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This site is a place to share the wicked problems that students face as they pursue post-secondary education. These stories are real, they are ill-structured, and they are…
A story about the increased workload for students during the COVID online learning pivot.
A story about feeling like you’re slower than everyone else at completing academic-related tasks (reading, writing, and note-taking).
A story about a first-year student’s concerns going into university and the issues they faced regarding time management and organization.
A story about a student feeling unmotivated in university because they created their long-term goals based on society’s expectations.
A story about struggling to finish assignments on time due to the procrastination cycle.
A story about a first-year student feeling confident about achieving high grades in university, but later realizing that their high school study habits won’t cut it in university.
A story about always completing assignments last minute due to procrastination and poor time management.
A story about dealing with imposter syndrome in university and feeling overwhelmed by capitalism’s definition of success.
A story about a Black student’s experience with institutional racism and how they fought against it.
A story about struggling to separate university life from home life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about an international student having a difficult time making friends at university due to their social anxiety.
A story about performing poorly in school after losing a loved one and finding ways to cope with the loss.
A story about struggling to keep up with schoolwork due to getting involved in too many extracurricular activities during the first year of post-secondary school.
A story about the different types of students encountered in group projects and how to work as a team successfully.
A story about the experience of a student living with fibromyalgia and the struggles they face in school because of their chronic pain.
A story about an international student dealing with many obstacles, such as technological distractions, perfectionism, group projects, and learning to code in their online post-graduate program.
A story about learning how to take on a leadership role in a group project during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about a student feeling too tired to carry out daily activities but later discovering they have an underlying medical condition.
A story about a first-generation student who is unsure of what courses to enrol in for their first year of university.
A story about a student with a chronic disability struggling to take notes during lectures due to a lack of adequate supports.
A story about feeling burnt out due to taking on too many extracurricular and social activities.
A story about an international student struggling to form social relationships due to feeling burnt out from schoolwork.
A story about learning how to balance a full-time job, online university courses, self-care, and a social life.
A story about struggling to succeed on exams and dealing with toxic people in cultural societies during the first year of college.
A story about dealing with the stress of familial financial dependency throughout university, and learning how to become financially literate.
A story about feeling lost and overwhelmed throughout university due to a lack of guidance on navigating life.
A story about dealing with the excessive pressure and isolation of being a pre-med student in undergrad.
A story about struggling to participate in group projects in school due to being an overt introvert.
A story about trying to juggle a full-time job, part-time job, and school but realizing it isn’t feasible.
A story about the social and academic consequences of relying on partying to make new friends during the first year of university.
A story about a student starting university with poor organizational skills, leading them to miss tests and assignment deadlines.
A story about struggling to keep organized and current with school events and assignment/test dates, especially after school transitioned online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about the difficulties of online learning before the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the online learning model has changed for the better (i.e., online lectures and seminars).
A story about an international student struggling to transition to a new school and cultural norms, and dealing with academic misconduct due to unintentional plagiarism.
A story about an introverted international student starting online school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and struggling to manage their classes and health due to the time difference between their home country and Canada.
A story about an international student trying to participate in all extracurricular activities, but ends up struggling with time management and dedicating enough time to finishing tasks.
A story about the toxic, competitive environment in biomedical science programs and never feeling like you’re doing enough to get into medical school.
A story about having a difficult time making new friends due to feeling held back by friends from high school.
A story about being an introvert and feeling like an outsider as a younger, international student.
A story about dealing with depression and anxiety during the second year of university.
A story about struggling to keep up with in-person/synchronous university classes due to an inconsistent sleep schedule caused by medication.
A story about being a parent while in school and dealing with professors that are not accommodating to your situation.
A story about getting away with minimal work in high school, but realizing it won’t fly in university.
A story about a parent struggling to be at a university that doesn’t cater to their situation, but manages to find creative ways to balance their academic and family responsibilities.
A story about adjusting to university life while also spearheading a social justice movement against sexual violence on university campuses.
A story about a working professional who decides to pursue post-graduate education, but is faced with the challenge of adapting to the technological landscape of modern education.
A story about struggling to adapt to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of human interaction, motivation and time management.
A story about the difficulty of transitioning from high school to university academics, and how to achieve the grades you desire.
A story about a mother of 4 struggling to balance her responsibilities at home and school.
A story about a neurodiverse student managing their post-secondary schooling and living away from home.
A story about students who lack accessibility to computers due to financial barriers.
A story about managing asynchronous classes and connecting to a community of learners.
A story about accepting that being unique and different may not always be appreciated in your group work, but that doesn’t make it any less great (French submission).
If you’re interested in help trying to solve a wicked problem like this (and others) head on over to the Liberated Learner site here: https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/learner/ Photo by Brett…
A story about a mature student returning to university and struggling to adapt to new technology.
A story about a shy, international student who started to get out of their comfort zone, but was forced back into their shell due COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about a graduate student feeling out of place due to their lack of professional experience compared to their classmates.
A story about a student struggling to keep up with their academics due to ineffective note-taking methods.
A story about breaking out of your shy bubble in order to take advantage of networking opportunities in university.
A story about a student who learns how to manage their ADHD years after graduation.
A story about the hardships faced by an international student, as they didn’t know how to find housing or work in Canada.
A story about a student’s ongoing struggle with their anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.
A story about an engineering student’s difficulty coping with the stress associated with their workload.
A story about overcoming the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues (i.e., stress).
A story about dealing with a TA who is inconsistent and unfair when grading assignments.
A story about a first-year student struggling to keep up with their school work.
A story about dealing with anxiety and lack of motivation brought on by online school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about struggling to transition to university after moving from a small town and being too afraid to ask questions to professors.
A story about finding ways to separate online school from relaxation time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about the negative impacts of the internet and social media on mental health and motivation in school.
A story about the importance of students in the healthcare field to learn to think critically and consciously about social justice and health equity work, especially among Indigenous and other marginalized communities.
A story about a student putting unreasonable pressure on themselves to get nothing less than A’s, but realizing that it’s not worth compromising their mental health.
A story about an international student struggling to keep focused on online school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about the socioeconomic privileges and hurdles prevalent in various student-life experiences.
A story about being lazy and the importance of understanding the repercussions of your actions.
A story about a student not achieving the grades they desire because they were using the same study skills they learned in high school.
A story about an international student struggling with school during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the time difference between Canada and Dubai.
A story about a student struggling to stay on task and refraining from addictive technological distractions.
A story about the difficulties of working on online group projects with students who don’t want to collaborate.
A story about feeling excluded and stigmatized as a neuroatypical person.
A story about an engineering student juggling a demanding workload and part time jobs, making them feel like there wasn’t enough time to complete their work.
A story about the difficulties of navigating the first year of a new university program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A story about overcoming the issues students face during group projects in university.
A story about dealing with severe mental health issues and deviating from the societal standard of completing a degree in 4 years.
A story about lack of social interaction with peers and poor communication from professors during remote learning.
A story about lack of inclusion and equality for international students.
A story about being unable to focus on school due to distractions.
A story about a student who has always enjoyed keeping a busy schedule, but felt exhausted while attending zoom lectures.