Province invests $2.2M in McMaster teaching, learning and research projects

In an effort to support institutional innovation and improve learning experiences for students, McMaster will benefit from more than $2.2 million in provincial funding through the Productivity and Innovation Fund.

The Wednesday announcement outlined three key areas that will impact McMaster:

The development of a $1.17 million central Graduate Professional Skills Portal, which will house a series of training modules for graduate students across the province. The modules will be used in academic programs that combine online and in-person learning.

The implementation of a new $500,000 first-year experience program that will be student-centred and research-focused. This program will include new foundational courses, redesigned course formats and greater support for students’ personal learning journeys.

McMaster will also benefit from $575,000 in funding to develop a common utility consumption database and benchmarking system among several Ontario universities. This resource will be used to reduce implementation and operating costs, and find opportunities for utility cost, consumption and emission reduction.

“These funds will assist McMaster in our endeavor to enhance teaching and learning and find efficiencies,” said University president and vice-chancellor Patrick Deane. “We are looking forward to beginning these important projects, and in some cases continuing the work we have already begun.”

Ted McMeekin, MPP for the Ancaster Dundas Flamborough Westdale riding, says the funding will help area students succeed while staying on top of emerging trends and innovations in postsecondary education.

“It is critical to keep our postsecondary learning environments current to student needs and economic demands,” said McMeekin. “These investments will help put both McMaster and Mohawk on sustainable financial footing, while improving the learning experience for our students.”

“We are working with our colleges and universities to make sure our postsecondary education system is sustainable and supports greater quality, international competitiveness and accountability,” added Brad Duguid, minister of training, Colleges and Universities. “Through these investments, we will continue to build on the gains made in postsecondary education over the past 10 years.”

As part of the Productivity and Innovation Fund, the province is committing more than $47 million to support 120 projects at Ontario colleges and universities.