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1 S O I,'I,'ICI i 0 1,' '1'111 '. VI Cli -I'IU ':S llk,nt, t\cad I ': ~ II C: li ND I'llOVOST 8888 Univcr:c;il'Y D rive, I ~u rnab y, Be Can:lda V5 /\ IS6 "I'I':L: !-' j\x: 7i fu.ca w\vw.~ fl1.cl.1 vp:lc1.dc mic MEMORANDUM ATTENTION FROM S(: na rc Jn D river, V i cc ~ Pf(; ;;i d cnr, :\ cadcmic ~11Id DATE PAGES Nvcmbcr 15,2010 1/2 Prvst, and e h:}i!", SCU P RE: I'nc ulty f :\pplicd Sciencc;;: 1':xlt; f1i al Review Reprt fsci1 ] f l~ ngi1h.: (: rin ' ~' ( iell Cj.(SCUP 10-79) The Senate C OIlI1J'\ittcc un University Jriritics (SCUP) h.\s rcvi(;wcd the Extern. R.. cvicw Flcprt n til t..: Sel ll f Engint..:crin g Science, tgether w ith respnses Fr ln the Schl, tlt t..: Dean f Applied Sciences and input fi'lll the Assciate Vice President. Academic. Mtin: That Senate apprve the recrnlllcndatill frnl the Sen ate C ittee n University Pririties t inlplelnent the Ac tin P lan fr the Sc hl f Engincering Scien ce that resulted frnl its E xternal Review. Flhn ;ving the site visit the R eprt r [he Ex tern<11 was suhmitted ill J lin e rt cvie\v 'T\;attl* f r the Schl f EtlgilH..:e ring Sciellce After the R eprt was received a meeting W ' IS held with th L' 1) t.::l1i f Applied Sciences the Directr f the Schl <lnd the D irectr f AGH.iI..'rnic Pla nning (V PA) t cnsider thc re c ltllll c nd ~ltin s. The Schl tht.:n prcpared an Actiun Plan bascd n the R cp rt and rhcse discli ss i ll s. The Acti n Plan was rhell suhmitted t the Dean in Octher Thc Dea n 11 ; 15 e ndrsed this Actin Plan. The rz.cvicw Teall! Illcrnhcrs stated th elt th at 'ill the facc f I 11;.111 Y chal lcngcs,en SC h ~ I S ;'Ichieved success ill IIlany areas'. '"rite 'Team \\'cnt n t. idclltity strengths ;.lnd \ vcaktlesses in the under gradumc, g raduate <md rcsearc h "1 1"C <ls <lild rccllllllc lh.lt.:d a Ilutllhc r f illlprvcm e nts f()r c<lc h arca. SCUP rccoii"ilill'llds t Scn;ltl' 1"l1(lt Schl f Engineering Sc i ~ n c c he advised r. purslh':: t:h~ Actin PLm. Attachments: 1. D e p art lll Cll t f Schl f Ellgillt..:ering Science - Acti n Plan 2. Extend l ~cvicw R epdrt - JUllC, 2010 S I MON I' RA S E R UN I VER S IT Y T H INKIN G OF THE WORL D

2 * External Review Team: Javad Mstaghimi (Chair): Distinguished Prfessr in Plasma Engineering, Directr, Centre fr Advanced Cating Technlgies, Faculty f Applied Science and Engineering, University f Trnt Nadia Bhuiyan: Assciate Prfessr, Department f Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Directr, Master f Aerspace Engineering Prgram, Assciate Directr, Cncrdia Institute f Aerspace and Design Innvatin, Cncrdia University Shankar P. Bhattacharyya: Prfessr, Department f Electrical Engineeling, Texas A & M University CC Nirnal Rajapakse, Dean f Applied Sciences Mehrdad Saif - Directr, Schl f Engineering Science 2

3 2010 EXTERNAL REVIEW REPORT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE Submitted by Dr. Javad Mstaghimi, University f Trnt (Chair) Dr. Shankar Bhattacharyya, Texas A&M University Dr. Nadia Bhuiyan~ Cncrdia University

4 Table f Cntents INTRODUC'"fION... 3 A. QUALITY OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE EDUCATION... 4 B. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE C. MECHATRONIC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND BIOMED OPTION D. GRADUATE PROGRAM E~. RESEARCI-f ENTERPRISE F. ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY O. OTHER COMMENTS CLOSING REMARKS

5 INTRODUCTION The Schl f Engineering Science (ENSC) at Simn Fraser University (SFU) has undergne many changes in recent years. This has created many challenges as well as nlany pprtunities. These m~jr changes are the result f the Duble the Opprtunity (DTO) initiative, which started in the fall f This external review was cnducted in rder t assess the quality f the ENSC prgrams. the quality f faculty research, the rle f Department 111embers in the adnlinistratin f the Schl, and the cnduciveness f the envirnment t the attainment f the bjectives f the Depal1ment. A set f six issues f particular interest t the Schl \vere utlined as being the mst imprtant areas t assess. In this reprt, we will prvide ur evaluatin f these issues~ draw ut their strengths and weaknesses, and we will then present ur recmmendatins n the future directins that we feel shuld be taken by the Schl. This review was made pssible thrugh a three-day visit t SFU frnl April O~ where we visited bth the Burnaby and Surrey campuses, and 111et with faculty, staff, and students. In rder t cmplete this review, we were als prvided with varius reprts which we reviewed prir t the visit. While the visit was quite intensive, it was by n means an exhaustive review f the Schl; in light f this, the cmmittee hpes t have addressed the requirements f the Ternls f Reference in as much detail as pssible, and as bjectively as pssible. \Ve vvuld like t thank Dr. Glynn Nichls, Directr f Acadenlic Planning & Budgeting. fr rganizing ur visit t sru. We wuld als like t thank all 111cmbers f SFU that have taken the time t meet with us, prvide us with infrmatin, and ffer their help. insights and supprt befre, during, and after ur visit. Very special thanks g t the internal rnembcr f ur colunlittee, Dr. Zc-Nian Li fr0111 Cnlputing Science, wh prvided us with much help and wisdm thrughut ur visit. His input was invaluable during ur visit. J

6 The fll\ving sectins describe ur assessment f six issues cnsidered t be f imprtance t the Schl. A. QUALITY OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE EDUCATION Undergraduate Prgram The Schl f Engineering Science ffers tw undergraduate prgrams, the Engineering Science (ENSC) Prgram, ffered at SFU Burnaby, and the Mechatrnic Systems Engineering (MSE) prgram, ffered at SFU Surrey. In this sectin f the reprt, we will utline what we viewed as being the strengths and weaknesses f the undergraduate prgrams. In rder t gather data and infrmatin in this sectin we met with the fllwing grups: bimedical~ cmmunicatins. micrelectrnics. systems, and mechatrnics, as well as the ENSC lecturers. the c-p and recruitment team, the ffice and technical supprt staff, and undergraduate and graduate students. Strengths The ENSC undergraduate prgrams have seen a large increase in enrlment due t the Duble the Opprtunity (DTO) initiative. The cnsequences f this initiative have been manifld. First. the Schl has seen an increase in its enrlment frm 490 students t 1137 since 2002, which has been the majr psitive utcme f this initiative. Anther impact f the DTO initiative n the undergraduate prgraill is that class sizes have increased. Increased enrlment will als cause multiple fferings f curses. This in turn will give students greater flexibility t stay \vithin the prescribed curse sequence. thereby shrtening the tinle required t graduate. One f the strengths f the curriculum ffered in the ENSC is that it has a strng high technlgy fcus, with specializatins in electrnics engineering~ cmputer engineering~ engineering physics, systems, bimedical engineering, and mechatrnic systenls engineering. One f the unique aspects f this prgrrul1 is the pen lab cncept. where teaching labratries are pen t students arund the clck. The students highly fippreciatc the llcxibility ffered by this setup. 4

