In Toronto, Ryerson University students have a rich array of resources to enhance their education: a world-class city as an example for urban-planning studies; arts facilities to enrich art and design studies.
In Charlottetown, students at the University of Prince Edward Island enjoy the perfect setting to study environmental sciences, and have access to small class sizes and the distinguished Atlantic Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Each university has its own unique attributes, and an upcoming fall pilot project will allow students to enjoy the best of both worlds.
In September, up to 16 undergraduate students from Ryerson and UPEI will exchange campuses in a new program that, it is hoped, will expand and become a ?full Maple Leaf Major? (1).
The EDGE (Experiences Diversity Growth Exchange) program is an ?in-Canada exchange? (1) that was developed by Ryerson President Sheldon Levy and Wade MacLauchlan, the president of UPEI.
For the pilot, eight third-year students from each school will swap campuses for one semester. They will be earning credits in arts, biology, chemistry, business, and computer science.
Tuition is paid at the students? home university, and the credits they earn while on exchange are fully transferable.
The EDGE program will expand students? education through contact with new people and communities, and allow them to ?appreciate the diversity of education in Canada? (2).
In future, the program may see students from all across Canada taking part. Levy’s hope is to create a distinctively Canadian degree, a cooperative program ?where students would spend semesters on many campuses? (1).
Along with distance education, traditional classroom settings, and new technology-based learning, the EDGE program offers students still another way to enrich their education.
(1) Toronto Star (March 24, 2007). ?Six Degrees of Education.? Retrieved April 10, 2007, from http://www.thestar.com/article/195636
(2) Ryerson University (2007). EDGE Student Exchange. Retrieved April 10, 2007, from http://www.ryerson.ca/oia/students/ryerson/exchange/EDGE_information2.pdf
