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This paper aims to reflect on the facilitative factors that contribute to a shift in focus to social innovation for social justice in a higher education institution. The study provides lessons learned that can be takeaways for others interested in shifting their conceptualization of social innovation toward social justice.

Relying on a case study of social innovation at Ryerson University, the paper begins with a brief history and the later development of the Office of Social Innovation. Through a reflection on three key initiatives, the study discusses strategic planning and partnerships, student programming and communications strategy.

The reflection process provides ingredients that have facilitated the intentional grounding of social innovation offerings and practices in social justice values, including creativity, collaboration, adaptability, voice and shifting the spotlight to alternate stories and ways of understanding social innovation. The authors also discuss the role of generative conflict and contradictions.

This study presents a reflective case study from a public research university, which holds a prominent reputation in entrepreneurial incubators and curricular offerings. With candid reflections from faculty and staff central in strategizing the direction of social innovation, the authors present experiences, perspectives and conflicts encountered when challenging the language and application of social innovation. The result is a unique contribution on what it means to ground post-secondary social innovation in social justice, why this shift was necessary and what has come from this work.

This paper discusses insights from a study of women working, or seeking or preparing for work, in the information technology (IT) field. At issue is how and whether alternative career pathways and informally acquired skills and knowledge, as well as the operation of gender in learning and work, are acknowledged by employers, colleagues and participants themselves.

Using the qualitative technique of life and work history, this study mapped varied learning pathways of women working in the IT field. We used a feminist approach to explore this field, which is characterised as both highly masculine and filled with opportunities for all workers, including women.

Juxtaposing categories present in the data, such as female and male, formal and informal education, work and learning, hard and soft skills, and centre and periphery, we establish that binary constructs are both persistent and tenuous.

Our analysis challenges assumptions about educating the global workforce and the learning pathways within the IT field. Moreover, it suggests the usefulness of further qualitative research on this topic in other geographic locations or fields of work.

In questioning epistemological and social binaries, our analysis contributes to the re‐theorisation of conceptions of knowledge and learning. In moving from an either/or to a both/and understanding of them, we offer a different way of talking about how they can be understood.