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Anti-Racism, Decolonization, Kinship, and Access: Creating a Holistic Curriculum

Leah Townsend, B.Ed, MLIS

Educational Developer

Leah.Townsend@NorQuest.ca

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Session Overview

tinyurl.com/NQCDG2026

Development
Applying the Lenses
Where we go from here

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The Curriculum Development Guide was created by the Indigenous House of Learning, the Teaching and Learning Development team, and working group representatives from faculty and student-facing college areas.

We gratefully acknowledge these contributions!

Acknowledgement

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Walking a path

Where we were

Where we are

Where we want to be

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Where we were

Many changes:

A global pandemic
Online education
LLMs and AI
New accreditation standards
New programs

New institution strategic plan
Intentional collaborative efforts towards Anti-Racism and decolonization

Previous Curriculum Development Guide from 2017
New guide work began in 2023

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Voices we heard

Indigenization from the start, not as an add-in

More focus on relationship building between students & instructors

Technology is more than a tool - it’s foundational

Interpersonal skills as curriculum

Cross-modality curriculum design

Collaborative opportunities for curriculum building

Resources and support for Open Educational Resources (OER) adoption/creation

Centering the Learner in the Curriculum Development process

Designing for accessibility

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Outline

Seeing curriculum through the lenses

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Revisioning - Lenses

The lenses support and advance holistic, evidence-based curriculum development and reflect our goals and priorities as an institution.

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Anti-Racism (page 8)�

Supportive and inclusive teaching practices

Bias awareness and Anti-Racism foundations

Community and cultural engagement

Curriculum development and resource review

Instructor training and professional development

Fundamental to our anti-racist curriculum development and pedagogy approach are the three interconnected concepts of representation, reframing, and anti-racist pedagogy, as described in the Anti-Racism Curriculum and Pedagogy Toolkit (NorQuest College, 2023).

1. Supportive and Inclusive Teaching Practices

Instructor Resource Awareness: Ensure instructors are knowledgeable about available resources and trainings to support diverse student needs effectively.
Diverse Assessment Options: Offer multiple types of assessments (presentations, videos, case studies) to accommodate different learning and cultural backgrounds.

2. Bias Awareness and Anti-Racism Foundations

Opportunities for Land Acknowledgments: Extend the opportunity to make personalized land acknowledgments to students, fostering respect and awareness of Indigenous histories.
Bias and Power Dynamics Awareness: Have conversations about bias, power dynamics, and the instructor-learner relationship to create a more equitable classroom environment.

3. Community and Cultural Engagement

Community-Based Learning and Involvement: Invite community organizations into classes to discuss real-world issues, building relationships, and contextualizing learning.
Cultural Introduction for New Students: Provide an introduction to Canadian culture, NorQuest’s values, and the local cultural context for international students.

4. Curriculum Development and Resource Review

Intentional Curriculum Review Process: Use a structured process for new program development, including stakeholder engagement, curriculum mapping, and resource evaluation.
Anti-Racist and Culturally Relevant Resources: Regularly review and update course materials to ensure they are culturally relevant and reflect anti-racist perspectives, replacing outdated resources as necessary.
TRC Integration and Indigenous Relations: Include recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in curriculum planning, involving organizations like WILCEC to strengthen Indigenous perspectives.

5. Instructor Training and Professional Development

Anti-Racism Training for Instructors: Support training for instructors on managing sensitive discussions, addressing discomfort, and recognizing microaggressions.
Practicum and Real-World Simulation Preparation: Equip instructors to offer simulation-based experiences for students to handle real-world scenarios effectively.
Anti-Racism Statement in Course Outlines: Include a statement in syllabi reflecting NorQuest’s commitment to anti-racism, setting the tone from the outset.

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Decolonization (page 11)�

Diverse expression and representation

Decolonial assessment and reflection practices

Empowering students as co-creators of knowledge

Holistic and community-driven learning

Flexibility and ongoing consultation

Within the context of the Curriculum Development Guide, we have been called upon to challenge the concepts that form and influence how we have approached curriculum development in the past. As we work to create the new Guide, we can better reflect experiences and the perspectives of those who have been marginalized and oppressed. As we decolonize, we create more equitable and inclusive spaces for learning for all our students.

