Katie Babcock

Since 2010, the University of Toronto has seen a 146 per cent increase in accommodated test bookings – from quizzes to tests and final exams. To deal with the growing demand and success of the program, Accommodated Testing Services (ATS) is creating a new streamlined process for students, instructors and staff.

ATS and Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) began designing a new system in March of 2019 to ease instructors’ and administrative work loads and support students on their academic journey.

“The existing processes and technology supporting accommodated tests were implemented in 2010 when we received less than 9,000 accommodation requests per year,” says Steven Bailey, director of Academic and Campus Events. “Today, we receive nearly 22,000 requests per year with a steady increase each year.

“We’re moving from an outdated, email-based process to a system that will help us deal with the complexities of co-ordinating tens of thousands of unique bookings.”

ATS is responsible for co-ordinating quiz, term test, and final exam accommodations for students with documented disabilities who are registered with Accessibility Services on the St. George campus. However, ATS and EASI have also consulted U of T Scarborough and U of T Mississauga about extending the new process – designed to be transparent, seamless and intuitive, providing easy online access to information through existing U of T platforms – to all three campuses.

“Students will be able to easily log in to ACORN to create bookings with a modern, user-friendly interface,” says Mark Johnston, a product manager with EASI. “The Course Information System will replace an email-based system for instructors and will provide secure online submission and storage of test details and documents. ATS staff will also use a newly designed application to co-ordinate and manage all requests.”

In addition to the new platform, ATS changed its name from the previous Test and Exam Services in January.

“We’re refocusing our service on the people rather than the process and figuring out what instructors, students and staff need while aligning our goals around a common purpose,” says Bailey. “Having that word ‘accommodated’ is a multi-dimensional word – accommodating community needs about academic integrity, efficient work, efficient use of technology and process flow.”

Accommodating different users during the pandemic has also been a central focus for ATS.

“The pandemic is a perfect case in point for why we need to create an infrastructure that is agile enough and is able to pivot as new things emerge,” says Bailey. “New technology around accommodation, new approaches, new assessment and all of the work we’re doing is laying the foundation for us to incorporate this in the future.”

The project is part of the Next Generation Student Information Services (NGSIS) program, which creates and deploys technological solutions to help students engage in rewarding learning experiences and achieve academic and personal success. It also helps to provide faculty and staff with a rich and supportive educational environment.

The evolution of the process has involved close consultations with a cross section of students, instructors, staff and senior leadership.

To date, the instructor module has been piloted with the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education and the Faculty of Arts & Science. Following these pilots, the project team plans to roll out the new online modules to all students and instructors on the St. George campus, and the new administrative system to ATS staff this summer.

“Our goal is to ensure that all U of T students have equal opportunity to write tests and exams,” says Bailey. “With the new platform, ATS will be well positioned to provide excellent service to students and their instructors. They’ll have modern tools and technology at their fingertips to anticipate and respond to any challenges that come their way.”

U of T rolls out 'one-stop shop' for student awards

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:20:37 +0000

U of T rolls out 'one-stop shop' for student awards

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 03/02/2020 - 13:20

Cutline

U of T's Award Explorer is a hub that gives current and prospective students access to thousands of needs- and merit-based financial supports (photo by Ken Jones)

Topic

Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration

Financial Aid

Graduate Students

School of Graduate Studies

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

The University of Toronto has launched the first phase of Award Explorer – a public-facing, centralized awards repository that gives current and prospective students access to thousands of awards, prizes and medals.

Undergraduate and graduate students can easily look for, and apply to, awards in a single location using a combination of keyword searches and filters, including award type, campus, college, faculty, citizenship and more.

“The University of Toronto has a wide range of need- and merit-based financial supports for students,” says Richard Levin, U of T’s university registrar and executive director of enrolment services.

“Award Explorer is a one-stop shop that will make it much easier and faster for students to find the information they need. At the same time, it will streamline the back-end experience for staff.”

