From Pilot to Completion: Opportunity, Teaching and Learning Innovation, and Impact at Waterloo

Project Opportunity

The Student-Led Individually Created Course (SLICC) framework was developed at the University of Edinburgh as a model for supporting self-directed, experiential, and reflective learning. While early pilot work demonstrated promise at Waterloo, broader adoption required additional exploration, resources, and support.

Through the Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII), the project investigated how SLICCs could be adapted to the University of Waterloo context and how they might help students develop self-regulation, assessment literacy, adaptability, critical thinking, and lifelong learning skills.

Teaching and Learning Innovation

SLICCs reimagine traditional course structures by giving students greater ownership over their learning experiences. Rather than prescribing exactly what and how students learn, instructors establish broad learning outcomes while students design learning plans, identify personal learning goals, gather evidence of learning, and engage in ongoing reflection and self-assessment.

The project explored how this model could be adapted across disciplines, class sizes, and learning environments while maintaining a focus on experiential learning, authentic assessment, and workforce-ready skill development.

Phase 1: Validating the Need

Building on earlier pilots and research, the project explored whether a self-directed learning framework was needed at Waterloo. Consultations with instructors, academic leaders, and support units confirmed interest in approaches that help students take ownership of their learning while developing reflection, self-assessment, and lifelong learning skills.

Phase 2: Adapting the SLICC Framework for Waterloo

The project worked to adapt the University of Edinburgh's SLICC framework to the Waterloo context. Resources, toolkits, assessment approaches, and support materials were developed to help instructors integrate self-directed and experiential learning into a variety of disciplinary settings.

Phase 3: Expanding Adoption Across Campus

Through consultations, workshops, partnerships, and course implementation, the framework was integrated into learning experiences across faculties and disciplines. As the project evolved, SLICCs became increasingly connected to conversations about experiential learning, authentic assessment, interdisciplinary learning, workforce readiness, and Generative AI.

Phase 4: Sustaining and Scaling the Impact

The final phase focused on long-term sustainability. Partnerships, published resources, workshops, and institutional relationships were established to support continued growth beyond the lifespan of the Teaching Innovation Incubator project.

Incubation Timeline: September 2023-August 2026

Project Goals

SLICCs are recognized as a legitimate form of course delivery across campus

Students are more engaged and accountable for their learning

SLICCs become a vehicle for interdisciplinary collaboration and learning

Project Team

Katherine Lithgow: Senior Educational Developer, Integrative and Experiential Learning (Centre for Teaching Excellence)

Mariam Mufti: Associate Professor (Political Science) | Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies

Emma McDougall: Project Manager, SLICCs TII Project

Key Partners

John Abraham, Academic Dean (United College)

Wayne Chang, Continuing Lecturer (Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business)

Robert Hill, Associate Professor (Physics and Astronomy) | Teaching Fellow (Faculty of Science)

Carrie Mitchell, Associate Professor (School of Planning)

Diane Williams, Continuing Lecturer | Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies (School of Public Health Sciences)

Jennifer Yessis, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream; Associate Director, Professional Graduate Studies, School of Public Health Sciences, (Faculty of Health)

Derek Rayside, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Co-operative Education and Professional Affairs

Strategic Advisor

Brendan Wylie-Toal, Sessional Instructor (Faculty of Environment)

Key Insights and Evidence

Over the past three years, the SLICC project has explored how self-directed learning can be integrated across disciplines at the University of Waterloo. Building on earlier pilot work, the project adapted the SLICC framework to the Waterloo context, created resources and supports for instructors and students, and demonstrated how reflective and experiential learning can help students take greater ownership of their educational experiences.

By the Numbers

1,800+ students engaged in SLICC-supported learning experiences
30 courses integrated the SLICC framework
6 faculties participated in implementation and exploration of the model
20+ faculty and staff members contributed through an early Faculty Learning Community

Multiple academic support units collaborated on resource development, evaluation, and implementation support

What we experienced:

From this work, several key themes emerged:

Self-Directed Learning Addresses an Important Gap

Consultations with instructors, academic leaders, and support units consistently reinforced the need for learning experiences that help students develop self-direction, reflection, and lifelong learning skills

Flexibility Was Essential for Adoption

The SLICC framework proved most effective when instructors were able to adapt it to their disciplinary contexts while maintaining core principles of reflection, evidence, and self-assessment

Scaling Innovation Requires Relationship Building

Successful expansion of the framework depended on sustained partnerships with instructors, academic leaders, and academic support units across the University

Reflection Became Increasingly Relevant in the Age of AI

As concerns surrounding Generative AI and authentic assessment grew, the framework's emphasis on process, evidence, and reflection became increasingly valuable

Sustainability Requires Institutional Support

Long-term success depends on maintaining resources, expertise, and support structures that enable instructors to continue adopting and adapting the framework

Institutional Impact

The Accessible Education project resulted in new policies, resources, governance structures, professional learning opportunities, and institutional processes that continue to support accessible teaching and learning across the University of Waterloo.

SLICC Instructor and Student Toolkits
- A suite of publicly available resources was developed to support implementation of the SLICC framework, including instructor toolkits, student toolkits, reflective workbooks, assessment resources, and implementation guides that can be adapted across disciplines and learning contexts.
Expanded Opportunities for Self-Directed Learning
- The SLICC framework was integrated into 30 courses across all six faculties, providing more than 1,800 students with opportunities to engage in self-directed, experiential, and reflective learning activities.
A Framework for Authentic Assessment
- The project established a scalable approach to assessment that emphasizes reflection, evidence of learning, process documentation, and self-assessment, contributing to institutional conversations about authentic assessment and teaching in the age of Generative AI
Increased Instructor Capacity
- Workshops, presentations, consultations, panels, and faculty partnerships introduced instructors and academic leaders across the University to the SLICC framework and its application within a variety of disciplinary and experiential learning contexts
Cross-Faculty Collaboration and Community Building
- New partnerships connected instructors, academic leaders, support units, and strategic initiatives interested in self-directed learning, experiential education, authentic assessment, and interdisciplinary learning
Foundations for Sustainable Growth
- Published resources, assessment tools, instructor supports, and institutional partnerships established pathways for the continued use and expansion of the SLICC framework beyond the lifespan of the Teaching Innovation Incubator project

Ready to Get Started with Student-Led Individually Created Courses?

Browse the toolkit for instructor-ready, flexible resources designed to support the integration of SLICCs and self-guided reflection into your course or program.