Researchers Reflect: The Power of Empathy

This blog post is the first of Researchers Reflect, a new series where we embark on the journey of a design researcher at the Innovation Hub. Each post will spotlight a different design researcher sharing their stories, experience and learning moments throughout the course of their research.

Amal is wearing a jean jacket, smiling towards the camera with a whit ebackground.

Written by Amal Yusuf, UTQAP Research Coordinator  

Since 2019, I was given the privilege and trust to listen to students’ stories and experiences throughout a variety of projects, such as the Presidential and Provostial Task Force for Student Mental Health, Food Insecurity on CampusLet’s Talk About Failure Project, Student Experiences at Rotman Commerce, and much more! Being a part of this work has been a real growing experience for me. Today, I will be sharing a bit about this journey and how it has made an impact in my area of work and studies.  

Join us! Trans and Nonbinary Student Feedback Sessions

Inviting students who are trans, nonbinary, and/or otherwise gender nonconforming for feedback! In summer 2021, the Innovation Hub partnered with the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office (SGDO) to gain a better understanding of the experiences of trans and/or nonbinary students with the identification categories…

Call for Participants: Student Experiences at the Faculty of Dentistry

As the oldest, largest and top-ranked dental school in Canada, the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto aims to provide a rewarding program to its students. Through its program, the Faculty aspires that students will advance dentistry with inspired leadership,…

Meet the Team 2021-22 Innovation Hub Team!

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Betelehem Gulilat, Content Writer

As we enter a brand-new term, the Innovation Hub is excited to welcome our Fall/Winter 2021-22 Team! Each year our team is expanding along with our growing number of partnerships and are pleased to continue designing with and for students at the University of Toronto. In support of our expansion, we are grateful to be transitioning to a new workspace on campus where we plan to follow a hybrid work model to provide flexibility & space for innovation.  

Reconciliation & Reflection: Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Please note that this post speaks about residential schools and the meaning behind Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We acknowledge that the land in which we work from at the The University of Toronto has been, for thousands of years, the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land. Learn more about which lands you may reside on, and the treaties and histories connected with it, at: https://native-land.ca/  or https://www.whose.land/en/


On September 30th we commemorate Orange Shirt Day, a day intended to raise awareness on the centuries long impact Canada’s Residential School System has had on Indigenous communities, knowledge, traditions, and beyond. Orange Shirt day comes from the experience of Phyllis Webstad (Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation), who was six-years-old when she first arrived to a residential school. On her first day of arriving at the school she was stripped of her new orange shirt. This is what she has shared on what it felt like – and you can learn more about Phyllis’s story in the link provided:   

Call for Participants: Student Experience in Accessing Enrolment Services (Client Services) Inquiries

Have you ever had a question about your transcript, financial aid & awards, or ACORN?  We want to know about your experience seeking answers to these questions at UofT! Have you ever needed to ask a question about your ACORN account? Or OSAP? Have you needed…

Community Repost: Introducing the Tech2U Initiative

Tech2U is an exciting new pilot program that employs over 125 students to provide instructors with personalized tech support as they make their long-awaited return to teaching on campus. This week’s post is a repost from U of T News, where Tech2U was featured in a recent article written by Staff Reporter at U of T News, Rahul Kalvapalle.

Community Repost: Four Thrifty Tips for Managing Your Family Budget as a Postsecondary Student Parent

This week’s post is a community repost from our Redefining Traditional Team! If you are a student parent or are a student parent supporter we invite you to take a look at many other fantastic works we post on the Redefining Traditional Website, and join our Facebook Group to support and learn from one another!


By J. Sparks – Redefining Traditional Project Team Member

Icon of a piggy bank, with coins going into it. Icon made by https://www.freepik.com from https://www.flaticon.com

As the start of another academic year approaches, tuition, books and material fees begin to mount and money management becomes top of mind for many postsecondary students, especially for those with family responsibilities.  When I enrolled in graduate school as parent, not only did becoming a student effect our household schedule and routines, it also impacted our family budget.  If you are presently facing the task of doing it all and paying for it all too, below are a few financial tricks and tips that I have found helpful during my postsecondary journey with kids.   

The Innovation Hub Is Hiring For The Fall/Winter 2021-2022 Study Term!

This Fall-Winter term, we have a wide scope of exciting projects and opportunities available to students at the University of Toronto! These positions are available through the Work Study Program, which runs from September 2021 to February 2022. We’re excited to continue empowering students, grow existing partnerships, and build relationships…