GATHERING FEEDBACK ON VIU’S ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY … · Aboriginal community-based programming is...

GATHERING FEEDBACK ON

VIU’S ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY-BASED DELIVERY PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM

(ACBDPP) IMPLEMENTATION

JUNE 2015

PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF ABORIGINAL EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT, VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY

Feedback: VIU’s Aboriginal Community-based Delivery Partnerships Program Implementation

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 2 List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ 3 List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgment of Traditional Territories ............................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 4 1 Project Background ........................................................................................................... 6

1.1 Project Client and Request ................................................................................... 6

1.2 Project Objectives .................................................................................................. 6

1.3 Project Rationale ................................................................................................... 6

1.4 Project Scope and Limitations .............................................................................. 8

2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Description of VIU’s ACBDPPs ............................................................................ 10

2.2 Stakeholders ........................................................................................................ 14

3 Approach to Gathering Feedback ................................................................................... 17 3.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................ 17

3.2 Focusing the Feedback Questions ...................................................................... 17

3.3 Methods ................................................................................................................ 19

3.4 Sample .................................................................................................................. 19

3.5 Justification of Methods ...................................................................................... 21

3.6 Limitation of Methods ......................................................................................... 21

4 Findings ............................................................................................................................ 22 4.1 Impact of ACBDPPs on Students ........................................................................ 22

4.2 Impact of ACBDPPs on Communities ................................................................. 25

4.3 Impact of ACBDPPs on Instructors .................................................................... 27

4.4 Complexities of Relationships between Partners in ACBDPPs........................ 29

5 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 32 6 Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 34 7 Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 35

7.1 ESS Program List ................................................................................................. 35

7.2 Community Coordinator Interview Guide ......................................................... 36

7.3 Instructor Interview Guide ................................................................................. 37

7.4 VIU Project Administrator Interview Guide ...................................................... 38

7.5 Student Interview Guide ..................................................................................... 39


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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Impact of ACBDPPs on each partner ........................................................................... 5

Figure 2: Complexities of relationships between partners in ACBDPPs .................................. 5

Figure 3: External Stakeholders in VIU’s ACBDPPs .................................................................. 15

Figure 4: Internal Stakeholders in VIU’s ACBDPPs .................................................................. 16

Figure 5: Framework for Gathering Feedback – Reciprocity in VIU’s ACBDPPs ................... 18

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: List of ACBDPPs (Shaded programs included in data Collection) .............................. 4 Table 2: List of ACBDPP-Funded Programs Implemented by VIU and Partners ..................... 8 Table 3: Project Timeline and Resources .................................................................................... 9 Table 4: Description of VIU's ACBDPPs ..................................................................................... 11 Table 5: Interview Schedule ....................................................................................................... 21 Table 6: List of Program Funding Applications Submitted through 2015 ESS Call for Proposals ...................................................................................................................................... 35


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ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES

In keeping with regional protocol, Vancouver Island University (VIU) students, staff,

faculty, and administration would like to acknowledge and thank the Snuneymuxw First

Nation, Tla’Amin First Nation, Cowichan Tribes, Snaw-Naw-As First Nation and Qualicum

First Nation for welcoming students, staff, faculty and administration to live, learn and

share educational experiences on the traditional territories of these Nations.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Background:

A Gathering Feedback exercise was conducted between April and June of 2015 to document the impact of programs implemented by Vancouver Island University (VIU) and community partners in 2013/14 and 2014/15 through the Ministry of Advanced Education’s Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Programs (ACBDPP) grant. The goal of this work was to gather evidence that could be used to support the rationale for funding and improve implementation of future Aboriginal community-based programs initiated by VIU and its partners.

Methodology:

The Gathering Feedback questions were structured around the theme of reciprocity and focused on identifying what students, community and instructors gained from the ACBDPPs, as well as how the programs impacted stakeholder relationships. Interviews were used to gather data from 13 respondents: a minimum of one student, instructor, Community Coordinator and the VIU Project Administrator from three ACBDPPs (those shaded in Table 1).

TABLE 1: LIST OF ACBDPPS (SHADED PROGRAMS INCLUDED IN DATA COLLECTION)

Program Name Lead VIU Campus

Partners Years Funded

Health Care Assistant – Aboriginal Focus Cowichan Cowichan Tribes 2013/14 Welding “C” Certificate Cowichan Cowichan Tribes 2013/14

Introduction to First Nations Culinary Arts Cowichan Cowichan Tribes, Tsawout First Nation and Camosun College

2013/14

Applied Business Technologies Cowichan Cowichan Tribes 2013/14 Pulp and Paper Powell River Tla’Amin First Nation 2013/14

Event Management and Tourism Training Nanaimo Heiltsuk Tribal Council 2013/14 Environmental Stewardship Nanaimo Coastal First Nations – Great

Bear Initiative 2013/14

Aboriginal Ecotourism Training Program Nanaimo Heiltsuk Tribal Council and North Island College

2014/15

Certificate in Business Fundamentals for Aboriginal Communities

Nanaimo Stz’uminus First Nation 2014/15

Findings: See Figure 1 and Figure 2 for a summary of findings from the Gathering Feedback exercise.


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FIGURE 1: IMPACT OF ACBDPPS ON EACH PARTNER

FIGURE 2: COMPLEXITIES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PARTNERS IN ACBDPPS

Conclusions: Strong relationships are critical to the success of ACBDPPs. Promising practices for establishing and maintaining authentic relationships include: engaging with communities beyond the defines of program delivery, obtaining broad institutional support to demonstrate authenticity, and building trust through learning to be together.

Instructors

Communities

Students

University structures created systemic barriers (e.g. Right of

First Refusal, wage differences for VIU and community employees)

Historical context impacted relationships

between VIU and communities

Institutional proceses were refined through

trial and error

Internal and external relationship building

spiralled into new partnerships

Networking and gaining community

Personal growth and wellness

Increased access to post-secondary education

Improved employment outcomes

Social impact – inspiring communities and generating excitement about education and training

Cultural impact – applying technical skills to generate cultural value for community

Economic impact – supporting businesses in Aboriginal communities

Building relationships and increased awareness of Aboriginal students’ realties

Enhancing connection to indigenous perspectives

Changing practice


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1 PROJECT BACKGROUND

In March of 2015, VIU’s Director of the Office of Aboriginal Education and Engagement (OAEE) requested that a project be initiated to gather feedback on the Aboriginal community-based programs that VIU and its community partners received funding for through the Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Program (ACBDPP) grant.

There were two main goals of the Gathering Feedback exercise:

1. To inform subsequent deliveries of similar Aboriginal community-based programs by identifying promising practices and areas for improvement in program delivery.

2. To articulate the impact of the Aboriginal community-based programs already delivered and to build an evidence base supporting the rationale for their continued funding. This evidence base could be cited in future grant proposals and/or negotiations with internal (e.g. VIU Senior Management, Faculties/Departments or individual instructors) and/or external (e.g. government or communities) stakeholders.

Aboriginal community-based programming is rapidly expanding at VIU. Between 2013/14 and 2014/15, VIU and its Aboriginal community partners delivered nine community-based programs (see Table2 for a list of the programs delivered). The university and its community partners also submitted 10 proposals in March of 2015 under the Aboriginal Community-Based Training Partnerships Core Service Area of the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training’s Employment Services and Supports (ESS) grant. If successful, these submissions will fund multiple deliveries of multiple programs in multiple communities over the next three years (see Table 6 in Appendix 7.1 for list of the 2015 ESS submissions). Contingency planning is also underway to seek alternate funding for programs that are not approved through the ESS grant.

Significant resources are being devoted to Aboriginal community-based programs and partnerships. As such, it is important to continue to reflect on their successes, challenges and impact. Information collected through this Gathering Feedback exercise may inform program changes and improve program design and implementation. It may also inform the type of data that is collected and reported on going forward to tell the story of community-based programming in a meaningful way. Finally, the feedback gathered can be cited as evidence or “measures of success” in future grant applications to support the rationale for funding.

