A new course is in the works at the University of Minnesota to increase awareness and knowledge of the state’s Indigenous communities. It will be free and available to anyone in the state.

Learning technologies professors Cassie Scharber and George Veletsianos are designing the Indigenous Education for All course. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) approached the U of M about creating the class a year ago.

Scharber said she was “grateful, honored, a bit overwhelmed” when she was asked to be part of it.

“We felt like we could contribute to the success of it by bringing all kinds of people together,” said Veletsianos.

SMSC has provided the university a $1.15 million grant to create the online course. It’s part of the Understand Native Minnesota campaign, which aims to increase Minnesotans’ understanding of tribes, their history, governments and culture.

SMSC Chair Cole Miller told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS too often the narrative taught in classrooms is “incomplete or inaccurate.”

He said in a statement, “We are glad to provide this grant to the University of Minnesota to develop this online course to offer all Minnesotans – and students especially – a reliable, accurate introduction to the history, cultures and modern experiences of native Americans here in Minnesota.”

Scharber and Veletsianos are developing a team of community advisors to help inform the process, which will include individuals with lived experience.

“Indigenous people who have been involved in education, folks who are researchers of Indigenous issues and Indigenous content,” said Veletsianos.

As they develop the format of the course, they are also drawing inspiration from the successful 12-lesson Indigenous Canada course through the University of Alberta.

Scharber said, “There was a lot of engagement in it, a lot of people taking the course and we were like, we want to do something like that here.”

“How do you make sure people define what success looks like to them and become successful? How do you make sure it attracts the 25-year-old that’s really interested and the 45-year-old who’s kind of interested?” added Veletsianos.

They hope the program will have a wide reach across the state. It is expected to launch in spring of 2025.

“We’re grateful to be able to support this effort,” said Veletsianos.