By Jackey Locke

Caroline Koenig received the President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching (Lecturers and Instructional Staff) during the President’s Awards ceremony, held on Dec. 8.

The award is presented in recognition of a continued record of excellence for teaching as attested by colleagues and students.

“To be the recipient of this award is a pivotal moment for me as an educator,” said Ms. Koenig. “During my time in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, I have sought to learn from many mentors, and I am grateful for the guidance and friendship, from both retired and current faculty and staff, who took the time to support my journey as an educator.

“Moreover, I want to thank the students who supported this nomination. The driving force behind my efforts is my desire to give students their money’s worth in the 1030 laboratory, and to support student success in co-op work terms through verifiable industry-recognized CAD credentials that bolster their resumes. The CAD Credential program provides engineering students an opportunity to upskill by studying CAD tools through co-curricular learning experiences. Micro-credentials can be especially helpful to underrepresented groups in the field of engineering.”

The Faculty of Engineering CAD Credentials program was launched in 2012. The program now offers five CAD micro-credentials for students to achieve industry-recognized CAD certifications in SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Inventor and Onshape.

Ms. Koenig is the sole laboratory instructor for the Engineering 1030 course, titled Engineering Graphics and Design in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. She joined Memorial in 2008 as an engineering technologist and became an engineering instructor in 2016. She created a blended learning environment in the laboratory where students learn in a self-paced environment. 

TILE fund
Ms. Koenig, along with Dr. Janna Rosales, an associate professor (teaching) in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, and Nicole Myers, an academic staff member, Engineering Cooperative Education, were recently awarded the Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning’s Teaching Innovations and Learning Enhancement (TILE) fund.

The fund is designed to encourage exploration of new and innovative practices in teaching and learning, and support Memorial’s educators as they seek to foster their own development and enhance the learning experiences of their students.

Their project, Unleashing Student Self-efficacy and Job Readiness with Computer-Aided Design for Real-world Industries will assist first-year engineering students to enhance self-efficacy, creativity and job-readiness by increasing student engagement and motivation in a mandatory engineering design course with a focus on CAD.

“We gained a better understanding of students’ receptivity to “real, relatable and relevant” CAD examples and to being offered opportunities to express creativity in their assignments,” said Ms. Koenig. “We also discovered insights about students’ self-perceived sense of competence and confidence with CAD skills by the end of the course. The TILE funding supported the development of new resources that promoted an equitable learning environment using newly-adopted cloud-based CAD (Onshape); engaged learners with the real-life technical needs of local companies; and encouraged the exploration of multi-disciplinary engineering contexts.”

Ms. Koenig’s commitment to accessibility, engagement and innovative teaching practices make her a cherished and vital asset to her students.

For a full list of President’s Award recipients, please read here.