Educating the Whole Engineer
Virtual Workshop Series

This virtual workshop is co-sponsored by the Wake Forest Engineering "Educating the Whole Engineer" Kern Family Foundation KEEN grant and the National Initiative on Capacity Building and Knowledge Creation for Engineering Leadership (NICKEL) organization.

Click here for Flyer

Location: Zoom  

Registration: https://wakeforest-university.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrcuChqjwrGtczYDIxzqwgAtz_33WgblYH#/registration

The engineering profession has a direct impact on the flourishing of humanity. Positive societal impact in the context of engineering practice requires engineering professionals to exhibit not only competence but also leader character. Elevating leader character alongside competence in both engineering education and engineering practice is critical to enhance quality of judgment and decision making. In this workshop we will unpack the extensive research revealing what leader character is, how it can be developed, and how it can be applied in teaching and practice. We will also discuss how strengthening leader character in engineers moves beyond moral and ethics to reveal its central role in high profile cases such as Boeing. 

Facilitators: 

Dr. Mary Crossan is a distinguished university professor and professor of strategic leadership at the Ivey Business School, Western University. In 2021 she was recognized on a global list representing the top two percent of the most cited scientists in her discipline, and in 2023 she received the life-time career achievement Academy of Management Distinguished Educator Award. 

Dr. Corey Crossan is a Research and Teaching Fellow at The Oxford Character Project where she develops and facilitates character development programs for students, industry, and university partners. Her research examines how character can be developed and its impact on performance and wellbeing. 

Agenda:

2:30 pm: Community Check-in

3:20 - 4:00 pm: Student Leadership Panel 

Our first online community meeting of 2024 will feature a student leadership panel. Students from a variety of institutions across the country will reflect on their leadership journey and how to strengthen engineering leadership programs. As usual, there will be time for questions from the audience, as well as small breakout groups to interact and discuss with other attendees.

Please click here to register through zoom

Agenda:

3:00 pm: Community Check-in

3:20 pm: Adapting in a Changing Landscape - A Panel Discussion with Engineering Leaders from Industry

This panel will feature engineering leaders from industry excited to share their experiences and engage with engineering educators. The panel will explore themes relating to adaptation and changes in a variety of areas including individual growth, team development, workplaces and society. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and discuss with panelists. Further details including panelist biographies will be shared closer to the date.

Agenda:

3:00 pm: Community Check-in

3:20 pm: Co-Curricular Leadership Program Showcase

The Co-Curricular Leadership Program Showcase features diverse engineering leadership learning programs across the country which range in terms of program maturity, region, target audience, and design.

Following a presentation from the representatives of each program, each University will host a dedicated breakout room for further discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to move between breakout rooms to speak directly with the presenters and ask questions.

The session will end with a large group general discussion to capture insights related to contrasting approaches of program design.

About the Programs:

 University of Calgary

• Alex Paquette, PhD Candidate & Graduate Student Experiential Specialist

• Catherine Cervantes, Team Lead, Experiential Learning

• Emily Wyatt, Senior Manager, Work Integrated and Experiential Learning

Catalyst PhD is a program designed to accelerate the careers of high-potential influencers. This is a 4-in-1 program that offers 4 non-credit certificates in a single program to 30 first year PhD students. The topics in the program covered are: Engineering leadership, Entrepreneurship, Personal and Community Wellbeing, and Social innovation, and takes 2.5 years to complete. Students who successfully complete all 4 certificates will receive a $5000 award to recognize their learning and engagement.

 University of Manitoba

• Kathryn Atamanchuk, Engineer-in-Residence

The Price Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba is piloting a new co-curricular leadership program for undergraduate engineering students called The Excellence in Engineering Leadership (excEL) Program.  The excEL Program is based on a framework that aims to develop ethical leadership skills in the areas of Leading Yourself, Leading People, and Leading in the Profession.  Click here to learn more about the excEL Program!

