Designing for Learning Engagement in Remote Communities - Narratives from North of Sixty

Oct 15, 2026

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The paper addresses design challenges for schooling in remote communities, especially limitations in technology and infrastructure, frequent turnover of educators, and tensions between local culture and school curricula. It reviews educational initiatives across Arctic regions, emphasizing traditional knowledge, Indigenous culture in learning materials, and the strategic use of technology to support preservation of knowledge, language, and culture. It presents an adventure learning model and design principles for reflective presence, interaction, educator support, and simple design.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Educational challenges in remote communities

Focus and scope of the paper

| Volume 40(3) | Summer/été 2014 | | --- | --- | Designing for Learning Engagement in Remote Communities: Narratives from North of Sixty Concevoir pour favoriser la participation active à l’apprentissage dans les communautés éloignées : récits d’Au nord du soixantième parallèle Aaron Doering, University of Minnesota Jeni Henrickson, University of Minnesota Abstract There are multiple challenges to designing learning experiences for schools in remote communities, including technology and infrastructure limitations, high teacher and administrator turnover, and conflicting interests between local culture and school curricula. In this paper, we offer a brief history of educational initiatives in remote Arctic communities, focusing on: 1) the importance of traditional knowledge, 2) the role of Indigenous culture in school learning materials and activities, and 3) how and why technology might be used to enhance and preserve traditional knowledge, language, and culture. We share implementation examples of one design model, adventure learning, that has successfully engaged learners worldwide in remote and urban communities alike. We conclude by presenting design principles for engaging learners in remote communities through a focus on reflective presence, interaction, educator support, and simplicity of design. These principles are illustrated with a narrative centered on the design of a new online learning environment titled North of Sixty° . Résumé Concevoir des expériences d’apprentissage pour les écoles de communautés éloignées comportede multiples défis, relatifs notamment aux limites liées à la technologie et aux infrastructures, au haut taux de roulement des enseignants et administrateurs et aux intérêts conflictuels entre la culture locale et le programme scolaire. Dans cet article, nous offrons un bref historique des initiatives éducatives dans les communautés arctiques éloignées, en mettant l’accent sur : 1) l’importance du savoir traditionnel, 2) le rôle de la culture autochtone dans le matériel et les activités d’apprentissage scolaire, et 3) les raisons et les façons d’utiliser la technologie pour renforcer et préserver les connaissances, la langue et la culture traditionnelles. Nous partageons des exemples de mise en œuvre d’un modèle de conception, l’apprentissage par l’aventure, qui aréussi à faire activement participer des apprenants de partout au monde, tant dans les communautés éloignées qu’urbaines. Nous concluons en présentant des principes de design pour CJLT/RCAT Vol. 40(3) la participation active des apprenants dans les communautés éloignées en mettant l’accent sur laprésence réflective, l’interaction, le soutien à l’éducateur et la simplicité . Ces principes sontillustrés par un récit centré sur la conception d’un nouvel environnement d’apprentissage en ligne intitulé Au nord du soixantième parallèle. Introduction In a society in which sharing and humility are often valued above individual wealth and personal [achievement . . . it](achievement . . . it) should be a given that the education system’s pedagogy and curricula should strongly reinforce these values, rather than contradict them, as is too often the current practice. (Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, 2012, p. 4) Throughout the world, remote communities face similar educational challenges related to schooling. These challenges include recruiting and retaining qualified teachers and administrators (Sharplin, O’Neill, & Chapman, 2011), conflicting interests between local culture and curricula and state/provincial/territorial/national educational directives (McClean, 1995; Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, 2012; Redwing Saunders & Hill, 2007), and limited access to the infrastructure, technologies, and resources found in many urban and suburban communities (Irvin, Hannum, de la Varre, Farmer, & Keane, 2012) . Due to climate and difficult terrain, remote communities are many times accessible only by plane or boat, and are thus isolated

FAQs

What main challenges does the paper identify for remote-community schooling?

It highlights technology and infrastructure limitations, high turnover of teachers and administrators, and conflicts between local culture and school curricula.

Which areas does the paper emphasize when reviewing Arctic educational initiatives?

It focuses on the importance of traditional knowledge, the role of Indigenous culture in learning materials and activities, and how technology can enhance and preserve language and culture.

How does the adventure learning model work in the paper?

Adventure learning is presented as a hybrid learning approach that combines online and mobile technologies with field-based narratives, multiple media artifacts, and scaffolds for teachers and learners.

Oct 15, 2026

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