False! MAC is known internationally for PBL and it is embedded in lots of programs and faculties here. that's how i learned and how i teach. Both MAC and Waterloo rank high on innovation and reputation every year. MAC was slow off the mark on industrial spin off compared to Waterloo though. Both are great schools but only one has decent XC and football teams. ;-)
We're too busy innovating to do sports.
I would say MAC is known within academic circles for PBL, but it certainly has not developed any sort of brand around that, unlike Waterloo.
Waterloo actually has a really good reputation for XC. And a super fun Nordic team.
Ah yes, "innovation", banned in some government circles unless it is clearly defined.
My wife Jenn had PBL class every week for two years at MAC around the turn of the century. She even has a tshirt that says "critically appraise THIS" with an arrow pointing downward on the back.
Developed a brand? Hard to say but the PBL approach is often linked to MAC and is one of the reasons why MAC is always among the top 5 reputation wise within Canada. Latest
reputation survey (in order) was: UofT, UBC, McGill, Waterloo, McMaster. The top three are the top schools in each of Canada's largest cities so Waterloo and MAC have definitely created their "brands" somehow to be among the best for smaller cities and schools. MAC has always been viewed the most or among the most research intensive schools
in the country. I just think that PBL is
used a lot more extensively than the writer states.
Anyway I've always said you can't go wrong with any of those top five schools. Perhaps in this era of social media it is the facebook rankings/reviews that are critical. FB review ratings are 4.5/5 for MAC and 4.4/5 for Waterloo. ;-)
The author is probably the top consultant on advanced education institutions in Canada. Or at least the most well known.
In Sweden PBL has been used extensively on all levels of the school system (from Kindergarten and up). Some people even say that's one of the main reasons why we are falling further and further behind Canada in international rankings such as PISA...
...further behind Canada
And unfortunately also everyone else...