Per the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP), this Final Assessment Report (FAR) provides a synthesis of the external evaluation and internal response and assessments of the graduate programs offered by the Faculty of Engineering for MASc, MEng and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. This report identifies the significant strengths of the programs, along with opportunities for improvement and enhancement, and sets out and prioritizes the recommendations selected for implementation.
This report includes an Implementation Plan that identifies who will be responsible for approving the recommendations set out in the Final Assessment Report, who will be responsible for providing any resources entailed by those recommendations, any changes in organization, policy or governance that will be necessary to meet the recommendations and who will be responsible for acting on those recommendations; and timelines for acting on and monitoring the implementation of those recommendations.
Overview of Program Review Process:
The Program Self-Study Report was written in September 2023. For the programs under review, MASc, MEng and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering contained the degree level expectations for these programs, an analytical assessment of the programs, course outlines, program-related data, survey data from the Office of Quality Assurance and appendices with sample examinations and CVs of faculty members. Two arm's-length external reviewers (Dr. S. Andrew Gadsden, Ph.D., McMaster University and Dr. Afzal Suleman, Ph.D., University of Victoria) were selected from a list of possible reviewers and approved by the Deans of Graduate Studies. An internal reviewer, Dr. Geoffrey Pond from the Faculty of Humanities Social Science Department of Management, was also selected for participation in the ERC. They reviewed the self-study documentation and conducted an on-site visit to RMC from November 27 to 28, 2023. During the site visit, the ERC met with the VP of Academics, the Director of Quality Assurance, the Dean of Engineering, the Dean of Graduate Studies, the VP of Research, the Head of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, the program IQAP chair, both the military and civil faculty members as groups, laboratory technicians, alums, students registered in the programs under study, and the librarian-in-chief.
The reviewers submitted their final report on January 8, 2024. In their report, the ERC stated that the graduate programs in Mechanical Engineering at RMC are strong overall in terms of the breadth and depth of courses offered.
Significant Strengths and Areas of Concern of the Program:
The ERC identified several strengths of the graduate programs in Mechanical Engineering:
- The quality of faculty members;
- The availability of excellent experimental and computational infrastructure; and
- The proximity/alignment of the teaching and research programs with Queen’s University.
The ERC identified some areas of concern for the graduate programs in Mechanical Engineering:
- The Department should develop a strategy to recruit national and international graduate students and make the process seamless and efficient;
- The long processing time to recruit international students presents a disadvantage to RMC compared to other universities in Ontario and Canada more broadly;
- The Department should develop a co-op program in collaboration with other Universities, and DND may increase interest in the undergraduate students at RMC; and
- The Department should develop dual degree programs with other NATO and partners-for-peace military academies in the USA and Europe to create a more dynamic and international campus environment.
After consulting with program faculty and staff, the program chair submitted their responses to the ERC Report in February 2024. The Dean of Graduate Studies prepared this Final Assessment Report in March 2024. Specific recommendations are discussed and follow-up actions with timelines are provided.
Summary of the Reviewers’ Recommendations with Dean’s Responses
TThe ERC identified several areas of concern or issues that require attention. These issues are discussed in the order that they appear in the ERC Report:
Recommendation 1
Hire a graduate recruitment officer. The most significant concern with the graduate programs offered by the Department is the minimal number of graduate students. More needs to be done to support and expand the research program and activities. RMC requires a graduate recruitment officer to assist with advertising and actively recruiting students. The position's success is easily tracked by monitoring the number of successful applicants each year. External support is required.
Departmental Response
The ERC recommended hiring a graduate recruitment officer to assist with advertising and actively recruiting students. The officer would help support and expand research programs by increasing the number of graduate students across RMC and within the Department. We fully agree with this recommendation and believe it would tremendously help develop and sustain our graduate program healthily. The Dean of Graduate Studies continues to engage with the Liaison Office to launch a coordinated marketing and recruitment strategy. However, financial constraints are a continuing hurdle. We note that institutional support for recruitment was a recommendation from the previous IQAP review that is still outstanding.
At the departmental level, ideas for increasing visibility and awareness of the Mechanical Engineering post-graduate programs are currently being explored, such as:
- More collaboration is needed with undergraduate students and design teams from other universities.
