As the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs, Professor Susan McCahan leads the University’s Quality Assurance Process for undergraduate and graduate programs, working closely with all U of T Faculties and schools and with other post-secondary institutions. She is the contact person in the Provost’s Office for divisional academic planning, cross-Faculty interdisciplinary initiatives and University-wide academic policy matters.

Prof. McCahan is the senior assessor to the University’s Committee on Academic Policy & Programs of the Academic Board, and a member of the Academic Board. In addition, Prof. McCahan serves as the University’s Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education.

A former Vice-Dean, Undergraduate and former Chair of First Year in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto, she is currently a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Prof. McCahan received her BS (Mechanical Engineering) from Cornell University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked as an Associate Engineer with RCA/GE before returning to university to complete an MS and PhD (Mechanical Engineering) at Rensselaer Polytechnic, Institute, Troy, New York.

Prof. McCahan’s research is in the field of Engineering Education, which is aligned with her administrative portfolio at the University. She has published in the area of Universal Instructional Design and more recently on learning outcomes for skill development and valid assessment methods for measuring learning outcomes. Her research examines the learning environment as a designed system and takes an engineering design approach to reimagining the learning experience.

Her additional role as Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education revolves around re-envisioning the undergraduate academic experience across the University, touching on pedagogical innovation programs, educational technology and academic data systems, course evaluations, work-integrated learning and pathway programs.