The 91ÒùĸÊÓƵ's new Online Master of Engineering - Specialization in Construction Engineering and Management (MEng) is the first 100% online MEng in Western Canada and the first in the country with a civil and environmental engineering/construction specialty.
This course-based master's program embodies the true meaning of meeting students where they are: it is purpose-built to respond to the evolving needs of the engineering industry and offers learners from anywhere a flexible and innovative path to advance their careers while contributing to the future of the field.
Samer Adeeb, the chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, is proud of the eight distinct graduate programs and 68 graduate courses currently offered by the department. However, he notes that many talented engineers can't access them due to in-person requirements. “They want to fit school into their life, not fit their life around school,” says Adeeb. This MEng program offers a solution to this predicament and one that is timely and relevant to today’s evolving educational landscape.
91ÒùĸÊÓƵ drives development
The U of A validated this need through extensive research, conducting several studies, including environmental scans and prospective student surveys that demonstrated demand for the online MEng. A nationwide survey identified the target audience to better understand the online learner and to put this knowledge at the heart of program design.
“Working professionals have needs that are different from the typical university student,” says Simaan AbouRizk, dean of the U of A’s Faculty of Engineering, adding that engineers often work at remote job sites, live at a distance from Edmonton or are balancing a variety of responsibilities at work and home and need a flexible approach to learning. “Some are funded by their employers while others can’t afford to step away from their jobs but want to continue learning.”
Another study identified that online learners are not interested in coming to campus, but they do want to study locally. "Students want to be able to point to that quality bricks and mortar institution and say, 'I go to that school' even if they don’t study on campus,” explains Jessica Butts Scott, associate vice president of Online Learning and Continuing Education, noting the program will initially target potential learners in 91ÒùĸÊÓƵ which has a significant number of engineers and a high concentration of them compared to the national average. “We looked at what the market wanted, and what we could leverage to meet the demand. We already had a tried, tested and true program — and a department willing to innovate.”
Building an engaging online experience
“We focused on developing the experience that’s tied into the community of inquiry framework — the instructor presence, the student-to-student presence and the student-to-learning presence,” adds Butts Scott. “All three of those components need to be woven together to create that purpose-built quality course and program.”
The online MEng program consists of three core courses, five electives and one capstone project, providing students an opportunity to apply their learning to a significant, real-world challenge. The flexible structure allows students to take one or multiple courses at a time, facilitating quicker completion or a slower pace as needed. Learners will move through each online course asynchronously with weekly pacing to support their success.
Course content was developed by the U of A's engineering experts, and then transformed into a dynamic digital experience by a seasoned team of instructional designers and developers within the Office of Online Learning. Students can expect a mix of multimedia, interaction and engagement as part of each course. Group work and discussions will foster a community-driven approach to collaborate on real-world problems.
“It’s important that our online students have access to the instructor within the online course and beyond,” Adeeb says. “There will be set office hours when the instructor is going to be available.” An interactive platform will also allow students to ask questions, receive instructor feedback and learn from each other.
“Engineers will have the opportunity to meet other engineers in their field, to understand their challenges and opportunities and build those networks,” AbouRizk says. “Part of creating a really exceptional online learning experience is having that student-to-student interaction. From the moment they are onboarded into the program, they are going to be meeting and working alongside their fellow students and really building those relationships — mirroring the new world of work which is a lot of virtual communication.”
Looking Ahead: Strategic alignment and future impact
The online MEng aligns with U of A’s strategic plan SHAPE by expanding enrollment, leveraging online learning expertise and responding to community needs. It also addresses student feedback for more agency, accessibility and flexibility, as outlined in the Student Experience Action Plan. The asynchronous delivery allows students to complete the program in two to four years, at their own pace, anytime, anywhere.
“There’s demand for all our programs and we owe it to our predecessors who built those strong graduate programs. There are a lot of people working on this and I really want to acknowledge all of them,” says Adeeb, who envisions developing an online version of each of the MEng programs, particularly mining and petroleum engineering where industry’s need is great. His long-term goal is to partner with international companies to offer programs to their engineers working anywhere in the world.
“We’ve got renowned faculty in engineering, dedicated instructors who are working to build out the online courses,” says Butts Scott. “We now have a team of experts that focus on online pedagogy, online student experience, supporting and serving online students. And that’s a formula to create winning programs.”
That formula will soon extend beyond engineering, paving the way for the university’s bigger effort to expand access to graduate education. This strategy will deliver online modalities and credentials that are purpose-built for professional and mature learners wishing to upskill, advance or change careers. A recent call for proposals for new online interdisciplinary graduate certificates, leading to future online master’s degrees, signals the vast potential for positive impact — for the U of A, its students and the communities it serves.
For more information on the U of A's Online Master of Engineering - Specialization in Construction Engineering and Management (MEng), please visit the program page.