Enhancing Engineering Education With Indigenous Cultures, Pedagogies, Knowledges, and Perspectives: A Series of Faculty Workshops

Abstract

In the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba, we are committed to creating belonging for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and faculty by fostering shared values and developing a shared approach to engineering education. In the spirit of this commitment, a team of four from the Faculty of Engineering has been funded to design a series of seven engineering specific faculty workshops to help build good relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous engineering students, faculty, and staff. Our goal is to enrich engineering education by learning how engineering is relevant to Indigenous Peoples from Indigenous perspectives, with the ultimate objective to integrate Indigenous values, knowledges, perspectives, and design principles into engineering teaching and learning in relevant, genuine, and good ways. This Engineering Education Practice Paper presents the design of the seven workshops, and briefly introduces the conceptual framework that guides the team’s approach.

Ten calls to action to integrate Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives into the Biosystems Engineering Program at the University of Manitoba

“…These findings demonstrate that the attitudes and assumptions of non-Indigenous educators must be understood to provide them with the education and experience necessary to deliver a curriculum with Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives. In Canada, examples of faculty education include a series of workshops at the University of Manitoba that were designed to facilitate an understanding of the relationship between Indigenous culture and engineering (Seniuk Cicek et al 2019c), and a four-part facilitated dialogue series hosted by the University of British Columbia for students and faculty that began with presentations by Indigenous Kennedy et al (2016), which discusses five ways to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into the curricula. Kennedy et al (2016) recommend: 1. start with a new philosophy, by focusing on the differences and assets in knowledge systems as opposed to focusing on deficits, such as social and health indicators, between the dominant and Indigenous cultures; 2. explore engineering from three perspectives: dominant, Indigenous, and engineering; 3. consider an Aboriginal worldview by recognizing Australian Indigenous philosophies such as country, kinship, culture, journey, and connectedness; 4. engage with Aboriginal People and their communities; and 5. tailor the learning environment to include Indigenous content, teach using Indigenous methods, and facilitate experiences between non-Indigenous students and Indigenous community partners.…”

Decolonizing and Indigenizing Engineering: The Design & Implementation of a New Course

“…They received two internal Indigenous Initiatives Fund (IIF) grants to advance this work. The first grant, awarded in 2019, consisted of a series of faculty/staff workshops, hiring an Elder-in-Residence, and working with an ENGAP student leader in the project (e.g., [17] [18]). The second grant advanced these initiatives but added the design of a course to prepare engineering students to work with Indigenous Peoples and communities in engineering practice.…”

Rethinking the Engineering Design Process: Advantages of Incorporating Indigenous Knowledges, Perspectives, and Methodologies

“…Seniuk Cicek et al highlights the value of incorporating Indigenous knowledges into a university engineering curriculum, emphasizing not only the role of such a change in making social progress in Canada, but also the potential value of providing such knowledge to engineers at large [17]. The drive to incorporate Indigenous knowledges and perspectives into engineering curricula is coming to the fore not only in Canada, but also in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand [6][7] [8].…”