Mobilizing a Pan-Canadian Collaboration to Support Educators in Shifting Engineering Programs Online: A Case Study

The pandemic was initially seen as a crisis and detriment to Engineering Education in Canada; however, in hindsight it will likely be viewed as a catalyst for transformation. A collaborative response amongst several national initiatives grew into the Engineering Collaboration for Online and Remote Education/Collaboration pour l’ingénierie enseignée en ligne (E-CORE/CIEL) project. E-CORE/CIEL coordinated community efforts to ensure supports for shifting to online education were accessible to approximately 5,000 faculty members across 45 institutions. Project strategy emphasized connecting people as a primary driver for enacting rapid, sustainable change. The project identified several key takeaways that led to success, including: focusing on developing communities of reflective educators; leveraging existing networks to build and strengthen connections; and a commitment to learning to be inclusive of different cultures. Aligning project activities and outcomes with long-term, systemic goals has built a foundation and trajectory for transformation of the entire engineering education ecosystem.