The renewal of the RAIC Syllabus Program is a significant priority for the RAIC Board. This valuable Program provides access to Architectural education, to Canadians who, for reasons of geography or personal circumstances, are unable to attend one of the 10 Canadian University Schools of Architecture, as well as to International Architecture Graduates (IAGs), who come to Canada and require additional courses.
ARCHITECTS CORNER
The renewal of the RAIC Syllabus Program is a significant priority for the RAIC Board. This valuable Program provides access to Architectural education, to Canadians who, for reasons of geography or personal circumstances, are unable to attend one of the 10 Canadian University Schools of Architecture, as well as to International Architecture Graduates (IAGs), who come to Canada and require additional courses.
Since 1978, the Syllabus has been an English-language, self-paced program of academic studies, design studios, and practical experience leading to an RAIC Professional Diploma in Architecture.
In 2002, following written concerns from a provincial licensing body, the RAIC began a thorough review of the Syllabus Program. The review determined that making the program bilingual would extend its reach to more Canadians and appeal particularly to IAGs with a French education. Also integral to renewal was the need for an institutional partnership, and for the program to be “accreditable, accessible and unique”. Funding for a study on IAGs, and the barriers to their integration, was secured in 2006, enabling the Syllabus renewal to move forward.
In July 2006, after a significant amount of research, the RAIC and Athabasca University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the opportunities offered by an institutional partnership.
A partnership with Athabasca University satisfies the goals of renewal established by the Task Group.
• The major advantage that Athabasca University has over other institutional partners is that their focus is exclusively on distance education. This makes them a strong partner for the RAIC.
• It provides the ability to offer the Syllabus Program in both English and French, through its liaison with Université du Québec – TÉLUQ – l’université à distance.
• Its mission and academic policies are consistent with the RAIC Syllabus Program, and has academic rigour in program administration and delivery consistent with accreditable standards.
• It will enable the expansion of the Syllabus Program and offer the ability and capacity to embrace new challenges such as IAG certification and competency-based assessment (if required).
Students – now and the next
Administrative restructuring of the RAIC Syllabus Program including a partnership agreement with Athabasca University guarantees the program an exciting and long-term future.
Students presently registered in the RAIC Syllabus Program can proceed with their original career plan of studies with very little change.
Tuition and course expenses are consistent with distance education courses offered by any of the Canadian post-secondary institutions and the existing RAIC Syllabus Program.
In short this partnership will serve well all future and existing Syllabus students and expand their professional and educational opportunities.
Next Steps
As part of the IAG study, we have been consulting with hundreds of firms, associations and IAGs across the country, to assess, among other things, how the Syllabus Program can specifically accommodate them.
Concurrently, the RAIC and Athabasca University have been studying the implications of partnership and identification of opportunities available through collaboration. Program development strategy preserves the existing Syllabus Program track for students presently registered while at the same time engaging the challenge of both short- and long-term program upgrading. This will naturally be an extended process, which will draw heavily on experience as well as on input from Canadian Architects. Consultation with mentors, and students in the existing program will form part of this stage. This will be mediated, of course, by the opportunities of state-of-the-art distance education program delivery that Athabasca University provides. The future of the Syllabus Program is therefore not only secure but one filled with the promise of new opportunities and possibilities.
At this extraordinary time in Canadian Architecture, when Architecture is valued more than ever, I hope the RAIC Syllabus Program can be positioned to meet the needs of future generations of practitioners, of clients, of our growing and dynamic immigrant community.
For more information, see www.raic.org.
Vivian Manasc, FRAIC, is president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
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