- Advertise graduate studies opportunities at other universities.
- Personalized websites for individual faculty members listing available opportunities for students and researchers.
- Increase the program’s visibility at recruitment fairs and undergraduate and graduate competitions.
- Hiring USRAs, COOPs and UG summer students.
Dean of Graduate Studies’ Response:
Hiring a graduate recruitment officer is beyond the authority of the Dean of Graduate Studies. However, as the Department has alluded to in its response, the DGS continues to engage RMC's Liaison Office to develop a coordinated marketing and recruitment strategy for the entire graduate studies program at RMC. This initiative requires financial support to produce marketing material to promote graduate programs at RMC. Representatives should attend various Graduate Studies Fairs to promote their programs.
The Dean of Graduate Studies encourages the Head to advertise the Department’s graduate studies opportunities by mailing or emailing flyers to their fellow Heads of Departments to promote the program at RMC. This would be a cost-effective way to promote their graduate programme to potential graduate candidates from other Canadian universities.
The Dean also encourages the department members to use the Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) to hire undergraduate students for summer research projects. Using the USRA is a cost-effective way of advertising and promoting the Mechanical Engineering graduate program.
Recommendation 2
Hire an additional administrator. A possible threat to the program is relying on a single administrative staff member to support the Chair of the Department and the rest of the faculty and students. The Department requires two administrators to support its activities. The Chair must complete the administration duties if the current administrator becomes ill. This is not a sustainable or fair backup plan. The additional administrator could also assist with promoting research activities (e.g., website) or recruiting students (and other activities). Both internal and external support is required.
Departmental Response
The ERC stated that two administrators are required to support the Department's activities. The Department previously had one administrator and one clerk (clerical); however, in 2019, the clerical position was abolished. The Department currently has the largest cohort in its history, and more administrative support is required if the Department is to sustain an increase in the number of graduate students. The Department will continue to work with the senior administrators to have the clerical position reinstated.
Dean of Graduate Studies’ Response:
The Dean of Graduate Studies is sympathetic to the Department's current situation regarding the lack of clerical support. However, the Department must present a business case to the Dean of Engineering and the VP of Academics. Hiring clerical support is beyond the Dean of Graduate Studies' authority.
The Department has two co-resident programmes with some overlap between them, Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering. There are 33 graduate students distributed more or less equally between mechanical and aeronautical engineering. They are one of the more extensive graduate programmes at RMC. We must remember to add the undergraduate students to the total for both programmes. When taken together, a strong case for additional clerical support can be made.
Dean of Engineering:
The current organizational chart for the Faculty of Engineering does not have a provision for additional clerical positions. The Department should provide a briefing note explaining the reason for requiring a second administrative support position. The current undergraduate student to professor and graduate student to professor ratios should be considered.
Vice-Principal of Academics:
The Department is encouraged to submit a briefing note to the VPA explaining the need to have additional clerical support and how the lack thereof is affecting the quality of the program.
Recommendation 3
Create the RMC Journal of Research. A relatively low-cost initiative to help support research activities within the Department and RMC is the establishment of the RMC Journal of Research. This open-access journal will help support faculty at RMC by providing an appropriate and professional venue to publish applied research that may not be readily published at other locations. It is important to note that other institutions have a similar model (e.g., the Journal of Research of NIST, arXiv at Cornell University, and so forth). The RMC Journal of Research will eventually become indexed by Scopus, Google Scholar, and other venues, which will help improve the scholarly metrics often used to measure the effectiveness of faculty research (e.g., citations). The Chief Librarian at RMC may be an excellent resource to help support this activity. If appropriately implemented, the RMC Journal of Research could become an excellent resource for the centralized distribution of research. Both internal and external support is required.
Departmental Response
The ERC recommended creating an RMC Journal of Research to help support research activities and to provide a venue to publish applied research. While producing such a journal would undoubtedly improve the scholarly metrics associated with measuring the effectiveness of faculty research, it would require significant resources at the institutional level. RMC already hosts the role of editor-in-chief of the Canadian Military Journal, which accepts "manuscripts of broad significance to the defence community." To enable the dissemination of the departmental research, the RMC library provides digital access to all the theses produced at RMC. Students in the MASc and PhD programs are very active in publishing peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers, with 32 publications occurring among the past 17 graduate students. The Department will continue to pursue established avenues for research dissemination.