1.1 PROJECT CLIENT AND REQUEST

1.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

1.3 PROJECT RATIONALE


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Alignment with University Strategic Plans

The ACBDPPs and the Gathering Feedback exercise align closely with VIU’s strategic direction as referenced in the Academic Plan and Enrolment Management Plan.

Academic Plan: First, enhancing collaborative relationships with Aboriginal communities in order to develop opportunities for, and to promote the success of, Aboriginal students is noted in the Academic Plan under the Community engagement objective and Recommendation # 21: Take leadership in enhancing the participation of Aboriginal communities. As well, creating opportunities for experiential learning and involvement in scholarship and community-based learning is an objective under Student learning, engagement and success. Several ACBDPPs involved collaborative work across multiple areas at VIU (for example, some include English, Math and University Preparation courses, in addition to courses in the principal field of study). This also supported Recommendation # 20: Support and Encourage collaboration across departments, faculties and disciplines. The ACBDPPs also contributed to Recommendation # 30: Raise the profile of the University, as new partnerships have developed from communities hearing about what VIU has to offer. Furthermore, gathering feedback on the ACBDPPs aligns with the Academic Plan’s emphasis on “promot[ing] a culture of program assessment and continuous improvement” under the Program quality objective and promoting “a culture of respect, transparency and accountability” under the Institutional effectiveness objective.

Enrolment Management Plan: The ACBDPPs contributed to Recommendation 12 of the Enrolment Management Plan: Cultivation and Assessment of Prospective Students as these programs generated interest about VIU among students and their communities. The programs also supported Recommendation 14: Prospective Student Introductions to Campus Life as student visits to the VIU campuses were built in where possible. As well, the Enrolment Management Plan recognizes the need to gather and interpret relevant data as critical to the success of VIU’s enrolment management efforts and also the need to include students in gathering this feedback under 8: Student Inclusion in the Academic Community. The Gathering Feedback exercise addressed both of these items.

Alignment with Community Goals

VIU has continued to receive strong messages from its Aboriginal community partners (through both conversations with the Hwulmuxw Mustimuxw Siiem (HMS)-VIU’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee-and individual contacts) that communities are interested in community-based program delivery. VIU Project Administrators report that their community partners feel many of their members need to start their educational journeys in community, as a number of barriers prevent them from accessing the institution. These barriers relate to both the intimidation factor of stepping onto a university campus and the logistical challenge of travelling to institutions (particularly for those in remote communities for whom there may be few alternatives to online learning). Communities have also emphasized the need to provide their members with opportunities to earn portable credits that can translate into work or further academic opportunities (e.g. those that will ladder into diploma or degree programs at public post-secondary institutions), as

https://www2.viu.ca/integratedplanning/documents/VIUAcademicPlanFINALMARCH2011.pdf

https://www2.viu.ca/integratedplanning/documents/VIUEnrolmentMgmtPlan-March292012s.pdf


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well as to incorporate experiential learning into programming. Through this work, communities hope to build capacity to advance individuals’ personal, academic and career objectives, as well as communities’ educational, social, economic and cultural goals.

The ACBDPPs supported the above direction by offering face-to-face credit instruction in community. Credits awarded through VIU’s ACBDPPs are recognized by a range of public post-secondary institutions, which gives students who complete these courses the opportunity to ladder into other programs. As well, most of the ACBDPPs involved a high degree of applied or experiential learning. A focus on place-based learning in particular was incorporated through the Aboriginal Ecotourism Training program.

TABLE 2: LIST OF ACBDPP-FUNDED PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED BY VIU AND

PARTNERS

Program Name Lead VIU Campus

Partners Years Funded Through ACBDPP

Health Care Assistant – Aboriginal Focus

Cowichan Cowichan Tribes 2013/14

Welding “C” Certificate Cowichan Cowichan Tribes 2013/14 Introduction to First Nations

Culinary Arts Cowichan Cowichan Tribes, Tsawout First

Nation and Camosun College 2013/14

Applied Business Technologies Cowichan Cowichan Tribes 2013/14 Pulp and Paper1 Powell River Tla’Amin First Nation 2013/14

Event Management and Tourism Training

Nanaimo Heiltsuk Tribal Council 2013/14

Environmental Stewardship Nanaimo Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative

2013/14

Aboriginal Ecotourism Training Program

Nanaimo Heiltsuk Tribal Council and North Island College

2014/15

Certificate in Business Fundamentals for Aboriginal

Communities

Nanaimo Stz’uminus First Nation 2014/152

The scope of this Gathering Feedback exercise was limited to those programs for which VIU and community partners received funding through the Ministry of Advanced Education (AVED) / Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada’s (AANDC) Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Program (ACBDPP). The ACBDPP grant was active from 2012/13 to 2014/15 and was associated with specific criteria around participant and service eligibility (the details of which are described below). These restrictions shaped, to some extent, the design and implementation of programs. As a result, some of the information collected through this Gathering Feedback exercise may not be generalizable to other Aboriginal community-based programs targeting different types

1 Note that additional information on the Pulp and Paper program is not available, as neither the report submitted to the provincial government, nor the staff who worked on this program can be located. 2 Note that the first semester of the Business Fundamentals course was funded through ACBDPP while the second semester was funded through VIU’s Aboriginal Service Plan initiative.

1.4 PROJECT SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS


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of participants or offering different supports. With that caution, however, note that it is still expected that many lessons learned will apply more universally (e.g. to the context of Aboriginal community-based programs submitted through the ESS grant as well).

As well, in negotiating the scope of this project, the Director of OAEE requested that the Aboriginal community-based programs be examined as a whole rather than individually. As such, in this report, findings from the Gathering Feedback exercise have been integrated to highlight common themes emerging across multiple programs, rather than attempting to describe the details of learning specific to individual programs.

Finally, note that the scope of the Gathering Feedback exercise was limited by time and human resources (see Table 3 for project schedule). The project was designed and executed over a period of about two months and the data collection and analysis were conducted by a sole Research Analyst. These limitations guided decision-making around the methodology for this exercise (e.g. who to interview and how many interviews to conduct – see Section 3.3 for more information on methods).

TABLE 3: PROJECT TIMELINE AND RESOURCES

Date (all 2015) Activity April 20 – 24, 2015

Research Analyst (RA) reviewed ACBDPP Ministry Reports and drafted Framework for Gathering Feedback

April 27 - May 1, 2015

RA reviewed Framework for Gathering Feedback with OAEE

May 1 – 5, 2015 RA drafted data collection tools (interview questions) May 5, 2015 Nanaimo Campus Project Administrator sent email introducing instructors and

Community Coordinators to Gathering Feedback exercise and provided RA with their contact information

May 6, 2015 RA reviewed Framework for Gathering Feedback with Cowichan Campus Project Administrator

May 8, 2015 RA finalized Gathering Feedback Framework and data collection tools May 19, 2015 Nanaimo Campus Project Administrator provided contact information for

students May 11 – June 5, 2015

RA scheduled, conducted and transcribed interviews

June 1-26, 2015 RA analyzed data and wrote report June 18-19, 2015

RA requested feedback on beginning of report from OAEE and revised report accordingly

After June 26, 2015

OAEE/PDT-Cowichan to disseminate report (to those who provided feedback and other VIU and community stakeholders)


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2 INTRODUCTION

The Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Program was a joint provincial and federal government (Ministry of Advanced Education (AVED) and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC)) grant announced in the summer of 2012 as part of the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education and Training Policy Framework and Action Plan. The ACBDPP was intended to, through partnerships between public post-secondary institutions and Aboriginal communities, support the delivery of community-based training/education to facilitate the employment of unemployed or underemployed individuals (The Indigenous Adult & Higher Learning Association, 2013). The ACBDPP grant was active in 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 and morphed in 2015/16 into the “Aboriginal Community-Based Training Partnerships” Core Service Area of the Employment Services and Supports (ESS) Program funded by the BC Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training (NationTalk, 2015).

