Tag Archives: learning

Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / final papers / Undergraduate Ethnography

Empowering Learners, Transforming Institutions:Learning Strategists’ Role in Higher Education 

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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 … Continue reading →

The Complementary Roles of Mentors and Strategists
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / Undergraduate Ethnography / Updates

The Complementary Roles of Mentors and Strategists

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By Hanisha Mistry There is a need for Student Life’s resources, and there is a reason why we have both peer mentors and Learning Strategists. A poignant quote from a conversation I had with a Learning Strategist captures this need: “Students are saying, ‘I need to talk about my learning in not an evaluated space.’” … Continue reading →

Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / Undergraduate Ethnography / Updates

Liminality within Higher Education: OISE Master’s Students Experience Contradictory Identities

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By Daisy Sanchez Villavicencio It’s 2:10 pm on a Friday and rather than finding a comfy seat in a lecture hall, I face a panel of rectangular screens with students in varying settings and others’ black/blank. Since the pandemic, I’ve attended countless online lectures and feel myself instinctually take my position as a traceless attendee … Continue reading →

Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / Undergraduate Ethnography / Updates

Staff Turnover

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By Cameron Miranda-Radbord What the heck happened to the staff who were supposed to conduct Signature Program Assessments? No, really – as I spoke to a Student Life staff member, I was perplexed by her explanation of why many of the Signature Program Assessments were not completed. Administrators, she told me, had moved departments. If … Continue reading →

Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / final papers / Undergraduate Ethnography

“Constructing” Community and Leadership: An Ethnography of Student Clubs and ‘Third Space Professionals’ at UofT

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Final Report By Amani Hassan “Student Life”: A New Profession for a New Institutional Priority  International university ranking systems have increasingly shaped how institutions like the University of Toronto structure their priorities. Following an observed influence of student input on universities’ global ranking, a new profession emerged in many academic institutions that specifically intends to … Continue reading →

Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / Undergraduate Ethnography / Updates

Seeking Community in Normalized Isolation: A Reflection on the Importance of ‘Third Space Professionals’ in the Post-pandemic University

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By Amani Hassan ‘Student Life’ (SL) and similar student experience-focused entities in universities emerged within the last decade, partly as a response to the importance of “student experience” as a category on international rankings. However, departments such as SL’s Clubs and Leadership Development (CLD) now have an additional significance in the post-pandemic university, as they … Continue reading →

Empowering Students – Shaping Students for The Workforce
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / Undergraduate Ethnography / Updates

Empowering Students – Shaping Students for The Workforce

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By Angelina Nguyen, Hanisha Mistry, and Norah Rahman “Why go to University?” Many students pursue higher education to increase their chances for jobs. The University of Toronto entices students with its prestige and reputation for producing high-achieving scholars. However, does your GPA and the name of your academic institution truly matter if you can’t apply … Continue reading →

Assessing Assessment
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / Undergraduate Ethnography / Updates

Assessing Assessment

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By Cameron Miranda-Radbord and Maia De Caro Early on in our class, we read articles and had discussions surrounding audit, evaluation, and efficacy, which influenced our decision to look into assessment processes within the division of Student Life. In this case, assessment is used to identify and understand how effective programs are at meeting their … Continue reading →

What Student Life Did with Student Feedback
Ethnography of the University: Focus on Student Life 2024 / Undergraduate Ethnography / Updates

What Student Life Did with Student Feedback

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By Cameron Miranda-Radbord and Maia De Caro How does student feedback translate into change at Student Life? Attaining feedback is a crucial component of the assessment process. It helps identify gaps in operations and programming, enabling targeted improvements. Feedback can be gathered through various methods, such as surveys, focus groups, reflections, and conversations. In our … Continue reading →