Using Social Labs for Change In and Around Higher Education: A Case in Canada

Social labs bring together stakeholders with different, even opposing, points of view in a practical effort to promote systemic change. Show host Dave Goldberg, recently witnessed one session of a social lab called the Engineering Change Lab in Toronto, Ontario that brought together public officials, educators, engineering practitioners, and engineering professional organizations in an effort to bring about substantive change in the practice of engineering and the education of engineers across Canada. This week’s show is joined by three principals of that effort, namely Mark Abbott and Boris Martin of Engineers without Borders (EWB) Canada, and Kim Allen of Engineers Canada to discuss the aims, organization, and experience with the Engineering Change Lab to date. Join Mark, Boris, Kim, and Dave for a lively discussion of the practice of social labs and the potential for such methods in bringing about change in higher education.