Dr. Heather Nicol, a professor at Trent University’s School of the Environment, has successfully led a two-year initiative to enhance the Circumpolar Studies curriculum through UArctic funding. The project launched in September 2022 as part of the first funding round of the Global Affairs Canada/UArctic Project Funding and concluded in August 2024. With support from the Indigenous and Northern Collaborative Research and Education Fund which is administered by Memorial University and funded by Global Affairs Canada, Nicol’s project, in collaboration with seven institutional partners (listed below), received $40,000 in funding to integrate Indigenous knowledge and experiential learning into online courses for students across UArctic member institutions.

The Circumpolar Studies: Enhancing Collaborative Curriculum Development Project aimed to increase awareness of Indigenous culture, traditional knowledge, and self-governance among students enrolled in online Circumpolar Studies courses. This project was developed to address a gap in online Circumpolar Studies education. While text-based modules and conventional curriculum covering natural sciences, economies, resources, and the environment are widely available, there are fewer opportunities for students to engage in real-time experiential learning or actively explore Indigenous cultural and traditional knowledge. To bridge this gap, the initiative aimed to enhance Indigenous content and integrate hands-on learning experiences into online Circumpolar Studies courses. The initiative focused on three key objectives:

  • Strengthening Indigenous content in course materials by incorporating cultural traditions, language, and governance perspectives. This entailed substantial efforts to provide opportunities for undergraduate UArctic students to engage directly with Indigenous knowledge holders and cultural experts.
  • Facilitating cross-cultural dialogue and practical application of circumpolar knowledge through online experiential learning. Efforts were made to provide opportunities for students to take part in exercises where Circumpolar Studies curriculum and knowledge could be applied: for example, offering online Model Arctic Council simulations or tabletop disaster response workshops. In total, the project was able to deliver approximately 12 workshops, simulations, seminars, talks, and other opportunities for students to engage with both Indigenous cultural and diplomatic experts.
  • Providing accessible resources for educators and students to enhance engagement with Arctic-related topics. This included resource kits which were developed to enhance UArctic core course curriculum (apart from the two core courses that focus exclusively on Indigenous people, culture and language). Similarly, a series of narratives and images were developed to provide context and enrichment of Circumpolar Studies themes through the Teaching Arctic Environments Project developed in conjunction with University of Washington and University of Aberdeen, the University of Manitoba, and the Scottish Government.

By strengthening these elements, the initiative helped create a richer, more connected learning environment that reflects the diverse voices and lived experiences of Arctic communities.

Activities and Community Impact

The Circumpolar Studies: Enhancing Collaborative Curriculum Development Project, in collaboration with Yukon University, the University of Aberdeen, the National Ballet School of Canada’s Indigenous Outreach Program, University of Washington, Lakehead University, and the Laera Institute for Circumpolar Studies, delivered a wide range of experiential learning opportunities. Trent University’s leadership in Indigenous and Circumpolar Studies made it the ideal institution to spearhead this collaborative project. Home to North America’s oldest Indigenous Studies program, the only Indigenous performance space in a Canadian university (Nozhem), and one of the continent’s only Indigenous Environmental Studies programs, Trent brought a wealth of expertise to the initiative. Yukon University was a key partner, hosting the project, providing event space, and co-organizing the Laera Institute for Circumpolar Studies Student Conference, while also collaborating with the National Ballet School’s Indigenous Outreach to deliver a unique community dance workshop. The University of Washington and the University of Aberdeen partnered to develop the Teaching Arctic Environments resource, which decolonizes environmental pedagogy, with additional support from the Scottish Arctic Connections Grant. The Laera Institute will also serve as a hub for sharing project outcomes and fostering future collaborations, while Lakehead University is leading follow-up initiatives, including a forthcoming journal article based on discussions from the project. Through these partnerships, the project has expanded its reach, strengthening Arctic education by integrating Indigenous knowledge, experiential learning, and cross-institutional collaboration. Some highlights include:

  • Cultural Workshops: Music and throat signing taught in online seminars by Inuk experts and a community dance workshop in partnership with the National Ballet School engaged students in Indigenous performance and storytelling.
  • Diplomatic Simulations: Two Model Arctic Council workshops which allowed students to participate in governance exercises, engaging with experts to simulate decision-making processes within the Arctic Council.
  • Sámi Language and Education Seminar: Students learned from Sámi educators and cultural experts in Finland, enhancing their understanding of Indigenous education and governance in the Arctic.
  • Resource Development: Five curriculum-enhancing resource kits were created, featuring Indigenous perspectives, articles, and videos, to supplement core Circumpolar Studies courses.

Through these activities, the project directly impacted over 200 students and built a sustainable foundation for integrating Indigenous knowledge into UArctic’s educational offerings.

"My experience at the Model Arctic Council was highly rewarding and fun to be a part of. The activity allowed me to get a glimpse of real diplomatic relations between Arctic Stakeholders and Circumpolar Geopolitics, while giving me the opportunity to play the role of one of the Arctic Council members. The discussions and topics that we debated were not only significant to current Arctic issues, but they also expanded our perspectives on transnational challenges, and the relationship between the Arctic and the rest of the world. It is an interactive and fulfilling event that promotes our problem-solving skills focused on sustainability, constructive cooperation, and peace that ensure the best for the Arctic, its environment, and its people."

~Adrian Guaman Vargas

Looking Ahead

The project’s outcomes are documented on a dedicated website, providing a long-term repository of learning resources. The website provides a significant number of recordings, curriculum resources, readings, and bibliographic resources that support Circumpolar learning and reveals the outcomes.  Trent University and its partners plan to continue refining and expanding the curriculum, ensuring ongoing support for Indigenous perspectives in Arctic education.

Overall, the project significantly enhanced the availability of Indigenous content, perspectives and voices within existing circumpolar curriculum available to students of all UArctic member institutions. Dr. Nicol’s leadership and the contributions of her collaborators have reinforced UArctic’s commitment to fostering inclusive and culturally relevant education for students across the circumpolar region. The Circumpolar Studies: Enhancing Collaborative Curriculum Development Project embodies UArctic’s core values, ensuring that education remains circumpolar, inclusive, respectful, collaborative, open, and influential.

By integrating Indigenous knowledge, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration, this initiative strengthens Arctic education and leadership, ensuring UArctic members remain at the forefront of Northern knowledge and innovation. This project exemplifies how academic institutions can work together to create meaningful, decolonized learning experiences that benefit Arctic communities and global understanding of Northern issues.