Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization and Indigeneity through Accessibility, Community, and Belonging

The Faculty of Education is committed to enhancing equitable and inclusive participation in our graduate and undergraduate programs, including amongst our Faculty and Academic Teaching Staff teams. We are in a moment where equity, diversity, and inclusion work is being politicized, met with resistance, and, in some cases, outright dismantled. At the University of Alberta, transformative change starts with intentional language. On January 1, 2025, the Office of the Vice-Provost embraced a new name: Access, Community and Belonging (ACB). 

The Faculty of Education’s unwavering commitment to creating a space where everyone feels valued, barriers to success are removed, and thriving connections are fostered. Equity takes time, is complex, and it’s far from perfect; and we all need to lead with compassion and heart collectively. The unambiguous commitments invite all of us to leverage our own identities as strengths, and not barriers.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization, and Indigeneity are vital and foundational in post-secondary institutions. They focus on systemic inequity and structural barriers while promoting and integrating considerations of equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and Indigeneity into course content, design, and pedagogy.

Indigeneity and Indigenization refer to the valuing and honoring of Indigenous knowledge systems and approaches. The rights of Indigenous peoples and the goals of self-determination are distinct from equity because Indigenous peoples have a different relationship to Canada through Treaties.  

The Faculty of Education’s commitment to equity and Indigeneity aligns with those of the University of Alberta, as outlined in the Surveys and Reports for Access, Community and Belonging, and Braiding Past, Present & Future: The Indigenous Strategic Plan. 

Click here to read more about the Strategic Evolution from EDI  to “Access, Community and Belonging.” The words “Access, Community, and Belonging” are more than descriptors — they are outcomes we strive to achieve. Access ensures all have the opportunities to succeed and flourish by dismantling barriers. Community emphasizes connection and shared purpose. Belonging creates an environment where individuals feel seen, valued, and supported. Together, these outcomes guide our transformative work across policies, programs, and governance.

The Faculty of Education is committed to fostering respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous Peoples. Building a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive society requires us to embrace innovative and just practices in teaching and learning. We affirm that excellence is inseparable from equity and can only be realized in environments that honour equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and Indigeneity.

Embedding these commitments into course design—through content selection, resource choices, and the integration of diverse worldviews—helps dismantle systemic barriers within educational and professional institutions. This leads to more inclusive pedagogies and addresses the longstanding underrepresentation and marginalization of equity-deserving groups, including (but not limited to) women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized communities, LGBTQ2S+ peoples, and those who identify across multiple intersecting identities.

When equity, decolonization, and Indigeneity are woven into foundational academic practices—spanning research questions, methodologies, theoretical frameworks, literature, analysis, interpretation, and knowledge mobilization—they illuminate the complex lived experiences and histories of intersectional groups. Integrating these perspectives not only enriches coursework but also positions it as a catalyst for addressing pressing social challenges and advancing collective transformation.

Here is a useful guide to creating your own personal commitments to equity for your course outlines, and resources to assist in creating personal land acknowledgements with your students that go beyond the script.

These learnings are made up of three interrelated modules. You are invited to take them as stand-alone micro-courses in any order, work through the entire suite at your pace, or return to sections over time. You can also request an acknowledgement of completion at the end of each module.

EDI Module 2 coming soon!

The Black Canadians: History, Presence, and Anti-Racist Futures micro-course explores some of the major histories, migrations, artists and activists that have contributed to the presence and survival of Black people in Canada. The free, on-demand micro-course tracks Canada’s evolving relationship to Blackness and Black people, while inviting learners to reflect upon the ways Canadian views of race and multiculturalism have influenced Black communities throughout the country.

When equitable assessment practices are implemented in learning settings, students are able to recognize and develop their own talents and skills, and become agents of change for their futures. All students, not just racially, ethnically and/or ability diverse students can benefit from equitable practices in teaching and assessment. By modelling our own pedagogical approaches and talking through our assessment policies in our classrooms, we ensure all students have access to equitable learning opportunities.

Equity work in any context requires seeing differently, thinking differently, and even working differently thereby disrupting the status quo of what we know about assessment. A helpful starting point is to reflect on our own history with assessment practices as well as our beliefs about the “why” of assessment. 

• What are the ultimate goals for our students? 