 University of Toronto

•  Kristen Wallace, Engineering Leadership Education Specialist

• Julietta Saberian, Assistant Director, Community of Practice

The Troost ILead Fellowships bring together undergraduate student leaders from student organizations and design teams in a cohort based program. Fellows form a tight-knit community of leaders that support each other’s learning through workshops, discussions, speakers, hands-on work, and peer feedback. While the Summer Fellowship focuses on organizational culture and the development of independent change projects, the Winter offering supports graduating student leaders as they prepare for executive transition, succession planning, and preparing for personal leadership transitions.

December 1, 2022 4:00-5:30 PM Eastern Time

About: A 60-minute workshop including share back and discussion.

Agenda:

4:00 pm: Community Check-in

4:20 pm: Leadership “Resolutions”: Developing your Personal Strategic Plan for Engineering Leadership

In August, the NICKEL community members and colleagues gathered at UBC for the NICKEL VII conference with a theme of “Pulling Together.” However, not everyone in our community could attend or travel.

This session is designed to engage our community in a collective exercise to reflect, brainstorm, and strategize on leadership “resolutions”. With this being the last community meeting of the year, and similar to New Year’s Resolutions (whether you make them or not), the learning outcomes of this session are to:

• Reflect on your leadership journey

• Develop short term and longer-term goals for your leadership aspirations

• Identify pathways to achieve your goals for next year and beyond

The session will be led and facilitated by Professor Nadine Ibrahim, University of Waterloo. It will be structured to include prompted questions to guide you through the development of your Personal Strategic Plan.

5:20pm: Discussion

5:30pm: Adjourn

The Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering welcomes you to join us for a day of connection and thought-provoking reflection at the 13th Community of Practice Conference. 

The conference is designed to cultivate meaningful connections and ignite dialogue and reflection around the shared challenges and opportunities in the “return” to work and the future workforce.  We aim to inspire collective learning and tap into the wisdom of the community as we navigate these topics.

This year, our theme will focus on fostering connection in a hybrid environment; participants will have an opportunity to hear directly from the next generation of engineers via a moderated student panel, re-discover the collective wisdom of the Community of Practice though facilitated discussions, and learn about Ready Lab’s latest research on Virtual Communication Patterns & Impact on Team Effectiveness.

We are glad to return to an in-person delivery model; staying true to the ethos of the Community of Practice, participants can expect to engage with a diverse group of engineers, managers, and human resource professionals from the corporate members of the Community of Practice as well as UofT Faculty, staff, and students.

*Please Note: This is an invitation-only event for Troost ILead’s Community of Practice Partners.

Agenda

9:00 – 9:30 AM: Breakfast & Registration

9:30 – 9:50 AM: Welcome Address

Speaker: Professor Emily Moore, Director, Troost ILead

9:50 – 10:00 AM: Introductions

10:00 – 10:45 AM: Student Panel: PEY Co-op Reflections

Through a moderated panel discussion, students returning from diverse work terms will reflect on their experiences in industry and share narratives of their lived experiences adapting to hybrid environments.

The discussion will ignite insights related to the perspectives of the next generation of engineers and cover topics of onboarding, culture, team engagement, and navigating complexity.

10:45 – 11:00 AM: Coffee Break

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Speaker’s Corner: Group Discussions

In this dedicated “unconference” session, participants will elect to join 1 of 4 parallel group discussions, each featuring a topic related to different challenges related to connection and engagement in hybrid teams.

In these facilitated discussions, participants will engage with new ways of thinking by engaging in gamified activities.

Designed to foster connection and leverage the collective wisdom of the CoP, participants will explore themes of team culture, collaboration, well-being, and leadership growth.

12:00 – 1:00 PM: Networking Lunch

1:00 – 1:45 PM: Research Spotlight: Hybrid Teams that Work

Enterprise social network messaging platforms such as Slack and MS Teams have quickly become central spaces for connection for virtual teams and have transformed communication and coordination within engineering design teams. This has generated a rich source of data to allow for the quantitative study of communication patterns of teams at a granular level.