The new tool, the result of a partnership between Enrolment Services and Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI), centralizes the comprehensive annual support made available to U of T students. That includes nearly 4,500 admission scholarships, 6,000 in-course scholarships and close to 19,000 bursaries to undergraduate and second entry programs. That’s on top of 16,000 combined awards, fellowships and bursaries to graduate students.

“In the past, students searched for awards on multiple sites and they weren’t always sure what they might be eligible for,” says Donna Wall, the director of financial aid and awards at Enrolment Services. “With the launch of Award Explorer, we’re moving toward a consistent user experience for students and staff. It’s the beginning of building greater awareness of the wide range of need- and merit-based supports available.”

Awards continue to be added to the repository daily by department and faculty administrators. During this transition, current award information will continue to reside on divisional and departmental websites to ensure this information continues to be accessible to the public. Students can also access the tool through ACORN’s “Awards and Aid” page.

“Since 2016, we’ve been gathering input and feedback from the academic divisions and other stakeholders,” says Farah Ally, the Award Explorer project manager. “Engaging closely with our key users, such as Laura Stathopoulos, director of financial aid at the School of Graduate Studies, has contributed to the institutional success of this project.”

Award Explorer is now the primary source of award information at U of T and its functionality will continue to expand. Future phases are already in progress, which include automatically matching students to awards, allowing students to apply for awards online and notifying them about funding decisions and payment information. They will also be able to track the status of their applications, track award payment history and access their award letters.

“This project will transform award administration at U of T and make us a leader in award administration nationally,” says Wall. “We want to continue to attract the best and the brightest students.”

New U of T exams app saves time and trees

noreen.rasbach — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 04:00:00 +0000

New U of T exams app saves time and trees

noreen.rasbach Mon, 04/30/2018 - 00:00

Cutline

A new U of T app will help to ease anxiety by speeding up exam attendance, improving student tracking, and enhancing the overall staff and student experience

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

It's the most stressful time of the year – final exams.

But a new University of Toronto application will help to ease anxiety by speeding up exam attendance, improving student tracking, and enhancing the overall staff and student experience.

The application, called Exam Invigilation, was recently tested with more than 500 students at the Faculty of Arts & Science. It was developed by U of T’s Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI).

“In the past, staff used the small photo on the TCard to confirm a student’s identity, and they relied on a paper-based registration process,” says Vik Chadalawada, senior manager of student information systems with EASI. “Now, they can quickly scan the student’s TCard, confirm their identity on a tablet that displays large photos, and accurately track student information.”

The technology relies on a Bluetooth scanner that links to the tablets and connects to Student Life’s TCard photo database. During its recent pilot with the Faculty of Arts & Science, the application saved staff over half the registration time compared with the previous process.

“Our goal is to let students focus on writing their exams, which is the culmination of a lot of hard work,” says Christine Babikian, associate director, scheduling and examinations at the Faculty of Arts & Science. “In the past, staff would walk around the examination room and ask students to sign a registration sheet. Now, they can avoid interrupting students by silently scanning their TCards.”

As a backup, if students forget their TCard for their exam, staff can manually register them by checking a piece of official identification against the TCard photo database.

The application also allows staff to track student information in real time. It shows how many students have checked in for the exam and who is late or absent. Staff can view a student’s entire exam history to see patterns of absences or lateness, and it can track seat numbers, helping staff to investigate possible academic offences.

“Any approved staff can easily log in to the student information system and follow up with students who didn’t write the exam,” says Paul Day, an information systems analyst and client services representative with EASI. “There’s no longer any paper-based back and forth between the exams, registrars and academic integrity offices.”

The application is based on a model originally developed by the University of Toronto Mississauga with Cesar Mejia, associate registrar of scheduling and systems management. This version was instrumental in helping EASI to develop an enterprise-wide solution for U of T.

And the University of Toronto Scarborough was the first to pilot it in 2016 and 2017. The EASI team initially worked with Naureen Nizam, associate registrar and director of systems and operations at U of T Scarborough, to use it with 1,106 students in courses ranging from chemistry and biology to psychology and sociology.

