Project Team
- Vikas Menghwani, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science (Lead Applicant)
- Aaron Derrickson, Lecturer, Department of Community, Culture and Global Studies. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- Nelson Jatel, Lecturer, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Magali Nehemy, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- UBC Okanagan Studios
Themes
- Experiential Learning
- Indigenizing Curriculum
Year
2027
About the Project
This project proposes the development of a virtual immersive field-trip experience centered on a First Nations trapline in the Okanagan watershed-an active site of wetland restoration, cultural continuity, and ecological stewardship.
The project will use 360° media to build a web-based, place-based learning resource designed to support experiential and interdisciplinary learning. By co-creating this module through consultation with Indigenous community members, faculty across disciplines, and UBC Studios, the project contributes directly to two educational priorities at UBC: Indigenization of the curriculum and the enhancement of experiential education.
The virtual tour will allow students to engage with the natural environment through a multi-disciplinary lens. Designed for courses in Indigenous Studies and Earth and Environmental Sciences, the experience brings together western scientific perspectives, Indigenous knowledge systems, and environmental governance.
Engagement is supported through guided inquiry and structured reflection that prompt students to observe, interpret, and connect concepts as they explore relationships between people, water, and land at both local and systems scales. Beyond the virtual immersive field-trip itself, the project incorporates a structured, cross-disciplinary codesign process. Through iterative consultation, faculty from Indigenous Studies and Earth and Environmental Sciences will work together to define pedagogical goals, narrative approaches, and appropriate representations of place.
The result will be a reusable, flexible digital teaching tool that expands experiential learning opportunities, strengthens instructor capacity for Indigenized and interdisciplinary teaching, and centers Indigenous perspectives in environmental and land-based education.