Queen’s Engineering educators inducted as Fellows in the Canadian Engineering Education Association

Two Engineering and Applied Science educators were recently designated as Fellows of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA). Brian Frank and David Strong were honoured for the noteworthy service to engineering education research and leadership and for their advancement of best practices in curriculum design.

 

FEAS Associate Dean and alumnus Brian Frank, a co-founder of CEAA, has an extensive background in engineering education design and research. Prior to becoming Associate Dean, he was the Director for Program Development in the Faculty, overseeing curriculum development, assessment and education technology. He was also awarded the DuPont Canada Chair in Engineering Education Research and Development in 2010, and has received several teaching awards.

 

 

One of the co-founders and a past president of CEEA, Brian has also contributed significantly to the organization recently as one of the developers of the national Engineering Collaboration for Online and Remote Education (E-CORE), which was created in response to the pandemic to prepare for remote delivery of programs. E-CORE supports discussion forums, a peer directory, working groups, events and resources.

 

Over the past number of years, Brian has coordinated the Engineering Graduate Attribute Development (EGAD) Project, working with the National Council of Deans to develop recommendations and resources for outcomes assessment in engineering education. He is also involved in national and provincial working groups to support Indigenous students and decolonizing engineering education.

 

“We have had to take a very different approach to learning during the pandemic, but this also provides novel opportunities to explore emerging technologies and tools to advance engineering education,” says Brian. “We can leverage new skills and approaches to fully prepare our students for a changing world.”

 

David Strong is an alumnus and Professor in the Mechanical and Materials Engineering program who spent over two decades in industry as a design engineer and engineering manager before returning to Queen’s. His experience in design and development spans the primary aluminum industry, biomedical and biotechnology instrumentation, and high-volume consumer products. He holds patents in all three areas, has led award-winning industry design teams, and has received several Queen’s teaching awards.

 

 

David was active in supporting engineering education throughout his private sector career, including sponsoring summer and co-op students, and contributing to the Queen’s industry advisory council. His private sector experience identified and shaped a number of opportunities to evolve engineering education.

 

In 2003, David joined Queen’s as the NSERC Chair in Design Engineering. In that role, he developed the multidisciplinary design stream, including the first multidisciplinary engineering design capstone in the country, partnering with industry on real projects. These courses were integral to the development of the Engineering Design and Practice Sequence (EDPS) which focuses on building competency in engineering design, professionalism and communication throughout all four years of the undergraduate engineering program.

 

David first pitched the concept of a national engineering education association in 2006, led the ad hoc CEEA development team, and chaired the inaugural CEEA conference at Queen’s in 2010. He has also held a number of executive roles in the organization, including that of President, and continues to be active with CEEA.

 

With a research focus on Engineering Education, David supervised the first Canadian engineering graduate to complete her Master’s in engineering education in 2006. Many of the students who completed their graduate studies under David’s supervision have pursued careers or advanced degrees in the engineering education field.

 

David notes that Queen’s has led the way in the evolution of engineering education, and cites the creation of the Integrated Learning Centre (now Beamish Munro Hall) as an example of its early innovative leadership. “I’m proud to be part of a long history of innovation and creative approaches to learning at Queen’s, and I believe our team is well prepared for providing high quality education in the remote learning environment,” he says.

 

Founded in 2010, the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA) is a membership driven organization whose mission is to “enhance the competence and relevance of graduates from Canadian Engineering schools through continuous improvement in engineering education and design education.”