What’s next for Exam Invigilation? The Faculty of Arts & Science plans to use it in large examination locations in December. The team at EASI also plans to incorporate information from Accessibility Services so staff know which students are writing exams at different locations.

“We’re excited about how this application could be implemented for all other divisions having similar challenges within U of T,” says Chadalawada. “It is yet another area of systems innovation that we are proud to have within our solutions portfolio at EASI.”

Streamlining OSAP: Making tuition and financial aid info easier to process for students

ullahnor — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 16:23:05 +0000

Streamlining OSAP: Making tuition and financial aid info easier to process for students

ullahnor Thu, 04/26/2018 - 12:23

Cutline

(photo by iStock)

Topic

From tuition and financial aid to fees and incidental costs, many students struggle to figure out the actual cost of university.

An online statement will make the process easier for University of Toronto students who will soon be able to see the net cost of tuition and fees, including the amount they may owe to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) – all in one place.

Starting in July, students will have access to a simple snapshot of their net cost of tuition and fees in ACORN.

“This statement gives students easy access to their OSAP aid amounts,” says Farah Ally, project manager with Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI). “It helps them know how much government financial aid they are eligible for before they register, and it gives them a comprehensive picture of the actual cost of their education before the start of the school year.”

The changes were mandated by Ontario’s Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, and EASI is partnering with Enrolment Services and others across the university to bring them into reality.

“Making these changes has truly taken a team effort. They don’t just affect OSAP administration, they affect business processes within Enrolment Services, Student Accounts, EASI, and the academic divisions,” says Donna Wall, director of financial aid and awards at Enrolment Services. “It was important to have expertise at the table from all of these areas.”

Wall also participates in a Council of Universities working group, which advises on this and other sector-wide issues.

As part of the changes, U of T and all other Ontario postsecondary institutions will directly receive students’ OSAP funds to apply against student tuition and other fees. This streamlined process will save students the extra step of paying their U of T fees after receiving their OSAP funding.

To make sure the changes are effective, EASI interviewed and conducted tests with students.

“We went through several rounds of testing with students to design something that works well,” says Laura Klamot, a user experience designer with EASI. “It’s an iterative process – we keep simplifying and refining the design to make sure we communicate the clearest possible information to students.”

Ibraheem Aziz, a third-year Rotman Commerce student, says the changes will make the process easier.

“When I receive OSAP it can be difficult to get a realistic estimate about the cost of attending university,” he says. “It will save so much time to see all the information in one location at the same time.”

Ally agrees.

“We want students to be focused on their academic studies, and anything we can do to make financial planning easier for them is a priority for us. This is an exciting initiative that will help to provide clarity and transparency about the out-of-pocket cost of tuition.”

Farewell to ROSI, U of T's student web service

noreen.rasbach — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 17:40:04 +0000

Farewell to ROSI, U of T's student web service

noreen.rasbach Mon, 02/05/2018 - 12:40

Cutline

The ROSI mascot from orientation in 2004 (photo by Katie Babcock)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Information Technology

Innis College

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

After 19 years, ROSI Student Web Service will officially be retired on Feb. 15. In its place, ACORN has now become the primary student web service since launching in 2015 – with more than 12 million logins in the past year.

U of T’s Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI) kept the two systems running concurrently to help students make the transition. Now, ACORN is ready to take over.

But how did we make the leap from long lineups and paper-based registration to technology that revolutionizes the student experience?

When ROSI was nearing the end of its lifecycle, the project team decided to rewrite the code with contemporary best practices and student expectations in mind. These included using inclusive design principles for accessibility, improving mobile usability, and making the process of planning and enrolling in courses more helpful and personalized to each student.

The team engaged hundreds of students through interviews, usability tests and other research activities.

“Our goal was to improve the student experience using the web service in a number of different ways: planning for and conducting course enrolment, understanding and accessing financial information, as well as increasing the visibility and engagement with student life services,” says Michael Clark, manager of user experience and process design with EASI.

“ACORN provides a cohesive experience that helps students navigate an otherwise complicated network of resources across the university.”

