Student-Led, Individually-Created Courses (SLICCs) are a scalable and flexible experiential learning and assessment framework using an e-portfolio, awarding academic credit for experiential learning. The framework is based on five learning outcomes that students contextualise for themselves, with support from within the framework and feedback from faculty. These learning outcomes are stratified across the academic levels, through pre-honours, honours, masters, to professional doctorate. The framework provides the flexibility for faculty to offer boundaries to the learning experience, or for students to entirely define their own experience, bringing the extra-curricular into the formal curriculum. SLICCs are supported by a small team, and a comprehensive array of resources for students, tutors, faculty and administrators (more information available at http://www.ed.ac.uk/sliccs). SLICCs are now becoming well-established across the University of Edinburgh, with more than 20 courses using the framework, and there is increasing interest from other institutions in viewing and adopting the approach.

1. SLICCs
Student-Led, Individually-Created Courses
Delivering reflective, experiential learning and
assessment at scale using an ePortfolio-based
framework
DR GAVIN McCABE
SLICCS CO-LEAD
CAREERS SERVICE
PROF SIMON RILEY
SLICCS CO-LEAD
EDINBURGH MEDICAL SCHOOL &
IAD
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

2. Key drivers
• Portfolio learning, student agency (learning design and personal development), shifting from focus on
accrual of knowledge, delivering and assessing graduate attributes
• Interdisciplinary work, in teams
Challenge
• Scalability, limited resource, yet meaningful experience for all involved
Critical for success
• Design for the long-term aim from the outset
• Students at the heart of experiential learning
• Supporting reflection and surfacing growth
• Making a mistake but being able to learn from it (and getting credit for that learning)
© University of Edinburgh
Delivering student-led and credit-bearing experiential learning at scale
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

3. What is a SLICC?
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

4. An empty course, filled with experience and structured by reflection
We define:
• The process to receive academic credit
• The Learning Outcomes (LOs)
• The assessment criteria
• The flexibility for the student, or course organiser, to outline the experience
What is a SLICC?
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

5. An empty course, filled with experience and structured by reflection
We define:
• The process to receive academic credit
• The Learning Outcomes (LOs)
• The assessment criteria
• The flexibility for the student, or course organiser, to outline the experience
Students define:
• The content (what they want to gain from their learning experience)
• How the LOs relate to their content
• How they will demonstrate completion of their LOs – reflection and evidence
What is a SLICC?
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

6. • The experience the student is going to have, and its content – outlined by the student and/or
course organiser
• The topic the student is planning to investigate throughout their experience.
• The students’ reflection on their approach, learning and development throughout the process
and what this means for their future.
© University of Edinburgh
Three aspects
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

7. © University of Edinburgh
The SLICC Learning Outcomes, contextualised by students
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs
Learning Outcome 1:
An analysis of the topic the student decides to investigate and learn about through their
experience, and how they are going to do this
Learning Outcome 2:
The broad range of skills and abilities
they need for this experience
Learning Outcome 3:
A specific skill they are going to
actively and purposefully work on
Learning Outcome 4:
A specific mindset they are going to
actively and purposefully work on
Learning Outcome 5:
An evaluation, reflecting on their approach, learning and development and what this means for them in the future

8. The SLICCs Process
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

9. Students &
tutor DISCUSS
SLICC outcomes
Final Report
SUMMATIVE
Students ACTS
on tutor
feedback
Interim Report
FORMATIVE
WEBFOLIO (in PebblePad) – contains evidence of
learning e.g. documents, reports, photos, video, audio
REFLECTIVE BLOG (in PebblePad)
undertaken at least weekly
Capturing
Reflecting
Students UNDERTAKE
their learning experience,
REFLECTING and CREATING throughout
Tutor
APPROVES
Proposal to
progress
Acting Students ACTS
on tutor
feedback
Reporting
Students
CONTEXTUALISE
own Learning
Outcomes
FORMATIVE
Experiencing
Students PLAN their learning
experience
and submit their proposal
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

