McMaster establishes a medical school and teaching hospital.
McMaster University Medical School pioneers the “McMaster Model” or problem-based learning (PBL), a student-centred, interdisciplinary approach to education that has since influenced pedagogy worldwide.
McMaster founded one of Canada’s first teaching centres, progressing from the Shell Science Centre, Instructional Development Office, Centre of Leadership in Learning, and McMaster Institution of Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning, before becoming the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching in 2016.
The Faculties of Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Science and Social Sciences, each under the leadership of a dean, become the established divisional structure of the university.
Under the leadership of Alan Blizzard and Dale Roy, McMaster becomes one of the four founding members of the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
McMaster is a co-founder of the 3M National Teaching Award.
McMaster’s medical school pioneers progress testing to complement its PBL model. By developing a Personal Progress Index (PPI) based on innovations from the University of Missouri-Kansas and the Maastricht University McMaster establishes a global standard for tracking long-term knowledge growth without the stress of traditional exams.
In March 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an immediate pivot to online delivery. This rapid shift accelerated innovations in digital pedagogy and expanded educational technology infrastructure, preserving teaching excellence and established a resilient framework for the ongoing evolution of student learning experiences.
In May 2021, McMaster launched its first-ever teaching and learning strategy: Partnered in Teaching and Learning (2021–2026). Designed to elevate teaching as a professional discipline across all Faculties, the strategy established four key pillars to prepare creative problem-solvers for global challenges: