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Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Open Educational Nursing Resources

Current health assessment textbooks are problematic for three main reasons. First, they are cost-prohibitive creating serious inequities in nursing education. Second, hard-copy textbooks do not permit interactivity or audio-video elements that are instrumental for developing the tacit techniques to perform nursing skills. Third, they incorporate culture in a reductive manner based on normative bodies that are white, thin, heterosexual, and without disability. Overall, many health assessment textbooks have been criticized for reinforcing othering discourse, discrimination, and racism. This is a major concern because not only are students diverse but they are expected to think critically and care for diverse patients/communities in practice.

As part of this project, we created and evaluated an open educational resource (OER), including two chapters focused on health assessment of the eyes and ears; this resource was integrated into a year-one nursing course. Using a learner-centred approach and guided by intersectionality and principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA), this OER was co-curated by faculty and students to promote critical thinking and culturally-responsive health assessment approaches. The guiding evaluation questions are: How did this educational resource advance principles of EDIA, decolonization, and belonging? What necessary changes are needed to advance this resource so that principles of EDIA, decolonization, and belonging are better enhanced?

A survey was completed by a diverse sample of student leads, student advisory committee members, and students in the related course. We found that students reported that the resource was interactive and the design and visual and auditory elements supported their learning needs. Additionally, students found that inclusive language was used and felt their own identities, as well as a diversity of identities were included in the resource. Moving forward, our team will continue to enhance interactivity and multimedia components while considering how to support auditory elements to support learning. We recognize that maintaining a focus on diversity and intersectionality in textual and multimedia elements is an important goal of our work and a discourse of social change and equity in education, nursing, and healthcare. Ensuring resources grounded in social justice is an important first step to cultivating inclusive learning environments.

Presenters

Integrating Indigenous Wisdom into Global Business Learning

Indigenous-owned business face systemic challenges, yet their businesses embody sustainable, community-driven economic models that challenge conventional frameworks. This session explores how integrating Indigenous ways of knowing and being into International Business education fosters an inclusive, effective, and culturally competent learning experience.

Our teaching approach, developed through extensive consultation with Indigenous leaders, Elders, and business leaders, highlights the unique barriers and opportunities Indigenous business encounter in the global market. Building upon over a decade of experience studying the internationalization of Canadian small businesses, I have expanded my work to include Indigenous entrepreneurship. Collaborating closely with Dr. Jesse Bull, an Indigenous economics professor from the Florida International University, and supported by Indigenous research assistant Jeremie Caribou, I have authored research paper titled "Navigating Barriers and Opportunities: Indigenous-Owned SMEs Driving Sustainable International Trade," currently under review with the Multinational Business Review. Additionally, through direct engagement with Indigenous businesses, we have conducted interviews to identify practical strategies, barriers, and policy recommendations supporting economic self-determination and reconciliation efforts.

Active and immersive learning forms the core of our teaching methodology. Real-world Indigenous case studies, interactive discussions, and direct community insights are now embedded in courses such as GMS 200: Introduction to Global Management and GMS 402: Introduction to Managerial Economics. These courses explore Indigenous-to-Indigenous trade, sustainable business practices, and culturally grounded economic decision-making, emphasizing community, reciprocity, and long-term sustainability.

We hope this integration will lead to measurable improvements in student engagement, cultural awareness, and business adaptability, benefiting both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners. Indigenous students could gain validation and inspiration through representation of their communities' practices, while non-Indigenous students could benefit from broader perspectives challenging traditional economic theories.

Thus, this session provides insights and practical tools for educators seeking to meaningfully integrate Indigenous perspectives into their curriculum and for stakeholders dedicated to advancing inclusive entrepreneurship and sustainable economic policies.

Presenters

Sanctuary Scholars Workshop: Supporting Students with Precarious Immigration Status Through Justice-Based Classroom Management and Teaching Practices

Since 2023, TMU’s Office of Social Innovation (OSI) has led the Sanctuary Scholars program, which offers students with precarious immigration status (SPS) an access pathway to higher education (HE). Such a program is necessary given that, over the last decade, there has been increasing prioritization of HE as a response to forced displacement for refugee and migrant populations (Murray and Baker, 2024; UNHCR, 2023). For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) “15 by 30” Roadmap aims to increase enrollment of refugee youth in HE to 15% by 2030. The impact of SPS accessing HE has been well documented (Villegas & Aberman, 2018) as refugee and asylum-seeking youth have described “education as the most positive thing in their lives... primarily because it enable[d] them to focus on the future rather than the past” (Elwyn et al., 2012, 7).

Along with York University, TMU is the first university in Canada to support SPS’ entry into HE through the Sanctuary Scholar program and we have admitted and worked with 85 students to date. We support SPS by: 1) working with them to identify and dismantle systemic barriers to their education, 2) connecting them with campus resources, and 3) supporting them to connect and build community with other SPS. We work to establish a safe and welcoming place for Sanctuary Scholars, recognizing the complex barriers that they face accessing education and campus life, and bolster Sanctuary Scholars’ access and inclusion within a university that has embraced this program as part of its commitment to transforming futures for students whose options are limited for education beyond high school.

As part of our commitment to supporting Sanctuary Scholars as they live, work, study, and build and participate in community, the OSI offers information sessions to faculty, contract lecturers, and TAs/GAs. We propose to offer one of these sessions at this conference. We will build awareness of the challenges and vulnerabilities faced by students in the Sanctuary Scholars program, provide strategies for how to make TMU a more welcoming and inclusive campus for Sanctuary Scholars through classroom-based practices, and share resources.

Presenters