In this research spotlight, Sharon Ferguson, PhD candidate from Ready Lab, will present highlights from her own work as well as findings from others’ research to share insights into virtual communication practices within engineering design teams and its impact on team effectiveness.

This session will explore the following areas:

• Understanding cycles of convergence and divergence throughout the engineering design process

• Identifying discernable trends in communication patterns between strong and weak teams

• Exploring the intricacies of the individual contributions and dynamics within teams through network analysis, emoji frequency analysis, and topic modelling of electronic communications.

This talk will also explore how the findings of this work can translate more generally into better understanding of team bonding/connectivity, equitable influence, and how to optimize communication and collaboration in hybrid teams.

1:45 – 2:10 PM: Adapting to Hybrid Communication: Group Exercise & Discussion

In teams, participants will engage in a communication game designed to spark conversation around communications behaviours and practices in teams which operate on the virtuality continuum.

Participants will reflect on the experiences of the exercise as well as the research talk to identify communication pitfalls and discuss strategies to overcome challenges in real-world scenarios.

2:10 – 2:15 PM: Independent Reflection Exercise: Note to self

2:15 – 2:30 PM: Closing Remarks & Adjourn

REGISTRATION HAS NOW CLOSED.

NICKEL VI(rtual) Conference - Engineering Leadership Across the Country

Tuesday, August 10th, 2021 from 11AM-5PM EDT / 8AM - 2PM PDT.

What is NICKEL? The name says it all; it is a National Initiative for Capacity Building and Knowledge Creation for Engineering Leadership.

This is the sixth NICKEL Conference, NICKEL V(irtual). This year the conference will feature a workshop-style approach. As a participant, you will engage in interactive workshops that enable you to be an active learner in engineering leadership, facilitated by your NICKEL colleagues from institutions across Canada. The conference will also feature a discussion about the role of engineering leadership in the curriculum.

See you online for NICKEL VI.

Stay safe,

The NICKEL VI Program Committee
John Donald, University of Guelph
Tamara Etmannski, UBC
Milan Maljkovic, University of Toronto
Grant McSorley, University of Prince Edward Island
Nate Quitoriano, McGill University
Doug Reeve, University of Toronto (Chair)
Patricia Sheridan, University of Toronto (Conference Chair)
Donald Uffen, Western University
Emily Wyatt, University of Calgary

Objectives for NICKEL 2021:

• Build relationships between individuals engaged in engineering leadership education.

• Form a network of learning and action.

• Demonstrate and experience active leadership learning.

• Share best practices and greatest challenges.

• Integrate new ideas into university programs.

• Stimulate interest in research on engineering leadership and its pedagogy

Who Should Attend?

University faculty, staff and instructors from Canadian universities with a personal interest and passion for the topic and role alignment with engineering leadership initiatives.

How to Register: 

To participate in the 2021 NICKEL Conference, please register by August 6th, 2020. For each individual, fill out the form at the top of the page with your name, position, university and  brief bios (or website links).

Cost: 

There is no conference fee.

More Information: 

If you have any questions or issues submitting the form, please email Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca) and Patricia Sheridan (patricia.sheridan@utoronto.ca) with your information and we will respond to confirm your registration. 

Conference Agenda

NICKEL V Virtual Conference - Learning Leadership

Wednesday, August 12, 2020 from 11:00am - 4:00pm EDT.

What is NICKEL? The name says it all; it is a National Initiative for Capacity Building and Knowledge Creation for Engineering Leadership.

This is the fifth NICKEL Conference, NICKEL V(irtual). As much as we would love to be together to share thoughts and stories about leadership education it is not possible in this year of the Covid 19 pandemic. Nonetheless, we want to continue to build and grow the NICKEL community. This year’s conference will be online, on Wednesday August 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. As part of our community building we also invite you to pre- and post-conference NICKEL Social Hours, Wednesday July 29 and Wednesday August 26 both starting at 6:00 p.m.

