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Open Education Micro Grant Program (2024): Program Information

Overview

The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Open Education Micro Grant Program (OEMGP) will support short-term proposals (up to one semester) for faculty to create, develop or modify open education resources to be used in their courses as well as similar courses elsewhere.

The OEMGP will provide funding for Open Education Student Assistants to help faculty with their projects. One OEMGP grant will be awarded to each UFV Faculty area: College of Arts, Faculty of Applied and Technical Studies, Faculty of Education, Community, and Human Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Professional Studies, and the Faculty of Science. Applicants will be required to indicate their faculty affiliation in their proposals.

The OEMGP is funded by UFV’s Office of the Provost and Vice President, Academic through the Strategic Initiatives Fund (2023-2024).

Open Education Micro Grant Program will support short-term proposals (up to one semester) for faculty to create, develop or modify open education resources and/or open pedagogy skills to be used in their courses (and in similar courses in other post-secondary institutions) and hence support student learning. The funding period for OEMGP is January to August 2024. Fundable projects may include, but are not necessarily limited to, modification of existing open education textbooks, editing and revising an open resource under development, a Pressbooks conversion (or similar), the development of ancillary resources for existing resources or some other project that leads to the creation of an open educational resource. Applicants for OEMGP funding must clearly show how the proposed project is expected to support, enhance, or improve student learning through the development/modification of open educational resources. It should also clearly describe the tasks to be undertaken by the Open Education Student Assistant assigned to successful projects. The fund is not intended to provide continuing support for projects. OEMGP funding for any one project is limited to $2500 of student time (students will be hired as Open Education Student Assistants at $16.75 per hour plus 10% in lieu of vacation and statutory holidays and cannot be used for any other purpose.

OEMGP funding is open to all UFV teaching faculty members (permanent, sessional, LTA).

Applicants must address the combination of criteria appropriate to the creation, development, delivery and evaluation of the open education project being proposed. See Program Criteria below.

Successful applicants are required to submit a final report to the program administrators by August 31, 2024. The report will include a summary of the activities planned and undertaken and a description of the degree to which the significant goals and/or objectives of the proposal were achieved.

Email completed reports to: openeducation@ufv.ca

Call for Proposals: October 30, 2023

Deadline for Proposals: December 15, 2023

Results Announced: January 31, 2023

Project Completion Period: February 29, 2023 - August 31, 2023

     (cannot exceed $2500 or approximately 110 hours of student time)

Final Project Report Due: August 31, 2023

 

  

The UFV Open Education Micro Grants Programs is funded by the UFV Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic through the Strategic Initiatives Fund (2023-2024).

This program is administered through a collaboration between the UFV Library and the Teaching and Learning Centre. For more information, please contact:  

Claire Hay (Teaching and Learning Specialist)
Email: claire.hay@ufv.ca
Phone: 604-504-7441 ext. 4815

OR

Martin Warkentin (Copyright/Open Education Librarian)
Email: martin.warkentin@ufv.ca
Phone: 604-504-7441 ext. 4460

 

The OEMGP needs adjudicators to assess applications to the program.  If you are interested in open education practices but do not have a proposal in mind, consider being an adjudicator. If interested, please contact:

Claire Hay (Teaching and Learning Specialist)
Email: claire.hay@ufv.ca
Phone: 604-504-7441 ext. 4815

OR

Martin Warkentin (Copyright/Open Education Librarian)
Email: martin.warkentin@ufv.ca
Phone: 604-504-7441 ext. 4460

Application Documents

Use the following template to provide details of your OEMGP proposal:

Open Education Resources Guide

For more information about OER, see the Library guide:

Additional Details

  1. Project deliverables: This proposal demonstrates a clear commitment to the creation of a tangible OE resource that can be shared within and across institutions. This may include an OE textbook chapter(s), adaptation of an existing resource, a Pressbooks (or similar) conversion of a resource, ancillary resources for pre-existing OE textbook etc. In addition, the proposal commits to the final product being openly licensed and freely available for adoption by faculty and used by students across the sector. The applicant will work towards the final OER being hosted on the BC Open Textbook portal (or similar repository).
  2. Educational impact: This proposal demonstrates relevance to a known open educational resource need and will strengthen student learning experiences.
  3. Student involvement: The proposal clearly articulates the responsibilities of the OE Student Assistant in contributing to this project.
  4. Strategic priorities: The proposal aligns with UFV’s Integrated Strategic Plan.

Applications will be scored and ranked according to the following criteria.  To be eligible for OEMGP funding, applications must receive “yes” in Section 1 (questions 1 and 2).

 

Complete the online application under the Submit Your Application tab. Applications must include the following:

  1. Application form: Complete and attach a detailed project proposal using the template provided under Application Documents (right box).
  2. Evidence of faculty commitment: By checking the appropriate box on the online application submission form, the applicant is assuming administrative, fiscal, and intellectual responsibility for the project and commits to fulfilling the objectives set out in the application.  
  3. Statement of external support: If relevant, all applicants must state if they anticipate any additional support (e.g., funding, volunteer, research, etc.)

The OEMGP uses the UFV Work-Study Operational Guidelines to define student eligibility:

See page 6 of the Work-Study Grant Program Operational Guidelines 2023-24:

3.1: STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
1: Grade Point Average (GPA): Students must hold and maintain throughout the funding semester a minimum GPA of 2.0. Students without a GPA may apply for positions only after a GPA has been assigned. Students in programs that do not assign a GPA (e.g., Trades, Teacher Education Program) must have advanced at a reasonable pace.
2: Enrolment: For the Summer semester: If students will return to full-time study in the following Fall semester, no enrolment is required. For the Fall and Winter semesters: Students must be and remain enrolled in a minimum of 9 UFV credits throughout the semester, 6 credits if registered with Disability Services. For Trades a minimum of 18 hours of non-credit courses is required.
3: Limitations: Work experience opportunities are limited at UFV and should be spread widely. Consequently, students may hold only one Work-Study position per semester. Students on Co-operative Education placements must not at the same time hold a Work-Study position.
4: Graduation: Students completing their program of study in the semester for which the Work-Study Grant has been awarded may complete the full allocation of hours.”

 

 

The University of the Fraser Valley is situated on the traditional territory of the Stó:lō peoples. The Stó:lō have an intrinsic relationship with what they refer to as S’olh Temexw (Our Sacred Land), therefore we express our gratitude and respect for the honour of living and working in this territory.

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