A Final Report By Hanisha Mistry

Introduction

The fluorescent light hummed softly in the temporary office on Bay Street, a functional yet impersonal space where the Centre for Learning Strategy Support (CLSS) had set up during the Koffler Student Centre renovations. Despite its unremarkable setting, the CLSS is defined not by its location but by its people—the Learning Strategists and administrative team—who, through their constant meetings and appointments, invited me to observe their work firsthand.

Administrative meetings offer a glimpse into the heart of their work, with an ongoing stream of voices filling the hour as team members race to summarize the week’s achievements. Meanwhile, the Teams chat buzzes with side conversations and real-time input, aiming to maximize the limited discussion time. Yet, even with these efficiencies, meetings often run overtime—a testament to their dedication to the student population. Amidst the conversation, one Learning Strategist explained, “It’s not just about helping students succeed academically—though that’s our immediate goal. It’s also about challenging the barriers that might be causing them to struggle in the first place.” This sentiment encapsulates the CLSS’s mission.

Learning Strategists play a critical dual role in universities: they are facilitators of academic growth and continuous learning, and agents of systemic change, working to dismantle barriers and advocate for a more inclusive and supportive educational environment. This paper examines how Learning Strategists navigate these complex responsibilities, balancing immediate academic support with long-term institutional advocacy. 

Much of the work in CLSS programs emphasizes helping students adapt to existing institutional frameworks. This often involves providing tools, strategies, and emotional support to navigate academic challenges, succeed in coursework, and meet university expectations. While this support is crucial for individual success, it inherently prioritizes student adaptation to the system over a transformation of the system itself. This reflects a broader tension: Learning Strategists have limited tools or power to challenge or transform the rigid structures of the university, despite their goal to do so. As a result, their efforts, while well-intentioned, often reinforce the status quo, even as they strive to push for systemic change. This tension underscores the complexity of their insurgency; they are both insiders and reformers, operating within a system they seek to transform. Balancing their roles as supporters of student success with their desire to reform institutional practices creates a paradox: they must help students succeed in a system they recognize as flawed, all while advocating for the very changes that might disrupt their ability to provide that support. 

Methods, Setting, and Positionality

My study combines in-person and online participant observation, qualitative interviews with Centre for Learning Strategy Support (CLSS) members, and analysis of documents from the Student Life employees. The primary setting for my ethnographic research has been virtual, conducted through Microsoft Teams calls and online documents due to the remote nature of Learning Strategists’ work. In addition to this online environment, I conducted fieldwork in person by attending professional development events and observing student-facing activities at the University of Toronto’s Robarts Library.

This research emerged from my participation in the Ethnographic Practicum Class, where I was given the opportunity to explore different facets of the Student Life division at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. As a university student, my understanding of Student Life has been shaped by my experiences as a student, where my interactions with Student Life services, including the CLSS, have largely been transactional. This position, while valuable, also brings inherent biases. I am accustomed to viewing these services from the perspective of a student, focusing on how they meet my individual needs, rather than considering the broader institutional context in which they operate. 

In conducting this research, I wear two hats: that of a student, engaging with Student Life as a resource, and that of an ethnographer, observing and analyzing the work of Learning Strategists. This dual perspective shapes both my approach to the research and my interpretation of the roles and dynamics within the CLSS. Recognizing this positionality is essential, as it influences how I interpret interactions, dynamics, and the tensions within the university’s support systems. 

Who are the Learning Strategists?

The role of the Learning Strategist at the University of Toronto is one of evolution and transformation. While their work manifests concretely through appointments, workshops, and resources, their identity within the university structure remains fluid and under professional development as the members of CLSS look toward defining and shaping their position within the university. Their role merges educational support, personalized mentorship, and systemic change for student needs, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of holistic academic assistance in higher education. 

Historically, Learning Strategists arose from a need to address gaps in the student experience. A 1987 document from the Counselling and Learning Skills Service (CALSS), the former Centre for Learning Strategy Support, offers a glimpse into their origins. It features a fictional dialogue in which a strategist helps a student overwhelmed by deadlines (Graham 1987). The strategist provides tools for managing time for a student wanting to overcome procrastination and build resilience against academic frustration. These early interventions from the CALSS addressed what lectures could not: individualized, one-on-one support tailored to students’ unique struggles. A common theme in these dialogues is “How can I help?”—a phrase that captures their core mission to meet students’ individual needs (Graham 1987).

This historical context reveals their purpose as filling the “cracks” left by traditional pedagogical methods. Their dual role—part educator, part mentor—bridges the gap between the institutional pressures of academia and the personalized care students often need. However, their role has not been without challenges, as this piece highlights the limitations of institutional support systems for students before academic problems arise in their university journey. Learning Strategists frequently work reactively, responding to systemic academic pressures with limited resources after problems occur in student learning.

Today, the Learning Strategist’s role has expanded significantly. Programs like Learning How to Learn exemplify how they have adapted to meet contemporary student needs while also working proactively, offering support services targeted before students run into these challenges in their academic journey. These workshops target first- and second-year students, helping them navigate the challenges of university life through skill-building and strategies tailored to UofT’s academic environment (Student Life 2024). By teaching students how to prepare for exams, manage their workloads, and adapt to the structure of higher education, Learning Strategists aim to foster not just academic success but a deeper connection to the learning process right from students’ acceptance at the University of Toronto.

In addition to these workshops, Learning Strategists have embraced technological tools to make their work more accessible. Online resources and guides, through the CLSS Resource Library, provide students with study strategies and academic tips outside traditional appointment times. This shift marks a move away from being a purely reactive service, and instead positions the Learning Strategist as a proactive resource, aiming to address challenges before they become overwhelming. However, as one strategist noted, these resources can be underutilized or difficult to navigate without direct guidance or awareness of their availability, underscoring the continuing need for personalized, individual support and advertising to the student body.

Beyond the practical, there is a philosophical dimension to the role of Learning Strategists. The director of the CLSS is currently developing a handbook to define their professional role within the university. This effort stems from an ongoing unawareness about their role, combined with the freedom they currently have to shape their position, extending beyond basic academic assistance. The handbook aims to show how Learning Strategists inspire students to view learning as a journey of growth and discovery, rather than a transactional process of completing assignments and earning grades. Strategists focus on “how to learn” rather than simply “what to learn,” helping students build resilience, confidence, and a genuine passion for learning. In this way, they nurture lifelong learners who are prepared to tackle challenges not just in academia, but in life.

This growing identity—both as practical support providers and as mentors shaping students’ academic identities—places Learning Strategists in a unique position within the university. They operate in a “grey space,” blending the freedom to define their evolving role with the institution’s overarching goals. This shift from 1987 to the present reflects this broader transformation in how the CLSS has come to approach student support, with an increased focus on fostering curiosity and a love of learning.

By aiming to inspire rather than merely assist, Learning Strategists challenge the transactional nature of higher education. Their work reframes the university experience as one of engagement and growth, aligning with UofT’s mission to cultivate thinkers and lifelong learners, despite its traditional lecture-and-listen format. Far from being a mere resource, the Learning Strategists are ongoing architects of a richer, more meaningful academic journey. Yet, despite their evolving professionalized role within the university, their true impact and potential remain underrecognized as both facilitators of academic growth and as agents of systemic change. 

Learning Strategists as Fostering Academic Growth within the University

Through an understanding of the Learning Strategist’s role, one thing becomes clear: Learning Strategists serve the students, but their role within the university is framed by the existing university structures. Their work is focused on reinforcing academic prowess and fostering continuous learning within the university’s framework, rather than challenging or transforming that framework. This is evident in the Centre for Learning Strategy Support (CLSS), where students can improve their academic standing by speaking with Learning Strategists or Peer Mentors during appointments. 

Addressing Immediate Challenges Through Appointments

These appointments aim to address immediate academic challenges without disrupting the university’s structure. In my own appointment, the Learning Strategist created a space where I felt encouraged to speak openly about my stress. The virtual environment was non-hierarchical, making it comfortable for me to reflect on my habits. What stood out most was the reflexive nature of the conversation: the strategist asked questions about my routine, and I began to uncover moments of rest amid my stress simply by reflecting on their questions. The exchange went as follows:

Strategist: “What is causing the burnout this semester?”

Me: “I think it’s the amount of work I’ve taken on—balancing a full course load, work, and extracurriculars might have been a bad idea.”

Strategist: “Have you considered that you might have time for it all, but it’s about rearranging your schedule and prioritizing tasks so you can manage everything? Maybe today we can create a colour-coded calendar to adjust how you balance your schedule.”

This exchange not only illustrates what an appointment looks like but also shows how Learning Strategists do not seek to disrupt the university’s core value that students must be involved in the classroom and university community. Instead, they help students modify their schedules, and work to help students adapt to the structure by guiding them to manage their time and responsibilities better. From a student’s perspective, this support is crucial to success within the university. By fostering student personal development, the Learning Strategist aligns with the institution’s goal of creating self-directed, reflective learners. This process transforms students from passive recipients of knowledge into active agents managing their academic journey within the university’s structure.

A Subtle Influence: Beyond Professor Authority

Learning Strategists emphasize student agency through a reflective approach that empowers students to take control of their academic success. This is a key aspect of fostering continuous learning: Students are not merely learning to follow prescribed academic expectations; they are encouraged to develop self-awareness and problem-solving skills and to navigate challenges in ways that align with their own goals and the institution’s structure. Therefore, students must do the aligning, and the university itself does not change. By focusing on the individual through appointments, Learning Strategists help students understand their strengths and weaknesses, fostering a sense of ownership over their academic experience. This approach helps students not only in the moment but also equips them with the skills to handle future academic challenges independently.

A Love for Learning: Subtle Influence Over Authority

This aligns with conversations from CLSS administrators, who see their involvement in students’ success as a labour of love, reinforcing a love for the way learning is structured through the university, therefore, leaving the university structure unchanged. Strategists do not wield the same authority as professors to compel students to complete assignments or become ingrained in the university. Instead, their influence is subtle: they guide students through strategies and self-reflection rather than directly imparting knowledge or advocating for structural change. In this way, Learning Strategists help students succeed while reinforcing the status quo of the university system, ensuring that students are better able to navigate the system rather than challenging it.

The Intersection of Professional Development and Academic Integrity

Even in non-student-facing efforts, Learning Strategists reinforce academic learning within the university structure. Through professional development events that promote the learning of strategists themselves, strategies are developed to help students within the university. One such event, a presentation called a “micro-teach” on Generative AI, addressed how to navigate the rapid integration of tools like GenAI into academic environments (Freeman 2024). This presentation dealt with the anxieties surrounding AI usage and provided strategies that Learning Strategists can use in discussions with students on how to approach their work ethically. The presenter created an acronym, “ARE ASSOCIATED” with each letter highlighting a concern that is associated with Generative AI and its use in university. 

A key focus of this workshop was the intersection of Generative AI and academic integrity. Strategists discussed the challenges of balancing the use of AI tools with the need to uphold the university’s academic integrity policies. This often involves discouraging inappropriate AI use, and helping students engage with their work authentically and within established university guidelines. This professional development workshop, aimed at strategists, served as a model for future student presentations on AI usage and its risks. In this way, it became a proactive measure, where Learning Strategists could provide students with personalized study techniques and frameworks for ethical decision-making in their academic work, reducing their reliance on AI, a measure of working within the university’s bounds. Professional development thus serves as a mechanism for adapting to external pressures and evolving within the university system.

Foucault’s Disciplinary Power in Practice

The work of Learning Strategists, as facilitators of academic growth, can be examined through Michel Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power, where the regulation and normalization of individual behaviours operate as a mechanism of broader social control. Foucault’s notion of power, particularly in educational settings, emphasizes how systems of knowledge and institutions establish norms through constant surveillance, individualized interventions, and the cultivation of self-discipline (Li 2022, 218). Learning Strategists are part of this mechanism, providing continuous, individualized support to students as they adapt to academic pressures and navigate university life. This process subtly monitors and shapes students’ behaviours to align with institutional expectations, reinforcing conformity to the system.

By encouraging students to “fit in” through strategies like time management, academic integrity, and emotional regulation, Learning Strategists are effectively supporting the broader ideological function of the university. The university system establishes specific standards, norms, and expectations, and Learning Strategists help students internalize these through empathy, trust-building, and providing tools for success within this framework. This role parallels Foucault’s idea that power is not merely repressive but also productive. Learning Strategists do not impose strict control over students but instead facilitate the development of skills and behaviours that allow students to align their personal goals with the institution’s academic standards. In this way, the Learning Strategist’s role is to guide students toward self-regulation, ensuring that they meet the institutional goals without overt coercion or direct authority.

Learning Strategists as Agents of Systemic Change

Despite their work within the university structure to aid students in their academic journey, Learning Strategists transcend their traditional roles as facilitators of academic growth. They act as advocates for systemic change, bringing a subtle insurgency to the structure of university learning. At the University of Toronto, their professionalization and role remain underappreciated and somewhat uncertain, yet their work demonstrates how student support professionals can influence institutional practices in meaningful ways.

Leveraging Data for Advocacy

The primary indicator of this insurgency lies in how Learning Strategists leverage data collected through workshops and appointments. This data offers critical insights into broader trends and systemic challenges faced by students, enabling Learning Strategists to confront institutional issues within the university. Regular administrative meetings with the Central team, which oversees the Centre for Learning Strategy Support’s (CLSS) daily operations, frequently center around data-driven questions: What attendance numbers are being tracked? What types of students are engaging with their services? What common challenges do students face? These inquiries help identify patterns, such as a high prevalence of note-taking difficulties among first-year students. With this data, Learning Strategists not only provide immediate support but also advocate for systemic change by bringing these issues to the attention of faculty and university administrators.

