SDG 4: Western in Action for Quality Education

SDG 4 Quality Education

Lifelong Learning

Western provides several free resources for those not enrolled as students:

Certificates and Courses : Western Alumni provides several courses and certificates for the public to continue learning with complimentary modules, learning sessions and courses.
Complimentary Cases for Secondary School Classrooms: Ivey is renowned for its Case-Method of Learning. They make a selection of cases available to secondary teachers for free.
Founder’s Journey : A free online course, taught by award-winning professors from Ivey Business School to guide participants through the process of launching a business. Participants earn a certificate upon completion.
Instructional Technology Resource Center: The eLearning Technology team works with faculty to pursue a Creative Commons license for their digital course content to benefit the global community.
Ivey Impact: Ivey provides access to articles, webinars and podcasts available to the public to learn from award winning faculty.
Learning to End Abuse Certificate Programs: These programs provide specialized training on preventing and responding to abuse and are designed for professionals and community members.
Library Access: Western Libraries provide access and borrowing options to all members of the public free of charge. Access to on-site print collections, open-access digital databases, and on-campus computers support independent community research and lifelong learning.
Online Courses and Webinars: Various online courses and webinars are open to the public, covering topics such as mental health, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Open Educational Resources: Offering valuable resources and tools through free, open content online that is designed to support educators and the general public including textbooks, streaming media, digital content, and more.
Public Lectures and Events: Western hosts public lectures and events open to the community, featuring guest speakers on a wide range of subjects.
Public Training Modules: Western's CREVAWC provides free, evidence-based online modules to the public, offering specialized, trauma-informed certificate training on domestic violence prevention, workplace harassment, and disclosure responses.
Webinars: Western Alumni posts webinars online for anyone to learn at their leisure from anywhere in the world, for free.

Public Events

Western hosts many events that are open to the general public, both ad hoc and programmed. The events below are free and open to the public.

Faculty Events

Annual Library Lecture Series: The Rotman Institute of Philosophy organizes a public lecture series co-sponsored with the London Public Library and the Department of Philosophy.
Biology Seminars: Exploring all aspects of biology, these seminars are open to the public and held weekly during the academic year.
Canada-Africa Academic Collaborations Conference: This annual conference presents collaborative research on education, policy, climate and environment, indigenous studies, infectious diseases, and non-communicable diseases.
FIMS Public Events: The Faculty of Information & Media Studies hosts a variety of talks in-person and on-line that are public to all.
Grand Rounds in Family Medicine: Sessions present family medicine topics in-person or online.
High School History Day: Entire classes (grades 10-12) and individual registrants are welcome to choose from a variety of lectures and tutorials.
Ivey Impact Podcast: Sharing the knowledge and innovative thinking of the Ivey Business School with leaders anywhere seeking relevant and actionable insights.
J.J. Talman Lecture Series: Annual history lecture focused on local Ontario history.
Mediations Lecture Series: Public lectures showcase diverse media research, encouraging lifelong learning and community engagement beyond formal education.
Psychology in the Community: The Department of Psychology hosts public lectures that may be of interest to members of the London and area community.
Public Afternoons at the Hutchinson Suite: Each month is a different geoscience theme with activities for ages 6 and up.
Public Law Research Group: This group has organized and supported lectures, conferences, public forums, roundtables, research showcases, and reading groups.
Public Lectures at Rotman Institute of Philosophy: Hosts a variety of public events, including interdisciplinary panel discussions and public lectures.
Schulich Visiting Speaker Seminar: Biochemistry hosts regular visiting speakers.
Statistical and Actuarial Sciences: Host public lectures every week.
Thomas d’Aquino Lecture on Leadership: The annual lectures are posted online for all to enjoy.
Western Science: Holds several open free events throughout the year to highlight the breadth and depth of our scholarly engagement and to engage members of the public, industry, and government in our research enterprise.

