Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges and Pedagogies University of Guelph

The University of Guelph’s campuses are located on the lands of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum and the traditional lands and territory of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee and Huron Wendat. These lands are now inhabited by a rich diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We offer our respect and gratitude to the land and its Indigenous relations and affirm our responsibility to realize our commitments to reconciliation through ongoing action.

The University of Guelph is committed to working towards decolonization and reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, communities, and lands as outlined in our Indigenous Initiatives Strategy,Bi-Naagwad – It Comes Into View. With respect to teaching and learning, the strategy guides the University to identify Indigenization of the curriculum as a priority and establish development opportunities and resources to support faculty, instructors and teaching assistants through Indigenizing teaching and learning. The Office of Teaching and Learning is committed to supporting the implementation ofBi-Naagwad – It Comes Into Viewthrough hiring a regular full-time Educational Developer to guide educational transformation through the engagement of Indigenous worldviews and knowledges.

This staff position is part of the University of Guelph’s Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative. Launched in June 2022, the Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative (BIHI) calls for hiring fifteen or more Black and Indigenous faculty and four or more Black and Indigenous professional staff across the University of Guelph during the next three years. The faculty and staff positions will be filled in areas that support the advancement of Black and Indigenous academic excellence and the University of Guelph’s commitments to inclusion, anti-racism, Indigenization and decolonization.

The Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) supports the University’s pedagogical mission and provides expertise to sustain a focus on the complex educational landscape that our faculty, instructors and learners experience. An important part of our mandate is supporting instructors in their development as expert teachers and facilitating and supporting a community of practice in which dedicated teachers interact, learn and support each other. We offer an extensive range of programming and collaborate and partner with individual faculty, academic departments, academic support units and the broader community to enrich and innovate teaching with the goal of creating an educational environment where students are academically challenged, actively engaged, and personally supported. As a dynamic group with diverse backgrounds and experiences, the OTL team takesa highly collaborative approach to our work. We are currently building our team’s expertise in indigenization, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility with two positions through the Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative.

The Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges and Pedagogies, will work directly with faculty, instructors, teaching assistants, staff, and other Educational Developers to guide and advance Indigenous perspectives, pedagogies, and practices and decolonization of curriculum, courses, and assessment across the University. They will work closely in partnership with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and the Office of Academic Equity and Anti-Racism. Activities include the following broadly:

• In collaboration with other educational developers, plan, implement, and evaluate programs that support faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants in their efforts to decolonize curriculum and integrate Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous histories/current experiences, Indigenous excellence and achievements, methodologies, and Indigenous ways of knowing into courses and programs.
• Support instructors seeking consultations to enhance individual courses, assessments, and/or teaching approaches by building on Indigenization and decolonization frameworks.
• Develop resources related to aspects of curriculum and course design and development to enhance knowledge of Indigenous peoples, knowledges, languages, ways of knowing, methodologies, and pedagogical approaches.
• Provide consultations and programming to departments and programs seeking to transform curriculum via redesign or new program development, related to the incorporation and alignment of Indigenous knowledges, languages, ways of knowing and pedagogical practices into program and course design.
• Provide leadership for the University of Guelph community with respect to educational and faculty development, engaging OTL staff and other campus offices in critical reflection of pedagogical and educational development practices and programming to advance Indigenous perspectives, pedagogies, and practices.
• Work with collaborating Offices (including the Offices of Quality Assurance, and Diversity and Human Rights) to identify and establish related and complementary working practices and enrichment opportunities for curriculum and pedagogy.
• Contribute to strategic new developments at the University that embeds deep, ethical and meaningful decolonizing and Indigenizing approaches.
• Conduct program evaluation to assess the efficacy, benefits, and impact of educational transformations, and to inform how we advance our practices and efforts.
• Engage individually and collaboratively on research or scholarship of teaching and learning.
• Collaborate to initiate a professional care network in collaboration with The Office of Indigenous Initiatives, The Office of the Associate Dean Academic Equity and Anti-Racism and the Office of Teaching and Learning, to thrive and enrich practice in this professional space.
• Collaborate with OTL staff on educational development programming and opportunities aligned with your professional development interests and goals.

Qualifications:

The University of Guelph seeks qualified individuals who identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Native American, Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian). Applicants will be asked to self-identify through theApplicantQuestionnaire facilitated by Diversity and Human Rights. Applicants will be asked to confirm their Indigenous citizenship/membership and/or ancestral and kinship connections to a recognized and inherent Indigenous nation, community, treaty, land claim, territory or region through a confidential follow-up process facilitated by Indigenous Initiatives.

• Completion of a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent education and experience in Indigenous-specific frameworks, together with knowledge of educational development and scholarship in higher education.
  The completion of, or concurrent registration in, a relevant PhD is an asset.
• Candidates’ lived experiences are valued and honoured. The ideal candidate will have lived experience and ties to First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis communities or organizations.
• Background and grounding in Indigenous ways of knowing, learning, worldviews and pedagogies.
• Knowledge of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis cultural values and protocols, community relations, and the social, cultural, and political contexts in which they operate.
• Knowledgeable about the legacy and ongoing impacts of colonialism, Indigenous approaches to education, Indigenous worldviews, decolonization theories and practices, and the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action within an educational context.
• Knowledge, skill, and experience with educational development, instructional/curriculum design and development, program planning, facilitation, consultation, and/or resource development, especially as they relate to Indigenous knowledge translation.
• Ability to support other postsecondary educators (academic staff, graduate students and/or postdoctoral scholars) to help them advance their approaches to teaching, learning, and/or curriculum development, especially as it relates to Indigenous knowledges, languages, ways of knowing, and pedagogies.
• Ability to engage colleagues in meaningful dialogue and decision-making processes about teaching and learning in post-secondary education.
  Ability to build collaborations and work effectively with Indigenous leaders, Elders and Knowledge Holders, the OTL team, university administration, academic staff, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and/or staff supporting instruction.
• Engagement in research and scholarship related to teaching and learning in higher education is an asset.
• Sensitivity to the challenges of professional development and change management for educators at all career stages.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills that enable you to relate and connect with a diverse group of people and develop effective networks across the university campus.
• Strong organizational skills; personal initiative; proven project management skills; and an ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong computer skills, including a high degree of functionality in the use of all Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience teaching in higher education in any discipline is an asset.

Position Number 449-011
Classification P06*
Professional/Managerial Salary Bands

*Tentative evaluation; subject to committee review.

At the University of Guelph, fostering aculture of inclusionis an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Posting Date: 2024 03 06
Closing Date: 2024 03 20