The Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) is financed by a portion of tuition fees paid by UBC Vancouver students. When the Board of Governors approved tuition fee increases in the early 1990s, it was resolved that the TLEF would be established based on the following five principles:
- The proposals recommended for funding will significantly contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning.
- The projects will result in sustainable benefits to students.
- Outcomes-based criteria will be used to evaluate project success.
- The proposed budget is reasonable and in line with the objectives of the project.
- Students have been/will be involved in development and/or implementation of the proposal.
All applications to the TLEF are reviewed first by Faculty TLEF committees and then by the UBC TLEF Adjudication Committee, which reviews and ranks each application and recommends appropriate funding to approved projects.
Large TLEF Transformation Projects
Large TLEF Transformation projects are large, multi-year projects that are intended to advance UBC’s strategic goals relating to transformative learning. These projects typically aspire to impact multiple courses or programs, have the potential to involve collaboration across departments or Faculties, and align with one or more strategies or priorities in UBC’s Strategic Plan. Large TLEF Transformation projects can request up to $200,000 over the life of the project, and can run up to three years.
Large TLEF Transformation projects go through a two-stage approval process, with an initial review and prioritization of letters of intent (LOIs) that are reviewed by a subset of the TLEF Adjudication Committee. Based upon these rankings, the Associate Provost, Teaching and Learning invites applications for funding, which are reviewed by Faculty TLEF committees and by the UBC TLEF Adjudication Committee in the fall.
Small TLEF Innovation Projects
Small TLEF Innovation projects are grassroots projects that are intended to support experimentation with pedagogical approaches that have strong potential to enhance the experiences of learners. While these projects should also align with UBC’s strategic priorities relating to transformative learning, they are typically smaller in scope and scale. Small TLEF Innovation projects can request up to $50,000 over the life of the project, and can run up to three years.
Small TLEF Innovation projects go through a one-stage approval process, with the submission of a proposal that is reviewed by Faculty TLEF committees and then by the UBC TLEF Adjudication Committee.