Diversifying the Classroom: Intercultural and Decolonial Teaching with Aisha Haque

Diversity is crucial in higher education. Bringing together various lived experiences, perspectives, and knowledge is how we evolve our understanding of the world around us and create initiatives that support a wide variety of folks on campus. However, this is a big concept, and it can be difficult to grapple with at times. Where do we even start when it comes to bridging understanding across cultures? How do we support students, specifically international students, in this journey of unpacking the "hidden" curriculum?

In this episode, we sit with Aisha Haque, Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Western University, for a powerful and deeply reflective conversation about belonging, unlearning, and what it truly means to transform education. We dive into the heart of intercultural and decolonial teaching and what it looks like to move beyond simply delivering content toward building meaningful relationships in the classroom. Aisha highlights some key resources for educators both within and outside of the CTL, including her Intercultural Teaching Competence Framework, Learnings on Generative AI, and so much more.

If you're an educator, student, or simply someone curious about how higher education can better reflect the diverse communities it serves, this episode invites you to reflect alongside us. We hope it encourages you to start somewhere, small, intentional, and in community, as we continue the ongoing journey of learning, unlearning, and reshaping our classrooms for belonging and equity.

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Keywords: Higher Education; Intercultural Teaching; Belonging; Curriculum Design; Student Engagement; EDI-D; EDIDA; Center for Teaching and Learning; Decolonization

TImestamps (HH:MM:SS)

00:00:00 - Introduction to the Podcast

00:00:53 - Land Acknowledgement

00:05:16 - Guest Introduction

00:06:32 - Welcome Aisha Haque!

00:06:53 - Aisha's Path to Higher Education

00:12:52 - What is the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)? What do they do?

00:17:47 - Collaborating with Different Faculties and Departments

00:20:28 - Collaborating with Campus Partners (e.g., Western Libraries)

00:22:27 - The Intercultural Teaching Landscape

00:24:24 - How To: Incorporating Intercultural Teaching Frameworks

00:29:38 - Decolonizing and Unlearning

00:34:27 - How Does Change Happen?

00:37:44 - Pressures and Expectations as Learners and Educators (and more unlearning)

00:41:19 - Supporting Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

00:43:50 - Student Engagement, Expectations, and Feedback

00:49:39 - Decolonial and Anti-Racist Approaches in Curriculum

00:57:39 - Planning and Implementing Curriculum Change Research

01:00:32 - Supporting International Graduate Students

01:07:09 - Measuring Impact of Intercultural, Anti-Racist, and Decolonial Practices

01:08:43 - Reflecting Change in IQAP (Institutional Quality Assurance Practices)

01:11:49 - Where is the CTL Headed?

01:13:43 - Challenge(s), and Reward(s)

01:18:44 - If You Had a Magic Wand...

01:20:49 - Staying Connected with the CTL, and Exciting Projects!

01:22:17 - Our Reflections

01:29:35 - Outro

Mentioned in This Episode (Further Reading/Exploration)

00:00:53 - Land Acknowledgement

• More Than Words: Treaties & Wampums (from the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, created by Sara Mai Chitty):

• Knowing and Respecting the Land You Are On at Western, Written by: Shaowda Salehin in 2021, 4th Year Honours Double Major in English and Biology

00:05:16 - Aisha Haque's Biography and Scholarly Work

00:12:52 - Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

00:14:08 - Conversations on Generative AI, CTL Resources

• Includes: Values-Driven Conversations About GenAI (mentioned later in the episode)

• Includes: Self-Paced Module for GenAI (mentioned later in the episode)

• GenAI Conference in June (mentioned later in the episode)

00:14:16 - The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

00:14:48 - The Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP)

00:15:50 - Educational Leadership; Teaching Fellows at the CTL

• Shoutout to Sarah MacLean, Nicole Campbell, Charys Martin, and Candace Brunette-Debassige for their work on their projects!

00:16:21 - The 3M National Teaching Award

• Dr. Nicole Campbell, 2024 3M Teaching Fellow

00:18:57 - Nursing Program Decolonization Initiative (National Webinars)

• Additional Reading: Integrating Diverse Ways of Knowing and Challenging Injustice: An Example of Emancipatory Curricula in Canadian Nursing Education

00:21:10 - Western Libraries (and partnership with CTL, Heather Campbell)

00:21:48 - Western Technology Services (WTS)

• Instructional Technology Resource Centre (ITRC)

00:23:23 - Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization, and Accessibility Strategic Plan

00:23:44 - Truth and Reconciliation Commission - Indigenizing Higher Education

• Education for Reconcilication

00:24:27 - Intercultural Learning, and Aisha's Intercultural Teaching Competence Framework

00:33:45 - The late Murray Sinclair, former Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

00:41:37 - Aisha's Work in Supporting Graduate Teaching Assistants

00:50:10 - Reflection Questions for Decolonizing the Curriculum (Handout)

00:51:02 - Students as Partners Projects

00:52:32 - #WhyisMyCurriculumWhite Movement

• Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axarJ4TJ-1M

• Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dscx4h2l-Pk

00:55:02 - Ravensong by Lee Maracle

• Additional Reading (News Article)

00:56:52 - Dr. Charys Martin + Eponyms

• Inclusive Anatomy

00:57:14 - Dr. Anita Woods, Diverse Representation in Medicine (Physiology Diversified)

00:57:55 - The Hidden Curriculum (Resource Website)

• About The Hidden Curriculum

00:59:20 - Indigenizing the Curriculum Across Canada (interviews/focus groups)

• Additional Resource

01:01:38 - Academic Transitions of International Graduate Students on Campus

01:06:06 - Participation as a Barrier for International Students in the Classroom (one example of current evidence)

01:09:04 - IQAP Resource, EDIDA Questions for Self-Study Template

01:12:28 - Inclusive Teaching Community of Practice

01:13:16 - Values-Driven Conversations About GenAI

01:21:05 - Staying Connected: ctl@uwo.ca

• Stay tuned for a Teaching and Learning Action Plan

01:21:45 - GenAI Conference in June 2026

01:22:43 - Self-Paced Module for GenAI

Audio Recording and Production

This episode was recorded on Riverside.fm, hosted by Schulich Educational Technology and Media Services (ETMS)

Produced/Edited by Preetama Badyal and Oana Birceanu

Thank you to the support of the team at BrainsCAN for funding the resources behind this podcast, allowing us to create this space for discussion.

Intro and Outro Music

Sourced from Pixabay, "Enhance" by electronic music producer Evgeny_Bardyuzha. Free for use under the Pixabay Content License.