Guidelines

The 2024 ALT-2040 Fund has four funding streams:

Stream 1: Open educational resources (OER) focus stream

Up to $10,000 may be requested for projects focused on developing or adapting OER (e.g., open textbook, digital content, course assessments, course assignments) or incorporating open educational practices in one or more courses.

Stream 2: Course innovation partnership stream

Up to $15,000 may be requested for innovative, research-informed projects focused on existing courses that align with a UBC Okanagan strategic academic priority and are conducted in partnership with one or more students. It is anticipated that project funding will be used primarily to employ students.

Stream 3. Learning experience enhancement stream

Up to $25,000 may be requested to develop and implement innovations grounded in research-informed practices that enhance an academic program or provide benefits across multiple programs. This includes implementing non-credit, proficiency-based credentials within existing academic programs that recognize skills and competencies (e.g., micro-credentials aligned with industry standards) or enhance teaching effectiveness (e.g., credential programs for teaching assistants, instructors, etc.).

Stream 4. Constellation Protostar fellowship stream

Up to $10,000 may be requested for innovative projects focused on introducing novel media (technology) elements that leverage the unique learning environments available through Constellation. Funding will be used to support student workers. Recipients will participate in a cohort community of interest during their fellowship.

Successful applicants should ensure their project meets the following criteria:

• • The project advances UBC Okanagan’s teaching and learning goals and priorities (see related plans and reports).
  • Project outcomes are consistent with one or more of the 2023 ALT-2040 Fund priority focus areas.
  • The project demonstrates positive impacts on student learning or the student learning experience in alignment with the selected ALT-2040 project stream.
  • The project uses innovative (new, novel or significantly improved), research-informed educational strategies, pedagogical approaches, techniques or tools to improve student learning outcomes and/or experiences.
  • The project benefits a significant number of UBC Okanagan students directly through the enhancement of curriculum, services, and resources and/or indirectly through training of faculty and staff in new pedagogies or learning technologies. Priority will be given to required, high-enrolment (in a program context) undergraduate courses. For OER projects, high student impacts include, but are not limited to: cost savings, number of students enrolled in courses where the resources are used and the enhancement of student learning supported by the use of open resources and pedagogies.
  • The project includes systematic approaches to address the needs of diverse learners and enhance equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.
  • The project uses outcomes-based criteria to determine success; the criteria and the methods by which data are to be collected are clearly outlined in the proposal’s evaluation plan.
  • The proposal provides a clear rationale, methodology, objectives and work plan.
  • The proposal clearly identifies any overlap with related initiatives and differentiates the project’s unique objectives and outcomes.
  • The proposal includes evidence of strategic support and a realistic sustainment plan for project outcomes and products. 
  • The project is feasible; the objectives are achievable within the proposed timeline and budget.
  • The budget is appropriate, with a clear justification of associated costs. Priority may be given to projects with meaningful additional funding sources and/or in-kind resources.
  • The project involves students in meaningful ways. The proposal describes how students were consulted in the preparation of the proposal and how students will be involved in the development and implementation of the project.

• The Lead Applicant of an ALT-2040 Fund proposal must be a full-time, continuing faculty member of the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (including librarians) or a full-time lecturer with a term appointment that remains active through the length of the project.
• Lead Applicants may not normally hold more than one ALT-2040 Fund grant concurrently. Co-applicants and other team members can be involved in more than one active ALT-2040 Fund project at a time.
• Proposals for projects which include a substantive overlap with another (existing or proposed) ALT-2040 Fund project or another UBC Okanagan or university-wide teaching and learning grant source are normally not eligible.

Ineligible Projects:

• Projects for which the primary purpose is to create or develop new technologies, new software systems or platforms are ineligible.
  • Where software applications are developed as part of the project, there must be a clear sustainability plan articulated that identifies the source of funding for ongoing development and maintenance.
• Projects for which the primary purpose is research are ineligible. Research may be conducted as part of the project, but it may not be the motivation for the project.
• Projects with a primary purpose of developing revenue-generating, externally focused, non-credit continuing education programs are ineligible.

• Teaching and learning materials created through the ALT-2040 Fund must be made available for re-use within UBC.
• Successful ALT-2040 Fund applicants for the Learning experience enhancement stream, the Course innovation partnership stream and the Constellation Protostar fellowship stream are strongly encouraged to license any learning materials developed under an appropriate Creative Commons License and to share the materials widely through UBC’s digital sharing channels.
• OER focus stream projects or OER developed within other project streams must adhere to the following:

1. 1. Resources developed must be shared with an open copyright license to allow for reuse, remix, revision and redistribution of the content for educational purposes. Exceptions for specific materials in an open work (e.g., culturally sensitive materials) should be discussed in advance with the ALT-2040 Fund manager and documented in the proposal.
   2. Appropriate communication and permissions must be provided where students participate in teaching and learning materials development in a course or program context (See: Creating Open Education Resources – Having Students Publish Their Work).
   3. Resources published in a non-editable format must also make an editable version or make the source file available.
   4. Teaching and learning materials developed will follow the guidelines in the Open UBC OER Accessibility Toolkit. All adapted or used content must have proper attributions.

• ALT-2040 Fund applicants, with the exception of students in project worker roles, should not normally receive salary or honoraria from the ALT-2040 Fund. Exceptions should be discussed in advance of proposal submission with the ALT-2040 Fund manager and documented in the proposal. 
• The applicant(s) should consult with all central service or operational units that are expected to contribute to the project. A letter of resource commitment/support for any significant infrastructure and/or service commitments must be submitted with any proposal.
• Where the research is included in a proposal (note the eligibility considerations regarding research outlined above), the budget must clearly identify research-related expenses. If a proposal is funded, the funds that support research must be transferred into a research account; in this event, a research project information form will need to be submitted to the Office of Research Services. Where human subjects are involved, the research must have received ethics approval prior to the transfer of funds.
• Unspent funds revert to the Provost Office at the end of the funding period.

Ineligible costs:

• The ALT-2040 Fund may not be used for equipment, infrastructure, teaching buy-outs or scholarly dissemination (e.g., conference registration, conference travel) costs. If funding is received from other sources (e.g., Faculty or Department), such costs may be allocated within the budget as an in-kind contribution.
• The ALT-2040 Fund is not a professional development fund; funds used to cover expenses (workshop fees, meals, travel, etc.) for events intended solely for the project team members are ineligible.
• Funds cannot be used to purchase external consulting or other types of services where the expertise is available within UBC at a reasonable cost and in a timely manner.

• All multi-year projects are required to submit an annual report, including a summary for public dissemination.
• Project teams are encouraged to participate in the annual Celebrate Learning Week poster session event, provide a seminar or workshop through the CTL or participate in a related community of interest/practice.
• All projects are required to submit a final report, including a comprehensive summary for public dissemination.