Leadership learning is not a task, that studied once, affords proficiency. It is a practice that develops through experience to enhance both capacity and identity as a leader. This conference will explore practical approaches, exercises and models for embedding leadership learning in all aspects of the student experience – both undergrad and graduate, curricular and co-curricular. We aim to curate a set of experiential learning sessions and conversations that highlight emerging good practice across the country.

See you online for NICKEL V
Stay safe,

The NICKEL V Program Committee
John Donald, University of Guelph
Tamara Etmannski, UBC
Darren Meister, Western University
Emily Wyatt, University of Calgary
Patricia Sheridan, University of Toronto (Chair)
Doug Reeve, University of Toronto (Conference Chair)

Objectives for NICKEL 2020:

• Build relationships between individuals engaged in engineering leadership education.

• Form a network of learning and action.

• Demonstrate and experience active leadership learning.

• Share best practices and greatest challenges.

• Integrate new ideas into university programs.

• Stimulate interest in research on engineering leadership and its pedagogy

Who Should Attend?

University faculty, staff and instructors from Canadian universities with a personal interest and passion for the topic and role alignment with engineering leadership initiatives.

How to Register: 

To participate in the 2020 NICKEL Conference, please register by July 22, 2020:

1. For each individual, fill out the form at the bottom of the page with your name, position, university and  brief bios (or website links).

Cost: 

There is no conference fee.

More Information: 

If you have any questions or issues submitting the form, please email Patricia Sheridan (patricia.sheridan@utoronto.ca) and Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca) with your information and we will respond to confirm your registration. 

2020 Conference Agenda

Innovating on a Virtual Team

Part 3 of the “Leadership in a Virtual World” series

Join us for a talk with Professor Alison Olechowski.

The onset of COVID-19 has necessitated engineering design teams (and the rest of the world) to quickly adapt to working remotely. Now three months in, teams are pushing ahead with innovation despite new remote, virtual configurations. Alison will present highlights from her own and others’ research on best practices for leading and contributing to these teams. We’ll discuss tools and techniques for translating know-how from in-person innovation to virtual innovation. Alison will highlight findings from her own group’s research on cloud-collaborative Computer-Aided Design and design team communication using Slack. 

Register for this Zoom meeting here.

Note: If you are having trouble registering for the meeting, please send an email directly to Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca).

Facilitating Collaborative Decision-Making

Part 2 of the “Leadership in a Virtual World” series

How can we make decisions that are informed and insightful? What can we do to involve new perspectives and get the most out of group decision making? Join us for a conversation with Rebecca Sutherns of Sage Solutions. We’ll explore what leaders can do to set the tone for effective group collaboration and make the decision-making process more transparent, wiser, and longer-lasting. You can expect another interactive session with conversations across different industries and organizations. 

Register for this Zoom meeting here.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please send an email directly to Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca) and we will follow-up to get your information.

Insights into Online Learning and Development

Part 1 of the “Leadership in a Virtual World” series

Onboarding is a pivotal experience for any new hire - it can quickly shape their impressions of your organization and set the stage for their experience. In a world that’s increasingly virtual, online training never stops either. As employees’ responsibilities expand, as they move to new units, or as they are promoted into new roles, they’re constantly being onboarded into subcultures with different ways of working, making ongoing training an ever-present need. With so many changes going on, what can organizations do to keep employees engaged and make sure they feel that they are being invested in? How can you set your employees up for success?

Join us for a Zoom conversation with Ben Zimmer and Irina Ghilic of Enable Education, who we’ve been excited to partner with on various projects over the past year. Enable Education are experts in designing and deploying custom digital learning experiences including employee onboarding and training, and have graciously agreed to share some of their insights and role-model some best practices in the session itself.

After registering, you’ll receive a link to the Zoom call on May 13th, the day before this session. Any attendees registering after this time will receive a link the morning of the event.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please send an email directly to Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca) and we will follow-up to get your information.

Workplace Culture in Times of Change

Engineers in the 21st century are encountering increasingly changing workplaces. As the world continues to become more connected, organizations are relying on remote collaboration, global teams, and new workplace technologies to stay ahead. Quite simply, organizations are recognizing the need to adapt their cultures to support their employees.