Dean of Graduate Studies’ Response:
The Dean will continue to promote and encourage faculty and graduate students to publish in peer-reviewed journals and engage in scholarly activity.
Recommendation 4
Support and recruit Assistant Professors. The faculty complement needs to be balanced, which threatens the long-term survivability of the Department. There is only one assistant professor among about 20 faculty members. Furthermore, the start-up package provided to this new faculty needs to be revised for their success. Financial and in-kind support must be increased for new faculty. Furthermore, new Assistant Professors need to be hired to reduce the threat of program stagnation. Both internal and external support is required.
Departmental Response
The Department anticipates several retirements over the next few years, and new assistant professors may fill these positions. New faculty members will bring leading-edge research programs to the Department and attract more graduate students. A more balanced department between assistant, associate and full professor ranks will ensure sustainability and help maintain a vibrant graduate program. New professors' research will be financially supported using start-up funds and seed money for new hires. Furthermore, they can apply for research funds from RMC through CD-ARP and "Short-term-research-needs," to name a few. An added consideration that is particularly problematic and highly restrictive for new hires is the inability to carry over unspent funds from one year to the next. One possible solution is to have these funds managed through the Foundation (Alumni Association). The Department will support them in securing the equipment they need to set up their research labs.
Dean of Graduate Studies’ Response:
The Dean agrees with the Department's response. Hiring assistant professors is crucial for the vitality and growth of the College by fostering innovation, excellence, and diversity in research and teaching.
Assistant professors often bring new ideas, perspectives and research interests to a department, enriching the academic environment and contributing to its intellectual diversity. Assistant professors often have robust research potential with innovative ideas and enthusiasm for their field, leading to ground-breaking research projects, publications and collaborations within the Department and across disciplines, enhancing the program's and the College's reputation.
Hiring assistant professors allows the institution to groom the next generation of faculty members. As they progress in their careers, they will provide continuity and stability while expanding the expertise in the Department. It is also an opportunity to promote inclusivity and equity within the College and ensure that various perspectives are represented in research, teaching and decision-making processes.
Dean of Engineering Response:
At the time of writing, there are no available positions in the Department. The Dean of Engineering supports aiming to hire at the rank of Assistant Professor to replace any future retirements.
VP of Academics Response:
The VPA agrees in that diversity in the faculty ranks within the Department would be optimal, but this is not always possible since vacant faculty positions are created with retirements or resignations.
VP of Research Response:
The VPR office is committed to provide a thriving research environment for Faculty members and to support new Faculty as they develop their innovative research programmes. This support translates in specific funding programs specifically designed for new members of the faculty in terms of instrumentation and research assistant support. In addition, all faculty members can apply to competitive internal grant funding (Canadian Defence Academy Research Programme-CDARP) and short term funding opportunity. The support is provided following the processes applicable to public and non-public funds. Support for new professors can combine different funds managed at the Vice-Principal and Principal level.
Recommendation 5
Individualized faculty websites. It is recommended that each faculty member create, maintain, and regularly update their faculty website(s). Nowadays, most students develop a list of their preferred graduate locations based on a review of faculty member websites. The faculty should each have an individual page which is adequately updated and highlights their research, experience, and other details. Websites are used to advertise research opportunities to potential industry partners. In addition, although funding reviewers are not supposed to venture outside of application packages, funding reviewers (e.g., NSERC) will often look at individual faculty websites and Google Scholar details to make an informed funding decision. Internal support is required.
Departmental Response
As a federal institution, RMC must adhere to strict regulations on websites. As a result, keeping official faculty web pages up-to-date can be time-consuming. To provide faculty members with a platform to advertise for graduate students and researchers and maintain current lists of publications and research projects, the Department is developing external websites for each faculty member. Student surveys completed for this IQAP review showed that most graduate students knew about RMC through word-of-mouth or individual faculty websites. Allowing faculty members the freedom to manage their websites will help promote departmental research, potentially increasing graduate student enrolment. The Department is in the process of developing a prototype for the faculty website.
