Home to over 100,000 students, the University of Toronto (U of T) is the largest university in Canada, with three campuses: St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. With such a large student population, U of T was looking for a solution to provide access for students to services, activities, and co-curricular opportunities. With Symplicity UniHub, U of T is able to provide wraparound support to students with an engaging platform designed to centralize and enhance student experiences.
Centralized Student Support
Navigating the decentralized organizational structure of a university as expansive as U of T can be overwhelming for students. Symplicity UniHub offers a solution by serving as a “as a gateway for students,” said Nilton Gaspar, Systems and Product Lead for Experiential Learning at the University of Toronto. “So we're really using it to expose students to all the different services that are available to them.”
This includes services across all three campuses, learning strategies support, international student support, and co-curricular opportunities. “And what we really are trying to do is really bring this gateway experience for students. So instead of students having to navigate the organizational structure of the university and having to understand and what website or what system to go to, we are really trying to bring it into one place so that students could really find everything.”
This streamlined approach eliminates confusion, ensuring students can easily access what they need without navigating multiple systems. With UniHub, U of T’s three campuses ensures that all students, whether international or domestic, undergraduate or graduate, can find tailored resources without unnecessary complexity, bridging gaps and fostering inclusivity.
Enhancing Engagement Through Tailored Experiences
UniHub’s ability to filter opportunities by skills, interests, or specific student groups has significantly boosted engagement. By personalizing the student experience, the platform has not only improved accessibility but fostered a deeper connection to university life.
“The challenge isn’t offering opportunities; it’s wayfinding—helping students find the right opportunities at the right time,” said Clare Gilderdale, Director of Innovations in Undergraduate Education. “With UniHub, students can search by skill, keyword, or interest, making it transformational. Faculty and staff can also tailor opportunities for specific groups, ensuring relevance and engagement.”
This functionality has increased participation across campuses and provided faculty with the tools to better support students. By empowering staff and faculty to curate opportunities, UniHub helps departments align their services with institutional goals creating a cohesive and supportive environment where students can thrive academically, professionally, and personally.
“The challenge isn’t offering opportunities; it’s wayfinding—helping students find the right opportunities at the right time… With UniHub, students can search by skill, keyword, or interest, making it transformational. Faculty and staff can also tailor opportunities for specific groups, ensuring relevance and engagement.”
Clare Gilderdale
Director of Innovations in Undergraduate Education,
The University of Toronto
Leveraging Data for Better Decision-Making
UniHub’s robust reporting features allow U of T to analyze engagement trends and make informed decisions to close gaps in student services and improve student outcomes.” The power of having a holistic student experience and reliable reporting means we can identify gaps, tailor opportunities to specific student groups, and make informed decisions that improve the student journey…,” said Gilderdale. While still in the early stages of a comprehensive reporting strategy, U o T understands the potential for UniHub to benefit all students. “It’s exciting to think about the insights we’ll gain as we continue leveraging UniHub,” she said. By integrating reporting with broader institutional analytics, U of T can uncover hidden patterns and opportunities to enhance its offerings.
For example, combining UniHub data with course performance metrics could reveal how extracurricular engagement influences academic success, enabling the university to create data-driven initiatives that better serve its students. “I think the value of having the reliable, accurate reporting with all of the units that we have brought on to UniHub is really going to strengthen the data that we're getting, as well as being able to combine that with some of the other institutional reporting that's happening. I think we're really excited about what we're going start seeing and what are some of the potential trends that we can start to look at and report on,” said Gasper.
Building an Ecosystem of Support
UniHub at U of T is integrated with other Symplicity products like CSM and Advocate to create a cohesive ecosystem. This interconnected approach enhances both the student and administrative experience. “When we talk about UniHub, we do talk about it as that almost front door, that gateway for students to come in and to find opportunities that exists,” explained Gilderdale. “We also have a number of other Symplicity products across the institution, including CSM and Advocate.. and we are thinking about the ways in which UniHub can connect with those systems, pull information in so students can see their experiences across multiple systems pulled into one place. And from the data and reporting side, to gather that data, not just from UniHub, but from those other systems, is something that we're really excited about to create a more seamless experience for our students.”
This interconnected ecosystem isn’t just about technology; it’s about fostering a culture of collaboration across campuses. By aligning administrative processes and reducing redundancy, UniHub ensures staff and faculty can focus more on meaningful interactions with students, enhancing their overall university experience.
A Collaborative Partnership with Symplicity
The success of UniHub at U of T is not just about the technology; it’s also about the partnership with Symplicity. The collaboration has been instrumental in overcoming challenges and ensuring the platform meets the university’s unique needs. “The Symplicity team has been really great about having an open and supportive conversation about that. And the questions that they ask are truly curious questions, a real interest in better understanding the why,” said GIlderdale. “And really working collaboratively and in partnership to solve some of those challenges. And I think that is always the reality when you're implementing a new system. It's not going to do absolutely everything in exactly the way that you thought it was going to do it or in the ways that things were done previously. And the value of working with a team who is genuinely curious and interested and wanting to make the system better has been really, really great because it feels like we're partners in that process…”
This partnership extends beyond troubleshooting to innovation. U of T’s feedback has shaped UniHub’s evolution, ensuring the platform remains adaptive and responsive to the changing needs of higher education.
“The Symplicity team has been really great about having an open and supportive conversation about that. And the questions that they ask are truly curious questions, a real interest in better understanding the why...And really working collaboratively and in partnership to solve some of those challenges. And I think that is always the reality when you're implementing a new system. It's not going to do absolutely everything in exactly the way that you thought it was going to do it or in the ways that things were done previously. And the value of working with a team who is genuinely curious and interested and wanting to make the system better has been really, really great because it feels like we're partners in that process…”
Clare Gilderdale
Director of Innovations in Undergraduate Education,
The University of Toronto
Centralized System for Student Engagement
The University of Toronto’s implementation of Symplicity UniHub demonstrates how centralized technology can revolutionize student engagement and success. By streamlining resources, personalizing experiences, and leveraging data, U of T has set a benchmark for institutions looking to modernize their approach to student support. With a vision rooted in innovation and collaboration, U of T continues to pave the way for the future of higher education. To learn more about how your institution can enhance student outcomes with UniHub email us at info@symplicity.com or visit us here.