This conference will explore themes around culture and how it influences the behaviour of people and organizations. Where does culture come from? How does culture affect the ways in which people work? What can individuals do to understand and navigate times of business change and growth? How can individuals leverage culture to create positive influence from any level of their organization?

The Ninth Conference on the Leader-Engineer will enable participants to develop an awareness of the workplace and equip them with the tools to have meaningful interactions with others around culture. Through interactive activities, group learning sessions, and discussion with industry experts, these conversations will extend beyond the conference and into organizations. Participants can look forward to engaging with a diverse group, including: engineers, managers, and human resource professionals; engineering students from leadership programs and courses; and the faculty and staff from ILead and U of T who work on these initiatives. 

 *NOTE: This event is by invitation only. Please register below.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please send an email directly to Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca) and we will follow-up to get your information.

Leadership Learning in Engineering Pathways

For many years, organizations have expected engineers in industry to pursue one of two leadership paths: technical or managerial. However, there is more nuance to the way in engineers contribute their leadership to their organizations and to society. What are the differences in the career paths of engineering leaders? How do these engineers learn to lead along the way? What does this mean for organizations focused on enabling their engineers to lead? We will explore these questions at the Eighth Conference on the Leader-Engineer through interactive activities and workshops.

Staying true to the ethos of the Community of Practice, you can expect a structured and dynamic set of interactions with an exceptional group of participants: a diverse mix of engineers, managers, and human resource professionals from the nine partners of the CoP; engineering students from leadership programs and courses; and the faculty and staff from ILead and U of T who make these initiatives happen.

 *NOTE: This event is by invitation only. Please register below.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please send an email directly to Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca) and we will follow-up to get your information.

Topic: Unpacking Interns' Workplace Learning

Many students pursue engineering internships to develop their skills in a workplace setting. These experiences can be challenging and formative. But how do they contribute to student professional development? What factors contribute to or impede this development? How can organizations enhance their internship programs to enable early-career engineers to grow? We will explore these questions at the Seventh Conference on the Leader-Engineer through interactive activities and workshops.

Staying true to the ethos of the Community of Practice, you can expect a structured and dynamic set of interactions with an exceptional group of participants: a diverse mix of engineers, managers, and human resource professionals from the nine partners of the CoP; engineering students from leadership programs and courses; and the faculty and staff from ILead and U of T who make these initiatives happen.

*NOTE: This event is by invitation only. Please register below.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please send an email directly to Milan Maljkovic (milan.maljkovic@utoronto.ca) and we will follow-up to get your information. Apologies for any inconvenience. 

Topic: Learning Self-Leadership in an Engineering Context

ILead is built on the premise that leadership begins with the self, that it is a process that can be learned. But how does this happen in engineering contexts? How much is learned from formal programs, and how much is a matter of individual experience? This conference will explore these questions through interactive activities and workshops led by skilled professionals who facilitate engineers learning self-leadership.

Staying true to the ethos of the Community of Practice, you can expect a structured and dynamic set of interactions with an exceptional group of participants: a diverse mix of engineers, managers, and human resource professionals from the eight partners of the CoP; engineering students from leadership programs and courses; and the faculty and staff from ILead and U of T who make these initiatives happen.

*NOTE: This event is by invitation only. Please register below.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please send an email directly to Mike Klassen (mike.klassen@utoronto.ca) and we will follow-up to get your information. Apologies for any inconvenience. 

The Fifth Conference on the Leader Engineer will focus on ethics, equity and diversity in engineering. We will present findings from an ongoing research project on ethics & equity, with a focus on real life ethical dilemmas faced by engineers at various career stages and in different sectors. Participants will work through in-depth case studies to articulate their own perspectives on how to respond in different situations. The conference will close with a panel discussion featuring a combination of working engineers and engineering students, looking at gendered leadership dynamics in the workplace. 

