HARVEST CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY ACADEMICS
What starts here changes the world
Harvest Christian University provides public access to a first-class education and the tools of discovery. This has resulted in a culture of ambition and leadership where physical scale is matched by bold goals and achievements.
ACADEMICS
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ACADEMICS
HCU
Indigenous Academic Perspectives
Academic courses in indigenous education provide an introduction to the study of American Indians from a cultural and academic perspective, emphasizing the development of indigenous knowledge, critical thinking, and analytical skill.
They also offer a larger picture perspective of global indigenous issues and investigate present-day global political, economic, social, and technological issues related to indigenous views. These aspects collectively contribute to the rich and diverse landscape of indigenous education, emphasizing holistic learning, cultural preservation, and the integration of traditional knowledge with contemporary academic perspectives.
Teaching and Learning Orientations
Indigenous teaching and learning revolve around cultivating human capacities such as listening, observing, and experiencing with all senses, as well as developing intuitive understanding and respecting time-tested traditions of learning.
It is predicated on flexibility, viability, and effectiveness, honoring the psychological and transformational process, and facilitating deep levels of learning and understanding.
Foundational Characteristics
Indigenous educational processes are characterized by a sacred view of nature, integration, and interconnectedness as universal traits.
Indigenous education differs from traditional education in several key aspects:
It is predicated on flexibility, viability, and effectiveness, honoring the psychological and transformational process, and facilitating deep levels of learning and understanding. Indigenous education specifically focuses on teaching Indigenous knowledge, models, methods, and content within formal or non-formal educational systems.
Indigenous Leader Perspectives
It is clear that the Kingdom of Hawaii had systems and institutions focused on indigenous education and accreditation: The Kingdom of Hawaii established the Kuhina A'o - Royal Ministry of Education under King Edmund K. Silva in the early 2000s as part of reviving the full ministries of the Hawaiian Kingdom government . In 2018, King Silva formed the Kingdom of Hawaii Royal Accreditation Commission (KOHRAC) to provide accreditation specifically for indigenous education programs and institutions .
KOHRAC offers accreditation for higher education, indigenous teacher education, P-12 education, and trade schools/certifications through an indigenous accreditation framework . It develops curricula for bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels based on indigenous knowledge systems . KOHRAC's accreditation recognizes and validates indigenous ways of knowing, methodologies, progress measurement, and testing aligned with Hawaiian cultural values and traditions .
Other Hawaiian organizations like Kaho'iwai, a teacher education program, have received accreditation from indigenous bodies like the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) . The Native Hawaiian Education Act defined key terms related to Native Hawaiian education organizations, language, and community consultation processes . So in summary, the restored Hawaiian Kingdom government under King Silva prioritized reviving indigenous education through the Royal Ministry of Education and establishing KOHRAC as an indigenous accreditation authority. This allows Hawaiian cultural knowledge, values and practices to be centered in accredited education programs from early childhood through higher education levels.
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