What exactly is a Co-Curricular Record (CCR), and why does it matter to engineering students?
The University of Toronto initiated Town Hall meetings on all three campuses, including one held on the St. George campus on February 1 to explain the initiative, answer questions and gather student feedback.
The CCR is an official U of T document that recognizes students’ co-curricular involvement as a significant part of their university experience, and will be available on an opt-in basis, beginning September 2013. The CCR can be used to motivate students to participate more in extracurricular activities, which can help complement their studies.
The project, which is still evolving, is in response to recommendations from U of T-student focus groups in 2010, and from many consultations with students since then, as the University refined and shaped the project.
TrackOne student Stephanie Gaglione is eager to opt-in for the CCR. “Most first-year students that I’ve spoken to about the CCR are excited by it, and I think it will make it easier to navigate all of the different clubs and activities at U of T by having everything in one place.” U of T Engineering had also provided information on the CCR in October at the Dean’s Student Town Hall.
At the St. George campus Town Hall meeting, Lucy Fromowitz, Assistant Vice-President, Student Life, gave an overview of the CCR, and Kimberly Elias, CCR Project Manager, presented on some of the updates to the process that have stemmed from working-group recommendations.
Elias’s presentation included a demonstration of the ‘framework search tool’ being developed, allowing students to seek out activities based on factors such as time offered, skills that they’d like to gain (e.g., communication, systems thinking), as well as the type of activities they’re interested in. Elias also mentioned that the CCR will be customizable, allowing students to show or hide their experiences, according to the audience (e.g., hiding political affiliations for job applications).
Students are encouraged to check ccr.utoronto.ca for more information, or contact ccr@utoronto.ca with any questions.
