Teamwork leads energy class to 100 per cent success rate

Fourth class students in the first semester of the process and power engineering program (PPE) scored a 100 per cent success rate on the ABSA provincial exam, an unprecedented feat in Lakeland’s history.

The exam is a critical one in the power engineering field. Students must pass it with at least 65 per cent before they can qualify for their 4th class qualification and operating license. In Alberta, the provincial success rate on the exam from 2015 to 2019 was 71.86 per cent. In semester one, every one of 35 students in Lakeland’s program surpassed 65 per cent.

When asked the secret behind their success, however, opinions vary. Faculty and students seem to agree, that they were set up to succeed between the students, their instructors, and Lakeland’s facilities.

Andre Workman, a recent addition to Lakeland’s faculty who has been in the teaching field since 2013, isn’t surprised by their success rate. He credits the students, their work ethic, and how they worked together, ensuring no one was left behind.

“I’ve been teaching for a while and have never seen a group of students work so well together,” he explains. “If anybody falls behind, they help each other to stay on track.”

“There’s no one left behind,” Kristoffer Cryderman, a first-year student in the PPE program, agrees. “It’s the work ethic. Many students in the class aren’t straight out of high school. We have some industry experience in various areas and a lot of incentive to succeed and move into a different field. That helps. And we’re able to help those who are fresh out of high school and just coming into an industry like this and help them achieve the standard they need to.”

Students formed study groups and sourced peer tutors to help them succeed, and Cryderman was one of those tutors.

Cryderman quickly points out that the class wouldn’t have achieved that level of success without the instructors who taught them.

“I love that about Lakeland,” he says. “The instructors are so helpful. They’re willing to talk and engage with you. I’ve been to university, too, and it can be harder to approach instructors there. Here, if you have any problems, you can go to the instructors and they’re willing to help.”

“My peers and I are open and focused on building relationships with the students,” Workman explains. “It helps with the level of investment they have in their education.”

He was drawn to Lakeland because of the hands-on education model and the facilities, which also contribute to the level of success experienced by the students.

“We track student success rates,” Workman says. “We are able to catch students who are falling behind and recommend them for supports available at the school. Students’ reactions to Lakeland’s student supports have been very positive. Many may not have approached education that way before, and our supports help them develop the study habits and skills they need to retain the information they need for longer.”

Lakeland’s commitment to hands-on learning is also a considerable factor, Cryderman and Workman agree.

“The facilities here are excellent,” Cryderman says. “It’s nice to be able to do hands-on and see the stuff in action. I have a mechanical engineering degree and there wasn’t a lot of hands-on application to that. It’s nice to learn about the concepts in the classroom and then go to the lab and see them. It reaffirms what we learned in class.”

Workman adds, “My career has always been focused on education, but when I got to Lakeland, that was my first delve into hands-on learning. It’s what I like about Lakeland."

Photos: Top - Instructor Andre Workman (left) and student Kristoffer Cryderman in the Cenovus Energy Lab. Bottom - Kristoffer Cryderman.