00 / Context

The Enhancing Practicum for Indigenous Teacher Candidates Website is a project by the UBC Faculty of Education’s NITEP program. Its aim is to enhance practicum and community field experience (CFE) for Indigenous Teacher Candidates, Practicum Supervisors, Teacher Mentors, School Administrators, and School Coordinators.

The site will feature: 

• Stories from program students, alumni, Indigenous mentors, and educators
• Tools and resources designed to enhance Indigenous educational priorities in practicum

About NITEP

The UBC Faculty of Education’s NITEP is an undergraduate program for Indigenous students who want to teach at an elementary, middle or high school level, with specialization in Indigenous education. NITEP prepares Indigenous teacher candidates with culturally appropriate resources and services at UBC’s Vancouver campus and field centres across British Columbia.

01 / Empathize

• Define Users
• User Interviews
• User Persona
• Empathy Map

Users

• Indigenous Teacher Candidates
• Practicum Supervisors
• Teacher Mentors
• School Administrators
• School Coordinators

User Interview Questions

1. Please tell me about yourself and your relationship to NITEP.
2. If you had a question about Enhancing Practicum for Indigenous Teacher Candidates would you know who to contact?
   1. If yes – how do you know?
   2. If no – how would you go about contacting someone?
3. Do you use or have you used other websites or resources about Enhancing Practicum for Indigenous Teacher Candidates?
4. What resources or websites?
5. What is your main goal when visiting these websites or resources?
   1. Do you have any secondary goals?
6. Are these websites or resources supporting your needs currently?
7. What do you see as the primary function of NITEP’s Enhancing Practicum for Indigenous Teacher Candidates Website?
8. How often do you use or see yourself using the NITEP’s Enhancing Practicum for Indigenous Teacher Candidates Website?
9. What would prevent you from using the NITEP’s Enhancing Practicum for Indigenous Teacher Candidates Website?
10. When you are on a computer and the internet, are there any challenges you face accessing information?
11. What devices do you typically use when visiting websites?
12. What haven’t we asked you today that you think would be valuable for us to know?
13. May I contact you if we have any other questions or for possible further research for this project?

Leonard

Indigenous Teacher Candidate

Gender: Male • Age: 25-30

Education: High school, some college courses, out of school for several years

Location: Kelowna, BC

Family: Lives with his partner and son

Goals and Aspirations

• Maintaining strong roots with his community while being successful at UBC
• Finding a culturally appropriate practicum that meets his needs
• Wants a rewarding position he can be proud of
• Wants to provide for his family / himself 
• Become a role model for the community

Challenges and Frustrations

• Funding his education
• Balancing university and family
• Building confidence to learn new skills and be back in school
• Finding culturally appropriate practicum supports
• Accessing relevant emotional and professional program supports online
• Concerned about getting a job near his community after completing his practicum

Influencers and Infomation

• Partner and children
• Extended family and community
• Friends
• Classmates
• Current professors and advisors
• Online resources
• Social media

02 / Define and Ideate

• Project Statement
• User Journey Map
• Wireframes

Project Statement

The Enhancing Practicum for Indigenous Teacher Candidates Website will enhance practicum and community field experience (CFE) by providing resources for Indigenous Teacher Candidates, Practicum Advisors, Teacher Mentors, School Administrators, and School Coordinators.

Currently, culturally relevant and decolonized resources for Indigenous Teacher Candidates, Practicum Advisors, Teacher Mentors, School Administrators, and School Coordinators are disparate, scarce, and difficult to find.

03 / Prototype

04 / Test

User testing was done to serve as a guide to facilitate the development of the EPITC website. For the purpose of analyzing the site’s usability, we decided to evaluate the following features of the prototype:

• Search functionality
• Overall concept
• Required learning curve
• Overall aesthetic impressions

Findings

1. Users had difficulty locating the search bar
   • Recommendation: Incorporate a search bar prominently on the homepage.
2. Users did not easily understand the core premise and overall concept of this site
   • Recommendation: 
3.