Collaboration between faculty members and the Center for teaching and learning at Polytechnique Montreal

Abstract

The Center for teaching and learning at Polytechnique Montreal (PM) was created in 1977. Its mission is to encourage and help instructors to improve their teaching, and ultimately, contribute to improve student learning at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Among its many activities, the CTL provides a compulsory orientation, training, and integration program for new faculty members; offers consultations, workshops, and conferences; manages grants for pedagogical initiatives; and conducts house studies on pedagogical or academic issues. With time, CTL has had the opportunity to collaborate with PM leaders and faculty members, on a number of issues. For example, it has conducted house studies on the following topics: students’ learning strategies; students’ motivation to learn within different pedagogies (project-based; e-learning; traditional lecturing); three year follow-up study on the impact the revised programs have had on student learning and retention. CTL has published many articles whether in scientific or professional journals. CTL encourages and provides support for faculty members that publish in general or discipline specific engineering education journals. PM also funds and conducts engineering education research projects with the MATI (Maison des Technologie, house of technologies), specifically on the use of technology in the classroom and innovative pedagogy. MATI is a three-way partnership between HEC Montreal, University of Montreal and PM. They are currently working on the e-portfolio for the development of professional attributes in engineering. PM has also created a new category of instructors, called “chargé d’enseignement”. Their job is to teach full time at the undergraduate level. What sets them apart from ordinary part time instructors is that they must conduct research on their teaching, and actively participate in engineering education conferences. Finally, PM is contemplating allocating a chair for the scholarship of teaching and learning. This chair would be under a faculty member’ responsibility, and would help fund research on engineering education. It would also allow hiring PhD and master’s degree students.