Laura Eggertson
The University of Ottawa has received a $240,000 grant to work with Algonquin College, Carleton University and La Cité collégiale to create transfer opportunities for students in high-priority engineering programs.
The collaborative project, which a new coordinator will design over the next year, will enable students at community colleges to move more easily into university engineering programs, says Sylvie Lauzon, Associate Vice-president, Academic.
The coordinator will work with a committee and with Professional Engineers Ontario to determine whether students will be able to take bridging courses and/or transfer blocks of credits, or whether the two colleges and universities will need to redesign their engineering curricula to create complementary programs, Lauzon says.
“If we know in advance, then the colleges and universities can organize their programs to meet the needs of the accreditation bodies and to respond better to students’ needs at the same time,” she adds.
The project is designed to serve students who may start out taking college programs in civil, computer, mechanical, electrical or chemical engineering technologies, but then decide they’d like to pursue a university degree and want credit for their previous work.
The universities and colleges are developing this collaborative initiative in response to Ontario’s projected population growth over the next 20 years. That growth, particularly in urban areas, will increase demand for new highways, bridges, water treatment systems and schools, as well as the need to repair existing infrastructure.
“We know that we will need a lot of engineers in the years to come,” explains Lauzon. “The University of Ottawa took the lead and asked the colleges and Carleton to partner with us, to respond to that need.”
The four institutions then applied to the College-University Consortium Council, which had called for innovative proposals to facilitate students’ ability to move from colleges to universities.
The University has always supported the transfer of students to and from other post-secondary institutions, including colleges, states Lauzon. It already has agreements in nursing that allow a collaborative BScN, as well as bridge courses from college diplomas to a nursing degree. As well, the University has transfer agreements in programs such as health sciences, education, journalism and management.
In fall 2006, 1,500 students enrolled in collaborative programs at the University were making the transition from college to university.
Lauzon hopes the new program will be in place by the 2008–2009 academic year.
“All the post-secondary institutions in Ottawa are involved, and that’s very interesting and appealing for students,” she says.
Part of the coordinator’s job will involve creating a plan to target under-represented groups who may be interested in the program, such as Aboriginal students and first-generation students, as well as students with disabilities, and to market the program at the high-school level.
The University already has more than 2,000 undergraduate and 600 graduate engineering students, while Algonquin College’s School of Advanced Technology has more than 1,600 students enrolled in technology or technician engineering programs. There are 200 students enrolled in three-year engineering technology programs at La Cité collégiale. Carleton University has 2,400 students in undergraduate and 600 students in graduate engineering degree programs.
