Team Reflection: University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process Team

This year, the Innovation Hub continued our partnership with the Faculty of Arts and Science by facilitating student consultations to learn more about the needs and experiences of students in academic programs. In this blog, the team reflects on learnings from their research and the impact the work can have on the university.

Written by the Innovation Hub UTQAP Team

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This year, the Innovation Hub was thrilled to continue our partnership with the Faculty of Arts & Science to support the University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP). The UTQAP Team works with the various departments at Arts & Science to host student consultations through surveys and interviews, aiming to learn more about the diverse experiences of undergraduate and graduate students in their programs. Through this research, our team was able to explore the needs of students as they navigate academics, support, community, and extracurricular activities.  

This year, we were grateful to have an amazing team of design researchers and quantitative data analysts, including four Team Coordinators and 29 Work-Study students – our largest UTQAP team in iHub history! Our team was divided into specialized teams to support the nine departments at the Faculty of Arts & Science that partnered with the iHub. 

As student researchers, our work gave us many new insights into the needs of students and offered moments for us to reflect and connect with the stories and experiences shared by our participants.

Sparks of Reflection and Hope

Throughout the process, we had the opportunity to speak with many students from the various departments to listen to their genuine experiences in their programs. By speaking to a diverse population of students, including undergraduate, graduate, and alumni, we were able to gain valuable perspectives that helped us admire the complex array of experiences that students share as they navigate their academics. Through every story and piece of data shared, we learned to reflect and empathize, sparking meaningful insights that inspired us as researchers. Yunika, Ali, Farah, Rona, and Alaina reflect on the insights from the project that stood out to them and how it affected their own understanding of student experiences. 

Yunika: One of the things that stood out to me the most was how passionate the students were about their fields of study. It was incredibly refreshing to see their enthusiasm come through in the data. Hearing them speak so genuinely about their experiences and the impact of their work made the research feel even more meaningful. It was a great reminder of how deeply students connect with their disciplines and how much they value their learning experiences. 

Ali: What stood out most was how open and invested students were in helping improve the program. Their honesty and care were both surprising and motivating. The project expanded my belief in the value of student-led change and strengthened my commitment to work with empathy and purpose. I hope our insights lead to real improvements and help create a more connected and supportive environment for future students. 

Farah: Some memorable insights from the data I gathered while working on this project were how invaluable community and bonding is to students! Everyone really valued having connection and community with those around them, and I found it heart-warming to see that being expressed. 

Rona: Upon an empathy-based reflection on the data, it became clear to me that we all desire a balance between being challenged but also appreciated, and in meaningful connections with each other. Thus, the project helped me demolish any sense of disconnect that I had with other students outside of my program, as I understood that fundamentally, I feel that exact same way. 

Alaina: Looking back at the data, I noticed that many students did not have access to or did not know about certain resources that existed in their academic programs. I hope that through this project, academic program staff can work towards making resources more accessible and known for students, and that students will feel inspired to connect their peers with resources they’ve accessed themselves.

Exploring What’s Behind the Scenes

It was quite insightful and interesting to work with the various academic departments at U of T and learn more about what happens behind the scenes. Surprisingly, there are a lot of moving pieces involved in running academic departments and programs that we typically didn’t think about in our day-to-day academic studies prior. Our research gave us a better understanding of how academic departments operate and the many dedicated people involved in making programs thrive. Chelsea and Gianluca discuss their insightful experiences from learning more about the academic departments from within. 

Chelsea: Working on this project has been an exciting and insightful experience. It provided a rare opportunity to see the quality assurance process up close and understand how academic departments are being evaluated on their programs. Typically, students don’t get to see this process because of its complexity, so being involved allowed us to gain valuable insights into how departments collect and analyze data. 

Gianluca: Working on these projects has been extremely insightful and enlightening. I have been given the opportunity to learn so much about the academics and culture of departments, which has really helped me to understand the intricate dynamics behind a program. 

As students, we were aware of students voicing opinions about how to improve academic departments and programs, but it was very refreshing to gain a deeper understanding of the academic departments’ role in making experiences better for students. We enjoyed learning about the tailored approaches to academics that different departments took, and were inspired to hear about the many opportunities, experiences, and resources students benefitted from in their academic journeys. Through learning about how different departments function, and the village that it can take to run them, we gained a greater sense of empathy for the students and staff that keep the departments thriving.

Growing From Fulfilling Experiences

When looking back at the work our team did throughout the academic year, some of the key experiences that we will take away is how much we’ve grown in our abilities as design researchers and how impactful this work has been on us. Charlotte, Nejat, Harish, Yunding, and Ben reflect on some of the learnings from this experience that they will take with them into future experiences.

Charlotte: One of the most rewarding aspects of working as a Design Researcher with the Innovation Hub was the privilege of hearing student experiences firsthand. Interviewing students gave me the opportunity to understand student perspectives. Each interview granted me valuable insight into students’ passion for research and their community. 

Nejat: This project has helped me gain a lot of experience in not just researching in general and supporting the process, but the specific kind of research I hope to conduct after my time at the iHub concludes.

Harish: It really shaped how I approach research interviews and conversations in general. Hearing students share their experiences, frustrations, and aspirations allowed me to connect with their stories; It wasn’t just about collecting data, it was about understanding the emotions behind their words and recognizing the challenges they face.  

Yunding: I didn’t just learn how to turn raw human experiences into actionable insights. I also came to better understand how complex and diverse student needs can be. Every student brings something different, and their needs don’t always fit into neat categories. I’ve learned that staying open, curious, and empathetic is key to doing meaningful, people-centered work. 

Ben: This project reminded me why I love design research. It’s not just about gathering data—it’s about storytelling, advocacy, and turning research into real-world impact. Seeing our work contribute to meaningful changes within the university was incredibly rewarding, and it reinforced the idea that good design starts with listening. 

Getting to know students on a deeper level through the stories they shared was a very fulfilling experience. It reminded us that it is important to start with understanding and connecting with the people and their stories whenever the people are the ones impacted by change.

Empowering Student Voices

Reflecting on our work this year, we’re proud to have listened to so many students’ stories over the months, letting their voices be heard. We have seen how our work with students has led to powerful quantitative and qualitative findings that can shape the future experiences of programs at U of T. We’re grateful to the nine academic departments that partnered with us this year for this fantastic collaboration. Yashasvi and Ruth share a final message about their hopes for change that will enhance the academic experience for students.

Yashasvi: By amplifying student voices and experiences, I hope this project engages and empowers the student body, where everyone has the resources and support they need to thrive.

Ruth: I find it very meaningful to hear all the different stories students are willing to share with us and it motivates me to make sure we use and present their data wisely. I hope that we can one day see tangible differences so students know that the things they shared will actually make a change. 

For our team, this important project really emphasized the power of uniting as student changemakers. While our work this year may be done, we are excited to know that the many powerful stories that students shared with us will be reflected in future changes from academic departments across the university.

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