Students register for classes, using paper, at U of T Scarborough in 1969 (photo courtesy of University of Toronto Scarborough Library, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection)

The ACORN project team within EASI partnered with Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions and with Information Security and Enterprise Architecture to launch the service.

“ACORN is a more highly polished and functional website than ROSI could be during its time. Students can see if there’s room in a course and how long a wait list is – there’s much more transparency to the process,” says Karel Swift, who was U of T’s university registrar and led the functional development and implementation of ROSI. “Fees can also be paid in the same place as course and program selection – it truly is a one-stop shop.”

The past

Before 1974, students registered through an entirely paper-based system.

The university moved from this system in 1974 to enter students’ paper-based course selections into computers. In 1978, staff transcribed 31,400 students’ selections.

Students waiting in line outside of Woodsworth College, formerly the Drill Hall, to register for classes in 1988 (photo courtesy of Richard Chow)

“In the 1980s, students used to wait in long lineups to have their paper course selections processed in the computer system,” says Rodney Branch, who worked in college registrars’ offices at the time and is currently manager of client services and process integration with EASI. “They would then have to line up separately to pay their fees. The lineups would go out the door, down the hall and onto the sidewalk.”

Donald Boere, registrar of Innis College, remembers ACCESS, the Assisted by Computer Course Enrolment and Scheduling System used by the Faculty of Arts & Science starting in the late 1980s.

“In the summer, students wrote their options for timetable scenarios on paper forms, and all these requests would be typed into IBM dedicated terminals (pictured left) by staff, though in later years, students with touch-tone – not rotary – phones could enter their own requests through the Student Telephone Service. Resulting timetables were mailed to every student. For changes, there was a second round, called Mini-ACCESS, and students got new timetables during Registration Week. It was pretty cutting-edge for its time.”

Anil Purandaré was one of those students. “During my first year, I was anxious and pretty naive about the process. New College had a large sign that said, ‘Don’t Worry – We’ll Help You.’ It was lovely to meet people, but increasingly complex registration required a more effective process,” says Purandaré, now a doctoral registration specialist at the Office of the Registrar and Student Services at U of T's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

“ACORN has made the registration process much more student-friendly. When you’re anxious, and perhaps naive about the process, that helps a lot.”

ROSI was introduced in 1999 and was used, along with the ROSI telephone service, to enable 54,132 students to register in real time.

The future

In 2016-17, 88,766 students enrolled at U of T. To accommodate increasing numbers and enrolment complexity in the future, Information Technology Services will implement a new computing platform in 2018. This upgrade will improve system performance and capacity, allowing up to 15,000 students to register simultaneously for classes during peak registration times.

ROSI, now called ROSI Alumni Transcripts, will continue to exist in a simplified form for alumni to view their academic history, request transcripts and reset their PIN. Staff will still use the administrator-facing ROSI to manage and maintain students’ records, and ACORN will evolve to serve students’ needs.

“ACORN will continue to be timely, personalized and helpful – with improved accessibility, mobile optimizations, financial tools and additional complementary tools, including the Grant Application, GPA Calculator and Financial Planning Calculator,” says Clark. “We’re the hub in the wheel of student services and we’ll be strengthening that core to consistently improve the student experience.”

Financial planning calculator helps U of T students to easily and accurately predict their living costs

rasbachn — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 20:38:30 +0000

Financial planning calculator helps U of T students to easily and accurately predict their living costs

rasbachn Fri, 10/27/2017 - 16:38

Cutline

Since its launch in February 2016, the financial calculator has helped more than 14,152 undergraduate students. Now the application is available to all graduate and second-entry students (photo by iStock)

Topic

Information Technology

Students

Subheadline

Tuition is just the beginning. Housing, utilities, food, textbooks, transit and recreation costs all add up, and managing expenses can often become an overwhelming task for busy students. But the financial planning calculator, now available to all U of T students, is helping them easily and accurately predict their living costs for a year – setting them up for academic and future success.

