What Matters to U of T Students: 2016-2020
At its formation in 2016, through consultation with students, we centred our understanding of student experience on the following 5 domains: Access for Every Student, Fostering Connectedness, Future-Ready Students, Integrated Learning Experience, Whole Student Development. Our key ÿnding is that the university contains many experiences, places, and communities, and that embracing this dynamic multiplicity means transforming UofT from a Uni-versity into a Multi-versity.
2016-2020
What matters most to U of T students?
Our insights highlight the need for a paradigm shift toward a Multi-versity that encourages a multitude of student identities, abilities, and trajectories. From the data, we found that this would be best achieved by recognizing that the relationship between the student and the University is always shifting and adapting and must be responsive to change. Future adaptations of student life may benefit from focusing on ensuring students are given choice, space, and flexibility in their academic, personal, and professional pursuits to reject the nature of the changing social and academic world.
KEY FINDINGS
The university contains many experiences, places, and communities.
Building on this key finding of the multiple and dynamic experiences of students, we see these three themes:
- Building the Multi-versity
- Honouring Every Students' Self-determination
- Redefine the way Student Agency is fostered
These themes help redefine the Innovation Hub’s 5 domains and in turn develop new directions that embraces the diversity of potentials and identities that characterize the University of Toronto.
Embrace the Multi-versity: The Multi-versity acknowledges that the institution is a dynamic system composed of multiple shifting identities, experiences, and roles. It is not centered on a singular "uni" experience. This multiplicity can also challenge the university's ability to respond to and support this diverse student body, especially in areas where the university is less adaptable or when students feel a lack of belonging. Offering dynamic and varied forms of care and connection empowers students to build agency and self-determination through the multiple pathways available within the university.
Honouring Every Student’s Self-determination: A self-determined notion of “success” empowers students by placing control in their hands, prioritizing their agency in shaping their own experiences. Students seek both protection from the institution and control over their learning, enabling them to make decisions that best support their development, with the university’s support. How can the university expand these ideals of success and create more opportunities for student-centered growth?
Redefine the Way Student Agency is Fostered: Encouraging students to adopt a self-directed approach to learning promotes a culture in which personal agency is valued and supported. Allowing students to craft their own learning experience gives them the choice to develop skills that matter to them and supports the celebration of a diversity of talents, skills, and career trajectories.