7 Anther strength f the prgram is the mandatry c-p prgram, which is a requiren1cnt fr the undergraduate degree in ENSC. Students must take a mininlunl f 3 c-p terms. The prgram gives students excellent experience and an edge ver students wh have nt been expsed t industrial settings. Althugh it is becming increasingly challenging t find \-vrk ternls fr students, given the large influx f students due t the DTO prgranl. and the limited nunlbers f c-p crdinatrs fr ENSC, it still remains an essential aspect t the undergraduate prgram. With the adverse impact f the ecnmic crisis, creative slutins are being sught by the c-p staff t deal with the large number f wrk terms needed~ such as having prfessrs hire students t wrk n prjects, sending students n verseas wrk terms r exchanges~ etc. Mandatry tutrials will be put in place fr each technical curse in the prgram, t be taught by the instructr. This will be especially beneficial fr thse students wh may require further assistance in keeping up with the Hnurs-level prgram. This may help reduce the attritin rates. Anther strength f the prgram is the intensive Cmmunicatin Prgram that,vas designed t hne the students' skills in prblem analysis and critical thinking, and cnl111unicatin in ral, written, and graphical frm, in individual and in teanl settings. In every year f the prgram, a different curse is ffered which is designed t cnlplelncnt a technical curse, thus allwing the student t directly apply the cmmunicatins curse t an engineering curse. A ttal f 5 curses are required as part f the undergraduate prgram. It appears that this prgran1 has benefitted the students: it has been said that the industry tends t hire mre students frm SFU than frm ther lcal universities. The Mechatrnics and Systems Engineering (MSE) prgram is excellent. I t has seen utstanding results in a shrt perid f tilne under the leadership and dedicatin f Dr. Farid Glnaraghi. There are currently 10 faculty Inenlbers and cllectively they have brught in ver $5.5 millin in research funding. In just a Inatter f three years, the prgram has apprximately 250 undergraduate students and 43 graduate students. Our visit t the Surrey canlpus left us extrejnely impressed with ltiany aspects f the prgranl. The faculty menlhers are enthusiastic and energetic and have dedicated themselves t ensuring the success f the prgram thrugh curses. lab setup, and active recruiting. While the MSE is srely lacking in space. the faculty. staff, and students exude ptin1ism, satisfactin and nluch energy. The l!nrlment statistics and the increase in faculty in this prgralti speak t its success. Once again it shuld be nted that the 5

8 evlutin f the prgram n the Surrey campus tk place in a shrt perid f time f nly 3 years. Sunlmary f Strengths: Q Mandatry c-p fr all students. High-tech fcus in curriculum. Open-lab cncept. Excellent MSE prgram. Integratin f cmmunicatin prgralti. e Increasing enrlment. Mandatry tutrials fr technical curses. Weaknesses The effects f the DTO initiative are bth psitive and negative. In this sectin. we discuss the negative inlpacts. While the Schl has becnle much larger in size, as hped, this is cuntered by the fact that the prgratti is n lnger an elite prgranl since the quality, academic backgrund, and strengths f the incming students is nw quite varied. The admissin average frnl high schl applicants is 80%, with a recently reduced requirenlent f maintaining a 2.0 OPA in rder t stay in the prgram. Thus, the uniqueness f the elite prgram has cnsiderably been diffused, and the perceptin f the schl as ne f high repute, has changed. Althugh a relatively majr revisin was implemented in 2006 after the DTO initiative, a nlajr verhaul t the current curriculum has nt been dne fr 15 years. Since the curriculum \-vas riginally designed fr high quality students, the cntent f the prgram is demanding and thus des nt cater t the large percentage f students with weaker averages. As a result.. the attritin rates are quite high in later years f the prgram: the attritin rate frotl1 the first t secnd year is 300/0 and as high as 50% f students leave the prgram after 3 years. Frtunately~ a coltitnittee has been frmed t revise and update the curriculull1 in hpes f reducing attritin rates. One f the majr prblems currently facing ENSC is the impact that budget cuts have had n the teaching assistant (T A) budget. The amunt f T A supprt prvided t instructrs in ENSC has been reduced by 67% ($/student), and this, given a 92%) increase in undergraduate 6

9 enrlment. This has tw impacts. Firstly, insufficient TA supprt means that the faculty members lack the resurces t assist them in their curses, which is signiticant given that the ~Iass sizes have becme quite large: as a result prfessrs and lecturers have t find ways t help reduce the burden f their TA's, fr example, by ffering fewer assignments, r crrecting nly half f the questins assigned n a particular assignment, r putting mre students per grup fr labs. This~ in ur view, highly cmprmises the quality f the educatin ffered at the ENSC. Hwever, there seems t be n ther way t deal with this issue if mre TA'ships are nt allcated t the ENSC. The ther impact is n funding f graduate students, which we will discuss in the next sectin. In ur pinin, the lack f sufficient number f T A's has a serius negative impact n the ENSC and its budget shuld be cnsiderably increased. While the pen-lab cncept described earlier is highly regarded by the faculty and students, there have been many cmplaints abut the maintenance f the equiplnent. Students have cmplained abut equipment failing, r malfunctining f equipment at the hands f less serius, less experienced students, and s n. Since the teaching labs are critical, this pses a serius prblen1. This is again related t budget cuts which d nt make allwances lr much needed equipment maintenance and renewal in engineering labs. Given that a quality engineering educatin is highly dependent n experimental wrk dne in labratries, this issue shuld be given serius attentin, especially because the Canadian Engineering Accreditatin Bard (CEAB) will cnsider prly maintained labs t be a majr weakness f the ENSC. which may negatively affect the accreditatin f the prgrams. The large class sizes resulting frm the influx f students has caused prbleills. bth fr students and teachers. The students d nt feel cnnected t their teachers~ d nt feel that they are maximizing their learning experience, and ften d nt feel the need t g t class as they are lst in a sea f students. Teachers cmplain abut the lw rate f atlendance in lectures, and this Jllay be ne reasn fr this. This prblenl may be dealt with by cutting the classes in half, thus ffering t\"o sectins f the sanle curse. Hwever, in S0J11e cases, reducing a class f 200 students dwn t 100 J11ay nt necessarily address the prblenls assciated with large classes. The ENSC prvides much flexibility in cmpleting the undergraduate degree in that students can take curses in the sequence that suits them best, and they can als take tnare than the nlinimum nunlber f mandatry c-p wrk terms. While this has its advantages in terms nf flexibility ~ the big disadvantage is that students end up cnlpleting their degree n average ill 7

10 15.5 semesters in 2009 because they ften have t wait a full year t take a required curse which may nt be available, and they tend t fab ut f sequence. The result f lng graduatin times des nt reflect well n the Schl~ the typical cmpletin tilne fr mandatry c-p prgrams is 14 semesters. In a related issue, the number f c-p placements frm industry has drpped by apprximately 260/0. This is creating a majr challenge given the sharp increase in enrlment expected in the COining years, and the large number f students already in the prgram. students wh are nt placed in a wrk-term may cnsiderably delay their graduatin. This can be avided t snle degree j f the c-p staff is increased in rder t supprt the students. The availability f curses is anther prblem. Required curses are nt always available n a regular basis, Instly due t the lack f resurces. The Bimedical Optin has recently been facing prblems f enrlment. Currently, nly 30 r s students are enrlled in this prgram. While the prgram is excellent. with a high level f invlvement frm the Faculty f Applied Sciences, the decline in student interest is putting the prgranl in danger. The prgram is very challenging. T begin with, nce a student has entered the prgran1, they d nt have the flexibility f transferring ut f the prgranl; if they d transfer, they lllust start the new prgram frm scratch. There is als the requirement f nlaintaining abve 3.0 COPA fr graduatin with Hnurs, which is quite high cmpared t the 2.0 CGPA required fr a Majr degree. It must be nted that there are apprximately 500 cmpanies in bimed in BC, thus there are gd prspects fr students wh take bimed, and therefre the ENSC shuld lk int ways f revitalizing the prgram. Summary f Weaknesses: e Curriculum has nt been revised fr S0111e time. Labratry equiplnent maintenance badly needed. Insufficient nulnber fta's. Large class sizes. Pr attendance in larger classes. Lilllited curse availability. ~ Lng graduatin times. Difliculties in recruiting students int Biilled ptin. 8

