Resource Centre or Experience Desk? - Analyzing Spatiality in Ontario Universities for Indigenous and International Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

Investigates how three universities in southern Ontario organize the delivery of services for Indigenous and international students through spatial design. Using Henri Lefebvre’s framework, the study argues that spatiality differs across information hubs based on institutional assumptions about each student group, the social presence and activities offered, and students’ lived experiences. Indigenous services function as a resource centre creating separate space for indigeneity, while international services operate as an experience desk emphasizing rapid integration into mainstream life. Interviews with students and staff ground the comparison and inform a discussion of spatial politics in Ontario higher education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Ontario’s higher education policy framework and innovation agenda

Market expansion, accessibility pressures, and recruitment strategies

International students: demographics, funding context, and needs

Indigenous students: under-representation, education gaps, and colonial power relations

Research focus on spatial politics of information hubs

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 48, No. 1, 2018, pages 132-147 Resource Centre or Experience Desk? Producing Spaces for Delivering Services to Indigenous and International Students at Universities in Ontario, Canada Jean Michel Montsion York University Abstract In recent years, Ontario universities have increasingly targeted Indigenous and international students for recruitment. Focusing on three southern Ontario universities, I examine how service delivery for these student groups is organized in space. In light of Henri Lefebvre’s work, I argue that the spatiality of the information hubs created to support them differs significantly, each being defined in the interactions between institutional assumptions about the student group, the social presence and activities hosted, and the lived experiences ofthe students utilizing these services. Whereas Indigenous student services are organized as a resource centre to create a separate space for Indigeneity on campuses, international student services take the form of an experience desk to emphasize rapid integration into the mainstream. Based on interviews with students and staff, I reflect on the differences between the two models to discuss the spatial politics of information hubs within the context of Ontario universities. Résumé Les universités ontariennes ont récemment accru leurs efforts de recrutementd’étudiants autochtones et internationaux. Dans cet article, j’examine l’organisation spatiale des services offerts à ces deux groupes dans trois universités du sud de l’Ontario. À l’instar des travaux d’Henri Lefebvre, je maintiens que la spatialité des centres de service créés diffère, car elle se CJHE / RCES Volume 48, No. 1, 2018 Resource Centre or Experience Desk? / J. M. Montsion 133 fonde sur des préconceptions institutionnelles spécifiques à chaque groupe, des activités distinctes, ainsi que des expériences vécues uniques. Tandis que les services offerts aux étudiants autochtones prennent la forme d’un centre de ressources, soit un espace distinct dédié aux questions d’autochtonie, les services offerts aux étudiants internationaux s’organisent en bureau d’expérience, visantleur intégration rapide à la population étudiantegénérale. À la lumière d’entrevues avec des étudiants et des membres du personnel, les différences entre ces deux modèles sont examinées afin de mieux comprendrel’effet de la spatialité de ces centres dans le contexte ontarien. Introduction In Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Knowledge, the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities (MTCU) of the Government of Ontario lays out a framework to guide the development of higher education. The ministry argues that innovation, creativity, and productivity will provide accessible and high-quality training and will meet the future needs of the province’s creative economy: “Significant productivity improvements will be needed to protect the gains we have made in accessibility as we move forward with improving the quality of higher education and the student experience in Ontario”(Ontario MTCU, 2012, p. 8) . With universities around the world adapting to the challenges of an increasingly globalized knowledge-based economy, Ontario institutions have responded since the late 1990s with strategies to increase revenue from student tuition (Cameron, 2002; Cudmore, 2005) . In a context of reduced provincial funding, a key challenge for Ontario universities is to remain competitive in recruiting incoming students while still meeting their mandate of accessibility, especially for historically under-represented groups. Using aggressive market expansion plans and corporate-style initiatives, these universities offer a learning experience based on high-quality training, experiential education, technologyassisted courses, and provincial credit transfers (Ontario MTCU, 2012) . Although neither Indigen

FAQs

What spatial difference does the article identify between Indigenous and international student services?

Indigenous student services are organized as a resource centre that creates a separate space for indigeneity, while international student services take the form of an experience desk focused on rapid integration into the mainstream.

What theoretical perspective guides the analysis?

The study draws on Henri Lefebvre’s work, arguing that the spatiality of information hubs is shaped by interactions between institutional assumptions, social activities hosted, and students’ lived experiences.

How is the comparison between the two service models supported?

The author uses interviews with students and staff to reflect on and discuss differences between the two models and the spatial politics of information hubs within Ontario universities.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet