not be familiar with the origin story of the Faculty of Native Studies.
Indigenous activism and research
Initially called the School of Native Studies in 1984, we have been the first and only autonomous Indigenous Studies faculty in Canada since 2006. Native Studies’ existence is a credit to the activism of the Indian Association of Alberta (IAA) who had the vision to create an Indigenous-led unit in a major post-secondary institution for the benefit of Indigenous communities. In 1969, when the “White Paper” was presented by then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (an assimilation attempt for Indigenous nations to be brought into the general Canadian society), the IAA countered it with the Red Paper, which continued the momentum for demanding land, rights, autonomy and recognition. Following the issuance of the Red Paper were many years of advocating for an Alberta Indian Education Centre and, thus, the IAA was highly instrumental toward the (then) School of Native Studies coming to fruition.
In collaboration with units like First Peoples’ House (known in its early days as Native Student Services), Native Studies has been indigenizing the U of A for the last 40 years. We are heartened that other units have more recently joined us in this endeavour, including the Office of the Vice-Provost (Indigenous Programming & Research). Over the past four decades, we have trained generations of leaders in Indigenous research, ethical Indigenous community engagement, professional practices and relationship building. While the Faculty has grown at a remarkable pace, we are proud of the student-centered focus we continue to have and the impact of our growing numbers of alumni (over 700) in the private, public and non-profit sectors.
We are an Indigenous-led academic unit with longstanding partnerships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations and communities that have been forged across (what is now known to many as) Canada and even around the globe. The contributions that our faculty members, administrative staff and graduate and undergraduate students have made through community-engaged and interdisciplinary research, teaching and service have created positive and lasting impacts. Just as importantly, the Faculty of Native Studies' students, faculty and staff have learned and benefitted from the knowledge that has been reciprocally shared.
Taken together, the Indigenous Canada MOOC is a story of Indigenous courage, perseverance, collaboration and above all, leadership. The Faculty of Native Studies’s achievements have taken place alongside the commitment and support of many Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies and leaders. During National Indigenous History month and always, the story of Indigenous Canada and the Faculty of Native Studies is one we can all be proud of and look to as inspiration for how Indigenous and settler Canadians can come together and work to shape a new relationship in the years to come. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to take the course, or if you are looking to revisit and update some of the lessons you learned when you did, I encourage you to spend some time engaging with Indigenous Canada this June.
