Chang School Wrapped: 2023 in Review

It’s that time of year again when we reflect on the year that’s gone by and look forward to what’s ahead. With that in mind, we’ve put together some program, community, and learner highlights from 2023. From a milestone anniversary to a new scholarship established by a Toronto Raptor, it’s been a pretty momentous year.

This is our second year putting together this list, with the inaugural “Chang School Wrapped: 2022 in Review” launching last year. We hope you find it interesting and learn a little more about The Chang School and how our learners and alumni have made an impact.

Chang School Milestones

Celebrating 20 years

A special event was held to commemorate 20 years since Jamaican-Chinese Philanthropist and businessman G. Raymond Chang’s generous gift gave The Chang School its name and, subsequently, reputation as a leader in continuing education. Over the past 20 years, the school has been able to grow and expand with the donation, making an impact on the lives of thousands of continuous learners.

Speaking at the event was Philanthropist and Communications Leader, Donette Chin-Loy Chang, along with Gary Hepburn, Dean of The Chang School and Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice-Chancellor of TMU.

Honouring the First SlimmDuck Award Recipient

In October, The Chang School awarded the inaugural SlimmDuck Scholarship at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Helen Harry is now one step closer to her dream of becoming a midwife. NBA basketball player Chris Boucher of the Toronto Raptors established the scholarship to help students of Caribbean descent like Helen realize their academic aspirations.

Launching Curv Microcredentials

The Chang School rapidly expanded its microcredentials offering with the launch of Curv microcredentials, allowing learners to get recognized for their expertise with an official digital credential that can be shared on LinkedIn. Curv microcredentials were created to meet the increasing demands of today’s quickly evolving job market to enable people to update their skills to remain competitive. We published an article on Chang School Stories talking about what microcredentials are, what makes Curv microcredentials unique, and how they can help your career.

2023 Wrapped

Most Viewed Course

While many people opt for the flexibility of learning online with our courses, it would seem that they’re interested in the city that The Chang School calls home. Edging passed CPSY 102 - Introduction to Psychology, which held this title last year, CGEO - The Geography of Toronto was the “Most Viewed Course” by visitors to our website in 2023. The course explores the history of Toronto from its foundation in the 18th century on First Nations territories and the interrelated historical, social, cultural, political, and environmental issues. Winter Term course sections that start in January have already filled up but check back with the course page in early February for registration for the Spring/Summer 2024 Term.

Most Viewed Certificate

For the second year running, Data Analytics, Big Data, and Predictive Analytics is the “Most Viewed Certificate.” With analytical and data analysis skills topping LinkedIn’s 2023 list of “The Most In-Demand Skills and Hard-Skills,” among others, it’s no surprise that interest continues to remain high in this certificate. These skill set is highly valued by organizations, as data is collected in every business function and must be analyzed to gain insights that can be used to make informed decisions. If a person is able to harness the power of data analytics effectively, they can help organizations optimize performance and reduce costs.

Other popular programs included Project Management, Occupational Health and Safety, Health Informatics, Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics, Publishing, and Foundation for Accounting.

All of the certificates mentioned above also tick the boxes of some of the other skills mentioned on the LinkedIn list, including communication, project management, finance, and software development.

Most Popular Event

Some of you may be familiar with The Chang School’s Information Sessions and Panel Events but this year we decided to do a thing and launch a new Speaker Series, The Pivot Point. “Work and Careers in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” was one of our most attended events ever, with participants engaged right until the very last minute with insightful and thought-provoking questions. The panel discussion, featuring prominent experts in AI, focused on the challenges and opportunities that exist in the near term for professionals and employers, and how workers and organizations can prepare for and thrive in an AI-dominated future of work. Visit and bookmark our events page for more exciting upcoming opportunities.

Most Viewed Article

At the beginning of 2023, we held a panel discussion on the topic of combatting burnout where experts defined the term, outlined factors that can cause burnout, and provided ways to combat it. The event was followed by an article published on Chang School Stories, which was the “Most Viewed Article” for this year.

One of the panelists, Dr. Gillian Strudwick, a Mental Health Nurse and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, pointed out that burnout isn’t always caused by too much work but can also be the result of not being challenged enough by their work – something people don’t often think about. Another panelist Siobhan Stewart, a Black Student Success Facilitator within the Faculty of Arts at TMU, talked about how identity can play a role in how someone experiences burnout with instances of burnout being much higher in Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities. All of the panelists agreed that one of the key ways to combat burnout is for organizations and institutions to step up support for those affected by it.

Social Media Highlights

Most Active Community

LinkedIn once again topped our list for our top social media channel this year. Whether you’re an alumni, current learner, or thinking about enrolling in a course or registering for a certificate, we invite you to join our wider Chang School community online.

Follow us to learn more about the industry that you’re working in or would like to pivot into, find out how The Chang School can help you with your career goals, and discover topical, interesting content that we think you’ll find useful.

The Chang School has over 12.7K followers on LinkedIn, with audiences spanning the Greater Toronto Area and other metropolitan areas across Canada, the United States, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Our biggest audiences outside of Canada include communities from New Delhi, India, New York City, U.S., and London, United Kingdom.

Most Engaging Topics

Having a bit of celebrity status behind the launch of a new scholarship definitely generated some buzz on our social media channels. The announcement of the SlimmDuck Scholarship established by Toronto Raptor Chris Boucher certainly got our audience engaged.

Our audience also resonated with the annual merit-based awards event, “Leaders in Learning”, which we provided a recap after the event in November. Congratulations again to all of our award winners!

     

Most Popular Meme

Everyone loves a good comeback story – maybe that was you in 2023 as you made a career pivot or you’re thinking about making a big move in 2024. Here’s our take on career pivots, inspired by Rihanna’s return to the #FentyBowl. Wherever you are in your career and journey to your goals, we’re built for you.

And that brings us to a close in 2023! Thank you for taking a trip down memory lane on some of the top moments from this year. Happy Holidays and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.