GDI is a Saskatchewan-based educational, employment and cultural institute serving Métis across the province
Sep 4, 2020
Posted in: Curriculum, Education, Master of Education, Teacher Education
The Community-based Master of Education Program in La Ronge was developed through a partnership between Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), the University of Regina and Northlands College. This program has been designed to provide a unique cohort model of graduate education to educators in off-campus locations in order to more effectively link theory to local educational issues and practice. The community-based master’s program is a 30 credit-hour program with a focus on Aboriginal Education.
The first 4 cohorts of the Community-based Master’s program were offered in Prince Albert. This is the first cohort to be based out of La Ronge. Delivery in La Ronge will serve 24 students from across the north in communities such as Meadow Lake, Black Lake, Cumberland House, Beauval, and Stanley Mission. This program was designed specifically to open up education for students in far north, remote communities that otherwise would not be able to access this service.
Due to COVID-19, GDI continues to adjust operations and integrate remote delivery to increase the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. “As much it has been a pain in the tuchus, switching to online classes has also been a blessing for our programs,” says Suzanne Depeel, GDC Administrative Coordinator. This optimism stems from the increased accessibility GDC is able to provide students with a completely online delivery model. This model allows students to learn from their home, in their home communities, without needing to travel to La Ronge for classroom instruction. The online Zoom-based instruction has also improved the quality of educational tools the program has in place. By removing the barrier of far north traveling, the program can now provide knowledge from a wide diversity of guest speakers from across the province, country, and world.
Just over 75 students have graduated from the Master of Education program to date. In July 2022, La Ronge will be able to celebrate their first class of graduates from this program.
GDI is a Saskatchewan-based educational, employment and cultural institute serving Métis across the province