Through the ACBDPP grant, VIU and its community partners successfully applied for funding to run nine programs: seven in 2013/14 and two in 2014/15 (see Table 4 for a summary of program characteristics). These programs shared a number of common characteristics, some of which were dictated by the funding eligibility criteria. For example, the ACBDPP required that programs:

Be delivered through partnerships between Aboriginal communities and public post-secondary institutions (in some cases these were new partnerships and in others VIU had pre-existing relationships with the Aboriginal community partner);

Lead to jobs and employment opportunities, or; Provide industry certificates and/or credit toward a post-secondary credential, or; Provide sufficient pathways for participants to ladder into further post-secondary

education or training; and Incorporate cultural components into the curriculum.

Further information on the specific details of each program was included in the final report submitted to AVED upon program.

2.1 DESCRIPTION OF VIU’S ACBDPPS

http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/aboriginal/docs/Aboriginal_Action_Plan.pdf

http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/aboriginal/docs/Aboriginal_Action_Plan.pdf


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TABLE 4: DESCRIPTION OF VIU'S ACBDPPS

Program Name Partners Delivery Locations

Delivery Dates

# of students enrolled

Funds allocated

to VIU

Funds allocated to community

partner Health Care Assistant –

Aboriginal Focus

Cowichan Tribes

VIU Cowichan Campus

(Duncan)

Sept 2013 – March

2014

15 $194,967 Unknown

Welding “C” Certificate

Cowichan Tribes

VIU Cowichan Campus

(Duncan)

Sept 2013 – March

2014

18 $261,267 Unknown

Introduction to First Nations Culinary Arts

Cohort 1: Cowichan

Tribes

Cohort 2: Tsawout

First Nation and Camosun

College

Cohort 1: VIU Cowichan Campus

(Duncan)

Cohort 2: Tsawout (Saanich)

Oct 2013 – March

2014

Cohort 1: 16

Cohort 2:

16

$304,923 $74,197

$96,241

Applied Business Technologies

Cowichan Tribes

VIU Cowichan Campus

(Duncan)

April 2013 –

February 2014

21 $213,943 Unknown

Pulp and Paper Tla’Amin First Nation

unknown unknown unknown Unknown Unknown

Event Management and Tourism Training

Heiltsuk Tribal

Council

Bella Bella June 2013 – March

2014

17 $295, 109 $94, 112

Environmental Stewardship

Coastal First Nations –

Great Bear Initiative

Hakai Beach Institute (Calvert

Island), Prince Rupert and Port

Hardy

June 2013 – March

2014

23 $282, 890 $82, 430

Aboriginal Ecotourism

Training Program

Heiltsuk Tribal

Council and North Island

College

Bella Bella, Tofino, Alert

Bay and Powell River

Oct 2014 – Jan 2015

14 $215, 161 $ 69, 978

Certificate in Business

Fundamentals for Aboriginal

Communities

Stz’uminus First Nation

Chemainus Native College (Ladysmith)

Oct 2014 – June 2015

17 $149, 256 $37, 591


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Participant description

The grant required participants in the ACBDPPs to be Aboriginal and over 18 years of age. They could be LMA eligible3 or ineligible (Government of Canada and Government of British Columbia, 2014/15). Many students were unemployed, with little or no income, and furthermore were not in receipt of Employment Insurance or Social Assistance. Though their tuition was covered by the ABCDPPs (and in some of the programs, their texts/other program materials and transportation costs were also funded), they were not able to obtain living allowances for the period of time they were studying. As the timing of the granting decision from AVED left little time for participant recruitment, many students had already missed their band funding deadlines by the time they decided to enroll in their programs and funding allocated for student living allowances through the ACBDPP grant was limited.

Participants in all programs were registered as VIU students and were required to meet VIU’s admission requirements as well. Many were enrolled through VIU’s mature student admission process, which allows those over 21 years of age without a high school diploma to matriculate. Cohorts were purposely kept small so that each student could receive adequate individual attention, both academic and personal. In some programs, students all came from one community, while in others students were recruited from multiple communities. Several students came from remote communities and there were times when weather and transportation barriers impeded their access to courses.

Curriculum

For each ACBDPP, VIU Project Administrators worked with Aboriginal community partners to identify the community’s needs and then liaised with Faculties and Departments at VIU to determine which of the university’s academic offerings might be a good fit. Where gaps existed in VIU’s course offerings, new curriculum was developed and/or partnerships with other institutions or Contractors were leveraged (e.g. two ACBDPPs involved partnerships with other public post-secondary institutions). Several of VIU’s ACBDPPs therefore involved a mix of credit and non-credit courses though there were also some that offered only credit courses. Some programs (e.g. the Certificate in Business Fundamentals) incorporated upgrading (e.g. English/Math) and/or university preparation courses to help set students up for success in the ACBDPPs and to prepare them for laddering opportunities (by helping them meet the prerequisite requirements for post-secondary degree, diploma and certificate programs). Several programs also leveraged industry partnerships and support from tutors, Teaching Assistants and community mentors.

3 “LMA eligible” refers to individuals eligible for programs funded under the Labour Market Development Agreement. This is an agreement between Canada and the provinces/territories to design, deliver and manage skills and employment programs for unemployed Canadians, particularly for those who are eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. LMA-eligible individuals are either a) unemployed, non-EI clients or b) employed, low-skilled individuals. They also cannot be enrolled in high school or post-secondary training or participating in another LMA-funded program and must be living in BC and legally entitled to work in Canada (Government of Canada and Government of British Columbia, 2014/15).


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Course Delivery

Some of the ACBDPPs were delivered in remote locations (e.g. Aboriginal Ecotourism Training and Environmental Stewardship) and involved an intensive instruction model, where courses were taught over the span of one or two weeks and involved full-day classes. Condensed course delivery helped minimize travel costs, as did scheduling courses back-to-back where possible to maximize the material that could be covered when the students were already together. This had to be balanced, however, with the need to minimize the amount of time students were away from home where they had family, work and community responsibilities to attend to. Other ACBDPPs (e.g. the Certificate in Business Fundamentals) were mostly delivered closer to VIU’s campuses and involved a more traditional structure with three hour long classes held one a week over 14 weeks.

Many programs also involved large amounts of experiential or field-based learning. One (Aboriginal Ecotourism Training) employed a placed-based learning model, which required cohorts to move around to different communities to participate in courses. Resources varied widely from community to community in all ACBDPPs, requiring instructors to remain flexible and creative in adapting their instructional approach to the environment. Access to technology also presented challenges in many communities, including those delivered close to VIU’s campuses (e.g. wireless Internet access was not available in the classroom at Chemainus Native College where the Business Fundamentals program was delivered).


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The nine ACBDPPs implemented in 2013/14 and 2014/15 involved several partnerships. The stakeholders involved in each program generally included:

VIU (a Project Administrator at the lead VIU campus, instructors, Departments and Faculties)

The Aboriginal community partner (usually involving a Community Coordinator) Other public post-secondary institutions if applicable (some programs involved

instructors and Project Coordinators from other institutions in BC) Industry partners if applicable Students Students’ communities.