11 Attritin rates are very high. Difficulties in btaining c-p placements. Recmmendatins fr the Undergraduate Prgram Based n the assessnlent f strengths and weaknesses, ur recmmendatins are as fllws: Substantially increase the TA budget. Imprve the quality f the lab equipment maintenance, better supervisin f students using equipment~ mre scheduled lab sessins in cmbinatin with pen labs. Revise the bimed ptin t make it mre flexible fr students t pt ut. Find vvays t increase enrlment in the bi-med ptin (fr example, mdify the requirements fr the prgram, allw students t transfer ut f the prgram withut penalty, advertise mre aggressively). Offer sme curses as Hnurs curses t challenge the better students while accmmdating the weaker students. Implement smaller class and rn1 sizes t reduce pr attendance and t allw fr better studentlteacher interactins. e Otler mre 8-mnth c-p terms t allw students t gain deeper experience. This \\;ill require careful planning f undergraduate ffering s as nt t negatively impact graduatin times. Increase c-p staff t help supprt the large influx f students. Implement lnre prjects in curses; students appreciate having prjects and tend t attend classes that ffer prjects mre than thse that d nt. \Vhile there is ptentia) fr gr\nth in enrhnent, given the lc)\vcr entrance standards (intrductin f the lwer 2.0 GPA cntinuance standard fr the rv1qjrs B.A.St:. prgrmn), care nlust be taken t grw the prgranl in relevant areas in rder t accmmdate such grvvth. ')

12 Graduate Prgram Strengths As a result f the DTO initiative, there has been a 760/0 verall increase in graduate enrlment. The DTO Inandate was t increase enrlment t achieve 150 graduate students (MASc and PhD cmbined); in 2009, 180 students were enrlled in these tw prgrams. The quality f graduate students in the ENSC is exceptinal. The engineering students d particularly well in btaining schlarships; in fact, they are the best in the university. Over the past 5 years. seven PhD students became prfessrs in renwned academic institutes, tw PhD students received Gvernr General's Medals fr Outstanding Dctral Thesis, and many students received best paper awards in internatinal cnferences. Summary f Strengths: Increasing enrlment. QJ Exceptinal graduate students. Great research utput. Weaknesses While the students are ding well academically, they are very dissatistied with the level f funding they receive, which, in many cases, is nne. Other surces f funding are TA assignnlcnts (which are severely limited), fellwships, and schlarships. These financial limitatins create anxiety and ften prevent students frm cmpleting their degree in an acceptable tinlefratne, r even cnlpleting it at all. Unfrtunately. the university itself des nt receive sufficient funding thrugh the prvincial gvernment. Faculty mclnbers arc nt receiving enugh funding thrugh grants r thrugh industry, which is quite linlited~ t help fund all graduate students. Given the research-intensive graduate prgram, this issllc requires serills attentin. This funding prblcj11 nlay als create a negative impact n future enrlment. There are nt enugh T A-ships ffered t graduate students. This is surprising cnsidering the high number f students in the prgratn. At this pint given the increase in enrlment and budget cuts, it has reached crisis pint. Tn ENSC spent apprximately $345K n TA budget. In , even thugh cnrlnlcnt has increascd~ ENSC spent $269K and 10

13 expects t spend nly $216K in It appears that the TA budget in ENSC is disprprtinately small cmpared t ther prgrams at SFU. Fr exanlple~ in the Faculty f Science, in Physics and Nlathematics in particular~ there are half the number f students and yet duble the number f T A-ships are available. This is an issue that needs t be addressed. The graduate students nt nly miss ut n much-needed financial supprt, but they als d nt get t benefit frm having teaching experience \vhich is als a very imprtant cnlpnent f graduate studies. The graduate prgrams have expanded rapidly withut any cnsideratin fr funding and space requirements. Furthermre~ there is a very limited number and limited availability f graduate curses. This is because faculty is ffering large undergraduate curses withut prper T A supprt. Having said this, we feel that the curse lad that the faculty has at the ENSC is lwer than the average acrss Canadian universities: at the ENSC, prfessrs have an average f 2.5 curses per year, whereas in ther universities, the average is 3.0 t 3.5 curses per year. It appears that students in the MASc prgram are taking an average f 3 years t graduate; this is t lng. In recent years, there has been a substantial decline in the MEng prgram enrinlcnt (67% decline since 2002). This prgrmn caters t prfessinals. While the current ecnolnic situatin and the tuitin increase are amng the reasns fr the decline, this shuld be investigated further~ therwise the viability f the prgram is in danger. Further discussin f MEng prgram is presented in part D. Summary f Weaknesses: Nt enugh funding fr graduate students. G e Nt enugh TA-ships. Fast expansin f graduate prgram withut cnsideratin f funding and space requirements. Lng graduatin times. Attritin rates are high. Limited nunlber and availability f graduate curse ffering. Decline in MEng prgram enrlment. 11

14 Recmmendatins fr the Graduate Prgram Based n the assessment f strengths and weaknesses. ur recmmendatins are as fllw's: Q Prvide adequate funding fr dctral students~ ENSC shuld ensure that PhD students have a minimal level f funding which shuld be sufficient t cver living expenses and tuitin. e Funding Inechanism shuld be transparent t students. " Advertise the MEng prgram mre widely, lcally, natinally, and internatinal1y; review the quality f the prgram; and review the fee structure f the prgraln. Reduce the graduatin time fr MASc students. Shrt annual prgress reprts shuld be submitted by graduate students t their supervisrs in rder t help keep them n track. Create an annual awards day t hnur graduate students fr their accmplishments. The ptential fr grwth in the graduate prgram hinges greatly n the level f funding ffered t ptential students. As such~ this issue shuld be addressed in pririty. 12

15 B. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE Strengths In a meeting with a grup f undergraduate student representatives~ verall, they expressed much enthusiasm abut their experience at the Schl f ENSC. The students expressed particular satisfactin with the c-p prgram, which they feei gives them a definite edge ver ther graduates frtti ther universities in Be. They wuld like t have nlre c-p wrk-terms that extend t 8 mnths as this \vuld enab1e thelll t gain a deeper experience in industry. Students highly supprt the pen-lab cncept, where undergraduate labs are pen tr students t use every day f the week, 24 hurs a day. This cncept is advantageus in that it allws students t access labs at their cnvenience and t interact freely with ther students and cntinues t be as ppular as when the prgranl \vas an elite nc. Because the Engineering Schl, unlike ther prgratns, is sul~iect t accreditatin by the CEAB, they are required t ensure a mininlum standard in Lnany different aspects f the prgram. As such, having sufficient design cntent in the curriculum is imprtant and the Schl 111eets the criteria. The curricululll expses students t a number f prjects \vith design cntent such as the capstne prject design curse, amng thers. MSE has t\vo capstne curses. Student advisers prvide guidance t students n curse and ptin selectin, university rules and regulatins, career related chices, and they ensure prper prgranl colnpletin fr each student. Currently, the advising rle is taken n by the Lecturers at ENSC. Students have expressed satisfactin with the advising that they receive by the Lecturers. whm they particularly appreciate, as well as prcesses t reslve cncerns/cmplaints. These lecturers play an imprtant rle in undergraduate educatin and are f high quality. Summary f Strengths: Enthusiastic respnse frm undergraduate students regarding their experience, especially with c-p. Students lve the pen labs. 13

