New Academic Model for First Year Engineering Program at Capilano University

Capilano University offers a First Year Engineering transfer program that ladders to large receiving engineering schools. As part of a larger strategy by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Capilano University, the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and its Department of Engineering, a new Academic Model was developed to support student success in a rapidly changing education environment, as well as the modern employment landscape. The Academic model consists of four major co-active elements that are ideally suited to support the engineering curriculum, namely: Studio learning; Innovation-enabled thinking; Collaborative leadership; and Region-integrated learning. The subject of this research is to conduct an initial assessment of first-year course offerings within the Capilano University engineering program to (1) evaluate the extent of current alignment with the Academic Model; (2) the extent of potential alignment; (3) constraints to maximum alignment; and (4) opportunities to overcome constraints.