The Aboriginal community partners VIU had a formal agreement with for the ACBDPPs were:

Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative (Environmental Stewardship) Cowichan Tribes (Welding “C” Certificate, Health Care Assistant – Aboriginal Focus,

Applied Business Technologies, Introduction to First Nation Culinary Arts) Heiltsuk Tribal Council (Aboriginal Ecotourism and Event Management) Stz’uminus First Nation (Certificate in Business Fundamentals for Aboriginal

Communities) Tla’Amin First Nation (Pulp and Paper Program) Tsawout First Nation (Introduction to First Nation Culinary Arts)

The other public post-secondary institution partners VIU had a formal agreement with for the ACBDPPs were:

Camosun College (Introduction to First Nation Culinary Arts) North Island College (Aboriginal Ecotourism)

An image depicting the partners VIU worked with outside of the institution is available in Figure 3.

An image depicting the internal VIU partners involved in the ACBDPP implementation is displayed in Figure 4.

2.2 STAKEHOLDERS


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FIGURE 3: EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS IN VIU’S ACBDPPS


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FIGURE 4: INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS IN VIU’S ACBDPPS


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3 APPROACH TO GATHERING FEEDBACK

In April of 2015, the Director of the Office of Aboriginal Education and Engagement (OAEE) requested that feedback be gathered on VIU’s ACBDPP programs to collate lessons learned and document the impact of these initiatives. This information is intended to be cited as rationale for continued funding in future grant applications and may also inform modifications to the program design or delivery.

Following discussions with the Director of OAEE and the VIU Project Administrators from both the Nanaimo and Cowichan campuses, a “Gathering Feedback Framework” was developed with lines of inquiry focusing on the theme of reciprocity. The following working definition of reciprocity was employed for the purposes of this exercise:

“Reciprocity is the belief that as we receive from others, we must also offer to others.”

(Rice, 2005 cited in Hart, 2010).

The questions addressed through the Gathering Feedback exercise therefore focused on understanding what each partner in the ACBDPP was taking away from their involvement and how they were sharing this in their other relationships and activities. Efforts were made to frame questions around broad measures of success, given that each stakeholder (the funder, communities, employers/industry, the institution, individual instructors and students) had unique interests in the ACBDPPs. Due to time constraints, the Gathering Feedback exercise was not able to address the impact on all partners/stakeholders in Figure 3 and Figure 4 (for example, the impact on the funder and on employers/industry were not investigated as the Gathering Feedback exercise focused on students, community and instructors). The questions outlined in the Gathering Feedback Framework (see Figure 5) were used to generate the specific interview questions asked of each partner during data collection (these interview guides are available in Appendices 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 and 7.5).

3.1 PURPOSE

3.2 FOCUSING THE FEEDBACK QUESTIONS


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FIGURE 5: FRAMEWORK FOR GATHERING FEEDBACK – RECIPROCITY IN VIU’S ACBDPPS


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Data Collection

At the request of the Director of OAEE, semi-structured interviews4 were used to gather feedback from all data sources. For each ACBDPP included in data collection, it was decided that a minimum of the following stakeholders would be interviewed:

Community Coordinator (1 from each ACBDPP) VIU Project Administrator (1 from Nanaimo campus and 1 from Cowichan Campus) Instructor (1 from each ACBDPP) Student (1 from each ACBDPP)

Data Analysis

The interviews were audio-recorded (with the permission of the respondent) and then transcribed by the Research Analyst. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically in order to report on respondents’ perspectives at an aggregate level, which also helped minimize identifying information and protect privacy. The Research Analyst summarized key findings that applied broadly to multiple ACBDPPs and included a selection of quotations to incorporate respondents’ voices into the report. Note, however, that one limitation of using thematic data analysis is that there are also many more quotations and nuanced interpretations of the findings that are not reported on here.

Programs

Given the short timeframe associated with the project and the time-intensity of interviewing as a data collection method, only three of the nine ACBDPPs were included in the Gathering Feedback exercise. These were:

Aboriginal Ecotourism Training Environmental Stewardship Certificate in Business Fundamentals

These programs were selected as all three were submitted in VIU’s March 2015 ESS proposal application and will be delivered again if funding is granted. In addition, though the Event Management program was not formally included in the Gathering Feedback exercise, several of the stakeholders involved in that program were also involved in the

4 Semi-structured interviews allow for focused, conversational, two-way communication and involve asking only a few general pre-determined questions with the rest of the interview flexible. Additional, more specific, questions are created during the interview as the conversation evolves and the interviewer probes for (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

3.3 METHODS

3.4 SAMPLE


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Aboriginal Ecotourism program and some commented on their experience in both when interviewed.

Note that due to the time constraints, none of the ACBDPPs led by VIU’s Cowichan Campus were included in data collection; if a second phase of Gathering Feedback is conducted in the future, it may be prudent to prioritize these programs to capture information that more broadly reflects VIU’s ACBDPPs. The ACBDPP led by VIU’s Powell River Campus (a Pulp and Paper program) was excluded from the Gathering Feedback exercise as no information was available on this program due to turnover in staff and consequently the stakeholders could not be identified.

Individuals

The individuals to be interviewed were selected with the guidance of the VIU Project Administrator at the Nanaimo campus. All Community Coordinators were selected, as there was only one per program. Interview invitations were also extended to both VIU Project Administrators (Nanaimo and Cowichan campuses). Since all the ACBDPPs involved multiple instructors, the VIU Project Administrator (Nanaimo) reached out to one instructor from each program based on her perception of their willingness and availability to be involved in the Gathering Feedback exercise and the depth of reflection she thought they would be able to provide. The VIU Project Administrator (Nanaimo) also provided the Research Analyst with contact information for three students from each program and attempted to select both students who had experienced success and those who had struggled to increase the breadth of perspectives gathered. In addition, a Program Coordinator (who also instructed in an ACBDPP) from a partner public post-secondary institution (North Island College), and an additional community partner representative from one of the programs were contacted to be interviewed.

If future resources are available to continue gathering feedback on community-based programming, other stakeholders could be interviewed as well to incorporate additional perspectives (e.g. Chiefs or others who may be able to speak further to programs’ impact on community, employers, etc.).

Response Rates

All three Community Coordinators and the additional community partner representative were interviewed (4/4). Data was obtained from both VIU Project Administrators (2/2) – one provided written responses to the Gathering Feedback questions. Three instructors and the additional Instructor/Coordinator from NIC were interviewed (4/4). Finally, four (4/9) students completed interviews (one from each program and an additional student from the Aboriginal Ecotourism cohort). See Table 5 for a complete list of interviews conducted.


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TABLE 5: INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

Role Program(s) Interview Length

Community Coordinator Business Fundamentals 20 mins

Community Coordinator Environmental Stewardship 40 mins

Community Coordinators Aboriginal Ecotourism / Event Management 45 mins

Instructor Business Fundamentals 60 mins

Instructor Environmental Stewardship 60 mins Instructor Aboriginal Ecotourism / Event Management 45 mins

NIC Project Lead and Instructor Aboriginal Ecotourism 20 mins

Student Business Fundamentals 25 mins

Student Environmental Stewardship 30 mins

Student Aboriginal Ecotourism 25 mins

Student Aboriginal Ecotourism 10 mins

VIU Project Administrator – Nanaimo

All Nanaimo-led programs 75 mins

VIU Project Administrator – Cowichan

All Cowichan-led programs Written feedback provided

The methods were selected based on direction from the Director of OAEE, the resources available and the goals of the Gathering Feedback exercise. Qualitative methods, and in particular semi-structured interviewing, allowed ACBDPP stakeholders to tell the stories of their experiences in the programs and to highlight areas that were meaningful to them, while still focusing on the themes around which feedback was desired. Each conversation brought a new perspective as the ACBDPPs were explored from a different angle, which provided deeper insight into the complexities of the programs and their impact.

While the methods employed provided many benefits, the purely qualitative nature of this exercise can also be seen as a limitation, as quantitative measures of success are generally attractive to funders and might have provided an additional perspective on the ACBDPPs and their impact. Another limitation is that several potential data sources were excluded from data collection due to time and resource constraints. These include the ACBDPPs led by VIU’s Cowichan Campus and the voices of other stakeholders like employers and other community leaders (e.g. Chiefs).

