Tuesday November 14, 2006
Session 1: Final Group Discussions
(All personal concerns will be read as well and taken into consideration)

INTERVIEWS:

Iman Thabit
Third Year, Environmental Design
Samantha Bryan
Second Year, Advertising:
hoping to switch into Graphic Design
Mathew Chan
Third Year, Industrial Design:
hoping to switch into Graphic Design

ISSUES:

ACTIVITY

• Lack of student community
• Recreational Status at OCAD
• Space for religious activity / events (brought to attention after Session 1)

SYSTEM / STRUCTURE

• Emails: better structure for communication to students (separating faculty email from events email; make categories in inbox; make subscribtion to news instead of mass email every day)
• The difficult proccess of Registration
  Breakdown of fees: more definitive details
  Workshops on software knowledge: not enough time to learn programs
• Classes reflecting levels of advancement
  Laptops

ACCESS

• Faculty and course reflections by students available to other students
• Saturdays and Sundays longer access: people have more time yet less hours to work
• Making better use of the OCAD card (for Access purposes)
• 24 Hour Access: studio space for work
  Student residencies

EXPOSURE

• Student’s designing website
• School’s site: navigation, more user friendly, design
• Toronto is unaware of the university status at OCAD
• Doing something with yellow staircase (make use of space)
• Activity Calendar Online / Offline

IDEAS:

ACTIVITY

• Staff hired for sports team: recreational coordinator
• Faculty forum: possible viewing for students to see the faculty in action (will get a better sense of personality of different teachers)
• Pub Night: Monthly OCAD Pub Night / Pub in the School

SYSTEM / STRUCTURE

• Registration: combining the all relevant information together to facilitate course picking (e.g. faculty calandar not in a pdf in a separate part of the site)
• Full explanation of fees
• More integrated labs
• Integration of Art and Design classes
• Create study groups for upper year level Liberal Studies classes
• Student work archive + contact information available to entire school
• Need to be identified with what courses to take in order to graduate: clear and visible – perhaps include in course registrations what needs to be taken
• Allow easier and logical process for program switchover after second year!
• Debit system for print account
• Clarify/simplify the degree requirements (online chart)

ACCESS

• Adding Metropass dollars to tuition
• Letting students access all facilities/studios within the school
• Real studio space, improving quality
• Directions, way finding, signs, maps

EXPOSURE / SUPPORT

• OCAD Street Team: Promotion of OCAD; posters put up all over
• More advertising
• Murals: showcasing OCAD at outside the building; exposing our interior