With the scale of York University’s transformations through the Student System Renewal Program (SSRP), navigating the changes can sometimes feel like stepping into a new world filled with unfamiliar names, acronyms and technical terms. Throughout the SSRP’s seven projects, new terminology has been introduced, with specific terms playing a crucial part in the rollout of each project. Whether you’ve already heard about the SSRP, or you’re just learning about its new solutions, this blog post will serve as your guide through the linguistic landscape of the SSRP, sharing resources to elevate your knowledge of the program and help get you ready for the solutions.

The SSRP Glossary

The glossary, available through the "Resources” tab of the SSRP website, serves as a very handy reference for the terminology used throughout the different projects and the solutions being implemented - on the website, in presentations or referenced in conversations with colleagues. It can provide information for students hoping to learn about the new SSRP solutions, or for staff and faculty members seeking clarity on the upcoming changes etc.
In addition to defining terms, the glossary can also act as your go-to resource for acronyms! Acronyms are linguistic shortcuts that allow for efficiency in the fast-paced realm of the SSRP. They condense terms or phrases into more manageable forms and provide a clear and consistent way to reference specific concepts for the projects and implementations – but with so many acronyms being used daily, it can be hard to keep track of what they all mean.

Data Dictionary

With the SSRP and Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis (OIPA)’s initiatives powered by data, another helpful resource is York’s Data Dictionary. The Data Dictionary is an online tool that defines data elements that are essential not only to the SSRP’s projects, but to the entire University. It is housed on the OIPA website and aims to establish a standardized data language for all of York.

These resources are available to all faculty, staff and students – and you’re encouraged to refer to them at any point as you engage in discussions about the projects within the SSRP or as you start using the solutions as they are made available to the York community. For more information, feel free to explore the SSRP website at yorku.ca/ssrp or email any questions to ssrp@yorku.ca.