By Amani Hassan The concept of the ‘ideal’ student is prevalent in universities, often shaped by expectations that reflect the institution’s prestige and effectiveness. The ideal student is typically understood as diligent, respectful, and engaged—traits that align with a ‘professional’ image. Universities further reinforce these qualities as desirable through scholarships, awards, and recognition. The University … Continue reading
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Discourse vs. Practice: Ambiguity in Student Roles at Student Life
By Angelina Nguyen, Norah Rahman and Richard Wu Our collective fieldwork revealed some ambiguity concerning how student roles are portrayed in Student Life (SL) discourse and how they work out in practice. Below we discuss student roles as labourers, consumers, and advisors. Student as workers: SL employs hundreds of work-study students and spends over a … Continue reading
A Digital Labyrinth: Navigating Information on the Student Life Website
By Amani Hassan and Hanisha Mistry Staff at the Centre for Learning Strategies Support take pride in the resource library which offers PDF documents on various topics designed to support academic success and help students adapt to university-level learning. Accessing this library involves three straightforward steps: “Student Life Homepage > Departments > Centre for Learning … Continue reading
What was Familiar, What was Strange?: Rediscovering the University Through a Lens of Curiosity and Complexity
By Georgia Hanson, Molly McGouran an Yihang Xu If you are familiar with something, how can it be strange? Our individual experiences with fieldwork in Student Life presented us with new avenues through which we could explore this question, each of us gaining a new perspective on the university that we had once so confidently … Continue reading
The Art of Engaging Students: The Impact of Incentives on Student Engagement
By Yunshan Li, Richard Wu and Amani Hassan On an early afternoon in October, we visited the reception office of the Clubs and Leadership Division of Student Engagement for a social event for club leaders. We arrived to find only one club leader, accompanied by two staff members. Half an hour later, another student showed … Continue reading
Empowering Students – Shaping Students for The Workforce
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
What Student Life Did with Student Feedback
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
ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE UNIVERSITY: FOCUS ON STUDENT LIFE 2024
Over the past two decades, Student Life has emerged at the University of Toronto and elsewhere as a domain where various aspects of student life become subject to expert management with the aim of facilitating learning, enhancing well-being, minimizing stress, and promoting a healthy and productive university experience. Yet for most students at U of … Continue reading
Upcoming Affect Theatre Workshop
The Affect Theatre workshop, hosted by Cristiana Giordano and Greg Pierotti at the University of Toronto, will focus on a unique theatrical technique that utilizes non-theatrical source materials. Spanning two days, participants will learn and apply these methods to their own research, fostering collaboration and engagement. Registration is limited to 25 attendees. Continue reading
Upcoming Affect Theatre Workshop
The Affect Theatre workshop, hosted by Cristiana Giordano and Greg Pierotti at the University of Toronto, will focus on a unique theatrical technique that utilizes non-theatrical source materials. Spanning two days, participants will learn and apply these methods to their own research, fostering collaboration and engagement. Registration is limited to 25 attendees. Continue reading