Indigenous pedagogies and online learning environments: a massive open online course case study

Area of Science:

• Education
• Indigenous Studies
• Online Learning

Background:

• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) traditionally prioritize intellectual learning.
• Indigenous pedagogies offer holistic approaches often overlooked in digital learning environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the effective integration of Indigenous pedagogies into a MOOC.
• To explore how holistic Indigenous teaching methods can enhance online education.

Main Methods:

• Course development and instruction based on Indigenous pedagogies.
• Application of Medicine Wheel teachings to structure course content.
• Incorporation of experiential and self-reflective activities.

Main Results:

• Holistic pedagogies were successfully applied within the MOOC.
• Experiential activities effectively addressed spiritual, emotional, and physical learning dimensions.
• Indigenous pedagogies enhanced the MOOC beyond intellectual learning.

Conclusions:

• Indigenous pedagogies can be effectively incorporated into MOOCs.
• Centering MOOCs on Indigenous frameworks like the Medicine Wheel enriches the learning experience.
• Recommendations for developing inclusive online courses incorporating Indigenous perspectives.