While their work might seem like an additional task for the CLSS, data collection serves a deeper purpose—it becomes a tool for advocacy and a part of the broader project of institutional reform. In the face of faculty resistance, Learning Strategists continue to challenge the status quo by using this data to highlight student challenges. Despite attempts by faculty to dismiss these interventions as disruptive—often voiced during administrative meetings—their persistence signals the insurgent nature of their work. The act of data collection becomes insurgent not in its bureaucratic form, but in how it reframes student struggles as systemic issues that demand institutional attention.

By quantifying recurring issues, such as widespread note-taking difficulties, Learning Strategists challenge the university’s existing structures, advocating to faculty for evidence-based systemic adjustments rather than relying on anecdotal evidence. However, this reliance on data also carries risks—reducing students’ diverse experiences to mere statistics may oversimplify the complexity of their challenges. To maintain their role as insurgent advocates, Learning Strategists must balance institutional demands for quantifiable metrics with the nuanced, individualized realities of student needs.

The power of data-driven advocacy is exemplified in specific examples, such as the recurring issue in a first-year statistics course. Many students expressed frustration with the disconnect between lecture content and the midterm exam, a concern that Learning Strategists observed in multiple student appointments. After identifying this trend, Learning Strategists collaborated with faculty to address the issue, suggesting curriculum adjustments and creating a partnership between the CLSS and the course’s overall structure. This intervention not only improved students’ understanding of the course material but also fostered ongoing dialogue between faculty and support staff, leading to a shift in the course structure. This example demonstrates how Learning Strategists act as intermediaries, translating the student experience into actionable insights that prompt institutional change.

However, while addressing issues within a single course is a significant achievement, it raises questions about scalability: How can Learning Strategists ensure their advocacy produces widespread, systemic change, rather than isolated interventions? The challenge remains to transform these individual successes into a broader shift in the university’s response to student needs. This underscores the insurgent nature of their work—Learning Strategists are not merely filling gaps in existing support systems; they are challenging and reshaping the institutional structure itself, one intervention at a time.

Tackling Structural Inequities

Their work addresses this question by extending beyond individual class interventions and tackling the structural inequities embedded in classroom ecosystems and institutional policies. While past examples of professional development showed CLSS staff as facilitators of academic growth, other professional development activities aim to directly confront the biases ingrained in university practices.

In one specific event held by the Learning Specialists Association of Canada titled The Landscape of Bias in Higher Education, Learning Strategists examined how inequities in the university discourage student engagement or limit opportunities (Rawle 2024). For example, research shared in the presentation demonstrated that instructors who predominantly call on male students first in STEM classes inadvertently discourage female participation. Similarly, inequities in selecting students for research placements or presentation opportunities often disadvantage those unfamiliar with institutional norms. Armed with this knowledge, Learning Strategists advocate for transparent and equitable practices, addressing how policies inadvertently privilege certain students while marginalizing others.

This advocacy is not limited to individual interventions but extends to larger structural changes within the university. By addressing biases and inequities through workshops and advocacy efforts, Learning Strategists influence how classroom and institutional dynamics are structured. Their work in developing programming like the “Queer Study Hubs” or “Identity and Learning Workshops” provides a counter-narrative to traditional academic practices. These initiatives create spaces for equity-seeking groups to not only learn but also challenge the status quo of the classroom and university built on biases. Through this, Learning Strategists are not simply training students to adapt to existing systems but are actively advocating for changes that reflect the diverse needs of the student body, thereby challenging the institution’s underlying biases.

Moreover, the focus on equity-seeking groups is not merely to help these students “fit in,” but to reform the very systems that marginalize them. By continually pushing for the integration of equitable practices into university structures—whether through faculty cooperation, curricular reforms, or shifting power dynamics through programs—they are engaging in an ongoing process of systemic change. This ensures that, while students may still need to navigate the university system, they are not doing so alone or without the support of those who are working to reshape that system in more inclusive ways. Learning Strategists, through their focus on systemic inequities, are not merely responding to the existing conditions but challenging the structural frameworks that perpetuate them.

Challenges to Advocacy

Advocating for structural change also demands that Learning Strategists critically reflect on their positionality within the university. As employees of an institution steeped in its own systemic inequities, they may face limitations in challenging the very policies they are meant to uphold. This tension underscores the complexity of their insurgency: they are both insiders and reformers, operating within a system they seek to transform.

