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Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science

ECS faculty member selected for national engineering education program

Image of a presentation screen from the Future Leaders conference.

The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science is pleased to congratulate Dr. Ilamparithi Thirumarai Chelvan, Assistant Teaching Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, on being selected as a Future Leader by the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA-ACÉG), chosen from applicants across the country.

The Future Leaders Academy is a year-long training and mentoring program for early-career engineering educators, with up to 12 participants nominated each year by engineering deans from institutions nationwide. This cohort runs from June 2026 to June 2027.

The program includes a project component where Ilam has been paired with a mentor who will support him in selecting and carrying out an impactful project over the course of the year, with findings to be presented at the 2027 CEEA-ACÉG conference.

Selected Future Leaders also attended this year's conference, held in Moncton from June 13 to 17, 2026, under the theme "Shaping the Future: Creativity and Innovation in Engineering Education." The program opened with a full-day workshop on course design, where Ilam worked alongside faculty from universities across Canada.

At the conference, Ilam attended sessions on three areas: using artificial intelligence to support engineering pedagogy, particularly in design courses; assessment strategies for competencies like teamwork and lifelong learning; and approaches to student engagement and active learning.

One theme that stood out was the growing use of AI-powered course agents as on-demand teaching assistants. These tools are being used to improve accessibility, support personalized learning, and encourage students to think through problems in more than one way. The conference also featured tools like ITP Metrics, developed at the University of Calgary to assess teamwork and team effectiveness, along with 3D visualization resources and virtual labs supporting active learning.

"Participation in Future Leader's Academy was a valuable professional development experience," Ilam said. "It broadened my understanding of emerging trends in engineering education and gave me ideas for enhancing teaching practices within our programs."

More information on the Future Leaders Academy is available on the CEEA-ACÉG website.