In accordance with the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP), the Program Self-Study Report was completed on 27 September 2023. Two arm’s-length external reviewers (Dr. Jacqueline Jenkins, University of Calgary, and Dr. Andre Furlani, Concordia University) were selected from a list of possible reviewers and approved by the Deans of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). An internal reviewer, Dr. Jane Boulden from the Department of Political Sciences, was also selected for participation on the ERC. They reviewed the self-study documentation and conducted an on-site visit to RMC from 6 to 7 November 2023. The reviewers submitted their report on 21 Jan 2024.
In their report, the ERC expressed the opinion that the ECC program is a good program with a committed and highly professional faculty that punches well above its weight in academic achievements. The ERC identified a number of strengths of the ECC programs including the impressive research accomplishments of the ECC faculty, the commitment to teaching and training future ethical leaders for the CAF, the dedication the ECC department has demonstrated to building and sustaining collegiality; and the ECC as an academic unit demonstrates a clear commitment to RMC’s Strategic Research Plan. The ERC also identified a number of areas of concern for ECC programs, such as: the ECC department is currently experiencing a reduction of available teaching faculty members due to a previous retirement and more retirements are imminent; ECC needs to revise its curriculum and program requirements to align with strategic hiring and to build new programming that reflects the urgent changes affecting the discipline nationally and internationally; and the ERC heard strong concerns about a perceived imbalance in the set course allotments in the faculty of SSH.
The Program Chair, after consultation with faculty and staff in the programs, submitted a response to the ERC Report in June of 2024. The Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities prepared a Final Assessment Report on 5 July 2024. The report contains specific recommendations, action items and a timeline, and confirmed that RMC is delivering a good program. However, the ERC identified areas with room for improvement, and RMC has already taken steps to address some of the issues raised. RMC will continue to work toward program enhancement and improve student success in the ECC program.