Bachelor of Education in Indigenous Language Revitalization

To honour and support the language revitalization goals and work being undertaken across BC and Canada, UVic offers a community-based Bachelor of Education in Indigenous Language Revitalization (BEDILR) that seeks to support communities to retain their language, through education programming.

Program overview

The BEDILR is designed with laddered steps which provide exit and entry opportunities. Offered through the Department of Indigenous Education at UVic, the program offers flexibility so that Indigenous communities can focus on their specific language revitalization goals. Each delivery is specific to the language community partnership and community.

There are two options community partners can chose from in the first year of the program:

• Option A, which leads to the Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization (CILR), (developed and delivered through UVic Continuing Studies, Department of Linguistics and En’owkin Centre) providing understanding of language reclamation practices and theories, and
• Option B which focuses specifically on language learning and proficiency building, and leads to the Certificate in Indigenous Language Proficiency (CILP).

The second year includes an introduction to language teaching contexts and can lead into the Bachelor of Education, or can continue to focus on building stronger speakers.

The final three years focus on completing the coursework for the Bachelor of Education in Indigenous Language Revitalization and professional BC teaching certification, while maintaining language growth.

Depending on funding and student numbers at least the first two years of course work follow a cohort model that is physically and culturally situated in individual language communities. The laddered steps include the following:

• Year 1:
  • Option A: Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization (CILR) or
  • Option B: Certificate in Indigenous Language Proficiency (CILP)
• Year 2: Diploma in Indigenous Language Revitalization
• Year 3 & 4: Bachelor of Education in Indigenous Language Revitalization

Community based delivery:

The Bachelor of Education is designed for community-delivery, where the first two years (minimum) will be delivered in partnership with a language community or group of communities. The final two years may be delivered in a combination of face-to-face (both on-campus and in community) and distributed learning, bringing cohorts from around the province together OR the individual language community cohorts may continue as a group if student interest and funding warrants.

In addition to UVIC faculty and sessional instructors, the program will utilize local language instructors and resource people to ensure cultural and linguistic contexts are maintained, and to honour the knowledge existing within the community. These community-based cohorts will be negotiated as partnerships between the University and the language community, as either two-year diploma or four-year degree programs.

View full program and course requirements

Learn more:

For more information contact:

Program Manager
Indigenous Language Programs
Indigenous Education
University of Victoria
phone: 250.721.7855
email: iedlang@uvic.ca