Finally, the generalizability of the feedback received through this exercise is unknown. The perspectives captured may be unique to the specific cohorts or academic subject areas included in the data collection. The application of the findings beyond the ACBDPPs may also be limited as running these programs with different participant populations or different service eligibility criteria may result in different successes and challenges.

3.5 JUSTIFICATION OF METHODS

3.6 LIMITATION OF METHODS


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4 FINDINGS

Students benefited in a variety of ways from the ACBDPPs. Those who participated in the Gathering Feedback exercise acknowledged that the learning students experienced in the programs extended beyond academic indicators and into the realms of personal growth, personal development and wellness. Respondents also discussed (and particularly instructors seemed to feel this) that it was challenging not to judge their own effectiveness based on students’ academic performance, especially when they compared indicators like passing rates in the ACBDPPs to those that they would expect in a traditional on-campus course. They agreed, however, that the ACBDPPs must be judged using unique measures of success, as students have overcome many barriers to participate in these programs and the learning they accomplished outside of the course material was thus critical as well. One respondent commented:

“The students still, I think, had a valuable learning experience, I know they did. But it wasn’t reflected in the ways that we wanted them to reflect: grades, graduation rates, taking

ownership. It was different measures of success for some students.”

Networking and gaining community:

Multiple respondents discussed that the students gained friends and colleagues from the ACBDPPs. Many of the cohorts were quite close; for example, students in the Business Fundamentals program texted each other when someone was missing from class and one student with access to a printer provided the other participants with course materials. Another student (in the Environmental Stewardship program) commented on the community he gained through his ACBDPP:

“My experience getting together with all the Nations was just amazing. I’ve got friends all up and down the Coast now.”

The peer learning that occurred within the ACBDPPs was also highlighted as a benefit by several respondents. Students enjoyed getting to interact with students from a range of Nations and to learn about different cultures and ways of working in their fields of study. The Aboriginal Ecotourism Training program has extended this learning community beyond the timeframe of the ACBDPPs as alumni, faculty and staff continue to network on the program’s Facebook page.

Personal growth and wellness

Respondents also discussed that students gained self-confidence and pride in the work they were doing through the ACBDPPs. For example, some students were taking courses to set a positive example for their children. For other students, the chance to come to class, follow a routine, engage in discussion and connect with other people contributed to their mental and physical wellness:

4.1 IMPACT OF ACBDPPS ON STUDENTS


23

“One student just was not interested in doing any work [and] had a whole variety of challenges that he was working through, but at the same time really benefited from being part of the [class] discussions. So he experienced personal growth, a sense of pride, I think

enhanced his identity and actual status in the community, and helped him have a more healthy outlook on life. Dismal in terms of academic performance, but great in terms of

contribution and his role.”

Some students signed up for the ACBDPPs primarily to continue their education beyond high school, rather than following a specific career direction. For example, one switched into the Certificate in Business Fundamentals from another program because her community provided a bus for her to access the Business Fundamentals program. The ACBDPPs allowed these students to explore their personal, academic and career interests in a supportive learning environment. This helped them find direction:

“[The Aboriginal Ecotourism Training Program] definitely changed my path. Before this I didn’t know what job to have or where to go. It was kind of difficult to get out of that slump. But after the course, it was just like: I like being outdoors, I like helping people and meeting

new people and if you’re working in the tourism industry that’s all you get to do.”

Increased access to post-secondary education

The ACBDPPs helped students access and transition into a post-secondary environment, while maintaining the comfort and familiarity of a community setting as they completed their coursework. ACBDPP students became connected to post-secondary institutions. They were registered at VIU (and at North Island College in the case of the Aboriginal Ecotourism Training program) and built personal relationships with university staff (instructors and Project Administrators). VIU campus visits were also built into programs where feasible. Through the ACBDPPs, participants started to feel like university students, an identity shift that prompted several individuals (including 10 from the Certificate in Business Fundamentals) to apply for further post-secondary studies beginning in the Fall of 2015. Gathering Feedback respondents commented:

“If that was the mission of the [Business Fundamentals] program, to get students thinking about university as a viable option, that’s mission accomplished…I’ve seen probably 3 or 4 students filling out university applications [in class] and they ask all the time. We haven’t

heard about our acceptance. Do you know who we should talk to? So they all want to come.”


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“This type of program, it’s very empowering to the students. Students [said]: I never thought about university, I didn’t even know I could do it. We had some really young students and for

them to get a student card and say: I’m a university student - it was very empowering to some. So now we have 2 or 3 that are applying to VIU to go into the tourism program

whereas before that wasn’t even a consideration.”

Improved employment outcomes

Students also benefited professionally from the ACBDPPs. Some were offered new jobs as a result of their participation in the ACBDPPs and the networking with industry stakeholders their programs facilitated. For example, Aboriginal Ecotourism Training students had the opportunity to attend a conference organized by Aboriginal Tourism BC (AtBC) as part of the program. Two students were offered jobs after networking with tour operators at this conference. Other students commented that the skills and knowledge they gained through their coursework allowed them to successfully apply for new jobs:

“I actually work in the Stewardship office right now so this certification actually probably helped me get my job.”

The ACBDPPs also increased the success students experienced in their current jobs. One Aboriginal Ecotourism Training student was offered a promotion and a raise after completing his courses. The Environmental Stewardship students particularly experienced improved employment outcomes as this program was targeted specifically toward Coastal Guardian Watchmen, many of whom were already working in their communities before participating in the ACBDPP. Some students reported being able to apply their knowledge, skills and new networks to improve job performance and communicate better with their co-workers and clients. Others were asked to take on additional responsibilities by supervisors or simply treated with more authority in the workplace by those who knew they had completed the training. Respondents commented on the impact the Environmental Stewardship and Aboriginal Ecotourism Training programs had on students’ work performance:

“Taking this course stepped up my game in archaeology and I was able to technically work with the archaeologist after this course and recognize archaeological facts…I have that

certification so I’m able to actually tell people that I’ve got a little bit of a title.”

“Now [student’s] Manager is asking her to develop policies and help him to do this and this because of her exposure. She now has connections She can talk to people, whereas before

that wouldn’t be something [her Manager] would have talked to her about. It’s expanded her abilities and her capacity but also her contribution to her workplace.”


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Communities (including those that partnered with VIU in program design and implementation, those from which students were recruited, those in which ACBDPP programming took place and those in which students applied their learning) also benefited from the ACBDPPs. Respondents noted, however, that it is still too early to comprehensively assess the effects of the ACBDPPs on communities, as each program has thus far only been delivered to one cohort (with the exception of Introduction to First Nations Culinary Arts which was delivered to 2 cohorts) and the number of students affected is therefore still quite small.

Social impact

Respondents commented that the ACBDPPs inspired the communities in which programming took place (particularly in the Aboriginal Ecotourism Training program which involved delivery in multiple communities). Community members who met the students and witnessed their growth became excited about what they were learning. Others became interested in accessing similar training when they were introduced to the program Facebook page through friends or family who were taking courses. Sharing in the students’ successes raised morale and stimulated communities to think about broader educational and economic opportunities for their own people going forward. Respondents commented:

“We had the [Aboriginal Ecotourism Training] graduation in Powell River and it had an impact on their community, their Elders and those living there. They were like: this is great, we need

to do more of this.”

“The host communities that the participants went into, it inspired them to support the development of their Aboriginal Ecotourism business in their communities…they’re seeing

other Aboriginal people from similar communities and saying wow if those people can do that we should be doing that too.”

