In the months leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a group of staff members in McMaster’s Office of the Registrar came together to deepen their learning of Indigenous history, strengthening their capacity to connect with and serve Indigenous students, faculty and staff.
Starting in June, the group worked through Indigenous Canada, a free online course originally developed by Savage Bear and her team when she worked at the University of Alberta.
Bear, now a faculty member in the Department of Indigenous Studies at McMaster, is director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute.
The Registrar’s Office divided the material into monthly sessions, discussing three modules at a time, and gathered this month at Indigenous Student Services (ISS) to complete their final modules together and share a meal.
University Registrar Darran Fernandez had completed the course once before while at another institution. He said completing it again with a new set of colleagues was a “great re-introduction to the content” and a good way for staff to stay mindful of the role history and associated impacts of intergenerational trauma continues to play in the lives of Indigenous students.
“Building capacity and deepening our collective understanding of the history of this country and its relationship with Indigenous peoples was important for me,” Fernandez said.
“Starting this course during Indigenous History Month and ending it before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was intentional. We wanted this journey to be accessible, relevant and meaningful.”
Taking the course as a team created new opportunities to reflect together.
“It allowed us to be vulnerable with each other, which was an opportunity to deepen relationships and connections,” Fernandez said.
“The Office of the Registrar helps guide the student experience from recruitment to seeing them cross the stage at graduation. We want to keep this knowledge and contextual understanding top of mind as we serve students throughout their journeys.”
Since its launch in 2017 as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), the course has reached more than half a million learners worldwide, making it one of the most widely taken MOOCs in Canada.
For Bernadette Belan, senior associate registrar, joining the group was both personal and professional.
“As an immigrant to Canada, I realized that despite being educated here, I was never taught much about Indigenous peoples or their histories,” she said.
“The residential school section touched me deeply, especially as a mother. Learning about the experiences of children who were taken from their families was heartbreaking. It showed me that reconciliation is an ongoing process that requires listening, learning and taking action.”
Chrissy Doolittle, director of ISS, said welcoming the group into the space created room for meaningful conversations.
“ISS is where Indigenous students are valued and supported. We want that feeling to continue across campus,” Doolittle said.
“By participating in this type of learning, faculty and staff who also engage with Indigenous students will have a better understanding of their perspectives as well as the barriers or challenges they have overcome to be in university.”
For Stephanie Seiler, student services professional, the course emphasized the importance of connecting history to current realities.
“It was a powerful reminder that reconciliation isn’t just about the past, it’s also about the systems and structures that shape people’s lives today,” Seiler said.
“Learning alongside colleagues gave me new perspectives and challenged me to think about the changes we can each make in our work moving forward.”
For Fernandez, that means weaving new perspectives into decisions large and small, from supporting course and program development to graduation ceremonies.
As the university marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, this collective learning journey is one way non-Indigenous people can deepen understanding, reframe assumptions and build relationships grounded in respect.