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Kinship (page 15)

Fostering reflective and experiential learning

Building a collaborative learning environment

Integrating ethical and diverse perspectives

Creating a trauma-informed and inclusive environment

Community-engaged and relationship-centered learning

Viewing curriculum through a lens of kinship allows us to centre relationships in teaching practice. Curriculum can include opportunities to build community between learners, with learners and instructors, with classes and the college, and with the wider community. These opportunities to connect and for students to lead and co-create shifts the focus of learning from transactional to one that builds connection and community, honoring diversity and lived experiences.

1 . Fostering Reflective and Experiential Learning

Encourage reflection over summary in assignments and integrate self-reflection practices. This allows learners to connect their learning to personal experiences.
Incorporate various forms of writing, such as reflective and storytelling, as well as portfolio-based assessments, giving students options to demonstrate their knowledge.
Provide experiential learning opportunities through practicums, community volunteering, and activities that allow students to apply skills in real-world contexts. This respects their lived experiences and supports hands-on learning.

2. Building a Collaborative Learning Environment

Promote group and peer assessment, as well as peer-review processes, to build a sense of community among learners, fostering mutual respect and accountability.
Create activities for getting to know each other to help build relationships and create a supportive classroom atmosphere.
Design module content based on student needs, allowing for co-created learning experiences that reflect their real-world interests and challenges.

3. Integrating Ethical and Diverse Perspectives

Develop assignments like position papers that allow students to critically engage with ethical frameworks, including academic integrity and Indigenous perspectives on ethics.
Facilitate discussions around ethics in real-world scenarios, such as medical ethics and historical cases like the Tuskegee study, to explore issues of respect, reciprocity, and valuing individuals.
Use group evaluations of ethical frameworks that are not limited to Western viewpoints, ensuring that different ways of knowing are included in discussions.

4. Creating a Trauma-Informed and Inclusive Environment

Adopt trauma-informed teaching practices, ensuring a predictable and flexible classroom environment where students feel safe. This can include giving warnings for fire drills and creating an inclusive classroom space.
Develop modules on mutual respect, allowing students to co-create classroom rules, emphasizing collective responsibility.
Regular pulse checks can provide insight into how students feel about their learning experiences, allowing instructors to adapt their approach and maintain a supportive environment.

5. Community-Engaged and Relationship-Centered Learning

Promote community-based learning opportunities where students can engage with local organizations to deepen their understanding of social responsibility and interconnectedness.
Include practicum components where students can interact with clients or community members, focusing on learning from lived experiences.
Encourage students to volunteer with different parts of the community, emphasizing their role in building relationships beyond the classroom and fostering a sense of belonging.

These strategies align with the values of kinship, emphasizing relationships, respect, and collective growth, while supporting diverse learning needs and perspectives.

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Access (page 18)

Digital literacy

Assessment flexibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Inclusive and accessible course materials

Support for multi-modal curriculum design

Utilizing the Accessibility Toolkit

Access includes, but is not limited to, accessibility. Access is the busting, removal, or lifting of barriers that can hinder learners’ full participation through the intentional design of learner experiences. These barriers could be social, economic, physical, or attitudinal.

By applying the lens of access to the curriculum development process, instructors work to remove any barrier that hinders a student’s full participation, empowering students to make the most of their education and experience at NorQuest College. Putting the learner at the centre of the curriculum development process makes access an essential component and helps to build belonging and equity as barriers are removed.

1. Digital literacy

Recognizing that not all students have equal digital access or literacy.
Providing orientation resources for digital tools (e.g. Moodle and Kaltura). Skills should be scaffolded to help students navigate online materials effectively, while also offering alternative non-digital content options for students who require print options.

2. Assessment flexibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL principles are applied.
Students are provided with diverse assessment options to demonstrate their knowledge.
Curriculum is designed to include multiple means of engagement and varied formats to ensure all learners can participate meaningfully.

3. Inclusive and Accessible Course Materials

Programs adopt all-in pricing which includes course materials, to reduce financial barriers.
Free or low-cost resources (such as OERs) are developed or selected.
Course content is represented in multiple formats to support students with disabilities, learning preferences, and to ensure that critical information is accessible to all students.