16 Sufticient design cntent in the curriculum. Satisfactin with student advising n curricululn matters by lecturers, as "veil as prcesses t reslve cncerns/c111plaints. Weaknesses The undergraduate labs are nw used by a very large number f students, and as sllch., the equipment is handled by many users f varying experience and respnsibility. Despite the tacl that they lve having pen labs, the students that we met feel that their labratry experience culd be cnsiderably imprved thrugh better maintenance f the equipment~ saying that the labs are "'falling apart'~. They als wuld like t see better supervisin f the students~ expressing their dissatisfactin with the lack f respect and attentin by many students twards the equipment. S0111e labs are als verladed, a pint expressed by faculty melubers as well. and ften, large grups must be frmed t cmplete a particular labratry. This reduces the quality f the labs since t many students within a grup will retract frm the learning experience f SOITIC students. The students were clearly nt happy with the large class sizes; they cmmented that it is difficult t maintain interest in the lectures with such minilual interactin with the teacher. In nlany f the curses ffered in the early stages f the prgran1, students admitted that many d nt attend classes. partly because they culd cver the material n their wn. partly because the class sizes are s large that d nt feel that they are benefiting frm attending class. It was stated that the curses that have prjects tend t hld student interest ltiore than thse that d nt, and as such, it was suggested that mre curses ffer prjects. Students feel that there is insufficient mentrship/cunsel1ing available t them. While they benefit froln the guidance f the Advisrs, they feel it \vltld be highly beneiicial rr new students t be paired with senir students, r even n10re preferable wuld be a pairing with u prfessr frm the start f their prgranl. Summary f Weaknesses: Lab experience culd be cnsiderably inlprved thrugh better lnaintenance 0 f the equipment, better supervisin f the students. Large class sizes. 14

17 Insufficient nlentrship/cllllselling Recmmendatins t Imprve Undergraduate Experience Based n the assesslnent f strengths and weaknesses, ur recmmendatins are as fllws: Imprve tnaintenance f lab equipment in undergraduate labs. Increase supervisin f student supervisin in undergraduate 1abs. Reduce class sizes t prvide a better student experience. Offer mre prjects in classes. Prvide mentrship/cunselling resurces t students, either thrugh senir students r research faculty and lecturers. Create an annual awards day t hnur students fr capstne prjects. 15

18 c. MECHATRONIC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND BIOMED OPTION lvlechatrnic Systems Engineering (MSE) The 1\IfSE prgram is a newly established prgram which was launched in Fall The prgram will be cnsidered fr accreditatin in This is a truly multidisciplinary engineering prgram which integrates a number f engineering disciplines and trains the students in the develpment and design f cmputer cntrlled electr-mechanical systems. There is a rapidly grwing market fr engineers trained in this field and SFU is nly ne f very few select Canadian universities that have develped such a cn1prehensive prgranl in this area. T date, the MSE prgram has hired ten tenure r tenure-track faculty members. An additinal five nlre faculty psitins are expected t be filled in the very near future. The prgram is in high demand by bth graduate and undergraduate students. The newly hired faculty members are full f enthusiasnl and have been very sllccessful in securing funding fr their research prjects (apprximately $5.7 M in less than three years). The start-up funding f $1 J 0 k fr the newly hired faculty, particularly at the Assistant Prfessr level, is reasnable and will help theln greatly in establishing their research prgram. Anther very psitive aspect f MSE is its team f enthusiastic supprt staff. Supprt staff plays an imprtant rle in smth peratin f any enterprise and cntribute t its success r failure. The number f undergraduate and graduate students has been rapidly increasing in the MSE prgram. There are currently 46 graduate students and half f them are registered in the dctral prgranl. This is almst 5 graduate students per faculty Inember, which is very respectable. lndeed~ this is even 1110re impressive cnsidering the relatively yung age f the MSE faculty members. One f the issues that MSE is currently facing is the quality and the size r available space fr undergraduate labs and rcsearch labs. Accrding t the Self-Study reprt MSlfs available space is at least 113 less than the natinal average. This prblem is nly ging t \vrsen by the hiring f the five new faculty melbers and increase in enrlment f bth undergraduate and graduate students. The current space fr sme f the labratries is silnply 110t suitablc. Fr cxajnplc, as reprted in the Sel f-study reprt, the lad n flrs is I imitcd t 50 1 bs/ft2 which limits the type f equipment that can be placed in these labs. Anther example 16

19 wuld be the sensitive nature f sme experinlents t vibratin. The current space is nt suitable fr such activities. Other very imprtant issues are related t the difficulty in installing essential pieces f equipment such as fume hds. We understand that a new building might be cnstructed within the next five years. We hpe that this will be a reality and that the space prblem fr MSE will be slved. Vie wuld like t elnphasize that the availability f prper space is imperative since further expansin and success f the prgram will critically depend n this issue. The tv1se prgratti has sme interesting and unique features induding the dubje Business/MSE degree which is a five-year c-p prgram. This prgram was created t prepare the graduates fr engineering managerial psitins. We wuld like t add that this prgram may als prepare the students t becme successful entrepreneurs if they chse t start their wn businesses. The duble BusinesslNlSE degree is a five year cp- degree prgram where students take all MSE and Business curse. This prgram will be implenlented nce the SFU Senate has apprved it. This cmmittee strngly recmmends the apprval f the duble Business/MSE degree prgram. Anther interesting feature f the MSE prgram is its jint prgram with the Kwantlen Plytechnic University. This prgram ffers the students the ptin t get hands-n design and manufacturing experience at K wantlen Plytechnic University. Summary f Strengths: Excellent MSE prgram. State f the art facility. e e Passinate, enthusiastic, and dedicated Directr as well as faculty and staff. Excellent tcmnwrk n everybdy's part t get the prgranl t its present. state High enrlment. Excellent administrative and technical supprt. Administrative and technical staff is highly appreciative f the faculty members, and vice versa. Excellent classes. a Quality f students is high. Shared sense f pride in the prgranl by everyne. 17

20 Gd class attendance (likely due in part t the smaller class sizes). SUmmaR1' f Weaknesses: Space limitatins and space quality must be addressed. e The T A budget is extrelnely lw. This has t be crrected. Research funding shuld be imprved t supprt the needs f a rapidly grwing prgranl. As with ther prgrams at SFU~ there is n minilnum guaranteed funding tr dctral-stream students. The average funding in is reprtedly $ This is cet1ainly nt. enugh t cver tuitin and living expenses. at Teaching lads are relatively high due t the limited number f faculty members. This shuld be reslved nce the additinal five psitins are filled. Limited number f graduate curses ffered. Insufficient number f T A's. e & Technical and ad1ninistrative supprt is stretched t the limit. Only 1 advisr/recruiter available that cmes nce a week. Recmmendatins fr the MSE Prgram e Hire the remaining 5 faculty psitins as sn as pssible. T lnaintain balance. sme f these psitins shuld be filled at a nlre senir level, i.e., Assciate r Full Prfessrs. Reslve the space prblenl. Increase T A budget. Share technical resurces with Cmputing Science (physical lcatin is id~al). e Separate int its wn department within the next 3-5 years. I-lave an advisr/recruiter cnle mre regularly. Bilucdical Engineering ()ptin (BME) The Bimedical Engineering Optin was established within ENSC prgranl in Fall 2006 ne year prir t the establishment f the MSE prgram. This ptin substituted the Bimedical 5,"ream \vithin the ENSC. BME ptin invlves the Schl f Engineering Science and the 18

21 Department f Bimedical Physilgy and Kinesilgy (BPK). This prgram is nly ffered as an hnurs degree. In its first year, the ptin accepted 15 undergraduate students wit.h lhe target f admitting 30 undergraduates per year within five years and having a ttal f 40 grajuate students in this ptin. It shuld be nted that bimedical engineering has emerged as a very in1prtant engineering discipline acrss Canada and many Canadian universities have been investing in this area. In principle, this ptin shuld be in high demand but, surprisingly. it has had difficulty in attracting enugh students at SFU. Bimedical engineering is described as the "secnd" area f pririty within the Schl f ENSC. As it stands, the prgram is in dire need f a strategic plan which spells ut the visin fr grwth and success. Presently, the ITIOst imprtant task facing the ptin is t figure ut hw t recruit a greater number f students int this ptin. Althugh there are a number f faculty Inelubers in Schl f Engineering Science, Cmputing, and the Department f BiOlnedical Physilgy and Kinesilgy, with bimedical engineering expertise, Engineering Science still needs up t 3 mre faculty members in this area. Althugh Bimedical Engineering ptin has been ffered fr a few years~ lwer than expected enrlment in this ptin has been a prblem. There 1l1ay be several reasns fbr this including: 1. The minimum CGPA requirement 3.0 r higher fr graduatin with Hnurs. which IS significantly higher than the 2.0 required fr graduatin with a fvfajr degree. 2. Lack f frmal relatinship with a medical schl r a teaching hspital. 3. Specialized cre curses fr BME ptin students that need t be taken early. One f deficiencies f the BME ptin, which was repeatedly stated in ur interviews by the students, is the pr quality and the lack f maintenance f the labratries. N ne is respnsible fr the upkeep f the labratries. Summary f Strengths: Hnrs prgram fr very select students. Strng C itment frm the ENSC faculty invlved in the prgrmu. C-p. Excellent prspects upn graduatin. 19

