ISTEP

ISTEP

Director: Professor Greg Evans
Website: istep.utoronto.ca

Established in 2018, the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice (ISTEP) is the first institute of its kind in Canada, bringing together U of T Engineering’s strengths in leadership, technical communication, business and entrepreneurship, socio-technical thinking, and learning for life. ISTEP provides holistic and innovative transdisciplinary engineering education, supporting students to amplify their positive impact after graduation and better tackle the world’s increasingly complex technical challenges. ISTEP is the academic home for the Engineering Communication Program (ECP), Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (Troost ILead), Collaborative Specialization in Engineering Education (EngEd), Certificate in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business, Engineering Business Minor, and some first-year instruction.   

At the undergraduate level, ISTEP’s faculty deliver courses to support and enrich student learning which can culminate in minors and certificates such as the Engineering Business Minor; the Certificate in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business; the Certificate in Communication; the Certificate in Engineering Leadership; and the Certificate in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Engineering. ISTEP works to integrate more opportunities for students to learn transdisciplinary competencies throughout the core curriculum of all the undergraduate engineering programs.

At the graduate level, ISTEP’s faculty deliver the Collaborative Specialization in Engineering Education, the Prospective Professors in Training, the Graduate Communication Initiative, and OPTIONS programs along with courses in leadership and engineering education.

In addition, ISTEP undertakes student co-curricular programming, academic and industry-focused research, as well as outreach to engineering educators and engineering-intensive enterprises.