• Specifically, what are our goals when assessing our students?

• Are the outcomes of the course matched with what I choose to assess?

• How many different ways can we assess key skills?

• How many different approaches to an assessment are viable and realistic? 

• Is our aim for students to complete tasks so we can enter grades for them?

• How can we develop assessment practices that offer students meaningful and multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning, their progress, skills, and understandings?

• How can an assessment drive students forward on the road to becoming empowered?

Source: Center for Professional Education of Teachers

The Disability Cultures and Access Hub is a database of U of A resources that can help students, faculty, and staff navigate disability-related barriers, register for and implement accommodations, improve accessibility, and engage with disability cultures.

Assessing Equitably with all Learners in Mind

The assessment of student learning is an important aspect of any course. The diversity of learners and course contexts necessitates that we question whether our current assessment practices are serving us: do they meet the needs of all of our students? Do they align with our course learning objectives and promote learning for all students? Through a process of reflection on our assessment approaches, we can recognize and remove barriers to student success and work toward more equitable learning experiences for all students.​

Assessment as an Equity Issue in Higher Education: Comparing the Perceptions of First Year Students, Course Coordinators, and Academic Leaders

Assessment as an equity issue in higher education: comparing the perceptions of first year students, course coordinators, and academic leaders.

Culturally Responsive Assessment

Entering into a new decade with an even more diversified college student population will not only require more assessment models involving students but also deeper professional development of institutional representatives key to student learning. Reflecting upon the conversations over the last three years around culturally responsive assessment and related equity and assessment discussions, this occasional paper highlights questions, insights, and future directions for the decade ahead by exploring what equitable assessment is and is not; the challenges and barriers to equitable assessment work; where the decade ahead may lead; and next steps in the conversation on equity and assessment.

Human Diversity, Assessment in Education and the Achievement of Excellence and Equity

In recent years, large-scale educational assessments coupled with more localized formative assessments have served as key drivers for educational reform. However, without other crucial considerations taken into account, current assessment practices can easily serve an exclusionary function for individuals whose experiences are construed as outside the mainstream of our society. This wastes crucial human talent. To counter this, more focus should be put on assessment for learning rather than assessment of learning, and on assessment of the learning context and not just assessment of students. Moreover, educational assessments should be coupled with a schooling purpose that emphasizes more human capacity building rather than sorting and selecting. The thrust here is that it is a societal good to foster extensive, high-level knowledge, skills, and abilities in intellectual, technical, and civic participation domains, for successive cohorts of the American population. And in turn, assessments should function principally to help actualize such human capital production.

The suggestions and resources offered here are not comprehensive; they are meant to serve as possible entry points for your reconciliation journey. This work cannot be successful in isolation, and no one person is responsible for bearing the burden. It is the responsibility of all Canadians to do the work necessary for meaningful change. The fact that you are reading this means you are ready to begin.

Decolonization

Decolonization deconstructs colonial ideologies of the superiority and privilege of Western thought and approaches.

• • • Involves dismantling structures that perpetuate the status quo and addressing unbalanced power dynamics.

    • Involves valuing and revitalizing Indigenous knowledge and approaches and weeding out settler biases or assumptions that have impacted Indigenous ways of being.

Indigenization

Indigenization Is a collaborative process of naturalizing Indigenous intent, interactions, and processes and making them evident to transform spaces, places, and hearts.

Indigenization benefits not only Indigenous students but all students, teachers, staff members, and community members involved or impacted by Indigenization.

Indigenization seeks not only relevant programs and support services, but also a fundamental shift in the ways that institutions:

• • • Include Indigenous perspectives, values, and cultural understandings in policies and daily practices.

    • Position Indigenous ways of knowing at the heart of the institution, which then informs all the work that we do.

    • Include cultural protocols and practices in the operations of our institutions.

Source: Pulling Together: A Guide for Front-Line Staff, Student Services, and Advisors

EDI Library Guide

Starting point for exploring equity, diversity and inclusion resources and research.

Days of Significance

Explore these days of significance that raise awareness about creating a more equitable, inclusive, and just community.

EDI Videos

Visit the YouTube channel of the Vice-Provost Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Supports during the month of Ramadan

Learn how to support community members celebrating Ramadan.

EDI Newsletter

Sign up for updates from the Office of the Vice-Provost, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.