“When we interviewed students before developing this application, we discovered that they didn’t know how to budget, how much to budget or didn’t have effective tools, aside from calculating everything manually using a spreadsheet,” says Laura Klamot, a user experience designer with U of T’s Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration department (EASI). “Now students have a simple, customizable tool they can use each year to plan ahead.”

“It’s hard to predict what everything will cost – especially food and recreation,” says Yanna Ding, a first-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Science. “When I graduate I don’t want to have a lot of debt, so I want to manage my finances closely. I’ll also need to develop economic independence, and a tool like this could really help in my future planning.”

Use the financial planning calculator

Tutorial shows how the calculator works

The tool helps students quickly predict how much it will cost to live in Toronto, an often difficult task for those who are unfamiliar with the area. It is also highly customizable for each individual depending on their program, year of study, residency status and campus. The application will suggest specific resources for awards and financial aid to help them save money and manage expenses.

“If you’re spending more money on meals, compared to your peers, then the application will notify you and offer resources such as U of T’s Food Services, and there’s also information about cooking for yourself,” says Michael Clark, manager of user experience and process design at EASI.

The team is planning to solicit feedback and make improvements for future releases.

“I’m happy we’re providing this tool to students as it will help them make informed decisions about their finances,” says Clark. “We’re focused on improving the student experience, and this tool is an example of how we can approach that objective from a different direction and offer value to our community.”

Playground superheroes: U of T research shows kids overestimate physical abilities

krisha — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 14:39:45 +0000

Playground superheroes: U of T research shows kids overestimate physical abilities

krisha Tue, 06/27/2017 - 10:39

Cutline

Study finds that younger children haven’t had as much experience moving, and this may be why their perception of what is possible could be less accurate (photo by iStockPhoto)

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Author legacy

Katie Babcock

Topic

City & Culture

KPE

If your child fearlessly flies through the air like a superhero or leaps over large obstacles like an extreme athlete, new research from the University of Toronto shows that young children often overestimate their physical abilities.

It’s a finding that could not only help exasperated parents deal with daredevil children, but it could also create new guidelines for sport training and help children with movement disorders.

“In this study, we measured how accurately kids and young adults could imagine their movements and how well they could perceive what actions were possible for them to perform,” says researcher Tim Welsh, a professor at U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. “We found that adults tend to estimate their abilities fairly accurately while young children will overestimate these same abilities.”

Welsh and his team studied how well 45 individuals between the ages of 7 and 25 imagined, perceived and executed a specific movement. The study was recently published in the Journal of Motor Behavior.

Past research has shown that the more times a person performs a task the better they become at estimating their abilities to perform that task in the future. Younger children haven’t had as much experience moving, and this may be why their perception of what is possible could be less accurate.

The findings may influence approaches to training athletes.

“Athletes often use visualization as a training tool, and they also learn by watching others and imagining how they would perform the task themselves,” says Welsh. “We’re trying to understand how this mental practice works so we can help shape learning and coaching environments.”

Emma Yoxon, a graduate student at KPE and lead author of the study, has already incorporated some of these findings into practice as a synchronized swimming coach.

“We use visualization a lot because access to the pool can be limited and we want to avoid overtraining. While imagination is an important tool for many athletes, it might not be as effective for younger children – now I try to get kids moving more.”

Such mental practice might not only benefit high performance athletes, but it might also help people with movement disorders recover their abilities.

Welsh and Yoxon are currently working with scientists at the Movement Disorders Clinic at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. They want to understand how well these individuals could use their imagination to train while resting as opposed to stressing their systems through constant physical performance.

In the future, the team plans to run the same studies in individuals with autism, who may face challenges observing and executing actions.

“Now that we know people imagine, perceive and execute actions differently, we’re trying to understand the different brain areas involved,” says Welsh. “We’re excited to be breaking new ground in this area to hopefully help a wide range of people – from children to elite athletes and those simply wanting to pick up a glass of water.”

