I very much enjoyed the course given by Dr. Tracy Paul and her assistants. I also loved the art created and explained by Leah Dorion to supplement the course,

It was an excellent presentation of material on Indigenous Canada and my level of information has grown by leaps and bounds.

I looked forward to every class, scheduled them in my daily planner, and they were a priority in my weekly plans.

I have spoken to family and friends about this course and what I have learned these past 12 weeks. I have encouraged them to do the same....some have said they will!

I have never taken an online course before, If I do again, I sure hope that it meets the high standards that this University of Alberta Indigenous Canada course did. It was excellent.

Thank you all so very much.

Suzanne Watson

I enjoy the course very much , their were a lot of things I didn't know much about and this course shown me / open my eyes to a lot of things that i wasn't aware of and now i have a better understanding about the indigenous people and the things they went through and still are going through and I can understand their plight and why they are so sceptial about other ethic groups ,due to their past history etc. If i had knew about this course I would have taken it ages ago and also it will help me with my future career path of an Addiction and Community counselor , which I will start very soon hopefully , I hope that I could find more courses along this same line to help me more in the future and thank you very much for this wonderful and eye opening course sincerely Rick jones.

As a big-city descendant of "settlers" I have had a woefully weak knowledge of the injustices suffered by Indigenous Canadians. This marvellous course has opened my mind and heart. None of my ancestors, to my knowledge, had direct responsibility for Indigenous=settler relations or government decisions. I wish I could talk with them now, to see if they would be as ashamed as I feel.

I found out about this course thru a link from HIP (Honouring Indigenous People) which I support as they appear to offer constructive projects in partnership with Indigenous communities. This U of A course has taught me a lot. But in the spirit of "Idle No More" I feel called to participate more actively in these projects - financial support may help with the shame I feel, but that's not enough.

What a beautifully presented course. As an American neighbor to Canada our history is woven together. Our history has been white washed and presented to us from only one point of view. A view that makes us believe the lands were our right to take and inhabit as we founded them. We've been led to believe untruths about Indigenous people. This course opened up those false truths, shed light on things that have been glossed over in a positive light to make the history more appeasing and less brutal than it actually was. This course is very important and should be introduced to all learners in our school systems. Thank you very much, I've learned a lot and I will take those lessons with me and integrate them into my life going forward. I'm committed to being a life long learner.

Compelling course detailing the vibrant and diverse ways of being and knowing of our country's indigenous people. A great introductory course that traces the history and perspectives of indigenous cultures from pre-contact to today, it is not afraid to address some of the more catastrophic and tragic interactions between settlers and aboriginal people.

The videos contain some very insightful interviews with indigenous scholars, authors, and artists, both in English and native languages.

I would recommend this course to any Canadian who wants to gain a greater understanding of indigenous issues, wants to learn about the tremendous diversity of cultural beliefs and practices of indigenous people, and how these beliefs and practices interact with modern western settler culture.

This course came highly recommended by friends and it lived up to that high recommendation. I feel like I have learned a lot over the past couple of months and at the same time realize that this course is just scratching the surface. But the course has given me a good foundation and a sense of direction for further study. It also has made me think about our shared future. At the same time as working through the course I have been reading books by indigenous writers, both fiction and non-fiction. Small steps in trying to work my way through the complexities. This is such a sad history and I appreciate the tone in the course which did not make me feel like I needed to be defensive. It makes it easier to step up, acknowledge wrongs, and work towards positive change.

I just completed the course online after 12 weeks of study in the evenings and on weekends. I would recommend this course to anyone, and will recommend to friends/family/colleagues. It has had an indelible impact on my life, on my own personal history and past, growing up not far from the reserve of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and has really caused me to stop and think about how I have lived my life to this point, reflecting on my current life, and how I would like to move forward into the future...

I can sum it up no better than the course is at once profound, deeply impactful, fascinating, emotionally taxing, and inspirational. Again, I can’t thank the University of Alberta and the faculty enough for the opportunity to learn this course for free. ~ Andrew O'Brien

I found the course to be an extremely eye opening experience. I was reminded of some indigenous teachings early on in my elementary school years, and then introduced to the darker sides of indigenous relations history. Personally I was uncomfortable with the references of continued colonial oppression, as I would have thought more collaborative discussions toward reconciliation & reparations would be more beneficial. That being said the atrocities of the past do continue to resonate, and I cannot speak to the immeasurable harms they have cost so many, and the culture as a whole. Therefore I am in no position to dictate how the message is presented, and feel I have gained new prospective into the definite lack of forward progress (especially from Canadian governments).

