Introduction
In a previous study, the authors reviewed and analyzed the engineering leadership program case studies from seven US universities and one Canadian university [1]. This work led to questions with respect to the landscape of engineering leadership program development in Canada. In response to these questions, members of the Canadian Engineering Leadership community were invited to submit case studies to compile an online resource of Canadian EL programming examples. The case study framework is based on a template presented in a case study workshop delivered at CEEA-ACÉG in 2023.
The study focuses on the development and current descriptions of Canadian Engineering Leadership Programs who elected to participate in this pressbook project. Our research questions are as follows:
- What is the history and current landscape of engineering leadership programs in Canada?
- How do the programs connect to engineering leadership definitions and frameworks?
- How do EL programs handle teamwork, diversity, equity and inclusion? What can we learn from this?
A case study workshop was presented at CEEA-ACÉG 2023. Interested participants were invited to submit a case study with the ultimate purpose of publishing the case studies in a pressbook showcasing engineering leadership program(s) at their institution. The case studies focus on a structured description of the EL programs, connecting themes, and the next steps for the program. Similarities and differences in institutional approaches to EL and the connections to EL definitions, frameworks, teamwork, and EDI are examined to present a landscape of EL programming in Canada.
Initial observations of the case studies show that a variety of approaches are being used to create engineering leadership education in a structured and scaffolded manner. The range across activities such as co-curricular certificates, structured programming to support curricular and co-curricular engineering design teams, scaffolded EL programming across a series of undergraduate courses, and graduate programs with a major focus on the integration of engineering and entrepreneurship skills. All programs use underlying EL frameworks to structure their learning.
As more case studies are collected we hope to summarize and analyze the EL program themes. It is expected this summary will be informative for engineering leadership educators interested in benchmarking their own program and for ongoing curriculum improvement.
[1] J. R. Donald and M. V. Jamieson, “Diversity of engineering leadership program design,” New Directions in Student Leadership, vol. 2022, no. 173, pp. 83–91, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.1002/yd.20482.
