McGill University promises innovations in education following $7.3M donations

MONTREAL (CITYNEWS) – McGill University is launching Canada’s first teaching and learning lab following two large donations.

The university’s faculty of education received $7.3 million from two separate donors to support the project.

The learning lab will be inaugurated to help student-teachers cope with the changing dynamics of teaching amid vast technological advancements of the 21st century.

McGill says the goal is to “spur innovations in pedagogy” and “support students working on inclusive education projects.”

The funds will also go toward supporting a program called CoLab, a new partnership between the university and Montreal’s Trafalgar School for Girls. McGill says the partnership is expected to “foster research and practice in education.”

The donations came from the estate of the late Mary Marsh ($4.8 million) and from The Molson Foundation ($2.5 million).

“These gifts are a tangible demonstration of a commitment to educators, to teaching and to the future of education at a time of intense challenges for our education system,” said Dilson Rassier, the faculty of education’s dean.

“Both gifts will help position McGill as a leader in the training of educators and in developing innovative approaches to pedagogy.”