The Innovation Hub is pleased to share its 2023-2024 Annual Report. In this post, Innovation Hub Manager Julia shares some highlights from the past year, what the Innovation Hub has been up to and how to get involved in the work.
Written by Julia Allworth, Manager, Innovation Projects
The Innovation Hub has seen an incredible amount of growth this year as we employed about 100 students to work on many projects to improve campus life at U of T. We are so grateful to our team of leaders, all students and recent graduates, who have worked tirelessly to improve operational efficiencies, create new processes and workflows, and support inclusive and equitable hiring.
We are very grateful to be recognized this year with a U of T Excellence Through Innovation award for our work collaboratively designing university spaces, services and programs and fostering community and student engagement on campus.
Our team has become larger and more diverse this year, and we remain committed to working in ways that are more inclusive and welcome everyone. The community at the Innovation Hub is so vibrant and our team works hard, but also has fun – we had so many great social events and opportunities for team members to connect and build community during their work.
Our work would not be possible without the support of our incredible partners who provide meaningful work to our students, and our leaders in Student Life and the Vice-Provost Students who continue to encourage the university community to partner with the Innovation Hub to better understand students. We hope this year’s report offers a snapshot of some of the great work our student teams have done this year.
Our Impact Since 2016
Since our inception in 2016, we’ve had the pleasure to connect with people in all areas of U of T to learn more about campus experiences through our design research projects. To date we have:
Completed 58 design research projects
Listened to 1700+ students’ stories & experiences
Listened to 120+ staff & faculty stories & experiences
Our Student Team
The students at the Innovation Hub are diverse and come from all programs and degree levels. Students are placed on project teams that provide real-world experiential learning to build skills in four areas: personal development, interpersonal relations, workplace skills and technical skills in design thinking.
This year we had:
104 Students Employed
94 Work Study Opportunities
10 Leadership Roles
19 Project Teams
Innovation Hub Projects 2023-24
This year we saw demand for our design thinking research grow as our teams had the opportunity to work on a wide range of meaningful projects detailed below.
What Matters to U of T Students?
We looked at the student stories and data collected over the last three years to explore the question: what matters to U of T students now?
Experiences of Students Who Are Also Parents
We worked with the Family Care Office to explore the needs of students who are also parents, as they navigate their multiple roles and responsibilities while studying.
International Students First 48 Hours in Canada
We partnered with the Office of the Vice-Provost, International, to create a documentary about international students’ first 48 hours in Canada.
Re-imagining Commuter Students Spaces
We worked with Spaces & Experiences to explore the needs of commuter students to make design decisions for future spaces.
Sport & Rec: Expanding Access
We continued our work with Sport & Rec to reimagine programs, services, and spaces through co-creation and student feedback with a particular focus on beginner programming.
University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP)
We continued our partnership with the Faculty of Arts & Science to support units as they prepare for their self-studies as part of the University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP).
Trans & Nonbinary Student Experience
We continued our work with the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office to better understand the experiences of trans and non-binary students at U of T.
Centre for Entrepreneurship – Quick Student Consultation
We partnered with the Faculty of Arts & Science Centre for Entrepreneurship to explore students’ understanding of what entrepreneurship means to them.
International Foundation Program – Quick Student Consultation
Working with the International Foundation Program (IFP) at New College, we investigated students’ perception on equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
Faculty of Information – Quick Student Consultation
In partnership with the Faculty of Information (iSchool) Office of the Registrar and Student Services, the Innovation Hub sought direct input about programs, initiatives, and services at the iSchool.
Get Involved in Our Work
If you have a project that might benefit from a student design thinking team at the Innovation Hub, we’d love to talk to you! If you have any questions about the Innovation Hub or how to get involved, contact innovationhub@utoronto.ca for more information.
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