Yet, it is precisely their insider perspective that gives them credibility. As “translators” of the student experience, Learning Strategists play a crucial role in bridging the gap between students’ needs and institutional expectations. As one strategist aptly noted, “Change within the university, specifically by Student Life, comes through influence and advocacy, not through decision-making power.” While Learning Strategists may lack direct authority over curriculum decisions or pedagogical approaches, their close proximity to students enables them to identify and address gaps in university structures, advocating for program changes that better meet student needs.

Nevertheless, their advocacy faces significant barriers. Faculty and administrators often view Learning Strategists’ work as overly supportive, perceiving their role as limited to providing workshops and appointments rather than as agents of systemic change. This skepticism, as described by the team, reflects entrenched hierarchies within academia that prioritize traditional teaching methods over more collaborative, student-centred approaches. Such resistance not only limits the influence of Learning Strategists but also mirrors broader cultural attitudes within universities that undervalue holistic support as a key component of learning.

Despite significant obstacles, the subtle insurgency of Learning Strategists represents a critical step toward reshaping higher education. By identifying trends, advocating for student needs, and fostering collaboration with faculty, they challenge traditional hierarchies and promote a more inclusive, student-centred approach. Their role, though often underappreciated and still in the process of professionalization, underscores the importance of integrating student support services into broader institutional conversations about learning and teaching. As advocates for systemic change and equity, Learning Strategists are working to address deeply embedded structural issues within the university. While their advocacy is still evolving, their ability to identify systemic problems through data-driven insights and student-centred support demonstrates their potential to reshape the university landscape. Their work directly challenges entrenched assumptions about the limitations of student support roles, positioning them as key players in creating a more responsive and inclusive academic environment.

Reflection & Conclusion

The work of Learning Strategists is far more complex and impactful than it appears at first glance. They are not merely facilitators of academic improvement but pivotal figures in the ongoing negotiation of higher education’s purpose and practice. By providing individualized support to students, they address immediate academic challenges while simultaneously advocating for systemic reform within the institution. Their role embodies a duality: on one hand, they reinforce existing structures, helping students navigate the university’s current demands; on the other, they challenge these structures by identifying inequities and pushing for change within the university.

However, the growing influence of Learning Strategists is not without its complexities. The potential for overreach of advocacy on behalf of students presents a significant limitation, as their advocacy and systemic interventions must be carefully balanced to avoid unintended consequences. For instance, their reliance on data-driven insights to advocate for change may inadvertently shift power dynamics, raising questions about student privacy, the ethics of data use, and the risk of reducing nuanced student experiences to metrics on behalf of students without overall student requests for these changes. Furthermore, as their role expands, there is a risk of encroaching on academic autonomy or creating dependencies rather than fostering student resilience and independence. These limitations underscore the importance of defining the boundaries of their influence while ensuring their work remains rooted in student empowerment and institutional accountability.

The broader implications of their work, however, are transformative. Learning Strategists challenge universities to rethink their core mission, reframing higher education as a holistic, human-centred process rather than a transactional one. By bridging the gap between student needs and institutional goals, they foster environments where learning is not only about achieving academic success but also about nurturing personal growth and ethical engagement with the world. In an era of increasing automation and depersonalization, their approach highlights the enduring value of care, empathy, and individualized attention as tools for meaningful change for the student body.

Furthermore, their role serves as a call to action for higher education institutions to elevate support services as integral to their mission. By advocating for systemic equity and inclusion while operating within existing frameworks, Learning Strategists model how small but intentional acts of advocacy can drive broader movements for reform within the university. They remind us that the purpose of higher education extends beyond knowledge production to the cultivation of empowered learners who are equipped to navigate and shape the complexities of the world around them.

In constantly redefining their place within the university, Learning Strategists invite us to reconsider what it means to educate and support students. Their efforts point toward a future where higher education is not confined to maintaining standards but is transformed into a space that prioritizes holistic and genuine love for learning. In doing so, Learning Strategists both empower learners and transform the institution.

References

Freeman, J. (2024). Generative AI, Writing and Learning [Webinar].

Graham, D. (1987). The Study Skills Program at the University of Toronto. Counselling and Learning Skills Service.

Li, Tania Murray. 2023. “Foucault Foments Fieldwork at the University.” In Philosophy on Fieldwork: Case Studies in Anthropological Analysis, edited by Nils Bubandt and Thomas Schwarz Wentzer, 214-30. Abingdon: Routledge.

Rawle, F. (2024). The Landscape of Bias in Higher Education [Webinar].

Student Life. (2024, November 26). Learning How to Learn – UofT Student Life. UofT Student Life. https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/program/learning-how-to-learn/