Québec City, March 13, 2013 – As part of the Program of Chairs in Educational Leadership (CEL), Université Laval Rector Denis Brière and Executive Vice-rector, Development, Éric Bauce launched a new Chair in Educational Leadership devoted to Distance Education in computer science and software engineering - Cisco. Also in attendance were Cisco Canada President Nitin Kawale and the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, André Darveau.

The primary goal of this CEL is to explore leading-edge technology that will allow the Faculty to offer high-calibre online courses in computer science and software engineering. The innovative proposed approach is based on identifying methods to design and maintain self-assessed computer science and software engineering training modules. The objective of these methods will be to define how to proportion and effectively use synchronous and asynchronous virtual learning. In addition they will serve to determine how professors can interact with virtual classes in accordance with their academic objectives. They will also help Faculty members understand how to set up virtual labs and better assess student knowledge, notably with distance exams. Lastly, the Chair will provide valuable expertise in the area of self-assessment and enhance the level of interactivity between professors and their distance students.

"By improving the quality and accessibility of distance learning, this new Chair will help boost our student recruitment pool. Plus, workers and people in remote areas will now have access to quality education and will help fulfill the growing workforce needs of businesses struggling to ensure their growth or succession," notes the Université Laval rector.   

Research funding

This Chair in Educational Leadership (CEL) was made possible with the financial support of Cisco Canada, which has invested $325,000 in the project. The donation, combined with a matching amount from Université Laval, will help support the CEL for the next five years and create a professorship. The Chair will be subsequently funded in full by the University.

"The Internet and connectivity have changed the way we learn. New learning tools and online curricula have made it possible for students to gain access to educational and training opportunities regardless of their physical location. While the opportunities for distance learning increase, there are many challenges to ensure that virtual teaching programs provide efficient and effective knowledge transfer to students. Université Laval has long been recognized as a leader in distance education and are uniquely positioned to drive innovation in this crucial area of educational research," said Nitin Kawale, President, Cisco Canada. 

About Cisco 

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. Cisco Canada Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco, has offices across Canada dedicated to customer support, sales and service. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com/canada/.

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