A Year in Review: Teaching Innovation Incubator

The Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII) began as a pilot project in 2022, with early planning and development of five projects designed to explore new ideas capable of introducing innovative approaches to teaching and learning at Waterloo. In alignment with Waterloo’s strategic vision, the TII’s work harnesses the power of unconventional ideas through its support of project teams working to transform Waterloo’s teaching and learning landscape. The role of the TII is to support the development of ideas brought forward by faculty, staff, and/or students, using a collaborative, cross-faculty, and cross-functional approach to sparking ideas, developing strategies, seeking input, and overcoming challenges.

The TII’s 2.5 FTE staff members offer a wide range of supports for project teams, including project ideation support, networking and connections, project management, communications and event management, problem-solving and navigational advice, resources and research support, evaluation expertise, and access to educational technologies and spaces.

By investing in Waterloo faculty and staff on the frontlines of teaching and providing them with the resources to pilot and experiment with new teaching ideas, the TII is positioned to champion interdisciplinary work that spans our Global Futures, creating a space to develop, test, encourage, and enable innovative education with potential for significant impact and differentiation. TII projects embody the very values of Waterloo at 100, promoting principles of collaboration, interdisciplinary, inclusivity, and sustainability as key pillars of Waterloo’s teaching and learning landscape.

The following TII projects are ongoing, to be joined in 2025 by three new projects emerging from the TII’s inaugural open call for proposals. Review each project listed below to see their milestones and contributions to the teaching and learning community at Waterloo.

Projects

Accelerating Integration of Sustainability in the Curriculum

Accelerating Integration of Sustainability into the Curriculum

Project Team:

Laura Deakin, Continuing Lecturer (Chemistry) | Associate Dean of Science, Student Relations (Faculty of Science)

Mathew Thijssen, Director (Sustainability Office)

Johanna Wandel, Associate Professor (Geography and Environmental Management) | Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies (Faculty of Environment)

Key milestones	Developed a Sustainability framework and toolkit, available for use by any program. Published a final report, including 11 recommendations for integrating sustainability into the curriculum across programs. Established a new grant program: Sustainability Integration in Curriculum Grants.
Challenges & learnings	Need to identify a working definition of Sustainability that is adaptable to diverse program needs (e.g., programs that are further along their own sustainability journey; programs that are just beginning exploring sustainability’s role in their curriculum).
Unanticipated benefits	Broad institutional interest in sustainability integration already exists but requires the developed framework, toolkit, and community to help foster it.
Next steps	Community engagement (e.g., Sustainability advisory group; Community of Practice, student certificate/micro credential in Sustainability Leadership). In-depth pilot exploring what it looks like to integrate sustainability using the toolkit.
Strategic connections	Credentials framework; Sustainable Futures; interdisciplinarity and institutional collaboration.

Accessible Education

Project Team:

Joyce Barlow, Associate Director, Disability Inclusion (Human Resources)

Aldo Caputo, Director (Centre for Extended Learning)

Jennifer Coghlin, Associate Registrar, Enrolment Services & Academic Policy (Registrar's Office)

David DeVidi, Associate Professor (Philosophy) | Associate Vice-President, Academic

Donna Ellis, Director (Centre for Teaching Excellence)

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

Diana Skrzydlo, Continuing Lecturer (Statistics and Actuarial Science) | Teaching Fellow (Faculty of Math)

Key milestones	Establishment of working group to draft Student Academic Accommodations Policy. Drafting of Waterloo Practices for Accessible Teaching and Helpful/Holistic Strategies (WatPATHS) to support accessible course design in alignment with Teaching Effectiveness Framework. Categorizing recommendations into sets of action items best suited for support by various ASUs.
Challenges & learnings	Faculty have expressed concern that this is yet another institutional priority they need to invest energy into.
Unanticipated benefits	Representation from all faculties and many ASUs across campus in project teams allows for cross-functional and cross-faculty collaboration; evident in support for inaugural Accessible Education Day.
Next steps	Develop Accessible Education Hub to act as one-stop shop for accessible teaching support. Consult with various units on Policy draft and ASUs for commitment to support action items.
Strategic connections	Credentials Framework; Digital Learning Strategy

Adapting Student-Led, Individually Created Courses to Encourage Self-Directed Learning

Adapting Student-Led Individually Created Courses (SLICCs) to Encourage Self-Directed 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 milestones	Laid groundwork for talking with faculty members, campus leaders, and programs about Student-Led, Individually Created Courses (SLICCs). Developed SLICCs instructor toolkit. Held event to highlight SLICCs offered at Waterloo and strategies for continued implementation.
Challenges & learnings	Uneven uptake of SLICCs across disciplines due to disciplinary norms and context.
Unanticipated benefits	SLICCs framework integration at Waterloo may look similar to ongoing discussions about integrating self-directed reflection into learning, which may resonate more across programs.
Next steps	Offering more SLICCs courses in 2025, across more disciplines. Diving deeper into conversations about the benefits of (and opportunities for) SLICCs in interdisciplinary learning.
Strategic connections	Interdisciplinarity and institutional collaboration.

Evaluating LEARN Tools – Creator+ and Performance +

Evaluating LEARN Tools - Creator+ & Performance+

Project Team:

Pam Fluttert, Director (Instructional Technology and Media Services)

Scott Anderson, Supervisor, Learning Environment (Instructional Technology and Media Services)

Key milestones	Developed Creator+ training resources for pilot participants. Offered three iterations of the Creator+ pilot with faculty and staff, examined the support developed for pilot participants, analyzed how and why faculty used it. Began creating use-cases for Performance+ with academic advisors and faculty and early stages of piloting with instructors.
Challenges & learnings	Rapid evolution of EdTech makes each tool difficult to evaluate. Instructor autonomy re: using preferred educational technologies can be a barrier.
Unanticipated benefits	Understanding how the TII can and should support projects focused on educational technologies, and how these will align with the launch of the EdTech Sandbox.
Next steps	Continue to explore Performance+ applicability on campus (e.g., student advisors, academic support staff, students). Determine long-term viability of Creator+ by spring 2025.
Strategic connections	Technological Futures; Digital Learning Strategy

Interdisciplinary Grad Student Designed and Led “Wicked Problems” Courses

Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Designed and Led "Wicked Problems" Course

Project Team:

Anna Esselment, Associate Professor (Political Science) | Associate Dean, Graduate Studies (Faculty of Arts)

Bertrand Guenin, Professor (Combinatorics and Optimization) | Associate Dean, Graduate Studies (Faculty of Math)

Brian Laird, Associate Professor (School of Public Health Sciences) | Associate Dean, Graduate Studies (Faculty of Health)

Key milestones	Two iterations of the interdisciplinary Wicked Problems course (topics: Climate Change and Precarity) taught by PhD students (W2023 & S2024). PhD student instructors completed CTE training in course design and effective teaching. Showcased efforts with broader UW community via end-of-term public symposium.
Challenges & learnings	Resolving multiple administrative challenges related to the interdisciplinary nature of the course(s), e.g., central promotion; limitations of special topics courses; teaching credit options.
Unanticipated benefits	Broader campus interest in logistics of offering interdisciplinary courses (i.e., ‘Wicked Problems’ approach to interdisciplinary course delivery and course design structure).
Next steps	Further develop interdisciplinary, co-teaching training open to be open to all graduate students and instructors. Find a long-term academic home and process for these courses.
Strategic connections	Credentials Framework; interdisciplinarity and institutional collaboration.