22 Q Q In five years. strng graduate prgram. Gd interdisciplinary prgram. Sunlmary f Weaknesses: The number f faculty members has t be increased by three. Difficulty in recruiting UG students. High attritin rate. Quality f ua lab space and its maintenance. Recmmendatins fr the Bimed Optin Hire additinal facu1ty members. Further utilize the synergies between the BME and the MSE. Assign a persn t maintain UG labs. Lnger c-p terms (e.g., 8 mnths). Nt enugh supprt staff. 20

23 D. GRADUATE PROGRAM The Graduate Prgram at the Schl f Engineering Science is fcused n five areas: I. Infrmatin and Cnlmunicatin; 2. Micrelectrnics, MEMs, and NEMS; 3. Intelligent Systems, Rbtics and Cntrl; 4. Mechatrnic Systems Engineering and. 5. Bilnedical engineering. In cllabratin with the Department f Bimedical Physilgy and Kinesilgy and Schl f COlnputing Science a frmal graduate prgram in bimedical engineering is als planned. ENSC ffers three graduate prgrams; these are: Dctr f Philsphy (PhD). rv1aster f Applied Science (MASc)~ and Iv1aster f Engineering (MEng). The first tw f these prgrarns are research intensive while MEng is designed fr wrking engineers and can be taken n a parttinlc basis. Subject t certain cnditins, transfer between MASc and MEng is permitted. The graduate prgram at the ENSC attracts many exceptinal students and this is a very psitive aspect f the prgram. In recent years there has been a great surge in the enrlment f graduate students. This is primarily the result f the DTO initiative. There has been a 76<Y verall increase in graduate enrlment since this initiative was established by the Be Gvernment. Current enrlment in each prgram is: 83 in PhD, 96 in MASc and 16 in MEng. While enrlment in MASc and PhD has been increasing, MEng enrlnlent has declined significantly. 20% f the graduate students are female while apprximately 600/0 f PhD students are visa students. One f the nlst imprtant factrs which may cvcntua11y undermine recruitment f talented students fr the dctral stream prgrams (MASc and PhD) is the lack f cojumitment by t.he ENSC t prvide tllinimu111 funding during the students' curse f study. This funding shuld cver bth the tuitin and living csts. The funds lnay be prvided as Research Assistantship (RA), Teaching Assistantship (T A), and where applicable. schlarships and awards. As an example, University f Trnt guarantees tuitin plus $15 k/year fr up t five years fr dctral-stream students. Cnsidering the very small and ttally inadequate TA budget (-., 200 k). the funds will have t be primarily prvided fr111 research grants and cntrac.:ts. This 21

24 Jack f funding must harm the graduate educatin at the ENSC. I t shuld. hwever. be nted that the t!ngineering students d particularly well in btaining schlarships~ in tact they are the best in the university. Graduate curse ffering shuld he increased. This has been recgnized by the Graduate Prgram Cmmittee f the ENSC and is under discussin. This c0l11mittee is a]s ging t study a number f in1prtant issues, including funding f graduate students, ver the next three years. ENSC is planning t increase the enrlment in graduate prgram. Much f this expansin will he in the newly established MSE prgram. It is prudent t cnsider hw graduate students will be funded befre the prpsed expansin. One issue that is f cncern is the significant drp in the MEng enrlment. This drp is attributed t the ecnmic factrs in Be. The Graduate Prgram Cmmittee is studying this matter as well. In ur pinin, ne way t revive the MEng prgram is t design it s that it appeals t a bigger segment f engineers in the greater Vancuver area. Fr example. ffer a fulltime MEng prgram t new immigrants with valid engineering degrees. In general, these individuals need t have Canadian experience befre they are seriusly cnsidered fr C111p]ynlent by Canadian cn1panies. A MEng degree frm ENSC wih certainly prvide them with such experience. 'fhis kind f prgram can als bring additinal financial resurces t the ENSC. Glbalizatin f educatin, particularly graduate educatin. is currently an imprtant subject n many campuses. The search fr glbal partners, as has been prpsed by the Graduate Prgram Cmmittee (GPC), is cmmendable and must be rigrusly pursued. The pe has crrectly identified bth the attractin and the retentin f highly qualified graduate students as a pririty. Prper funding f these students wil] be f great ilnprtance in this matter. Summary f Strengths: e e Quality f graduate students is exceptinal. Number f graduate students per faculty is strng. Rapid gr\\t1h f graduate enrlment as a result f the DTO. Large number f schlarship hlders; indeed mst successful at the SFU level. Great research utput. Offering cmmunicatin and writing curses t graduate students. 22

25 Summary f \Veaknesses: \Vhile the students are ding well academically, they are very dissatisfied with the level r funding they receive, which, in many cases, is nne, These financial limitatins create anxiety and ften prevent students frm cmpleting their degree in an acceptable timetl'ame, r even colnpleting it at all. There are nt enugh T A-ships ffered t graduate students. This is surprising cnsidering the high number f students in the undergraduate prgram. In cntrast, in the Faculty f Science, in Physics and Mathematics in particular, there are half the number f students and yet duble the nutnber f T A-ships are available. This is an issue that needs t be addressed. The graduate prgrams have expanded rapidly withut any cnsideratin fr funding and space requirements. There is a very limited number and limited availability f graduate curses. This is in spi te f the fact that the curse lad that faculty has at the ENSC is lwer than the average in ther Canadian universities. At the ENSC, prfessrs have an average f 2.5 curses/year, whereas in ther universities, the average is 3 t 3.5 curses/year. I) MEng prgranl enrlment has declined by 67% since This prgram is designed t cater t prfessinals wh enrl in it n a part-tinle basis. While the current ecnlllic situatin and the tuitin increase are reasns fr the decline, this shuld be investigated further and the prgram shuld be redesigned. Lng time t graduate in MASc prgram (average 3 years). Recmmendatins fr the Graduate Prgram Prvide adequate funding fr dctra1 students; ES shuld ensure that PhD students have a minimal level f funding which shuld be adequate t cver I iving expenses and tuitin. Funding nlechanis111 shuld be transparent t students. Number f graduate level curses has t increase Shrt annual prgress reprts shuld be submitted by the students. Advertise the NIEng. prgram mre widely. lcally, natinally, and internatinally. Reduce the graduatin time fr MASc students. Currently, the average c.mph:~tin lime is 3 years...,.,.;...-,

