Indigenous Content in the Curricula of Professional Academic Programs

Abstract

Social work, education, and nursing educators have identified the importance of incor­porating Indigenous content into their accredited curriculum. However, integratingcontent and resources into the curriculum that are accurate and relevant to Indigenouscommunities can be challenging. This article defines and describes curriculum devel­opment and assessment. To facilitate integrating Indigenous content into a curriculum,the Self-Assessment Process for Indigenous Curriculum Content (SAPICC) is de­scribed. Further, the Program Self-Assessment Tool (AT) facilitates this process. Thistool, incorporating 150 topics, was developed using inter-disciplinary literature from1,400 documents. It can be used by faculty to assess syllabi,course outlines, and for ac­creditation self-study. The application of this tool is demonstrated by assessing the self-studies and syllabi of three social work programs. This curriculum self-assessmentprocess and tool can be used to assess the curricula of social work and other professions.