Five ways to celebrate Pride at U of T

ullahnor — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 17:55:52 +0000

Five ways to celebrate Pride at U of T

ullahnor Thu, 06/01/2017 - 13:55

Cutline

The Pride flag was raised today at the Varsity Centre as part of Pride Month celebrations (photo by Katie Babcock)

Nicole Bodnar with files from Katie Babcock

Author legacy

Katie Babcock

Topic

City & Culture

Pride

LGBTQ

The Pride flag went up at U of T’s Varsity Centre on Bloor Street today, kicking off upcoming celebrations at the university for Toronto's second Pride Month.

The flag signals U of T’s continued support for the LGBTQ+ community. The university’s internationally recognized Positive Space campaign, which raises the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community, was started 21 years ago.

Ira Jacobs, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), Alex Malone, a Varsity Blues athlete, and Kelly Hannah-Moffat, vice-president of human resources and equity, spoke at the flag raising.

“Since 1999, the university’s Sexual and Gender Diversity Office and KPE have greatly expanded training, programs and events,” says Allison Burgess, the sexual & gender diversity officer with human resources and equity. “U of T also has so many LGBTQ+ student groups and has a long history of activism – the first on-campus LGBTQ+ association in Canada was created at U of T in 1969. So many campus departments and groups, including KPE, have worked to collaborate and increase awareness, knowledge and understanding of LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty.”

Among the many initiatives across the university, KPE has developed Athlete Ally, a Varsity Blues program committed to ending homophobia and transphobia in sport. The Faculty also started a student-led group that organizes inclusive initiatives throughout the year.

“By raising the flag high over Bloor Street, the Faculty and U of T are proud to recognize the beginning of Canada’s Pride month,” Jacobs said. “During the month of June, we will unite with other organizations along Bloor Street to celebrate our LGBTQ community.

“Not only does this event link to our academic mission and signify the beginning of Pride month, it also shows our dedication to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion at all levels – in research, education and our broad spectrum of co-curricular physical activity and sport programs, and student-driven initiatives.”

Here are some more events marking the month:

U of T Pride Pub
June 9
4-8 p.m. Community Fair and BBQ
8 p.m.-1 a.m. Dancing Under the Stars
Hart House Quad, 7 Hart House Circle
Learn about LGBTQ+ resources at our community fair, play games like giant Jenga, make buttons and listen to amazing music.
Featuring: Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers, Cozmic Cat (Cherry Bomb, Queer Nation) and Sammy Royale (Yes Yes Y’all)
This is a family-friendly event. All ages until 9 p.m., 17+ after 9 p.m.

Display your Pride
June 22
8 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
Show your creative flair and fabulous colours by decorating your office or student space in support of Pride. Be sure to tweet your photos with the #DisplayYourPride and #UofT hashtag (as well as your campus’ hastag: #UTSC, #UTM and #StG) and follow online. Don’t have a Twitter, Instagram or Facebook account? Send photos to sgdo@utoronto.ca, and it will be tweeted for you.

Pride Remembrance Run
June 24
10-11:30 a.m.
Corner of Church and Wellesley
The U of T Pride and Remembrance Run Team will hit the pavement in support of local LGBTQ+ charitable organizations. The 5km run (or 3km walk) circles twice around Queen’s Park Crescent (once for the walkers) and then finishes back at the corner of Church and Wellesley streets.

Trans March, Dyke March and Pride Parade
June 23, 24 and 25
Represent the U of T community in Toronto’s Pride celebrations. Join the Trans March, Dyke March, Pride Parade, or all three.

Check the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office website
Look for any updates to this month's Pride calendar. Students can also join the Equity Movement, a student-led group at KPE which organizes inclusive initiatives throughout the year.

Olympic athletes disproportionately white and privately educated, U of T researcher finds

lanthierj — Thu, 11 May 2017 18:23:50 +0000

Olympic athletes disproportionately white and privately educated, U of T researcher finds

lanthierj Thu, 05/11/2017 - 14:23

Cutline

London 2012 Olympic Women's Triathlon Final - Hyde Park (photo by iDJ Photography via Flickr)

Nicole Bodnar