Call for proposals for the Online Learning Advancement Fund (OLAF)

April 15, 2019

The Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, is pleased to announce an open call for proposals for the Online Learning Advancement Fund (OLAF). The OLAF is a new fund that aims to support the development of cohort-based online learning opportunities. Faculty members are invited to submit their Letters of Intent (LOIs) by May 17, 2019.

In alignment with Strategy 11: Education Renewal, and Strategy 13: Practical Learning, of our strategic plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century, the Office of the Provost will commit $500,000 in recurring funding to support initiatives of different scale and scope each year.

Areas for potential proposals include:

  • Development of new career and personal education (e.g. certificate) offerings in areas of UBC excellence and aligned to regional/national demand;
  • Development of online or hybrid online/on-campus courses or certificates for graduate students to provide additional skills and training to complement research work;
  • Development of substantive online opportunities in existing UBC degree programs to improve student access, flexibility or affordability;
  • Development of online or hybrid certificates that provide in-demand skills and training to complement students’ disciplinary studies.

The application and adjudication process will be modelled after the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF), and will be administered by the Extended Learning team.

More details on the process, criteria and possible project focus areas are available on the Extended Learning website.

In addition to the OLAF, UBC will convene an expert group of online learning practitioners from across campus to advise, support and guide the evolving approach to develop and deploy high-quality online learning opportunities in the non-credit and credit space. We aim to bring this online learning experts’ group together before summer break, and representatives will be asked to assist with the adjudication and subsequent full proposal development for projects submitted to the OLAF.

If you have any questions, please send them to simon.bates@ubc.ca.

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