Arts & Cultural events

Art Exhibitions: All art exhibitions at the McIntosh Gallery are open to the public.
Eventbrite: Frequently lists events hosted on campus or conveniently located throughout the city of London, such as Night in the Stars! or Building a Pricing Strategy for Profitability.
Generative AI Challenge: The Centre for Teaching and Learning uses a weekly challenge to encourage exploration and deep thinking about artificial intelligence with local and international participants.
McIntosh Gallery Campus Tours: The gallery hosts regular events to showcase a variety of art outside the gallery, free and open to the public.
Music Performances: These include Friday performances, operas, faculty and guest artist concerts, and more. All performances are open to the public with most free of charge.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Western : This annual observance provides open-access public education that enables alumni, staff, students, and the local community to engage with the painful history and enduring intergenerational impacts of residential schools.
Public Nights at Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory: A time to view the skies through our telescopes and to pose your favorite questions to the astronomers hosting the evening. There is typically a presentation of general astronomical interest that is held in the main floor lecture theatre.
Western Events Calendar: During the academic year, there are typically multiple events every day that are free and open to the public.

Vocational Learning

We believe learning should be lifelong, so we continue to provide educational opportunities open to high school students, graduates, working professionals, and anyone wanting to advance in their learning journey.

Anatomy Outreach: We offer workshops for groups in various health professions to provide a hands-on experience that is not possible during formal training.
ASPirE: Advanced Studies in Professional Education offers additional qualification courses for current teachers to upgrade skills. These professional development courses can be taken individually or combined to form certificates.
Continuing Medical Education: Develops and delivers continuing medical education programs for healthcare professionals located throughout Southwestern Ontario and across Canada through small group, face-to-face workshops and online modules.
Executive Management Pathway : Ivey’s part-time Graduate Diploma in Management allows non-business professionals to maintain their careers while acquiring essential leadership, strategy, and business fundamentals to advance into senior management roles.
Founder’s Journey: A free, online course that guides participants through the step-by-step process of launching a business and provides them with a certificate upon completion.
Inclusive Camp Hub: Designed to bridge the research-to-practice gap, the hub develops and disseminates free, engaging online resources about evidence-based practices to support the inclusion of all students in camp.
Ivey Business Journal: Publishing executive-level guidance functions as an open-access public education scheme, extending advanced professional development training into the broader global business community.
Ivey Executive Education: Showcases a wide portfolio of open-enrollment executive education programs in leadership, negotiation, digital transformation, finance, and more. These are non-degree, skill-building programs accessible to professionals from various sectors.
- For Individuals: Accelerate your professional development journey with contemporary topics in strategy, finance, communication, and more. Upcoming programs include:
- For organizations: Across every level of talent development, we help guide your leaders with custom programs, strategic facilitation, and team coaching from focused workshops to immersive, long-term programs designed around your unique needs.
- Ivey Online Professional Upskilling: Flexible, self-paced digital executive education courses, providing working professionals with targeted vocational training in strategic leadership, artificial intelligence, and financial management.
Own Your Future: Western developed and implemented this self-directed and individualized professional development program that complements graduate students’ formal academic preparation, enabling them to identify meaningful and impactful career paths.
Kodaly Certification: This program provides upgrading and training to experienced and emerging music teachers.
STEM Teacher PD: Western Engineering offers a variety of teacher professional development workshops across London and the surrounding area.
Surface Science Western: Offers courses, workshops, and training for industrial clientele led by national and international experts in the analysis and characterization of surfaces and materials.
Trauma and Violence-Informed Community of Practice: Shares knowledge and experience, identifies strategies and solutions to improve service delivery and research related to trauma and violence-informed health promotion for people who have experienced or caused gender-based violence.
Western Continuing Studies: Provides opportunities for everyone to keep learning.
- Post-Degree Programs: Full and part-time career-focused credit programs, such as marketing and human resources.
- Professional Programs: Upskill with a micro-credential or certificate in topics like communication, leadership, and management.
- Corporate Learning: Partner with Western for your corporate learning needs, choosing from existing training or developing customized programs.

Education Outreach

Western undertakes many educational outreach activities in the local community and schools.