4. Support for multi-modal curriculum design

Designing courses for various modalities will better serve online and rural learners.
Support and training for instructors in delivering online and hyflex instruction is timely and easily available.
Unique barriers faced by online students are recognized.

5. Utlizing the accessibility toolkit

Includes a checklist for identifying and addressing multiple, often coinciding barriers faced by students.
Training and facilitation of more inclusive and accessible curriculum design.

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Best practice updates (page 27)

Outcomes & Competencies

Skills of Distinction

Authentic Assessments

Pedagogy and the Teaching & Learning Quality Standards

Open Educational Resources

Applied Research

Work Integrated Learning

Generative AI

Legal and policy requirements

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How do we know if the lenses have been integrated? (page 24)

Reflective practice, by students and instructors

Student empowerment and agency

Classroom as community

Engagement with wider community

Sharing stories

1. Reflective practice

By instructors: Focus on relationship building, collaborative processes, and authentic assessment options.
By students: Reflective assignments or journals for students are engaging critically with the curriculum’s content, especially in identifying and challenging Eurocentric narratives. Students reflect on their own learning, their personal growth, and their relationships with instructors and peers.

2. Student empowerment and agency

Opportunities for Co-Creation: Students are invited to shape their learning experiences by contributing to course materials, participating in decision-making, or leading discussions.
Student Leadership: Students have space to lead discussions or projects that reflect their perspectives and lived experiences.

3. Classroom as community

Students express feeling valued, respected, and connected to their peers and instructors.
High levels of participation in class activities.
Demonstrations of reciprocity and mutual support.
Students respectfully peer-review each other’s work to build collegiality.

4. Engagement with community

Engagement with Indigenous communities through activities such as guest lectures from Elders, land-based learning, and field trips.
Students participate in community-based learning and service projects, with positive feedback from the community.

5. Sharing stories

Collecting and sharing stories and narratives from students and instructors about how the curriculum has influenced their perspectives and relationships with each other and with the content.

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How can we measure this? (page 25)

Student Feedback in surveys or focus groups
Rubric analysis
Assessment outcomes and performance tracking
Measure diversity in course content
Feedback from Elders and community members
Tracking curriculum changes
Classroom observations
Training offerings

1. Student Feedback in surveys or focus groups

Determine if students feel represented in the curriculum and if they can see themselves and their experiences reflected in the course content.
Gauge whether students, particularly those from Indigenous and marginalized backgrounds, feel cultural safety and that the learning environment is safe and inclusive.
Ask for student insights into barriers to access, and which needs remain unmet.

2. Rubric analysis

Evaluate whether assessment rubrics have been adjusted to value deep reflection, critical thinking, and the ability to explain the significance of historical and cultural events. The focus should be on how well students can articulate the importance of diverse perspectives.

3. Assessment outcomes and performance tracking

Analysis of student performance data to identify and examine barriers to success.

4. Measure diversity in course content

Assess if course materials/resources represent a diverse range of perspectives, including those of Indigenous peoples, women, people of color, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Audit reading lists, case studies, and multimedia resources to see if they include non-Western voices and knowledge systems.

5. Feedback from Elders and community members

Formally seek feedback from Indigenous Elders and community members on how well the curriculum aligns with cultural protocols and values, and whether it is fostering genuine knowledge and relationships.

6. Tracking curriculum changes

Track changes made to the curriculum in response to feedback from students and community members.
Review of course materials using accessibility standards.

7. Classroom observations

Instructors requesting observations from faculty developers focused on interactions in the classroom, mutual respect, and collaboration.

8. Training offerings

Offering trainings in Anti-Racism, Decolonization, Kinship, and Access, and tracking completion.
Trainings are effectively advertised, promoted,
Trainings are prioritized in faculty goals and FED processes, with adequate time for completion.
Offering improved accessibility checklists, resources, and guides
Tracking use of existing resources such as the Anti-Racism Toolkit

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Think about the last course you taught…

Select one of the lenses and review the reflective questions and suggested actions.

What is already being done?
What would be an “easy win”?
What actions could the team/program commit to?

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Where we want to be

Implement in program/course review

Align with refreshed strategic plan (2026)

A living document that grows with the institution

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Discussion & Questions

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Thank you!�

leah.townsend@norquest.ca