IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

This paper presents a curriculum development project that rethinks climate change communication pedagogy in higher education by connecting learners with Indigenous communities through community-informed microlearning, cross-disciplinary teaching, and AI-supported reflective experiential learning. Grounded in Two-Eyed Seeing, the project translates interviews with Indigenous scholars, Knowledge Keepers, and media practitioners into six short video modules addressing climate change through Indigenous lenses; communication across Indigenous and non-Indigenous contexts; decolonizing climate education; Two-Eyed Seeing in practice; storytelling and mainstream media; and trustful collaboration. Designed primarily for Environmental Science courses, while remaining adaptable to media, communication, and social science classrooms, the modules broaden both curriculum content and teaching practice. They center Indigenous knowledge, relational accountability, and land-based learning, while using short-form video, guided prompts, and chatbot-supported inquiry to facilitate student engagement. It draws only on approved transcripts and curated materials, helping students ask questions, revisit key concepts, generate reflections, and connect interview themes to coursework without displacing Indigenous voice. The paper argues that ethical AI can contribute to curriculum internationalization and decolonization when it scaffolds respectful engagement rather than automating knowledge production. By combining community-engaged research, educational technology, and decolonizing pedagogy, the project offers a scalable model for climate change education that is accessible, reflective, and relational. Ultimately, it demonstrates how higher education can move beyond information delivery toward learning environments that build trust, support cross-cultural understanding, and prepare future students to communicate climate change with humility, responsibility, respect, and care.