Co-Creating Change: Exploring the Development of Our Online Module for Students
The new online training module for students from the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre (SVPS Centre) is now reflective of feedback received from more than 270 University of Toronto (U of T) community members, following extensive consultation and the completion of the module’s pilot phase.
The module, Building a Culture of Consent at the University of Toronto, launched as a pilot project in August 2023 with the goal of teaching students about consent, and how to incorporate it into building boundaries, communication, and healthy relationships. This version of the module was informed by input received at an open student consultation and grounded in evidence-based research on best practices in consent education.
The vast majority of the feedback received throughout this period was positive, with over 90 per cent of participants indicating that they were overall satisfied or very satisfied with the module.
The SVPS Centre received some exceptionally thoughtful feedback throughout this process. See below for some of the key changes requested by participants and how they were addressed in the final, updated module.
Making changes to the module that appropriately reflected the feedback we received was often a balancing-act. Some students wanted more detail, others felt that the module was already quite long. Some infographics and images were noted as especially appreciated by some, while others took issue with the same content.
For example, we received conflicting feedback about including a popular video that talks about consent in the context of asking for a cup of tea. While some students noted that the video was “funny, engaging and explained consent very well,” others felt that it “detracts from the seriousness of the content the module is dealing with.”
Conflicting feedback warranted further conversation on our end as educators. With the tea video, we took the question to an Instagram poll. Unfortunately, the results from Instagram were also mixed and inconclusive!
After talking with our colleagues and fully reviewing all feedback, we made the decision to keep the video while adjusting how we framed the content. A similar approach was taken with other feedback that was not aligned—conflicting feelings about content warranted further reflection and consultation wherever possible.
Understanding Consent in Action
“I found this section extremely informative and it really solidified the importance of consent. I would not remove anything, but maybe more of those card sorting activities would be a great addition!”
Students wanted more examples of consent, particularly everyday examples with relevance to the university context. As one student noted:
“I don’t think this section went into as much detail as it should have about the extent of different activities that may require consent. It may be useful to add examples such as: asking if someone is okay with you sitting right next to them; asking new friends what their general level of comfort is with shoulder touches, handshakes, nudges, etc.; asking someone if you can move an item of theirs; asking someone if you can look at their computer/phone screen; or asking someone if they’re comfortable with you following them into the washroom.”
With this in-mind, we added a flip-card activity all about everyday consent to the module.
Interest in Intersectionality
Students were also unanimous in requesting more detail in the intersectionality section, and more examples of intersecting identities, power, and the connection to sexualized violence and consent, noting that the module would be improved with “Concrete examples of how identities can intersect (with scenarios that are as respectful as possible),”. Some students found the infographic exploring power and privilege to be lacking nuance.
“I think the module would benefit from different examples of sexual violence when considering an intersectional context (e.g. some people may not recognize different sexual stereotypes that media perpetrates about different races until they read about an example) .”
In response to this feedback, we added an intersectional myth-busting activity. In addition to the other topics covered, we included new content about neurodivergence, men who experience sexual violence, racial myths, and intersectional barriers to reporting. We also adapted the Wheel of Power and Privilege, using more comprehensive and inclusive language.
Interactivity, Accessibility, and Technical Issues
In response to the feedback we received, visual elements and interactive skill-testing questions were added in this updated version of the module:
“I enjoyed all the interactive bits as they allowed you to apply what you were learning. I think you could throw in a few more rather than large bodies of text!”
We also addressed any technical issues that had cropped up for users and continued our commitment to accessibility by updating the audio-version of the module to include prompts to “Pause for a Reminder,” “Pause for a Reflection,” and any cautionary statements related to the content.
Particulars of the Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
Several participants noted that they would like to see more detailed information about how the Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment operates in practice. While further information on the Policy falls beyond the scope of an introductory consent training, it will be covered in the upcoming Guide to the Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment—to be launched in Fall 2024. Further information is also available in the current Student’s Guide to the Policy on Sexual Violence & Sexual Harassment.
Want to learn more? Because we received so much helpful feedback, the information above is not inclusive of every identified opportunity for improvement and resulting action. A detailed report about the feedback we received and how it was actioned is available—send us an email at svpsprograms@utoronto.ca to learn more.