Indigenous Engagement in Management Curriculum: Integration of Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, and competencies

Project Team

• Sandy Hilton, Associate Professor of Teaching, Faculty of Management (Lead Applicant)
• Eric Li, Associate Professor, Faculty of Management
• Candice Loring, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Management

About the Project

This project responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls on universities to “educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms” (Calls to Action, clause 62, ii).

Working with Indigenous subject matter experts (SMEs), this project aims to engage multiple knowledge brokers and domain experts to co-develop training materials and curriculum resources to integrate Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, and competencies into the management curriculum. This project will transform how students consider, value and incorporate Indigenous perspectives as they explore traditional business topics and interdisciplinary social and economic challenges.

The project has three core objectives to generate knowledge, community and action on Indigenizing the Faculty of Management’s curriculum:

• Work with SMEs to gather and produce resources that will contribute to Indigenizing our management curriculum with the aim to strengthen and expand Indigenous-focused curricula and to de-marginalize Indigenous-led initiatives and knowledge (Bastien, Coraiola and Foster, 2023) in existing curricula, specifically in foundation courses such as MGMT 110 Introduction to Management Thought and Social Responsibility;
• Work with local Indigenous partners to co-develop a series of workshops and recorded educational resources focused on key business and management issues within the local region, with the aim to provide seminars for the UBC Okanagan community while concurrently creating an open-access educational module on Syilx Okanagan: Indigenous Leading, Managing and Organizing; and
• Build a Community of Practice (CoP) in the Bachelor of Management and dual-degree Master of Management programs to support instructors incorporating Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing in their teaching.