Dean of Graduate Studies’ Response:
It is crucial to ensure clarity on how the Department plans to host personal faculty websites on external servers and how they may interact with RMC servers. While the Dean of Graduate Studies acknowledges the possibility and potential benefits of faculty members hosting and updating their websites externally, it is important to proceed cautiously.
One key consideration is that these external websites must indicate that they do not represent the official positions or opinions of the Department of National Defence (DND) or the Government of Canada. This disclaimer is essential to avoid misunderstandings or misinterpretations of the content on these personal websites.
Additionally, transparency regarding the technical aspects of hosting and managing these external websites is necessary. Faculty members must know who is hosting their websites, who will have access to them, and how they may interact with RMC servers.
Establishing clear guidelines will ensure compliance with any relevant policies or regulations governing the use of external servers and disseminating information related to government-affiliated institutions.
Ultimately, while supporting faculty members in their endeavour to maintain personal websites, it is crucial to approach this initiative with careful consideration of potential implications and to establish clear guidelines to maintain transparency and accountability.
Recommendation 6
Explore synergies with CAF to increase the number of military HQPs.CAF sees value in committing officers to complete undergraduate degrees.However, enrollment in the graduate program does not seem to be a priority, which is amply justified by the need for military personnel to ensure operational readiness.CAF is currently satisfied with the graduate students' enrollment numbers as the potential to increase the numbers is limited due to a shortfall of 20% personnel in operations.External support is required.
Departmental Response
To increase the number of military HQPs, the CAF would need to allow more military members to pursue graduate studies, and there would need to be an increase in the number of interested applicants. Currently, there is a shortage of personnel in the CAF, and understandably, military members are posted to operational roles rather than permitted to pursue graduate studies. A graduate degree must benefit an applicant's military career, either in terms of promotion or being valued within their trade, for the number of applications to increase. Opportunities for graduate school also need to be more widely advertised. This year, the Cadet Wing Academic Officer has been transmitting information about graduate school to the 4th year undergraduate students, and the Department has already seen an increase in the number of applicants. The Department will attempt to engage the CAF to determine why more military members do not want to pursue graduate studies and discuss increasing enrollment ideas.
Dean of Graduate Studies’ Response:
The Dean supports the Department's efforts to engage with the CAF to attract more eligible applicants from serving CAF members.
The Division of Graduate Studies has collaborated with ROTP student representatives to provide information and instructions on to apply to graduate programs at RMC for example the PG on Schol program.
The Division of Graduate studies developed a Moodle page to centralize relevant details and instructions for ROTP students, although accessibility is currently limited to current ROTP students at RMC. Moving forward, the Division aims to enhance information sharing with ROTP representatives in order to prepare students for graduate program applications better when the CANFORGEN announcement is released in the Fall of each year.
Collaboration between the Division of Graduate Studies and the CAF is essential to increasing enrollment in graduate programs among military members. By highlighting the benefits of graduate education for military careers and improving information dissemination to ROTP students, both entities can cultivate a stronger pool of highly qualified military personnel.
Implementation Plan
| Recommendation | Proposed Follow-up | Responsibility for Leading Follow-up | Timeline for Addressing Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hire a graduate recruitment officer. |
|
|
|
| 2. Hire an additional administrator. | Discussion with the VPA to reinstate the department's clerical position.. |
Department Head |
Head to present business case to VPA summer 2024. |
| 3. Create the RMC Journal of Research. | The Department will pursue established avenues for research dissemination. | Faculty members | Ongoing |
| 4. Support and recruit Assistant Professors. |
|
|
|
| 5.Individualised faculty websites. | Create a personalized website for faculty members. | Department Head | Prototype created by summer of 2024 |
| 6. Explore synergies with CAF to increase the number of military HQPs. | The Department is discussing increasing the number of military HQPs with the CAF. | Department Head | Discussions to be held in 2024 |
Conclusion:
The ERC Report provided positive feedback on the outcomes of the mechanical engineering graduate programs. It confirmed that the RMC is delivering programs consistent with other comparable institutions in Ontario. However, the ERC identified areas with room for improvement, and RMC has taken steps to address the issues raised. RMC will continue to work toward program enhancement and improve student success in the graduate programs in Mechanical Engineering.
The Dean of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Dean of Engineering and the Head of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, is responsible for monitoring the Implementation Plan.