Staying true to the ethos of the Community of Practice, you can expect a structured and dynamic set of interactions with an exceptional group of participants: a diverse mix of engineers, managers, and human resource professionals from the eight partners of the CoP; engineering students from leadership programs and courses; and the faculty and staff from ILead and U of T who make these initiatives happen.

*NOTE: This event is by invitation only. Please register below.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please send an email directly to Mike Klassen (mike.klassen@utoronto.ca) and we will follow-up to get your information. Apologies for any inconvenience. 

The Fourth Conference on the Leader Engineer will focus on the experiences of early career engineers in the workplace. In particular, the conference will share research on two major topics: 1) workplace adjustment, including the topics of professional challenges, workplace learning, and leadership; and 2) workplace supports with a specific focus on mentorship. These topics will be discussed from the perspectives of early career engineers, managers, and human resources professionals. Through research presentations and interactive activities, the conference will allow participants to gain practical insights into issues of workplace adjustment of early career engineers. It will also help companies develop strategies to enhance the integration, training, and retention of young talent.

The conference is exclusive to CoP partner companies. It is intended for engineers at all career stages and for those concerned with the professional development of engineers such as managers and HR/PD professionals. The conference will also be attended by selected UofT engineering students and leadership development staff.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please email your contact information directly to Mike Klassen (mike.klassen@utoronto.ca). Apologies for any inconvenience. 

Title: “Work-Integrated Learning: Addressing the Experience Mismatch Problem."

Speakers: Caitlin Cassie and Andrew Do from the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Ryerson University.  

Presentation abstract: Drawing on literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, and comprehensive analysis, this presentation will discuss the role of work-integrated learning (WIL) in the school-to-work transition of students. In particular, it will examine the operation of one WIL opportunity – the Siemens Canada Dual Education Program – and its potential role in the expansion of WIL opportunities across Canada. This presentation will also discuss the following three findings: 1) The skills mismatch problem and the experience mismatch problem are two distinct issues facing recent graduates; 2) Multi-sectoral partnerships between industry, government and postsecondary institutions are critical when developing and delivering effective WIL programming; and 3) Leveraging WIL can strengthen the pipeline of productive and loyal talent. Based on these findings, the presentation will lastly provide recommendations on how to scale WIL opportunities for a broader base of students.

Format: As part of ILead's research seminar series, this will feature a research presentation and open Q&A period. Come join ILead staff, faculty and our colleagues from around the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering and the broader university. CoP member companies are welcome. 

The Third Conference on the Leader Engineer will focus on the university-to-work transition of engineering students, a critical stage in the professional formation of engineers. In particular, it will present and discuss two sets of findings from ILead’s current research on the topic of transition: 1) conceptions of leadership among early career engineers and opportunities for its practice and development in the workplace; and 2) the role of internships and cooperatives in the university-to-work transition of engineering students.

Through concise research presentations and interactive activities, the conference will allow participants to gain insights into theories, practices and issues of engineering leadership. It will also provide them with an in-depth understanding of engineering students’ internship and cooperative experiences and the role they play in their workplace transition. Lastly, it will facilitate the discussion of what companies can do to enhance recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of early career engineers. 

*NOTE: This event is by invitation only. Please register below.

Note: If you are having trouble submitting the above form to register for the conference, please email your contact information directly to Mike Klassen (mike.klassen@utoronto.ca). Apologies for any inconvenience. 

This workshop is targeted at current engineering students, but is also being advertised to PEY students (on a 12–16 month internship) and new graduates (1–3 years of work experience) to create an atmosphere where diverse perspectives can be shared. 

The Workshop will aim to help participants answer the following questions:

• How will you successfully navigate your new work-role and environment? 
• How will you get the most value out of the work experience while adding the most value to your employer? 
• Where will this experience take you next?

There will be a focus on all participants drawing from their personal experience to contribute to discussions, as well as generating ideas and setting personal goals to address the above questions for their own work situations. All participants will have the chance to interact with and learn from people from other companies. In addition to being general participants, junior engineers will have an opportunity to share their perspective through a mentoring session.