Engineering Outreach

Boys & Girls Club of London: Western Engineering facilitates weekly virtual programming for children and youth.
Community Partnerships: Western Engineering Outreach has a long history of being involved in our local community – we are always ready to share our STEM passion. We are strong believers in not duplicating programming, but partnering with existing programs to make them even better.
Frugal Biomedical Innovations: Collaboratively establishes and leads biomedical engineering capacity-building initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa that are focused on MedTech entrepreneurship, research-intensive graduate education, and preparing future leaders of biomedical engineering education in Africa.
High School Programs: These include leaders in training, summer academy, FIRST robotics, Just for Girls, and high school co-ops.
In-School Workshops: These workshops are for elementary and secondary classes, and aim to increase the awareness and enjoyment of science and engineering while complimenting the Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum.
Just for Girls: Programs that aim to inspire girls and young women and empower their participation in STEM, led by instructors who serve as role models, mentors and allies.
Neighbourhood Resource Centres: Western Engineering facilitates monthly virtual programming for the community in several local neighbourhoods.
Teacher Professional Development: Free sessions are offered to support grade 4-12 teachers and librarians.
Western Engineering Beginnings for Black Youth : A free program that fosters diverse and inclusive learning spaces for Black youth in elementary and secondary school to explore engineering.
Western Engineering Summer Academy: Designed for Grades 7 to 12, this program offers students exciting opportunities to explore the various disciplines of engineering through fun, hands-on activities and challenges, campus tours and opportunities to meet faculty, staff and students here at Western.

STEM Outreach

Canadian Lunar Research Network Outreach: Partners with Western Space to provide exploration activities and classroom style introductions to lunar science.
Centre for Brain and Mind : Offers public scientific education, laboratory tours, and technical demonstrations to regional high schools and community organizations, hosting annual enrichment events like the London Brain Bee.
Chemistry Outreach: Showcases the wonder and excitement of chemistry to audiences of all ages, acquainting the general public, prospective students, and young inquisitive minds with the fun side of science.
Discovery Healthcare: Engages and mentors youth in Southwestern Ontario to support and inspire interest in pursuing a diverse range of healthcare careers through an interactive and fun summer camp experience in their local community.
Earth Science Outreach: Offers a variety of activities to encourage interest in geology, geophysics, and the environmental geosciences to the younger student population.
Global Meteor Network Outreach Project: Engages students worldwide in meteor science through meteor camera kits.
Ivey Hackathon: Offers hundreds of students from all over the world an opportunity to showcase their talent and learn from others.
Let’s Talk Science: Volunteers engage Canadian youth in a wide variety of meaningful STEM learning experiences in both school and community settings.
Local Impact for Tomorrow (LIFT): Connects Schulich, Sciences, and Health Sciences students to volunteering opportunities in the London and Middlesex community.
Math Outreach: The Department of Mathematics offers several outreach programs for students from grades 1-12 to give them real world experience in their community, and help create future partnerships and mentorship opportunities.
Math & Statistical Science Outreach: Enriches our connection with the community and fosters relationships with future students through summer camps, teacher enrichment, and more.
Math Camp: Offers students in grades 8–12 a chance to deepen their math skills, explore new topics, and connect with our department and fellow math enthusiasts.
Paediatric Regional Outreach Program: PROP provides education for hospitals and medical facilities in London and the surrounding communities.
Schulich X-LABS: High school students from diverse backgrounds dive into biomedical science through a two-week immersive experience—working in research labs, connecting with mentors, and exploring future careers in medicine and science.
Science Outreach: Collaborates with community organizations and schools to engage with London families, friends, and future students interested in science at community venues and on campus throughout the year.
Science Rendezvous: This annual event is free for all ages. We have activities, prizes, and scientific displays for the whole family, plus you get to complete the national Science Chase race!
Shad Western: High-achieving Grade 10 and 11 students from across Canada come together for a month-long summer program at Western—exploring STEAM through hands-on workshops, entrepreneurial challenges, and leadership development in a vibrant campus community.
Western Mathematics Exposition Competition: High school students from grades 9 to 12 join as a team of 2-3 students and work under supervision of a mentor to research one of the announced themes and develop a poster, a video, or a mathematical artifact.