In addition, the presence of VIU instructors in community resulted in benefits. This occurred through both formal and informal interactions. For example, an explicit goal in the Event Management and Tourism Training program was to build community capacity through knowledge mobilization. Instructors therefore engaged members by going door-to-door to talk about the program and organizing open classes at night. In addition, community members informally approached instructors to chat about VIU and post-secondary education in general. One instructor commented:

“[I] met with students to talk about programs that had nothing to do with [Event Management] - hairdressing and esthetics and graphic design. I was just in the community, I

was a VIU prof, [and people said] hey meet my nephew, he’s interested in graphic design, what can you tell him about VIU.”

4.2 IMPACT OF ACBDPPS ON COMMUNITIES


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Cultural impact

A couple of respondents also described ways in which the skills students gained through the ACBDPPs translated into cultural benefits for communities. Students in the Environmental Stewardship program for example, learned how to recognize archeological artefacts through their coursework. When they applied their new skills in the field, they found items of cultural significance on their territories that they would not have otherwise noticed. One student commented:

“After taking that course and being out in the field, we identified a canoe run. It was really cool. And if I hadn’t taken that course I wouldn’t have recognized what it was.”

In other cases, respondents described transformative learning experiences they had in the ACBDPPs, which caused them to interact differently with their environment and attach new meaning to their surroundings. This also had cultural impacts on students and communities. Respondents said:

“What I heard from more than one person was that it just helped them to see things differently. They’re finding more things while they’re out on the territory, finding artefacts,

finding significant sites, because suddenly they know what they’re looking for. And that has a significant cultural impact on the community.”

Economic impact

Finally, respondents commented that ACBDPPs provided communities with an opportunity to advanced their economic goals and build capacity in a priority area. One respondent commented:

“One of our goals in our community is that we want people to be able to understand how to run your own business. I really think [the Business Fundamentals program] has helped our

people to think - especially when we talked about economics - for them to understand…it is a program that we want our members to take because of all the business development here. We’re looking at banks coming in to build across the road and maybe even a hotel, another

gas station, a Tim Horton’s. So I think the Business Fundamentals program is exactly what we need in our community.”

Some respondents also noted that the ACBDPPs resulted in more immediate economic impact as well, when funds were allocated to community directly from the ACBDPP grant to support program implementation:

“When we were purchasing services, like accommodations, food and catering, we tried to make sure it was of benefit to the Aboriginal community. I think it’s [also] important to

recruit Aboriginal instructors where possible, because these are targeted dollars for Aboriginal communities so that’s who should be the main beneficiary not only in the form of

education and training, but also in the form of revenue and employment into the communities.”


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Instructors engaged in reciprocal learning through the ACBDPPs as they themselves experienced transformative shifts. Several instructors remarked that their ACBDPP classes felt very different from those they taught on campus. Instructors also commented that they enjoyed working with students who looked out for each other and created a tight-knit learning community. This enriched the classroom environment as it stimulated more student-led discussion, but it also meant less material could be covered in the time allotted. Instructors also had to adapt to logistical and technological challenges (e.g. Internet connectivity was unreliable in most of the ACBDPPs) and redesign curriculum to better suit the needs of their students. Overall, instructors commented that the time they spent interacting with students and community was very powerful for them, both personally and professionally. All instructors who participated in the Gathering Feedback exercise said they would teach in the ACBDPPs again.

Relationship-building and increased awareness of Aboriginal students’ realities

Several instructors commented that they enjoyed getting to know their ACBDPP students more intimately than they would have gotten to know students in a class on campus. Spending time together and developing relationships helped instructors build trust with the students. Furthermore, as they heard students’ stories and became familiar with the realities of their day-to-day lives, including their obligations to family and community, instructors started to better understand their strengths, challenges and resilience. Instructors commented:

“I was accepted towards the end of the week. I felt like I had a place in [the students’] space…[the students] started to smile more frequently…it was really great to see that

reciprocation…teaching is reciprocal.”

“I enjoy the students. I know them probably better than I would know my normal class. And you feel vested in them because you know them and you want them to succeed. You start

being a bit more flexible in things because you have a better relationship with [them] and you get that they have challenges in their life.”

“The other professional development was I gained a higher appreciation of the barriers that face First Nations when they’re trying to get an education in a traditional institution...I get

that just for them to be sitting in that chair is such a huge accomplishment...[before] I had an intellectual appreciation, but after I talked to the [students], I think emotionally and from the

heart I got it.”

Enhanced connection to indigenous perspectives

The ACBDPPs helped instructors feel more connected to indigenous ways of knowing and being. Instructors appreciated when students and communities shared parts of their culture, both in and out of class. One instructor commented that she wished she could have spent more time in community to have heard more stories and learned more. She mentioned that what she did learn profoundly affected her:

4.3 IMPACT OF ACBDPPS ON INSTRUCTORS


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“What I learned from [my students] was just fantastic. I get goose bumps thinking about [it]. They just showed me the tip of the iceberg of their culture…[the students were] deeply

connected to the land and to the mood and the rhythm. There’s so much more that they have in their language and their sense about the environment than we do in our non-Aboriginal

approach...they just felt everything about the land.”

Teaching in the ACBDPPs also prompted some instructors to reflect on their own social location and how they were bringing their whole person to their work. One instructor commented that he was valued by the community in which he taught more for his role as a father and husband than for his expertise as a professor. Another described learning that came out of the discomfort and vulnerability she experienced when entering the community knowing she was an outsider and only staying for a short time:

“For me, coming to [community] to teach and being with [the students] immersed in [their] culture and values and attitudes, it felt like I was a person from Mars because [they] are so

different in [their] approach…I guess my big worry was the relationships, because I was literally parachuting in and part of being a good teacher is to have good relationships with

your students and build trust and I didn’t know how I could do that in a short period of time. When I got there I felt like an outsider. People feel really crappy when they feel like outsiders

and so it was really good professionally for me to be in that position.”

Changing practice

Instructors made efforts to continue their learning when they returned to VIU, contributing to reconciliation and indigenization in many different forms. One respondent described seeking out opportunities to deepen her understanding of history and culture by engaging in research and reading around residential schools and attending a Truth and Reconciliation workshop in her local community. Another instructor requested that his department reschedule a team retreat so that he could attend VIU’s Totem Pole Unveiling Ceremony as he valued the opportunity to participate in the sharing of culture at this event. Yet another individual thought seriously about what it truly means to engage in an “authentic partnership” and used his voice to call on others at VIU to uphold the institution’s commitments to Aboriginal communities. He said:

“I took a great deal of responsibility in terms of being careful what we promised…I recall one Council meeting where as a lone representative of the institution in this remote community with literally the finger being pointed at me [it] was very uncomfortable. And I recall that

night going back to my bed and writing an email that I characterized as a Jerry Maguire email to everybody and their dog on campus saying I need some support. We agreed to deliver for

this community and we’re not holding up to our end. Help me. Put up or shut up.”


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Respondents acknowledged that relationships with community look and feel different from those VIU might have with other stakeholders or in other types of programs. While protocol and other agreements were in place to formalize working relationships between VIU and community for the ACBDPPs, establishing and maintaining an authentic relationship required VIU to essentially “bring its whole person” to the table:

“Once [VIU] commits to a community, there’s an expectation that it’s going well beyond the program, well beyond the defines of the delivery. It’s like a family and once you gain trust you

have to be there to support. So [instructor] committed and he was volunteering [outside of the course he was teaching] and he worked night and day supporting that community. We

weren’t getting paid to do that, but it’s part of being a family in that relationship.

Historical context impacted VIU’s relationships with Aboriginal communities

It was also acknowledged that the working relationships between VIU and communities in the ACBDPPs were contextualized within the larger context of historical relationships between Aboriginal people and Canada / BC. Respondents discussed that the historical context gave added importance to the need to maintain authentic relationships with Aboriginal communities in the ACBDPPs. One instructor commented on the responsibility he felt to ensure VIU followed through on its commitment to community:

“I do recall one Council meeting where I was put on the hot seat and I can tell you that my internal feeling at the time was that they [the community] were looking at the historical relationship between that Nation and Canada and then to the province and then to the

protocol agreement signed with VIU and then directly to me. And going: deliver on what you promised.