10. Infrastructure and support package
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

11. • Learning outcomes & grade descriptors: Full set for each level from pre-honours to professional
doctorate
• Flexibility in delivery: can be fully online, or hybrid, students working remotely or on campus
• Resource packs that contains all guidance and instructions for students, tutors, and administrator
• Workbooks that capture all of students’ work: Proposal, Reflective Blog, Evidence Collection, Interim
and Final Reflective Reports
• Tutor space: assignments fully managed through PebblePad and ATLAS, including tutor allocations
• Reflection Toolkit: University-wide resource for students and staff on reflective practice
www.ed.ac.uk/reflection
Infrastructure and support package
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

12. How SLICCs are used
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

13. Centrally, often with interdisciplinary approaches:
• Summer activities: Year 1 and Year 2 undergraduates (typically 4-year programme; open to all)
• Students As Change Agents (SACHA): inter-disciplinary teams tackling external partners’
challenges
• Network for Intercultural Competence to facilitate Entrepreneurship (NICE): inter-institutional, inter-
disciplinary teams tackling UN SDGs
Disciplinary:
• Across all levels of study – pre-honours, honours, on-campus and online part-time masters,
doctoral students
• Range of disciplines in all three University colleges
Externally:
• Range of international partners – individual universities & consortia offering virtual experiences
How SLICCs are used
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

14. • Summer SLICCs: work placements, internships, volunteering, or self-proposed skill, topic or personal
interest
• Facilitating flexibility of academic credit: as an institution we can value diversity and extra-curricular
activities, for students to enable spread of academic load (e.g. caring responsibilities or wellbeing)
• Masters programmes: part-time online programmes integrating academic with professional learning (e.g.
healthcare)
• Understanding the discipline: portfolio overviews e.g. disciplinary skill toolkits, fieldwork, lab skills
• Cross-disciplinary learning: students can work in interdisciplinary teams, e.g. project-based
• 'Wicked problems’: complex, interconnected, changing, with no right answer or end point (e.g.
SACHA and NICE)
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs
Some examples illustrating the flexibility of the SLICCs Framework

15. Student and staff experience
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

16. • Enhanced skills
• Ability in reflection and increased self-awareness
• Connecting past and present learning experiences
• Developing a "mindset for learning"
• Assessment literacy
• Deeper and more diverse learning from their
experience
• Can make mistakes, but in learning from them can
still get a top grade
Students’ gains
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs
‘A fantastic way to get the most out of a
summer project & develop essential skills.’
‘I feel like my whole attitude to learning
has changed because of the process.’
‘I am now confident, and am able to apply
all these skills not only through the rest of
my degree but also in my future career.’
‘This has given me the confidence to be
more independent and feel less afraid of
carrying out individual projects.’
‘The reflection really helped highlight the
learning techniques that work best for me.’

17. Staff particularly value:
• Meaningful and personal engagement with the student’s experiential learning
• Students strengthening assessment literacy
Academic rigour
• Staff and our External Examiners see high level of academic rigour
Time demands
• For most, staff comment favourably on the time required as a tutor
• Tutors come back year-on-year for more!
The SLICCs Tutor experience
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

18. Challenges and success factors
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

19. Design: scalable but resource-light and positive impact for all involved
• Drawing on past experiences and expertise, e.g. Edinburgh Award (www.ed.ac.uk/edinburgh-award)
• Establishing a scalable model from the outset, and continuing to focus on efficiency and impact
Attitudes: overcoming uncertainty and the focus on assessing knowledge
• Phased piloting as staff and institutional confidence build in awarding credit for this type of learning
• Recognising importance of knowledge, but maintaining a constant and deep focus on using reflection to
assess attribute development, with extensive support for students and staff: Reflection Toolkit
(www.ed.ac.uk/reflection)
Flexibility and agility: providing solutions to current and future challenges
• Focusing on the underlying learning process and investing to keep it fully generic
• A tested and ready-to-go framework and resources that solve local curriculum design challenges
Challenges and success factors
© University of Edinburgh
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs

20. DR GAVIN McCABE
SLICCS CO-LEAD
CAREERS SERVICE
Gavin.McCabe@ed.ac.uk
PROF SIMON RILEY
SLICCS CO-LEAD
EDINBURGH MEDICAL SCHOOL & IAD
Simon.C.Riley@ed.ac.uk
www.ed.ac.uk/SLICCs
https://edin.ac/sliccs-resource-pack
www.ed.ac.uk/reflection
© University of Edinburgh