This project stems from a larger nation-wide call to develop and promote a culturally responsible and respectful curriculum that integrates Indigenous pedagogies and ways of knowing. This resource is designed to fulfill the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #63 to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms and to build student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.

Our goals are to:

• Create a more inclusive environment through the presentation of a different worldview, and to enhance and enrich the educational and cultural experience of the educational community.
• Bridge differences in worldviews by cultivating a shared appreciation and respect for diversity of thought and experience.
• Fostering a greater awareness of Indigenous cultures, knowledges and perspectives.
• Develop a deeper understanding of Canada’s history of colonization and its influence on current relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
• Encourage Indigenous student engagement in entrepreneurship and the on-campus entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Project Deliverables

This project will deliver two eLearning modules with embedded videos, quizzes, and case studies. Specific objectives include two eLearning modules embedded within the Pressbooks content management system. A test bank and case studies to evaluate student learning outcomes will be made available separately to lecturers and educators. Please email Michael Mihalicz <michael.mihalicz@ryerson.ca> if you would like access to these ancillary resources.

Module 1

Prior to contact with Europeans, Indigenous communities across the world had developed complex economic systems. This module will provide an overview of traditional Indigenous economies and the pre-contact trade networks that existed throughout North America. This module is intended to set the record straight on pre-contact trade practices and honour the trail-blazing entrepreneurs that laid the foundation for what would become the North American economy. Accompanying this module will be a series of maps detailing the known existence of trade routes from oral histories and archaeological evidence.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of eLearning Module 1 students will have a basic understanding of:

• Traditional Indigenous economies and the pre-contact trade networks.
• The contributions of trail-blazing Indigenous entrepreneurs on the development of the North American economy.

Module 2

This module will explore how Indigenous entrepreneurship differs from mainstream practices and how the influence of culture, values and community in organizations can foster a more respectful, cohesive, and harmonious socio-economic environment. Accompanying this module will be a series of videos featuring prominent Indigenous entrepreneurs and business professionals that explore the role of culture, values and community in fostering a more respectful and cohesive work environment. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of eLearning Module 2 students will have a basic understanding of:

• The value of alternative approaches to business and new venture creation and the value of diversity of thought and experience when shaping a business.
• The unique and under-acknowledged styles of entrepreneurship practiced by Indigenous entrepreneurs in Canada.
• The benefits of Indigenous management structures and leadership styles in fostering a holistic mindset and collectivist work environment.
• How cultural values, knowledges and ways of being helped shape business practices in many Indigenous communities.