26 E. RESEARCH ENTERPRISE The Faculty f Engineering Science is relatively yung - it was started in It has grwn rapidly int a quality educatinal institutin with relatively high standards. Cl1rrently~ ENSC has 29 research faculty members at the Burnaby campus with 17 Prfessrs~ 5 Assciate Prfessrs and 7 Assistant Prfessrs. The MSE prgram in Surrey has 10 faculty members with 2 Prfessrs, 4 Assciate Prfessrs and 4 Assistant Prfessrs. In academic year, 35 PhD. 37 MASc and 7 MEng were admitted in the ENSC. The areas f research and teaching are fcused in infrmatin and cmmunicatins; micrelectrnics, l'vtems and NEtvlS: intelligent systeltis, mechanics and cntrl, mechatrnics; and, binledical engineering. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in graduate student enrlment at the IVIASc and PhD level reversing a declining trend at the MEng level. This is mainly due t the Mechatrnics prgram which started in In the fllwing paragraphs we utline sme f the strengths and weaknesses f the research enterprise f the schl fhwed by recmnlendatins. Strengths The general level f research activity is quite cmmendable when measured in tenns f research grants and research results btained. Indeed the current research funding is at apprxilnately $3t\.1 r $80K per faculty per year. The current NSERC Discvery Grants funding level is abut $27K per award which is abve the natinal average. In the last 10 years, the ENSC has btained 19 NSERC Strategic and CRD awards, 31 NSERC Discvery awards, 6 CFI and 4 CIHR awards. We nted that almst every faculty member has sme frm f research funding. The rate f research publicatins in jurnals and cnferences is als judged t be satisj~lctry ancl the ENSe fflculty 111elnbers have ver a 100 patents t their credit. Regarding qualit.y f research, SFU has been ranked first in the number f citatins per paper in Engineering (as well as Physics and Ecnmics) albeit in a smewhat dated survey. FUlthern10re, in a recent McLcan Inagazine ranking f Canadian Universities, SFU has bec]] ranked in first place in the Cmprehensive Universities categry and has been amng the tp 4 several times. The new Dean Prf. Nimal Rajapakse and the Directr f the ENSC. Prf. Mehrdad Saif arc bth active in research despite their administrative duties. This example frm 15

27 the leadership shuld spur higher levels f research activity. The new Dean shuld als be an effective vice t represent the interests f the ENSC t the University senir administratin. 'vve pint ut several relevant facts pertinent t the research enterprise, specifically external visibility, and engagement with the cmmunity. Three faculty members are Fellws f prfessinal scieties. Of these tw arc IEEE Fellw s. Tw faculty tnembers have received awards frm the Michael Smith Fundatin fr Health Research. One faculty member received the Cltn Medal fr Research Excellence fr Micrsystem Design, and anther faculty member received the Manning I nnvatin A \.vard as well as the Industrial Innvatin Award. There are als an NSERC Innvatin Challenge Award. an NSERC University Faculty Award, a Creative Engineering Award a British Clunlbia Cuncil Award~ a Canadian Pacific Railway Medal, an MIT Teaching Award and the Luigi Naplitan Award frm the Internatinal Astrnmical Federatin. The Dean is an internatinally renwned schlar with several awards including the prestigius Alexander vn Humbldt Award t his credit. The Directr f the Schl is highly visible and active in the IEEE Cntrl Systems Sciety and has received appreciatin fr111 the B.C. Science Cuncil. Many faculty lticmbers (23 t be precise) are in jurnal and cnference editrial bards. Several f these are in the prestigius IEEE Transactins as well as IEEE Cnferences. An ENSC faculty Inember was ne f 6 BC inventrs prfiled in the Nvember 2007 f Be Business. Many faculty members are in Wh's Wh listings fr Science, Technlgy and Engineering. The abve facts and data shw that the ENSC is visible, prductive and engaged \vith the scientific colllmunity as far as its research enterprise ges. Summary f Strengths: 4th in engineering in Canada Highly active in research $31\1 in grants ($80klfaculty member n average) High enrlment in MASc and PhD prgrams 3 ere's.. 2 Michael Smith Fundatin Awards Micrfabricatin facility 26

28 ~fanning Fundatin awards Several NSERC strategic, CHRP grants and thers Dean and Directr fensc are bth active in research and teaching despite their administrative duties. New Dean shuld be an effective vice fr engineering at the Senir Adl11inistratin level. Relatively lw teaching lads shuld allw mre time fr research. Gd quality f the research infrastructure in terms f equipment. Weaknesses The attritin rate f graduate students is generally t high. The funding available t supprt graduate students, stated t be at 83% fr PhD' sand 70% fr Masters' is lw. The nunlber f Pst Dctral Fellws (15 in the last 10 years) must be imprved. Cllabratin \vith the lcal Be industry has been difficult as there are limited pprtunities. Space fr research labs is limited. In a tur f the labs, it was surprising t see hw many faculty Inelnbers' labs are s limited by space. SUlnmary f Weaknesses: Space fr research labs is limited. This is ging t be even mre severe fr the MSE prgram. Lilnited cllabratin \vith lcal industry since there are limited pprtunities. e University plicy n intellectual prperties and inventin may hanlper cllabratin with industry Very few pstdctra1 fellws. High attritin rate. N plicy fr graduate student funding. A number f faculty members have n NSERC Discvery Grant. Recmmendatins t Imprve Research Enterprise Based n the assessn1ent f strengths and weaknesses~ ur recmmendatins are as fllws: 27

29 The ENSC shuld nt enter int new areas f research and teaching at this time f financial cnstrictin. It shuld cncentrate n strengthening its current areas f activity and in this regard can cnsider implementing a number f steps~ including what fllws. G Itnplementatin f a Distinguished Lecturer Prgram which wuld bring lj1, say, 8 internatinally renwned scientists every year t the campus fr 1-2 days f research discussins and interactin. This will benefit the Faculty as well as graduate students. Creating mre links internatinally s that the faculty can engage in jint research, academic visits and exchange students. Attempting t increase and diversify graduate student enrhnent. Reaching ut t gd schls in Eurpe and Asia with recruitment psters and publicity culd in1prve the quality and quantity f the schl's research utput. Hsting internatinal cnferences in the field as well as ffering wrkshps t industry. Instituting a regular prgram f internal research seminars by faculty and graduate students t increase awareness f peers' research and increase cllegiality. ta The upper administratin needs t better recgnize that Engineering has special needs due t the labratry-intensive curriculmn, accreditatin requirements and industry internships. Thus ENSC shuld nt be treated at par with ther Schls and Engineering shuld receive prprtinately mre resurces than say, liberal arts. 28

30 F. ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY The ENSC faculty members have been trying t engage the lcal industry fr sme time. Traditinally~ they have had a strng tie t industry. Because f the recent ecnmic crunch they have had less success as there are limited pprtunities in the high tech fields in the Be area. Despite this~ the faculty has been interacting with the lcal Be cmmunity [see the specific itenls abve related t this (Prf. Bird's inventr award and Prf. Saifs recgnitin by the Be Science Cuncil)]. It culd be prductive t start cllabrating with faculty at University f Victria and University f British Clumbia n research and academics. Fr example the Bimedical Engineering culd prfit frm jint research with the Medical Schl at UBC. Internatinalizatin and glbalizatin is anther very imprtant area f future gr\nth. The Schl intends t seek partnership and exchange prgrams with gd universities frm China, India, Iran, etc. Such agreements will ensure the recruitn1ent f high quality graduate applicants. Finally, placing ITIOre undergraduate students fr their c-p in ther cuntries can trelnendusly bst internatinal recgnitin f the Schl. Summary f Strengths: SOlne successful industrial cllabratins CI Intenlatinal placement f c-p students Summary f Weaknesses: Difficult t cllabrate with lcal industry since there are limited pprtunities. " Intellectual prperty plicy shuld be reviewed and revised t enhance cllabratin with industry. Q Althugh many faculty members are trying t engage the lcal, natinal, and internatinal industry, the effrt culd be mre successful. There is als a need t engage with the internatinal cmnlunity in the respective fields by starting a prgram f schlarly exchanges f faculty and students and diversificatin f internatinal graduate student recruitnlent. We have already Illade suggestins regarding the 29

