The U of M is set to introduce a new standalone department within the Price faculty of engineering, focusing on engineering education.

In an interview with Marcia Friesen, professor and dean of the Price faculty of engineering, she disclosed that the proposal for the department was approved at the university’s November 2024 senate meeting and subsequently passed by the board of governors at their December meeting.

Friesen mentioned that the Price faculty of engineering has longstanding departments such as biosystems, civil, mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. In addition to these, the faculty has the Centre for Engineering Professional Practice and Engineering Education, commonly referred to as “the Centre,” since 2014.

Friesen said that the new department will maintain its position within the faculty and will operate alongside the other departments. It will continue the mandate and capture the scope of the former Centre for Engineering Professional Practice and Engineering Education without requiring additional resources or making changes to existing structures.

She mentioned that there were no plans to introduce an undergraduate program within the new department. However, the faculty intends to expand its focus on graduate-level education in engineering education with the goal of establishing standalone graduate programs, such as a master’s and a PhD in engineering education.

Friesen also touched on the ability of the new department to provide significant opportunities for faculty members and students. For faculty members, “it provides them with an academic home,” which is essential for career development, tenure and promotion, said Friesen. The department will enable faculty members to work collaboratively with colleagues in their field, build research teams and supervise graduate students.

She said that the department will give graduate students the opportunities to pursue studies directly aligned with their interests in engineering education. In addition, it will allow students to obtain formal recognition of their work in engineering education, providing clarity and alignment between their studies and their degrees.

For undergraduate students, the department will continue to deliver core engineering courses. These courses will be assigned to faculty members who are trained and experienced in engineering education to ensure a better alignment between teaching expertise and subject matter in the department.

Friesen added that the Price faculty of engineering’s newly established department of engineering education will also continue its collaboration with industry partners as it already has several agreements in place with various industry sectors.

She revealed that currently, the department hosts an aerospace engineer-in-residence and a manufacturing engineer-in-residence. These professionals bring extensive industry experience, which they integrate into the curriculum through various methods, and their contributions include teaching, mentoring senior capstone design groups and student design teams to participate in national and international competitions.

Friesen mentioned that the standalone department of engineering education is the first of its kind in Canada, placing the university at the forefront of this emerging discipline.

“We’re the first such department in Canada, certainly not the first in North America. The United States has a number of these standalone departments at some big schools like Virginia Tech and Purdue and a number of others, but we are the first in Canada and we’ve always been pushing at the forefront of this field.

“This is just another evolution of that, that we should be proud of,” she concluded.