Fantastic information, I learned a lot from it and look forward to sharing my knowledge with my students. I'm a Canadian Forces Military Police member and worked in Cold Lake for 7 years. I now teach at the Canadian Forces Military Police Academy, and I think that it is very important for Military Police (and police in general) to know about the complexities of policing the Indigenous communities and to have a better understanding of their mistrust for the police. A lot of things mentioned in the course are things I heard of, but did not know in depth. The readings and videos, as well as interactive interviews really ensured that all students could capture the information and fully understand the importance of what was being taught. I would definitely recommend to anyone.

Very informative. I came to Canada in 1969 and did not know the language. I was in grade 2 at the time and experienced a lot of discrimination and hardship. When I was in grade 7 my junior high school had an indigenous exhibit and that when I became very interested in indigenous culture. I have read many texts, like the infested blanket and the Beothuks, that disappeared from Newfoundland, wiped out. Currently I am reading a text called the sleeping giant awakens. Its hard for me to observe the genocide that has taken place against our indigenous people, and in a way continues today with denial. I follow Cindy Blackstock and her activities of trying to write wrongs, very courageous. I enjoyed learning. Stay strong and continue the education of the community. Miigwech.

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this course. As a non-Indigenous Canadian who lives in southern Ontario I appreciate 'this primer' to help me ground my learning moving forward. The learning format was enjoyable with the mix of presentations, interviews, quizzes, additional resources and the integration of art to spark my curiosity and reinforce key points. I chose to learn through the modules in a two-week period, doing more module per day when I made time. It was a good pace for me! I have recommended this Indigenous Canada course to some of my colleagues, friends and family members. I feel that I am looking at events and issues locally, nationally and internationally in different ways as I travelled this course's path during two wintry weeks in 2021.

This course is a must for older and younger Canadians. I am a Canadian of Irish decent. I was always taught to be proud of my culture, but many of my First nation friends were not. I didn't understanding their struggle or the laws in place to suppress them as people. It wasn't till I was older that I realized how white washed my education actually was. My friends would perform cultural dances and make traditional art all through elementary and high school. I got to see only a little bit of a culture that my ancestors tried to oppress, but from what I was able to see it is beautiful. Its a culture of community. Which is what the name Canada means. Community being there for one another. If you want to understand our history told properly I suggest you take this course.

It is a very valuable course - thank you so much! A bit of feedback: I noticed some small technical issues where the answer for a "pop-up-question" during a video would come after the question had been asked. Also, the first time I encountered one of these "pop-up-questions," I didn't realize that I could scroll down through a selection of answers! Oh well! I have some questions about the way that Indigenous men are portrayed in this course - I was surprised to find myself feeling like some aspects of "maleness," to me, kind of portrayed Euro-centered values. I'm not saying this as a criticism, only that I may have misunderstood what was being presented, or was seeing the information through a lens of just not understanding "maleness" full-stop, as I'm a woman.

I took this course to learn the true history of Canada and it did not disappoint. Indigineous history was not taught when I went to school. I attended school in Ontario with several Algonquin but mostly non-Indigineous students. In my adult years I heard stories of the treatment of Indigineous Peoples but this course has really opened my eyes to the mistreatment and attempted assimilation. As a result, I will look at things differently from now on. I am the mayor of a small community in BC with many Indigineous people living in and around the Village. I now have a deeper understanding of Indigineous culture and history and will strive to be more inclusive and understanding in all my dealings with our neighbours. Thank you for this opportunity to learn the truth.

I registered for this course to learn about the history of residential schools, among other topics, and to understand the issues we are facing as a result of that history, and how to show respect and move forward. I learned so much more and am left with much to think about and what I can do. The materials are excellent and I will reread them as there is much to absorb and digest. Appreciated having three lecturers, they were excellent. I really enjoyed the artwork and its storytelling at the end of each course. This latter component has inspired me to want to purchase Indigenous art. I am not an expert in this area but I enjoyed it for its storytelling - meaningful, simple but complex. with a beauty in its wisdom. Thank you very much for a great course.

I am very honored and proud to have completed the Indigenous Canada course offered by the University of Alberta. It reaffirmed knowledge I gained growing up within Treaty 6 territory and near the Cold Lake, Kehiwin, and Blue Quills First Nation. What surprised me what how much I didn't know but this course brought to light the historical & present context that I did not receive or understand. I challenge all of you to complete this course. My personal experience is that it has absolutely reframed my view of the history of Canada, Indigenous people, and the struggles they are continuously facing. It is online and free but would encourage everyone to take the diploma version to ensure the University has the resources to continue to invest in programs like this.

Very enjoyable course! I learned some new concepts that I was unaware of and reminded of some that I had misplaced over the years. The only criticism that I have is I would have liked to see the presenters speaking more free-form and sharing their knowledge, rather than just reading from a script (that ended up being our course notes!). But overall, the lessons were well-presented and the material was engaging. I would recommend that the course provide the student with links to outside materials such as websites and Youtube videos on some of the topics, For e.g. I found it most helpful to go and watch some CBC archival footage on the Oka Crisis and to watch the interviews on the Truth and Reconciliation website. This additional material rounded out the course.

