Project Primer: Transforming the Instructional Landscape

In the Transforming the Instructional Landscape (TIL) project, we try to understand what makes a classroom work as a productive learning environment. As this work has progressed, it has expanded to include many perspectives: we started by focusing on the student experience, but came to realize that student experiences are entangled with the experiences of other people who spend time in and around classrooms, and with the spaces and things that promote learning. Continue reading “Project Primer: Transforming the Instructional Landscape”

April 24, 2019

Spotlight: What Do We Mean When We Talk About Community?

Social and Cultural Community at First Nations House

Written by Charis Lam – Design Research Events Lead

In search of factors driving student engagement, First Nations House partnered with the Innovation Hub in summer 2018 to ask: what causes students and staff to engage and connect with First Nations House? Among the factors identified—including assistance with scholarships and housing, personal relationships to staff members. and access to the resource centre—cultural and social programming emerged as a need strongly felt by students. Thus, First Nations House and the Innovation Hub renewed their partnership to investigate what sorts of social and cultural programming students want. Continue reading “Spotlight: What Do We Mean When We Talk About Community?”

April 9, 2019April 12, 2019

The Innovation Hub is Hiring for Summer Work-Study Positions!

By Kaitlyn Corlett, Project Assistant and Julia Smeed, Innovation Hub Projects Officer

Now that the winter term is coming to a close, it’s time to consider some exciting opportunities at the Innovation Hub for the summer 2019 term. The Innovation Hub offering a wide range of work-study positions open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements. These positions offer opportunities to work with various areas at the University of Toronto in team-oriented environments that are supported by innovative, design-thinking practices.

Continue reading “The Innovation Hub is Hiring for Summer Work-Study Positions!”

February 26, 2018October 5, 2018

U of T Concierge: Interviewing for Innovation

By Chelsea Kowalski, Innovation Hub Big Ideas Team Member & 4th Year English Student

Over the course of an undergraduate degree, the average student will spend four years here. I’m along that track right now. Four years of needs and wants, questions and curiosities, tricks and campus hacks. But I- like every student- have come to discover that four years is not enough to learn it all. There is always another resource, another group, another organization I never knew existed before that might have been helpful. This is where the UofT Concierge idea could make a difference.

Continue reading “U of T Concierge: Interviewing for Innovation”

December 14, 2016January 28, 2018

Transfer Student “Tasha”

By Elvis Ibrahimovic, Fostering Connectedness Team Member

There is nothing more exciting than talking with students! Almost as exciting, was spending a morning speaking with colleagues, students, and other stakeholders about students! As someone who professionally identifies as ‘student-centred’, it was a thrill to focus in on a student (persona) during our Share back sessions. Personas are based on and represent real people, however all identifying information such as their real name and program of study are sanitized to protect their identity. Continue reading “Transfer Student “Tasha””

August 1, 2016October 5, 2018

Creating the Domains for Innovation

By Julia Smeed, Innovation Hub Project Lead

Since the launch and the Day of Learning, our five Domains for Innovation have been evolving. A team of over 30 Ambassadors continued this work which led to six versions of the domains for innovation. We are so pleased to say that thanks to all of the input and feedback from the community, we have landed on the following five domains: Continue reading “Creating the Domains for Innovation”