A report on the first Master of Education Program in Nunavut has recently been published by the UPEI Centre for Education Research.

Offered by the University of Prince Edward Island in partnership with the Department of Education of the Government of Nunavut, St. Francis Xavier University, and Nunavut Arctic College, the Nunavut Master of Education in Leadership and Learning is the first graduate program to be offered in Nunavut.

During a special Convocation in Iqaluit on July 1, 2009, 21 Inuit educational leaders from across Nunavut graduated with Master of Education Leadership in Learning degrees from UPEI. Most of the graduates were mature students already working as leaders in their communities.

The three-year, part-time program integrates intensive face-to-face sessions with online learning. Inuit Qaujimajautuqangit (traditional Inuit social values) and a focus on decolonizing methodologies are key components of the program. A video produced by Mark Sandiford and coordinated by Dr. Fiona Walton highlighting the program can be viewed online: upei.ca/education/nunavutmed/video-lighting-qulliq

The report details the background and history of the program, as well as its successes and challenges. Recommendations, both by students and faculty, are given as considerations for future cohorts of the program. Program evaluation and research were integral to the program with student interviews and surveys conducted at several stages and instructor feedback solicited after the program was complete. Participants and program instructors noted increased growth in confidence, voice, Inuit identity, critical thinking, and writing ability as the program evolved.

"The MEd program is acting as a catalyst in the development of Inuit educational leaders by bringing them together to discuss shared challenges and concerns as they build an educational system that responds to the needs of Inuit students and their families who constitute the 85% majority-population in Nunavut," states Dr. Walton.

UPEI and the Government of Nunavut have continued this partnership and are now offering a second cohort of the MEd in Nunavut.

Lighting the Quilliq: The First Master of Education Program in Nunavut