I learned so much from this course! It was created with a lot of heart, but also great intelligence. I appreciated how I could both listen and read the transcript of each lesson, I loved the art work, I think the tests were tough but they made me review the material, which covered a lot of history and analysis. I am very grateful to have taken this course. It helped me to understand Oka and Idle No More, but also gave me the tools to understand things not covered like the Tsuut'ina and the ring road in Calgary, Joyce Echaquan in Joliette and Eishia Hudson in Winnipeg. I wish I could understand and change the source of the negative attitudes expressed by many Canadians, and I cherish and celebrate all the things the course allowed me to experience. Thank you!

This course - which is also available free of charge - has provided me with so much information and history and background about an extensive array of subjects that deal with the colonialization of Indigenous peoples of Canada (and elsewhere) and their historic determination to not let go of their culture. Coming from Northern Ontario, and seeing first hand the unfair and inappropriate treatment of and attitudes towards many first nations people, I was very happy to take this course and follow the history from first settlers on. To be honest - although it was very difficult material emotionally at times, I am left with a very positive notion that our indigenous neighbours, friends, artists and activist community will grow stronger with each generation.

The learning content in this course was invaluable. So much of what was taught flips what most non-indigenous Canadians have come to know, believe, what we have been taught by successive governments, teachers, religious people, grandparents is false, told through the purposeful lense of colonialism. The course really makes me think about all that was here before colonialists arrived, the language, culture, governing, artisticness, roles of women, communities, deep deep history, and so much more. With a stroke of a pen, the church long ago gave permission for explorers to declare land after land, and people after people, their histories, cultures, societies nul and void, which was so wrong, and why the history in this course needs to be learned by all.

An eyeopening and mind expanding course of Indigenous People, their culture, their history, and their significance in all lives who live, work, and/or study in Canada. Though a primer course to more advanced and detailed courses on the subject of Indigenous Canada, I feel that this program should be mandatory for all schools in Canada. Despite having some basic concept knowledge of Indigenous Canada through the settler society public school system, I learned more during the weeks devoted to learning from this course than I have during my 44 years here on Earth prior. Thank you Dr. Bear and associates for providing stronger educational foundations than I had previous held to help me further appreciate the Indigenous People and their land that I live in.

I loved that this course offered WRITTEN and VIDEO lessons. I find it difficult to learn by just watching a video. By doing some of the learning by reading and re-reading, I absorbed more.

Quizes are also another modality that works well. Quick to do, easy to score, inexpensive to administer, both teacher and learner can assess student learning very quickly.

I wish all Coursera programs included more than one methodology for learning. Video is fine, but it isn't the best for everyone, and it isn't the only way to teach things. Many Coursera program rely too heavily on video as their only teaching tool. There are something like 12 or 14 modalities for teaching students. Thank you for using more than one way. I especially liked your reading materials.

The course was fantastic to be a part of. I enjoyed every lecture, I really enjoyed the layout and the options given (you can read the lecture as it is being presented on screen, and there are course reading notes that really helped me). I think the quizzes may need some re-wording on some questions as they can be confusing and appear irrelevant to helping the student understand the content. But other than that, everything was perfect and I am very grateful and honoured to be able to take this course and learn about Indigenous past and present in Canada. This course is now a gateway for me to be able to learn even more because I know a little more about where to look and I have under my toolbelt some proper perspective to the issues at hand today.

The Indigenous Canada course is beautifully curated, each week revealing a new layer of detailed and fascinating tools to educate and open my mind to a subject that I had previously not had the privilege to learn and understand.

The course is interwoven with a series of wonderful video's, learning resources and art which communicate a diverse and complex history of Indigenous Canada. Over the past 12 weeks I have cultivated an understanding of this fascinating and painful subject, whilst watching the course videos.... Each segment always delivered using respectful, diverse and detailed storytelling.

I am honoured to participate in a course which embodies the beauty and diversity of Indigenous Canada and inspired and hungry to learn more.

Thank you

Hello,

I grew up on Cape Breton Island where I made some friends in school from Potlotek ...though I did not understand much of their history as a culture, I have always loved them. I grew up being taught by my mother who is french acadian that our people have known the Indigenous peoples , in particular the M'ikmaw peoples for a very long time, and that they have been our trusted friends and protectors for a very long time. There was SO much I did not know, but in my heart- I always wanted to know. Thanks for educating me about the Indigenous Peoples of Canada...about the friends I grew up loving - I have learned so much, so much that I was never taught and now there are things that I understand so much better. Great course- thank you.

Katrina