An Exciting Opportunity to Learn Design Thinking and be Involved with the Innovation Hub!

We are thrilled to be launching our Design Thinking Experience Program this summer! Running weekly on Tuesdays from 2:00-4:00PM between June 1st until August 3rd, this is a 10-week boot-camp style program that will provide you with: 

  • An introduction to innovation and Design Thinking 
  • Experience conducting qualitative research 
  • Teamwork skills and connections on campus 
  • An opportunity to generate ideas to improve the student experience at U of T 

Transforming the instructional landscape: The results from our Pilot program are in!

Written by Nicholas Smith – Design Research Assistant for the Transforming the Instructional Landscape

What happens when you support instructors as they experiment with technology? During the Winter semester of 2021, the Transforming the Instructional Landscape (TIL) Pilot Project did just that. In the pilot, each member of our instructor cohort was provided with an individualized and adaptable classroom set-up, including high-quality recording equipment, stream decks, and monitor screens, alongside traditional teaching tools such as blackboards and lecterns. Our instructors were also paired with a technical “co-pilot” who ensured that the technology they employed ran smoothly by providing real-time support.  

Redefining Traditional: The Importance of Meaningful Land Acknowledgments (Part Three)

tree with multicoloured triangles as leaves

This is a re-post from Redefining Traditional, a community aiming to equip student parents with the tools to navigate their various roles, build a community of support and belonging, as well as providing a space for productive dialogue amongst policy-makers to help reimagine higher education. If you’re interested in contributing to our online community, we encourage you to share your story as a student parent by filling out this form.

Our land acknowledgements series highlights important stories and teachings from each of the Redefining Traditional team members – Heather, Shamim and Kaitlyn. Through these posts, we aim for our community to think about how land acknowledgments are immensely important, and to ensure we engage in teachings about specific cultures beyond a day or month of recognition. We also highlight important questions to support our community so that an acknowledgement moves beyond a ‘script’ and towards an ongoing conversation.

Shamim Ahmed

Our final post in this series is by Shamim Ahmed! Our previous two posts are from:


The Innovation Hub is Hiring for the Summer 2021 Work Study Term!

Julia Allworth – Manager
Innovation Projects

We’re excited to share some of the wonderful opportunities that are available for students at the Innovation Hub through the Work Study Program for Summer 2021! All of our work will continue to be virtual as we navigate new and continuing projects with our partners at UofT. We look forward to connecting with students, exploring new possibilities through our work, and inspiring innovation in community.

The deadline to apply to positions is Sunday, April 25th by 11:59pm. job postings are now live on CLNx.

Continue readings for job descriptions, to learn what working at the Innovation Hub means to our students, and more! To learn more about the positions and materials for applying please visit the Career & Co-Curricular Learning Network and search for the work study job board.

Nurturing Student Creativity

By Betelehem Gulilat, Lead Editor & Writer

Betelehem outside smiling at the camera

What does it mean to be creative? At first thought, you may think of artists, designers, musicians as creatives, and indeed they are. However, being creative is more abstract than we imagined it to be. An entire field of creative studies exists that has dated back to the 1930s, simply dedicated to understanding the concept of creativity 1.  

Stories Through Research Wrap-up: Fostering Tenacity through Experiential Education

In the fifth (and final!) instalment of Stories Through Research, we explored ‘Learning Through Experience: Fostering Tenacity Through Experiential Education’ at UofT. By holding space for the complexities, needs, and experiences of students, staff and stakeholders in Experiential Learning (EL) at UofT, we began to explore how could the benefits of EL occur throughout students’ whole time at the university?

Stories Through Research Wrap-Up: Meaningful Student Consultation

Stories Through Research Spotlight

In the fourth instalment of Stories Through Research, our team discussed the many elements of meaningful student consultation and this might be realized in areas at UofT. Through interviews with staff and students, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of consultation from a variety of perspectives and experiences to ensure consultation is equitable to all involved. 

Stories Through Research Wrap-Up: Digital Community and Connectedness Project

Stories Through Research spotlight icon

In our third session of Stories Through Research, the Digital Community and Connectedness team shared their findings on building digital connection in uncertainty, and what students need in online communities. From our interviews with students during these uncertain times, we were able to uncover important student needs that can support everyone in digital communities – no matter the platform.  

Stories Through Research Wrap-Up: Universal Design at the University of Toronto

In the second session of Stories Through Research, we explored Universal Design at the University of Toronto and how we can break down barriers at UofT by centering students with disabilities. By understanding accessibility and equity in context at UofT, along with how interconnected this is with Universal Design, all of us can begin exploring how to make a difference in our contexts and reducing barriers in the student experience.  

Stories Through Research Wrap-Up: Food for Student Self-Fulfillment

In our first Stories Through Research session, our team shared some of the many important insights that we learned and explored in ‘Food for Student Self-Fulfillment: Examining the Role of Food Insecurity on Campus’. By deeply understanding how present food insecurity is on campus and in higher education, while also centering student experiences and needs, our communities can understand how we can make steps to ensure that all students can experience food security during their studies.