SEE Innovative Scholar Series

The Land and the AIR: Revisioning Experiential Learning on a Canadian Campus

Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET | Online

How can experiential learning frameworks authentically integrate Indigenous pedagogies while maintaining institutional rigour? This session presents findings from our review and redesign of the University of Calgary’s experiential learning framework, conducted in response to Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. Drawing on consultation with Indigenous and settler faculty, this research-informed process yielded three significant theoretical and practical innovations: (1) an expanded institutional definition that incorporates Indigenous concepts of relationality and holistic learning, moving beyond "learning by doing" to include "being and connecting" as part of experiential learning; (2) the A.I.R. framework (Authentic Experience, Intentional Design, Reflection) for defining quality experiential learning, applicable to both curricular and co-curricular contexts; and (3) a continuum model that describes experiential learning activities through the intersection of environment and learning focus, rather than defining rigid categories or types of experiential learning. Participants will examine the theoretical foundations behind these changes, review implementation strategies and outcomes, and consider applications within their own institutional contexts. This session contributes to the growing scholarship on decolonizing higher education and offers evidence-based approaches for institutions seeking to develop more holistic frameworks of experiential education.

Dr. Christine Martineau is Cree (Frog Lake), Métis (Red River), and Dëne Suliné (Cold Lake) and lives and works in both Treaty 6 and 7 territories in Alberta. She holds a PhD in educational leadership from the University of Alberta, with strong ties to UCalgary where she completed her BEd and MA in educational leadership. She has extensive experience teaching and leading in K-12 and postsecondary education and is currently an educational developer in Indigenous Ways of Knowing at the University of Calgary. 

Dr. Lisa Stowe is a Professor (Teaching) in the Department of Communications, Media, and Film and academic lead for experiential learning in the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary. With expertise in critical reflection and cur­ricular experiential learning, Lisa is responsible for promoting and advancing expe­riential education at UCalgary. 

Dr. Kyla Flanagan is a Professor (Teaching) and Associate Head (Teaching and Learning) in the Department of Biological Sciences. Specializing in undergraduate research as a signature form of experiential learning at UCalgary, she has led summer studentships and research-focused micro-credentials. She supports faculty in developing experiential learning, particularly curriculum-based EL opportunities. 

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_63uLWaFRC-wHksu4jpERw 

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