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Webinar: Decolonizing and Indigenizing PLAR

When
April 10, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Online

Registration

Member
Non-member – $25.00

Registration is closed

Decolonizing and Indigenizing PLAR

with Susan Forseille and Nicole Borhaven

Date & Time: April 10, 2024 noon - 1 p.m. (PST)

Location: Online

Registration deadline: April 8, 2024

Cost: Free to members; $25 to non-members.

Webinar Description

We are proud to be offering this learning opportunity on the traditional territory of the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc.

For generations, Canada has followed a destructive path, acknowledged as genocide by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, rooted in the colonizers' erroneous beliefs of superiority in knowledge and learning. Today, there's a growing awareness of the need for change, prompting institutions like Thompson Rivers University to embark on a journey to decolonize Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) processes. Despite PLAR being seen as a model for open education, this decolonization effort has brought new insights into epistemology and pedagogy. The university's experience reflects the challenges and rewards of this transformative process, highlighting the importance of inclusivity, humility, and openness to diverse learning approaches. The presentation will speak to the inspiration, uncertainties, and lessons learned, emphasizing the illumination of Indigenous ways of knowing. The university's commitment to decolonization is evident in the adjustments made to assessment tools, practices, and policies, signaling hope for a more inclusive and empowering educational landscape.

About the presenters:

Susan Forseille As the Director, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) at Thompson Rivers University, 22-years as a career-educator, and an enthusiastic researcher, Susan Forseille has been privileged to work in, and conduct research around, multiple intersections of career development, prior learning, and education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University, a Master of Education from Thompson Rivers University, and is currently completing her PhD with the University of Leicester. Susan is a passionate PLAR advocate believing adult learners acquire great amounts of knowledge and skills through life and work experience.

Nicole Borhaven is the PLAR Manager for Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC. In this role, she supports her department in strengthening the PLAR program and ultimately, service to the students. Before this, she was a PLAR Advisor for 11 years and has deep insight into the diverse needs of students and how to support those, though acknowledges that this learning is never-ending, especially in the world’s shifting landscape. For the past several years, she and the PLAR Department have been on the meaningful, imperative journey of decolonizing and Indigenizing PLAR.

Sunita Dhir was first elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Langara in 2024.

Sunita was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials in November 2024.

Before being elected to the Legislative Assembly, Sunita worked as a language instructor at SUCCESS, a non-profit organization that supports newcomers on their settlement journey. She has helped hundreds of people learn English and connect with their new communities in British Columbia. She holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Education degrees from Panjab University, as well as a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate from Vancouver Community College.

Sunita has two children with her husband, Navdeep, who works as a longshoreman, and together they live in Vancouver.

Learn more here: https://www.leg.bc.ca/members/43rd-Parliament/Dhir-Sunita

Adina Gray is an educator, speaker, and founder of PurpleOwl AI, a training and consulting firm that helps educators and business professionals harness the power of Generative AI. She also serves as AI Initiatives Lead at Thompson Rivers University, Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics, and Advisor for AI & Digital Strategy with the Central Interior Business Accelerator.

With over 15 years of experience in post-secondary education, Adina designs AI literacy programs and delivers hands-on workshops locally and internationally. She has presented and led sessions across Canada, the United States, Europe and Latin America. A 2025 Women in AI North America Awards Finalist and recipient of the 2025 AI Innovator Award at the AI Revolution in Education Show in San Diego, she is committed to making AI accessible and human centered.

Learn more about Adina, here: purpleowlai

Stan Daniels (T’ult) is a Secwépemc educator, author, and governance practitioner whose work centers Indigenous storywork as a legal, pedagogical, and relational framework for change. An uncle, brother, son, nephew, and friend first, he grounds his work in kinship accountability, community responsibility, and obligation to future generations. He holds a Master of Education and is the author of Tscwinúcw-k: The Stars of the Secwépemc, a book that honours grief, ancestry, and guidance through Secwépemc teachings.

Stan has worked across governance, education, and Indigenous systems transformation as an elected councillor, policy and governance advisor, project manager, and post-secondary instructor. He has supported Indigenous Nations in law-making, jurisdictional implementation, program and service design, and cultural resurgence, with a particular interest in how story carries law, memory, and responsibility across generations and into institutions.

His work is guided by a central question: If stories carry law, memory, and obligation, what responsibilities do we assume when we carry them into institutional spaces?

Stan approaches storywork like a rez dog: grounded in place, loyal to the people, wary of imposed fences, and always reading the ground before moving forward.