31 hsting f a Distinguished Lecturer Prgram as well as a prgram f cnferences and wrksh('ps. This wuld engage the internatinal acadetnic and engineering cn11111mities with ENSC anj SFU. ENSC shuld frmulate a systematic prcedure t try t elect faculty members as Senir Iv1embers and Fellws f their respective Scieties and t place them in administrative assignments in the Sciety and ther rganizatins such as NSERC. This wuld increase the Schl's visibility and influence. Recmmendatins t Engage with Cmmunity Faculty shuld increase interdisciplinary research and cllabratins with ther universities. particularly with UBC and UVIC. Hst Distinguished Lecturer Prgram and a prgram f cnferences and wrkshps. Increase faculty participatin in imprtant rganizatins. Establish an awards cmmittee that meets regularly and identifies faculty nlelnbers that can be nminated fr prvincial, natinal, and internatinal awards. The cmmittee shuld help candidates in preparing their nminatin frms. Increasing the number f 8\vards wih greatly prmte the ENSC. G. OTHER COMMENTS The Review Cmmittee strngly recmmends that SFU carefully reviews its reward and cmpensatin plicy, in particular as it relates t the prfessrial staff. This shuld be a high pririty fr the administratin given the distrtins prduced by the salary ceiling and the resulting cmpressin (and even inversin) that it can prduce. The senir fac.ulty, f which there are a significant number, are affected by salary caps which result in salary cmpressin. Many renlain unrewarded mnetarily despite several years f abve average perfnnance. Finally, ver 95% f the ENSC budgct is COlnlnittcd t the salaries. This leaves very little rm t have any initiative. Since 2002, there has been $1.1 M cut t the base budget. This cannt cntinue. I ndeed, we recmnlend finding ways t restre these cuts. 30

32 CLOSING REMARKS In the face f many challenges, ENSC has achieved success in many areas. The OTO challenge created pprtunities fr expansin. but alng with this CaIne grwing pains. ]n rder t cntinue t succeed and t be amng the tp universities in Canada, the University and ENSC need t seriusly cnsider hw t alleviate these pains in rder t achieve nce again a high level f excellence. Althugh the Schl has been faced \V'ith severe budget cuts. it appears that ENCS shuld be perceived by the University in a mre realistic manner: in ther \vrds, the engineering prgrams are nes that require intensive experimental wrk. that are subject t rigrlls accreditatin requirements, and that are facing increasing enrlment, and as such. resurces shuld be apprpriately allcated t maintain these prgrams. The cmmittee believes that the pririties fr ENSC at this time shuld be t address the issues f increased enrlment and the assciated needs fr new facu1ty, supprt staff~ space, equipment Inaintenance. and funding fr graduate students. It is ur belief that these are the mst urgent issues at this tiitic. The cnlnlittec wuld like t take this pprtunity t nce again thank everyne at SFU fr their assistance befre. during, and after their visit and wuld like t wish ENSC luck and much success in its future endeavurs. 31

33 EXTERNAL REVIEW - ACTION PLAN Sectin 1-T be cmpleted by the Respnsible Unit Persn e.g. Chair r Directr I Unit under review Schl f Engineering Science Date f Review Site visit Respnsible Unit persn, Mehrdad Saif Faculty Dean Nimal Rajapakse... April 7-9, 2010 I Nte: It is nt expected that every recmmendatin made by the Review Team needs t be included here. The majr thrusts f the Reprt shuld be identified and sme cnslidatin f the recmmendatins may be pssible while ther recmmendatins f lesser imprtance may be excluded.! r Ur:i~'s respnse Resurce External Review Recmmendatin 1. Undergrad. Educatin Substantially increase the T A, budget. ~ 2. Undergrad. ~ Educatin Imprve the quality f the lab equipment maintenance, better I nctesi Cmments Actin t be taken implicatins I {if any) (if any) " The Schi has been strugg;i~g with shrinking and hist.ically lw TA budget. We fuliy agree with this recmmeildatin as stated in Sectins and ~f the Self supervisin f I Study ~epcrt. students using equiprnent,nnre scheduled lab sessins I in colnbinatin with pen labs. While managing ur resurces in best pssible way, we will cntinue making ur case fr increased TA funding. In 2009, tw new cmmittees, Curriculum Refrm Cmmittee (CRC) as well as Bimedical Optin Curriculum Cmmittee (BOCC) were struck. CRC will review and make recmmendatins fr a majr curriculum revisin and refrm f all engineering ptins. Hwever" since bimedical ptin is the newest ptin and has its wn challenges, different frm ther established ptins, Bee was created t wrk in parallel and in cllabratin with ere t cnsider issues relevant t the bimedical ptin. The hpe is that these tw cmmittees will make recmmendatins t ur Undergraduate Curriculum Cmmittee (Uee) that wuld result in curriculum innvatin and Directly related t resurces made available t the Schl. Fr scheduled labs mre TA and faculty instructin time is required. lab equipment renewal is a prblem due t lack f base budget funding. One-time funding such as supplemental funding due t verenrllment has been used t address urgent issues. Expected cmpletin date Unknwn. Pia n f actin fr curriculunl changes: Cmmittee Recmmendatins: May 2011 Implementatin: September 2011 Cmpletin: December 2012 ~ ~ ~ ~~~~ L-.~L-. ~

34 whlesale revisin f ur prgrams. It is hped that CRC and BOee recmmendatins will address many f the issues raised by the external reviewers in their reprt. Specifically, t address the issue raised by the reviewers, ENSC 220 (Electric Circuits I) is the first ENSe curse in ur Burnaby campus, which nw includes scheduled labs. Als ENSC 215 (Micrcntrller Interfacing and Assemblylanguage Prgramming) nw has scheduled labs. We are als cnsidering scheduled labs fr ENSC 225 (Micreiectrnics I) as well. Fr higher level curses, a cmbinatin f scheduled and pen labs is under cnsideratin by UCC and CRC as per External Review Cmmittee's recmmendatin Undergrad. Being cnsidered. See The Bimedical Optin Curriculum Cmmittee Nt knwn. Recmmendatins: Educatin previus reply. (BGCe) is wrking n this and will reprt its May 2011 Revise the bimed recmmendatins t Curriculum Refrm Implementatin: ptin t make it mre Cmmittee (CRC) fr further discussin. The September 2011 flexible fr students t final recmmendatins will be cnsidered by Cmpletin: ~ut. UCc. December Undergrad. We agree with the first Class sizes will be reduced starting Fall 2010 by Increased faculty hlln1ediately (Fall Educatin recmmendatin as ffering multiple sectins f high enrlment teaching lad which has 2010). Implement smaller stated 1n Sectins curses. been apprved. class sizes t reduce and 9.5. Als, many ENSC pr attendance- curses have lab/prject Inre prjects curses. cmpnents already. _.

35 5. U ndergrad. Psitive asects: Deeper CRC will cnsider replacing the current three 4- Psitive impact n Plan f actin: Jan Educatin experience t students; mnth cp terms, with ne 8-mnth and ne resurce requirement, 2011 Offer mre 8-mnth Less wrk fr cp staff; 4-mnth cp terms. This requires careful as each student will c-p terms t allw Attractive t emplyers. scheduling f curse fferings as well. require tw cp Start f students t gain Nega~ive asqects: placements in the Implementatin: deeper experience. Students may find it curse f their Fall 2011 harder t get back t educatin, rather than Cmpletin: Fall studies after being away three frm SFU fr a lng perid f time. Multiple ffering f curses is needed t implement this recmmendatin. 6. U ndergrad. We a;~ currently We will mnitr the wrklad f the c-p Requires additinal Onging. Educatin adequateiy staffed. MSE ffice. financial resurces t I ncrease c-p staff t may, hwever, need a implement. help supprt the large full time?a (currently influx f students. half tir,;e) in future. 7. Undergrade Entrance standards are Given the demand fr ur prgrams, the Schl Nne. January 2011 Educatin cnsiste:1t r remain has raised its entrance requirements this year With lwer entrance higher than many ther and will re-evaluate its admissin plicy nce standards engineering Schls. again after we have a clear picture f freshman care must be taken t They are als in line r enrllment levels this fall. gr"'" the prgram in higher than University relevant areas. grad u()tin requirements. 8. Graduate Educatin l)ensc 1$ a research This is a cmplex issue that requires meaningful Sme cmmitment and Fall ) Prvide adequate intensive unit and this is discussin and dialgue between faculty supprt frm the funding fr dctral a very imprtant and supervisrs, Sch!, FAS Dean and Dean f University fr dctral students; and 2) students. cmplex issue that Graduate Studies t arrive at a reasnable Funding mechanism requires creative slutin. The graduate prgram cmmittee will shuld be transparent slutins.2) We already initiate discussins and varius pssibilities such Onging. t students. have published n ur as cnsidering allcating all ur available I web site ENSC criteria Graduate Fellwships t dctral students in L- --

