Kenjgewin Teg’s upcoming 2020-21 academic year

July 20, 2020

Majority of classes will be delivered remotely, with limited face-to-face instruction beginning Fall 2020

M’CHIGEENG FIRST NATION (July 15, 2020) – In continuing to comply and respect local and provincial guidelines issued throughout the currently unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, Kenjgewin Teg confirms that it will begin delivering a majority of its pathways and post-secondary programs and courses through remote teaching and learning.

“The safety of our teams, instructors and students is very important to us as we prepare and finalize our return to work plan,” said Brenda Francis, who is currently serving as A/President of Kenjgewin Teg until the end of August 2020. “While the health and safety of all is paramount, we also know that we must continue to serve our First Nation and surrounding communities in lifelong learning; over the past several months, our teams have worked extra hard to begin thinking about how we start to help create a new and different engaging learning environment. And for some who may be wondering and making decisions about their upcoming school year, Kenjgewin Teg assures all prospective and potential students that our lifelong learning philosophies will still be in place – meaning that programs will continue to include teaching and learning our valued Indigenous (Anishinabek) knowledge, alongside our communities and great college and university partners.”

Like many other post-secondary institutions in Ontario adapting their current practices, Kenjgewin Teg will be immediately leveraging its new digital teaching and learning environment internally branded as “KENDAN”. KENDAN is an Anishinaabemowin word that can be loosely interpreted in English as meaning ‘to know it’. This enhanced tool to Kenjgewin Teg’s learning environment will allow students, whether on Mnidoo Mnising or perhaps anywhere beyond Kenjgewin Teg’s main geographical area of Manitoulin Island, to have the opportunity to continue their post-secondary learning goals.

“We look forward to welcoming our first group of teachers and educators joining us in remote learning starting in July 2020 in our first dedicated online professional development additional qualifications (AQ) course; we will also be welcoming a new group of pathways students in our first-ever online Mshiigaade Miikan program cohort set to July 13, 2020,” said M. Gibeault, Dean of Pathways.

In addition to this new Mshiigaade Miikan cohort starting soon, all other pathways programs will be continuing online, too. Pathways programs include Ontario secondary school credits (OSSD), literacy and basic skills (LBS), academic and career entrance (ACE) and general education diploma (GED).

Roy, Director of Quality Assurance further adds, “in addition to these summer online programs, we look forward to welcoming even more students in our Fall 2020 programs.”

Some of these confirmed pathways and post-secondary programs include:

Fall 2020 start (online delivery):

  1. Shki-Maajinokiing: Pathways to Trades (partner Canadore College; this program has a blended schedule with both online and onsite learning)
  2. Personal Support Worker (partner Canadore College, applications now closed)
  3. Master of Social Work (partner Wilfrid Laurier University, applications now closed)
  4. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (graduate certificate with partner Sault College)
  5. Continuous intake college courses in Math and English (partner Canadore College)
  6. Pathways programs (OSSD credits, Mshiigaade Miikan, LBS, GED, ACE)

Winter 2021 start (online delivery):

  1. Anishinabemowin Early Childhood program (partner Canadore College)
  2. Indigenous Classroom Assistant Diploma (partner Nipissing University)

Spring 2021 start (delivery method pending/to be confirmed):

  1. Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (applications opening soon, deadline Dec 2020; start date May 2021)

Inquiries about these and additional post-secondary, pathways and training opportunities and their start dates can be found by visiting www.kenjgewinteg.ca or by contacting the main office at 705-377-4342.

“As we continue thinking about designing high-quality online program delivery methods and Indigenous pedagogy, our goal is also to try and reduce any added stress or barriers for students this upcoming year in securing tuition support this late in the year. We want to support and encourage potential students to get excited about their new way of learning with us,” said B. Roy. “And for this reason, Kenjgewin Teg has determined that some programs may uniquely offer tuition-free incentives this year for one or more semesters.”

Students who may be wondering and still deciding what to do with their upcoming school year are also assured that while they may be learning from home or from another safe space, Kenjgewin Teg is committed to finding the best way for students to continue on their paths of lifelong learning. Indigenous knowledge holders and Anishinabek teachings will continue within online delivery of Kenjgewin Teg’s programs, with plans in progress of doing this together with Anishinabek Knowledge Keepers and Elders to ensure knowledge protocols are respected and upheld in an ongoing, ever-adapting learning environment.

Kenjgewin Teg is located on Mnidoo Mnising (Manitoulin Island, ON) and is one of seven members of the Indigenous Institutes Consortium in Ontario providing Indigenous culturally relevant community-based access and lifelong learning for adult post-secondary students.  For more information on this announcement or other any other Kenjgewin Teg service or programs, please visit www.kenjgewinteg.ca.

For more information contact:

Mark Gibeault, Dean of Pathways
Email: markgibeault@kenjgewinteg.ca

Beverley Roy-Carter, Director of Quality Assurance
Email: beverleyroy@kenjgewinteg.ca