Institutional structures sometimes created systemic barriers

At times, institutional policies and processes contradicted community needs. For example, the regulations around hiring instructors for VIU credit courses created challenges. The Right of First Refusal policy associated with the Vancouver Island University Faculty Association (VIUFA) collective agreement, for example, meant that teaching positions had to first be offered to faculty with seniority, who were not necessarily ideal candidates for working in community:

“[Right of first refusal] created a huge challenge for us, because we were at risk of putting colleagues that we did not feel were well-suited to working in a community setting…there

was at least one instance where there was an interchange between a faculty member and a student that was inappropriate and it could have absolutely been dire for the project and the

relationship and it came down to [instructor] suitability.”

4.4 COMPLEXITIES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PARTNERS IN

ACBDPPS


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Another issue was the wage discrepancy between VIU and community employees. Respondents discussed that community hires received a lower level of compensation than did VIU employees for similar work. It was acknowledged that collective bargaining agreements and the funder’s budget guidelines played a role in this process, as did the fact that VIU was responsible for compensating instructors, which increased the institution’s costs. However, community commented that the lion’s share of funding being allocated to VIU made them feel like they were part of an unequal partnership in which their time was less valued. One community partner commented:

“It’s inequitable and if we’re going to be moving forward as partners in this process there needs to be more equity for the First Nations partners.”

Other challenges arose as well related to VIU’s internal systems. For example, community partners described their frustrations in waiting while requests for funds went through VIU approval processes, and sometimes ended up using their own credit cards to purchase food and other necessities for students while they were attending courses. Instructors also described the difficulties they faced in redesigning curriculum as they had to balance exercising their right to academic freedom to meet community’s needs with ensuring course learning outcomes were met in accordance with university Senate standards. One instructor commented:

“We were right on the line as to what we felt was appropriate in terms of the academic rigour and the applied nature of the program…I think at the end of it we all feel very comfortable

with what we did but at the same time that’s the line I would say that we walked on. Any less than that would have just been a nice field study.”

Institutional processes were refined through trial and error

Because the ACBDPPs were different from VIU’s “usual business,” institutional processes were sometimes piloted for the first time through these programs. In some cases, this worked smoothly. For example, the Aboriginal Ecotourism Training Program allowed VIU and North Island College to test an existing dual admission process and students were successfully registered at both institutions. In other cases, VIU Project Administrators had to liaise internally to iron out wrinkles. For example, a challenge arose when students in the ACBDPPs were mistakenly sent a letter as part of a mass VIU mail out saying they had outstanding tuition. The VIU Project Administrator reassured the students and worked with Registration to correct the data. As well, the ACBDPP team had to work with the Vancouver Island University Faculty Association (VIUFA) to prepare job posting that would lead to the recruitment of instructors suited to working in community. This process improved with each ACBDPP in which it was tested.


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Internal and external relationship-building spiralled into new partnerships and engagement

Though there were certainly some challenges in the ACBDPP partnerships, respondents seemed to feel that these relationships were successful overall. The ACBPPs have thus helped VIU build a reputation among Aboriginal communities as a resource. Students and communities who engaged with VIU through the ACBDPPs communicated their interest in partnering with the institution again during the Gathering Feedback exercise. These stakeholders have also referred their community contacts to VIU to discuss future collaboration in meeting their training needs. The external relationship-building VIU accomplished through the ACBDPPs has thus led to new engagement with Aboriginal communities:

“I know the relationship will continue. I think it’s only going to improve and if we’re not successful with this funding proposal from the province I know that we’ll seek other ways to

find funding to do this training so I think those are positives and our plan is to continue to commit to building on what we’ve done and improving it and carrying on the relationship.”

Internal relationships strengthened through the ACBDPPs have also sparked further collaboration with Aboriginal communities. For example, a new potential community partnership was explored by OAEE in 2015 based on a connection facilitated by an instructor in one of the ACBDPPs who was already working with that community. As well, strong relationships with Departments and Faculties are important because individual instructors often have pre-existing relationships with colleagues at other public post-secondary institutions with whom VIU may be able to collaborate to meet communities’ needs. Respondents thus discussed that going forward the stories of community-based programs should be shared more widely within Departments and Faculties in order to establish and maintain some of these potential partnerships.


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5 CONCLUSIONS

Strong relationships are critical to the success of ACBDPPs

The gathering feedback exercise highlighted the degree to which strong relationships between all stakeholders (VIU and community, VIU and other institutions and internally within VIU itself) are critical to the successful implementation of community-based programming. Strong relationships are grounded in trust and facilitate transparency and collaboration to overcome challenges. Within the ACBDPPs, where partners had already built trust, they were able to communicate openly and honestly with each other. This allowed them to immediately address tensions in a collaborative, supportive and solutions-focused manner. A number of promising practices for establishing and maintaining strong relationships with community were highlighted through the ACBDPPs:

Authentic relationships require engaging with communities beyond the defines of program delivery

In order to uphold authentic partnerships, the institution must commit to supporting the community in a holistic sense. This may include engaging outside the scope of specific project activities and timelines. In addition, authentic relationships must be constantly renewed. This is why VIU Project Administrators and Community Coordinators exchange resources and check in with each other even when they are not actively working together on a project:

“If you’ve got those relationships, you constantly have to nurture them. So even if we’re not doing work, it’s: what’s on your plate? What’s going on up in [community]? I just saw

something and it might have nothing to do with VIU, but up it goes…I’m writing things for community, I’m helping them out in other ways…I find that is very important to extend that.”

Having a point person (e.g. a VIU Project Administrator) in charge of building and maintaining external and internal relationships with a focus on supporting community needs is thus valuable and facilitates smooth implementation of community-based programs. One VIU Project Administrator commented:

“I try to keep as much friction out of the path of the instructor and student as possible. Those are my issues to deal with. [I] intervene for students if I need to, advocate for students and

vice versa for faculty. It’s being that go-between. So [it’s] critical for me to have strong relationships with both so I can be frank with both.”


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Broad institutional support is necessary to communicate authenticity

Respondents also emphasized that strong internal collaboration within VIU is necessary to support authentic relationships with community. This requires institutional support at all levels – executive, administrative and operational. Representatives all the way from the President of VIU who signs the agreement with community down to the lone instructor working on the ground to implement the agreement to the best of his ability must be invested in the relationship. Respondents in the Gathering Feedback exercise commented on both VIU’s successes and challenges in this area:

“Thank goodness there was a high level of commitment from the President of VIU, who basically said make this happen whatever you need to do. That high level of commitment

[was important]; otherwise, I think it might have been extremely challenging for [VIU Project Administrators] to actually make it happen.”

On the other hand, one respondent commented on the difficulty he encountered in trying to secure “tangible supports” (tents, tables and chairs) from VIU. These materials were required to support an event in community, which this respondent felt the university had committed to delivering on:

“We had made a commitment to deliver. The President had committed us. So we were really high profile being a partner with this community. But at the same time some members of the

community felt that they weren’t getting support they needed…and by support I mean tangible support as well as supporting our students…but tangible support for the event was

stupidly difficult to come by. My own reflection on it is that there was an executive commitment but the bureaucracy between the executive and operations that didn’t filter

down.” Trust is built through learning to be together

Despite the many challenges associated with the relationships operationalized through the ACBDPPs (as described in Section 4.4), partners were able to work together to overcome most obstacles. Part of the reason these relationships functioned so positively was that partners had spent time together and had become comfortable with each other. These personal relationships supported the work of the ACBDPPs by building trust:

“The reality is you get to know the individuals as people. And you’ve been in their homes and you’ve shared food and you’ve lived with them and so they’re your colleagues. They truly are your colleagues…I trust my contacts within the communities and I think they trust me. They

would count on me that I’ll make it work somehow - within reason - and vice versa.”