36 based n which we adjudicate Graduate Felfwship applicants. In line with TSSU guidelines there is als a I transparent prcess fr TA applicatin and allcatin. their secnd t the fifth year. We expect ur Graduate Prgram Cmmittee t have sme recmmendatins after cnsidering this issue in depth with all invlved. We will update r revise the ENSC graduate fellwship adjudicatin criteria n the web as necessary. 9. Graduate Educatin Student demand fr We will revise ur web site. Nne anticipated. Summer 2011 Advertise the MEng M.Eng. prgrams vary prgram mre widely, widely between regins We will create student handbk that includes lcally, natinally, and dlsciplines. the pre-requisite structure f graduate curses. and internatinally; revie'vv the quality f We will disseminate ur graduate prgram the prgram; and brchure t the lcal industry. revie'w the fee We will als re-visit the MEng's mandate and structure f the cnsider pening the prgram t internatinal prgram. students/partner institutins Graduate Educatir. Annuai :-eprts are We will track and fllw up n students wh Increase wrklad fr ----~--.-- Spring 2011 Reduce the graduatin already being dne. have exceeded a specified time limit in the ur already ver laded time fr MASc Hweve r, we will re-visit prgram. We will ievise ur annual prgress graduate secretary. studedts. Shrt annual and revise sme f ur reprt, and seek justificatin frm the student prgress reprts I current measures and and the supervisr n the degree cmpletin shuld be submitted will perha ps intrduce by graduate students. new measures t address time. We will strictly enfrce the rule that t their supervisrs in this issue. students missing the annual prgress reprt will rder t help keep be nt eligible fr graduate fellwships, them n track. schlarships, r ther benefits. 11. Graduate Educatin! This will ~aturally happen Grad curse ffering is n the rise already. We Increase grad level I with increase in MSE will explre the pssibility f ffering mre faculty. Nne anticipated... _- -- Onging

37 curses. crss-listed senir-undergraduate/graduate curses. 12. Student Fully agree. Currently three full-time lecturers are prviding Increased faculty Fall 2010 r Spring Experiences academic advising t undergraduate students (lecturer) wrklad Prvide and sme mentring and cunseling when mentrship/cunseling students are in difficult academic situatins. resurces t students. The plan is fr all five lecturers t engage in such activities. Fr MSE, due t the relatively smaller number f students and faculty this duty will be handled by the Systems One advisr (t be hired) in the first year, and in the later years, by individual faculty members. 13. MSE Prgram We are hiring them Tw faculty members have been hired. One Funding already in By January 2011 Hire the remaining 5 based n ur psitin already is n bard, and the ther will jin in place. One psitin faculty psitins as apprval plans. January The remaining 3 (r 2 based n may be lst due t sn as pssible, sme the budget) will be hired in 2011 r later after budget cuts ver the at a mre senir level: BOG apprves these psitins. past tw years. i.e., Assciate r Full Prfessrs. 14. MSE Prgram I Very urgent issue. The Schl will cntinue wrking with the A new building is Onging. Res 1 ve the space University n this very imprtant and urgent required t meet the prblem. issue. The MSE prgram has serius and urgent needs f Mechatrnics need fr additinal and prper space fr the as well as ther prgram. prgrams in Surrey MSE Prgram This is an issue fr all f Unfrtunately, the budget f Mechatrnics Restratin f cuts t Unknwn. Increase T A budget. ENSC and as such was prgram was nt prtected frm cuts althugh the Mechatrnics addressed befre. the prgram is still under develpment. As a budget ver the past 3 result, limited funding is available fr TAs. The years. I prgram is due fr its first accreditatin visit in February 2011 and there are serius resurce issues with respect t the number f technical I! staff, TA and equipment budget and space. 16. MSE Prgram I Being addressed thrugh A Faculty-wide re-rganizatin f student affairs Supprted frm December 2010 I-lave an Systems One staff is in prgress and a new hire fr Systems One Systems One budget

38 advisr/recruiter cme I psitin. will be in place befre the end f allcatin frm VPA. mre regularly. I Bimed Prgram l)n resurces available Bimedical engineering prgram is a jint Current resurces are Nne. 1) Hire additinal at this time fr this. prgram between ENSC and BPK Department. adequate cmpared t facul~y members.2) 2) Already dne. We believe that between ENSC, MSE, and BPK, ur verall pririties. Further utilize the 3) We have very limited there are enugh faculty members t supprt synergies between the number f staff fr all this ptin. BME and the MSE.3) ur prgra ms. N Nt enugh supprt prgram has its wn staff. staff. 18. Research Enterprise We fully agree. We hpe the new budget prcess will address - Unknwn. The upper sme f these issues. administratin needs t better recgnize that Engineering has special needs due t the labratryintensive curriculum, accreditatin requirements and industry internships. Thus ENSC shuld nt be treated at par with ther Schls. I - -- The abve actin plan has b "..Jr'~" hp_.lj.a.f4-rlmt'l"pelr review and has been discussed and agreed t by the Dean. J Unit Leader (signed) Date ,--N_am_e_.. _.ffz._~--.;:~--.;dd:_._:~~f;/yt,,_.f.._..._......_.-f+- Ti_tle_.._A_.r.J_ll~_.. _.. tff_.. /)_.!.._t_~_.._..._..._.. '":r.._ _f.1_rl:_..._..?p--l...l r-...??.(.~... -=~~~.~.=-.~_

39 Sectin 2 - Dean's cmments and endrsement f the Actin Plan: This is the first external review f the Schl f Engineering Science after the cmpletin f DTO expansin. The reviewers have cmmented psitively n Schl's activities inciuding its highly regarded technical cmmunicatin prgram, mandatry c-p prgram, pen-labs and new Mechatrnics Systems Engineering prgram. The general level f research activity is fund t be quite cmmendable when measured in terms f research grants ($80K per faculty per year) and research results. The schl shuld be cngratulated fr the psitive evaluatin by the reviewers. With regard t the recmmendatins and actin plan utiined by the Directr, I am in full agreement. My cmments n key tpics f the review reprt are given belw. Undergraduate Curriculum Revisin and Student Experience: The actin plan is acceptable and practical. The issues cncerning student experience will be addressed during the curriculum review. Graduate Student Funding: Althugh the reviewers have cmmented critically n this issue, the Schl is ding its best t supprt graduate students. The main prblem is re:atively lv,' TA supprt per student cmpared t ther units. Accrding t data the prepared by the Dean f Graduate Studies, the schl ranks secnd at SFU in terms f the ttal research funding ($1.47M) directed fr graduate student supprt. I recmmend discntinuing the practice f accepting internatinal PhD students withut funding. The schl shuld develp a strategy t attract mre NSERC schlarship recipients. Mechatrnics Systems Engineering Prgram and Space: This is a very successful prgram with high student demand. The first accreditatin visit will take place in February The prgram needs a stable budget t cmplete its develpment. The space available in Surrey fr Mechatrnics is still inadequate althugh the prgram recently received sme new space. Research: There is rm t attract mre research funding by pursuing large team grants and cllabratin with reginal universities. The Schl has strng ties t industry and shuld develp a strategy t attract mre research funding frm industry. Budget Issues: Many cmments f the reviewers are related t the schl budget (e.g. TA, labratry equipment, student advising, etc). Althugh the OTO Prgram brught additinal resurces t the Schl, the increase in undergraduate and graduate enrllment has been very large (apprximately 80 undergraduate students per year in the pre-dto era t nearly 250 students per year in 2010 and nearly 300% increase in graduate enrllment). This is causing substantial pressure n every aspect f the schl. T put this issue in prper cntext, I have lked at data published by Engineers Canada fr Canadian engineeri~g prgrams. Engineering Science at SFU is 40% belw the average space allcatin fr engineering prgrams in Western Canada and 30% belw the Canadian average fr $$ per FTE undergraduate student. Facu lty Dean. ~ (; ('~l~~... ~:.~... ~.... Date (!) ~~c J.~c.(j... ~ ~ ~