In Québec, like elsewhere in North America, the engineering milieu has changed in recent years. Engineers are increasingly being asked to work in teams. After their technical skills, their relational abilities are among the most sought-after aptitudes among employers. To meet the changing demands of the market, in 2003 Polytechnique began to include new teaching methods in the curricula of its 12 undergraduate programs. Among the objectives of this new training approach, strengthening the development of teamwork abilities is considered a priority. To this end, in 2006 Polytechnique launched a mandatory two-credit course in interpersonal communication and teamwork for all bachelor's students. The goal: to help students develop their interpersonal communication and teamwork skills in order to better prepare them for the job market.

The history of the initiative, its goals, and the content and structure of the course were all addressed in the article that Ms. Laberge submitted to the conference jury. About 300 articles were submitted for this major event, which brings together representatives from some 40 countries. "I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is a real, shared concern for the development of interpersonal skills in the engineering industry community. It's worldwide," Ms. Laberge says with a smile.

In addition to being a lecturer, Ms. Laberge heads the Centre des Études Complémentaires (CEC -- continuous training centre) and co-ordinates the Habiletés personnelles et relationnelles unit (HPR -- personal and relational skills). A full team of human-communication specialists works with her on this project. Among others, Martine Gagnon, Martine Saulnier, Marie-Claude Perrault, Eveline Gosselin-Picard, Valérie Ducas and Brenda Allwin all contribute to implementing the course structure.  

In their approach, Ms. Laberge and her team have had to reflect on the conditions that foster the assimilation of new skills and the approaches to teaching teamwork in engineering schools. They chose an active pedagogical approach. Based on this approach, the course was designed to help students find solutions through active experience.

"We noted that students who experience a situation manage to understand the depth and importance of the concepts we're teaching," says Ms. Laberge. To support her explanation, she makes reference to Confucius in her article: "One principle underpins this training: the idea that knowledge comes through experience. Here, we work in keeping with Confucius's idea, 'I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.'"

In addition, students have the chance to apply their knowledge through integrative projects. From creating a model for a bridge to making a miniature robot or designing an industrial product, the projects are as varied as the teams themselves. Communication and teamwork specialists monitor every team to help students perfect their skills in the area throughout the four years of their education. The specialists play a coaching role in order to support and equip the students in their choices as they pursue the development of their relational skills.

Polytechnique would like to sincerely congratulate Ms. Laberge and her team for their excellent work!

To find out more :
ICEE website: http://icee2011.ulster.ac.uk/eng-belfast.php
HPR website: http://www.hpr.polymtl.ca/