Humanities & Liberal Arts Outreach

Alternative Field Experience: Teacher Candidates extend their impact beyond traditional classrooms—engaging in local and global outreach through placements in schools, non-profits, and community programs that foster inclusive, cross-cultural learning and educational equity.
Anthropology Outreach: Works to provide accessible educational materials related to all fields of anthropology and archaeology and offer interactive learning experiences for young students who are passionate about STEM and the humanities, including class visits.
Arts & Humanities Day at Western: The Faculty of Arts and Humanities welcomes high school students to campus for a day of interactive activities. Entire classes (grades 10-12) or individuals may come to experience lectures and workshops in a variety of topics.
First World War Postcards: Discover the personal side of history—students explore replica postcards written by Canadian soldiers, connecting classroom learning to real lives and local communities during the First World War.
High School Composition & Songwriting Competition: Students currently attending a Canadian high school submit a music recording for cash and coaching prizes.
High School History Day: History is about exploration and discovery—grades 10-12 join us to discover new things about people you thought you knew and events you thought you understood.
High School Vocal Competition: If you are a Canadian secondary school student thinking about pursuing post-secondary studies in music, this is a great way to prepare your audition repertoire, experience Western’s voice area, meet professors and students, and tour the Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Ivey Field Project: Business students collaborate with real organizations—delivering strategic insights while engaging in meaningful educational outreach that supports community development, knowledge sharing, and social impact.
Ivey High School Case Competitions: These competitions are held in cities across Canada, challenging students to collaborate in teams, solve business cases, and present their ideas to a panel of judges.
Ivey’s John F. Wood Summer Leadership Symposium: Through a focus on business and leadership, students will explore essential competencies such as critical thinking, emotional intelligence, public speaking, and team management.
K-12 Philosophy Outreach: This outreach introduces students to philosophy and includes class visits.
Kids Health Shelf: Western students have launched this initiative to create, publish, and donate multicultural children's literature to local schools, libraries, and healthcare foundations, integrating health education with diverse representation for young readers.
Music Outreach: With wide-ranging opportunities for all ages—from school-aged to retirement—we are pleased to host and offer specialized musical programming for the community.
Rotman Lecture Series: Organizes a public lecture series co-sponsored with the London Public Library and the Department of Philosophy, hosted in downtown London at the public library.

Other Outreach

Community Engaged Learning: Community-driven problem solving and collaboration results in mutually beneficial outcomes for students and community partners alike.
Early Outreach Conference: Western collaborates with the City of London, Middlesex County, Thames Valley District School Board, Fanshawe College, and a diverse range of non-profit organizations in the community to ensure that the conference addresses the various needs of students during the transition from elementary school to high school.
Echoes from the Margins Podcast: This open-access BrainsCAN podcast promotes inclusive teaching frameworks. Hosts engage with academic and community advocates to integrate Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization, and Accessibility (EDIDA) principles into curricula.
Engage Western: Designed to strengthen connections between the university and the local community, the event provides attendees with insights into Western’s research activities.
Girls Lead: Welcomes girls entering grades 6–8 to an inspiring day camp designed to build confidence and leadership skills.
Ivey Ghana Case Method Workshops: Through the 39 Country Initiative, Ivey provides free case-teaching workshops and business case access to Ghanaian faculty, building local capacity and discussion-based learning infrastructure.
Mini-University Program: Introduces Indigenous youth (ages 11-17) to post-secondary living and experiences and helps them develop an awareness of career options following high school.
Pre-recorded Learning Development Presentations: These presentations cover topics such as Successful Time Management, Memory Strategies, and Designing a Nighttime Routine.
Student Mobility Projects: Western partners with Global Skills Opportunity to empower underrepresented students to take advantage of international learning experiences and to develop skills such as problem solving, adaptability, resilience, and intercultural competency.
Track and Field Day: An event for Indigenous students grades 6-8 from elementary schools across Southwestern Ontario.
Uniting Our Nations Programming with Indigenous Youth: In partnership with Ontario’s Thames Valley District School Board, these programs focus on healthy relationships, delivered within a culturally relevant context.
Western in the World: Students and researchers travel to dozens of countries to explore diverse cultures, landscapes and perspectives through international courses, field research and academic partnerships.
Western's Summer Learning Program: South Korean Kyung Hee University students joined Western for a two-week summer program exploring human rights in Canada—engaging in workshops, cultural exchange, and community learning that fostered global understanding and educational collaboration.

Access to Education

As the Accessibility at Western Policy affirms, Western is committed to recognizing the dignity and independence of all staff, students, faculty and visitors and seeks to ensure that persons with disabilities have genuine, open and unhindered access to University goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises. This policy and the Non-Discrimination Policy apply regardless of age, ancestry, immigration status, ethnic origin, place of origin, creed (religion), disability, family status, marital status, gender identity, sex, and sexual orientation (see also protected grounds in Ontario).

Visit the Human Rights Office website for policies and procedures and the Accessibility website to learn more about topics such as: