Frequently Asked Questions

A UBC Vancouver undergraduate or a graduate student may submit an application as a principal applicant for a Small TLEF Innovation proposal as long as there is a UBC Vancouver faculty member who is a co-applicant on the proposal.  Students cannot be principal applicants on Large TLEF Transformation proposals.

Yes, UBC Vancouver staff are eligible to be the principal applicant on a Large or Small TLEF proposal.

No, principal applicants cannot hold more than one TLEF grant concurrently.  Grant holders of an active TLEF project can be a co-applicants on more than one TLEF project at a time.

All project documentation (including final reports on previously funded and completed TLEF projects) must be submitted before an applicant can receive a new TLEF project grant.

Cross-Faculty proposals can be submitted to the TLEF.  Such proposals will be reviewed by the TLEF Committees in each of the partner Faculties, and the TLEF Adjudication Committee will look for indications of support from the Faculties involved in the proposal.

Proposals with a focus on professional programs (Extended Learning) are ineligible for TLEF funding. The TLEF primarily supports undergraduate program enhancement. Graduate programs may be eligible; however, cost-recovery programs that have elevated and non-standard fees to cover the full cost of instructional delivery are ineligible for TLEF funding.

For projects focused on enhancements to for-credit, cost-recovery programs, applicants should contact Andrea Han, Associate Director, Curriculum and Course Services at CTLT (andrea.han@ubc.ca) to discuss support outside the TLEF fund.

For projects focused on non-degree non-credit (e.g. microcredentials) or supplemental education areas, applicants should consider submitting a proposal to the Continuous Learning Advancement Fund, or contact Anne-Rae Vasquez, Director, Academic Services, Extended Learning (annerae.vasquez@ubc.ca) for more details.

Faculty or departments seeking support for new programs should contact the appropriate Dean's office as well as UBC's New Programs Hub (new.programs@ubc.ca).

The TLEF does not fund student co-curricular activities, events, teams and competitions without a demonstrable classroom (pedagogical) component and a faculty member as a co-applicant.

No. A UBC Okanagan faculty member can be a co-applicant on a TLEF project, but not the Principal Applicant. TLEF funding comes from UBC Vancouver student tuition and the funding call is directed primarily at the UBC Vancouver campus.  Applicants interested in system-wide, cross-campus proposals should contact Jeff Miller, Senior Associate Director, CTLT at jeff.miller@ubc.ca to discuss their project before submitting a TLEF proposal.

UBC Okanagan faculty should consider funding opportunities such as the Aspire-2040 Learning Transformations Fund.

Requirements for all TLEF projects

• 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 the project’s 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
• Continued funding is contingent upon satisfactory progress for multi-year projects (up to three years)

The CTLT, Faculty Support Units, the Library and UBC Studios staff can provide consultation support for TLEF applicants; support will be provided on topics such as pedagogy, assessment, media, technology integration, evaluation planning, project scope, and budget development.

Please refer to the TLEF Support page for more information about support options available to applicants.

You can request support for research assistants (RAs), teaching and learning fellows (TLFs) and, depending upon whether your proposal is for a Large TLEF Transformation project or Small TLEF Innovation project, you can request course release or teaching assistants (TAs), to support the development work in the project.

You can also request pedagogical and other kinds of support, including:

• • • Instructional, learning and course development support
    • Academic program development
    • Project management/project coordination
    • Evaluation support (10 hours of in-kind support is available from CTLT)
    • Media design and production and post-production: web-programming, graphic design, videography, animation, emerging media
    • Learning resource discovery/development (including open resources) – learning support materials
    • Learning technology development and support
    • Library consultation – resources, copyright, licensing, digitization
    • Professional development for instructors and Teaching Assistants

Subject to available capacity, in-kind support from the CTLT is available for TLEF projects for academic program development, course development , learning design, evaluation (10 hours in-kind), and Learning Technology Support. Applicants must consult with the CTLT before including in-kind support from The CTLT in their proposal or budget.

• TLEF funding can be used to hire students to assist with the project.  Common types of student appointments on TLEF projects include: Graduate or Undergraduate Academic Assistant (UAA or GAA); Graduate or Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (GTA or UTA).  It is not typically appropriate to hire students as Graduate or Undergraduate Research Assistants (GRA or URA) for TLEF projects as TLEF projects are not connected to research grants.  More information on student hiring can be found on the UBC HR website: https://hr.ubc.ca/managers-admins/recruiting-and-hiring/student-employees/hiring-student-employee
• TLEF project teams often also apply for additional funding for student hours through the UBC Vancouver Work Learn program which provides part-time, on-campus employment opportunities for students that connect them with valuable workplace experiences that develop professional skills, expand professional networks, and apply disciplinary learning through exceptional mentorship from UBC faculty and staff.

• The UBCV Work Learn program begins to accept proposals for funding in early January for student positions for the summer term (beginning in May). Should your TLEF not be approved and/or if you no longer require Work Learn funding, you can always decline any Work Learn funding that you are offered.

TLEF funding will not support the cost of faculty or staff travel or conference expenses or other dissemination costs.  It is possible to use TLEF funding to support a student to attend a conference if the purpose is to share results from the TLEF project.

The TLEF is not an equipment fund.  Applicants will not generally receive funding to buy equipment. If an applicant requests funding for equipment, the request  must be justified in relation to the project goals, not exceed 30% of the overall project budget, and also include significant in-kind funding from the Faculty.

UBC IT will loan media equipment out to projects to support media development: this equipment is centrally provisioned and must be returned to the central pool once it is no longer needed by the project team.

Catering requests should be proportionate and reasonable and the proposal must clearly show how such support will maximize the benefit of the overall project goals. The adjudication committee will cut catering costs if they are deemed excessive.

There is a rate-list for typical costs associated with TLEF projects under the Application Process tab on the TLEF website. The Adjudication Committee will not typically approve funding for services above these rates. It is essential that you consult with any central- or Faculty-based support units if your project depends upon their support.

You can also work with CTLT to develop the budget for your project.  Please contact tlef.info@ubc.ca to request a consultation session.

Please note: Consultation with CTLT is required for Large TLEF Transformation projects and recommended for Small TLEF Innovation projects that span multiple years.

TLEF funds cannot be used to purchase external consulting or other types of services where support and expertise is available within UBC at a reasonable cost and in a timely manner.

Faculty course buyouts (for time release from teaching) can only be requested in the context of Large TLEF Transformation Projects. The cost of Faculty course buyouts is split 50/50 between the Office of the Provost and VP Academic and the Faculty and/or Department. Applicants  need to ensure that they have their Faculty’s support and commitment for matching funds for course release before requesting it in their proposal.

All proposals must be submitted through the TLEF online application system: https://apply.academic.ubc.ca

If you are returning for 2nd- or 3rd-year funding, your application form will automatically include a "Summary of Work Accomplished to Date" section, where you will provide an update on work completed  as well as an update on how much money has been spent or is planned to be spent, in the previous funding year.

You can find more information on the steps involved in submitting your proposal on the Application Process page.

No. You need the approval of your Department Head before you can submit a proposal to the TLEF. If your TLEF proposal involves multiple departments, the Department Heads of all departments where there are funding commitments made on behalf of that department must also be consulted about the project.

It is important that you give your Department Head ample time to review your proposal. You should seek their input and feedback on your proposal well ahead of the University deadline for submission of your proposal.

TLEF applicants receive feedback on their applications in December (for Large TLEF Transformation projects) and February (for Small TLEF Innovation projects).

Funded project grant holders receive information about how to set up an account in their department to receive the transfer of funding from the TLEF.   Their local departments need to set up a Program Worktag under the name of the project’s principal signatory (principle applicant) and any expenses for the project will be billable to that account. The same account can be used throughout the life of projects that are funded for multiple years.  In May of the funding year, the Office of the Provost and VP Academic will transfer funding into the Program Worktag identified by the department for the TLEF project.

All TLEF projects, whether single- or multi-year, are funded for one year at a time. Multi-year projects need to return to the TLEF each year to apply for 2nd- or 3rd-year funding, and this funding is contingent upon sufficient progress in the project. When requested by the grant holder, the project grant eligibility period can be extended up to one year maximum. Grant holders are encouraged to complete all activities set out in their proposed work plan within the funding year. If the one-time funds are not used up within the original project duration, an extension request and rationale will need to be submitted to tlef.info@ubc.ca.

At the end of the project, any surplus funds remaining must be returned to the general TLEF account, to be used for future TLEF-funded projects.

TLEF funding is typically transferred over to departments in April each year.

Grant holders are asked to include an update on their project when applying for 2nd- or 3rd-year TLEF funding. If you are returning for 2nd- or 3rd-year funding, your application form will automatically include a "Summary of Work Accomplished to Date" section, where you will provide an update on work completed  as well as an update on how much money has been spent or is planned to be spent, in the previous funding year.

The most important components are:

• A summary of the work accomplished, including products and achievements
• A summary of the project benefits for students and/or instructors, and the evaluation strategy used to assess such impact
• A list of the courses (with course sections) impacted by project (where appropriate), with enrolment data
• Examples of student involvement (where appropriate)
• A final financial summary of expenditures

Final Reports must be submitted to the TLEF office 30 days after the completion of a TLEF project.

Please use the Final Report template, available on the Evaluating & Reporting page, to complete your report and email the completed document to tlef.info@ubc.ca, indicating the Principal Investigator’s surname along with “Final Report” in the email subject line.

TLEF Final Reports are published on the TLEF website so as to provide information about the outcome and impact of the funded projects.