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6 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ammenwertha, E., Illerb, C., & Mansmann, U. (2003). Can evaluation studies benefit from triangulation? International Journal of Medical Informatics, 237-248.

Bledsoe, K., & Graham, J. (2005). The Use of Multiple Evaluation Approaches in Program Evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, 302-319.

Bowen, S. (n.d.). A Guide to Evaluation in Health Research. Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

General Practice Services Committee. (2009). A GP for Me/Attachment initiative. Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://www.gpscbc.ca/attachment-initiative/

Government of Canada and Government of British Columbia. (2014/15). Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Program (ACBDPP) Application Guide 2014/15.

Hart, M.A. (2010). Indigenous Worldviews, Knowledge, and Research: The Development of an Indigenous Research Paradigm. Journal of Indigenous Voices in Social Work, 1-16.

Mayne, J. (2008). Contribution analysis: An approach to exploring cause and effect.

Nanaimo Division of Family Practice. (Fall 2013). GP for Me Initiative - VIU Survey. Nanaimo.

NationTalk. (2015, February 9). New Call for Proposals and Changes to the Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Program. Retrieved May 29, 2015, from http://nationtalk.ca/story/new-call-for-proposals-and-changes-to-the-aboriginal-community-based-delivery-partnerships-program

Partnership for the Public's Health . (2002). Participatory Evaluation.

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Utilization-Focused Evaluation (U-FE) Checklist.

The Indigenous Adult & Higher Learning Association. (2013, April 21). Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Program 2013-14 Application Guide. Retrieved May 29, 2015, from http://iahla.ca/news/aboriginal-community-based-delivery-partnerships-program-2013-14-application-guide

The World Bank Group. (2007). Monitoring & Evaluation for Results.

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Building Our Understanding: Key Concepts of Evaluation .

University of Kansas. (2014). Section 1. Developing a Logic Model or Theory of Change. Retrieved March 19, 2015, from Community Toolbox: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-health-and-development/logic-model-development/main


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7 APPENDICES

TABLE 6: LIST OF PROGRAM FUNDING APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THROUGH 2015

ESS CALL FOR PROPOSALS Program Name Development

Region Years of Funding Applied for

Community Partner Lead VIU Campus

Aboriginal Ecotourism Training Program

Vancouver Island / Coast

2015/16-2016/17

Heiltsuk Tribal Council and North Island College

Nanaimo

Stewardship Technicians Training for First Nations on the BC Coast Program

North Coast / Dechako

2015/16-2017/18

Coastal First Nations and Nanwakolas Council Society

Nanaimo

Stewardship Technicians Training for First Nations on the BC Coast Program


2015/16-2017/18

Coastal First Nations and Nanwakolas Council Society

Nanaimo

Business Fundamentals for Aboriginal Communities


2015/16-2017/18

Cowichan Tribes and Stz’uminus First Nation

Cowichan and Tofino/Powell River

Ta'Tul'ut Shqwaluwun - Trades Exploration - (Learning About Your Whole Being)


2015/16-2017/18

Cowichan Tribes and Stz’uminus First Nation

Cowichan

Professional Cook 1 Vancouver Island / Coast

2015/16-2017/18

Cowichan Tribes Cowichan

LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse)


2015/16-2017/18


Work Skills Customer Service Vancouver Island / Coast

2015/16-2017/18


Stz’uminus Employment Hub


2015/16-2017/18

Stz’uminus First Nation

Cowichan

Introduction to Construction Trades and ITA Carpentry


2015/16-2017/18

Mount Currie Band Cowichan

7.1 ESS PROGRAM LIST


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1. Tell me about your role in the [name of Aboriginal community-based program]. 2. How did you feel about your community’s relationship with VIU during this

program (planning, implementation and reporting)? a. What was the relationship like before partnering on the program? b. How do you feel the experience of partnering on the program changed your

relationship with VIU? c. How would you like the relationship to be going forward?

3. How do you think this program has impacted your community? a. Did it help build capacity in the community? If so, how? b. Did it help the community meet its goals? If so, which ones/how? c. What social, economic and cultural impacts did the program have on

community? 4. What do you think students are taking away from their participation in this

program? a. How did impact them personally? b. How did it impact them as learners? c. What knowledge/skills did they gain? d. What was the most significant impact in your opinion that it had on students

(either positive or negative)? 5. How have you seen students applying their learning?

a. In their lives? b. In community? c. In further schooling or work?

6. Did the program have any other impacts you would like to mention, including any that you did not expect?

7. Anything else you would like to add?

7.2 COMMUNITY COORDINATOR INTERVIEW GUIDE


37

Intro 1. What was your role in the [name of Aboriginal community-based program]? 2. Tell me about your experience in [name of Aboriginal community-based program].

Instructor Impact 3. What did you take away from your participation in this program?

a. How did being immersed in community affect you? b. How did your participation affect your relationship with indigenous

knowledge? c. How did your participation affect your professional relationships? d. What was the most significant impact the program had on you? e. How has your experience impacted your work at VIU?

4. What helped you be successful in your role? 5. What would have helped you be more successful?

a. What supports did you need, especially from VIU?

Student Impact 6. What impacts did you see the program have on your students?

a. How did it affect them personally? b. How did it affect them as learners? c. What knowledge and skills did they gain? d. How do you think this will impact their future academic and employment

opportunities? e. What was the most significant impact the program had on your students?

Closing 7. Did the program have any impacts you didn’t expect? 8. Anything else you would like to add?

7.3 INSTRUCTOR INTERVIEW GUIDE


38

Impact on VIU and its relationships 1. Tell me about your role in Aboriginal community-based programs. 2. Tell me a bit about the relationship between VIU and community in these programs.

a. What was the relationship like before, during and after? b. How do you feel about the nature of this relationship? c. What ideas do you have for working even more effectively together?

3. How do you think the community-based programs have changed relationships between VIU and community?

4. Tell me a bit about the relationship between VIU and other post-secondary institutions in these programs.

a. What was the relationship like before, during and after? b. How do you feel about the nature of this relationship? c. What ideas do you have for working even more effectively together?

5. How do you think the community-based programs have changed relationships between VIU and other institutions?

Impact on students and instructors 6. What impact do you think community-based programs are having on instructors?

a. How do you see their perspectives on indigenous knowledge changing? 7. What impact do you think the community-based programs are having on students?

a. How do they affect the way students see themselves as people? b. How do they affect the way students see themselves as learners? c. What components of the programs do you think are creating these impacts?

General 8. Have the community-based programs had any impacts (positive or negative) that

you didn’t expect? 9. Is there anything else you would like to add?

7.4 VIU PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR INTERVIEW GUIDE


39

1. Tell me about your experience in the [name of Aboriginal community-based program].

2. Why did you sign up for this program? a. What were your goals (educational/life/professional) / what did you hope to

get out of it? 3. What helped you do well in the program?

a. How did your community support you? b. What other supports were helpful?

4. What did you learn through the program? a. What did you learn about yourself? b. What did you learn about being a student?

i. How did the program connect you to VIU? ii. Did the program help you see yourself as a university student?

c. What did you learn that surprised you? d. How did the program help you meet your goals

(educational/life/professional)? e. What else did you learn?

5. Who have you shared your learning with? 6. How have you applied your learning?

a. At home? b. In your community? c. At school? d. At work?

7. What is next for you? a. What are your plans for going back to school? b. What are your plans for work in the future? c. How did the program change your ideas about what you want to do in the

future? 8. What effect do you think this program had on your community?

a. Capacity building, social/economic/cultural effects? 9. Is there anything else you would like to add?

7.5 STUDENT INTERVIEW GUIDE

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