Q&A WITH UOIT’S DEANOFENGINEERING
Mediaplanet How does experiential learning fit within the engineering curriculum?
Tarlochan Sidhu In Engineering education, handson learning activities are embedded in the foundation of the learning experience, linking classroom activities to real life applications is essential. This is especially true in our faculty, where our mandate is market-oriented programs to begin with. Our programs are designed to include a hands-on learning component, which is frequently being updated to adapt to market needs. All of our labs are new and include state-of-the-art equipment, and the students spend a lot of time in the labs doing hands on activities.
MP Where does the future lie for this style of learning?
TS There will always be a traditional classroom experience to teach the basics and fundamentals, but as we move forward, we are going to see more and more experiential learning opportunities become available. For example, we recently added case studies to our engineering curriculum, which are based upon real life examples from industry and emphasize experiential learning.
MP Why is student-led innovation so important?
TS We are living in an innovation-based economy, globally and here at home. In our faculty, we emphasize student-led innovation in every aspect of our programs because at its core, a design-based education encourages innovation. In the final capstone design projects, our students channel the culmination of their educational experiences into something they are passionate about. Our faculty produces very high-calibre capstone projects, and their success is celebrated and highlyregarded across the university.