Evaluating a New Student-Centric Learning Approach: The Impact of SLICCs (Student-Led Individually-Created Courses) on Student Learning Outcomes

Grant recipients:
Sean Geobey, School of Environment Enterprise and Development
Katherine Lithgow, Centre for Teaching Excellence
Judene Pretti, Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education 
Wayne Chang, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business
Brendan Wylie-Toal, St. Paul's University College
James Nugent, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability

(Project timeline: January 2020-December 2021)

Project summary

Our project will evaluate several attributes of the Student-Led Independently Created Course (SLICC) teaching model. Developed at the University of Edinburgh (UofE), SLICCs promotes student ownership of their learning by allowing students to co-create their learning experience, leading to deeper student engagement. (Bovill et al. 2016; Healey et al., 2014). The SLICC framework helps students better identify and articulate their growth and development resulting from the experience, advances their learning and improves their ability to self-assess (Price et al. 2012).  The SLICC framework promotes the creation of learning experiences that more closely align with the development of employability skills and graduate attributes.

This project seeks to investigate the potential SLICCs hold within the University of Waterloo (UW) context by adapting, piloting and evaluating the framework within three  work-integrated learning (WIL) focused courses, and exploring its potential for use in other UW learning contexts.

Intended project goals, outcomes, and questions investigated

1. Explore how the SLICC framework can be adapted to the UW context, focusing on adapting the framework to courses with (WIL) dimensions.
2. Develop the tools, training, and evaluation process needed to run SLICC pilots:
   1. Pilot #1- Fall 2020 within the social entrepreneurship course SVENT 325
   2. Pilot #2 - Winter 2021 within two entrepreneurship courses: BET 300 and INDEV 308.
3. Use pilot data to answer the following research questions:
   1. How effective was the SLICC model in empowering students to take control of their learning?
   2. How effective was the SLICC model in improving students’ ability to self-assess and plan their skill development?
   3. What resources are required to help instructors run SLICCs effectively?
   4. What recommendations can be made for applying SLICCs to other types of experiential learning (EL) such as work terms, practicums, study abroad and capstone courses?
4. Build a network of instructors from different programs and courses who are interested and trained in running SLICCs

References

References (PDF)