The OER Fund consists of two grant pathways with different application cycles. The OER Affordability Grants have an annual call for proposals and the OER Rapid Innovation Grants are available on a rolling basis until the allocated funds are exhausted
Before you Apply
Before proceeding, please be sure to read all criteria, eligibility, and application instructions:
Departmental Head Approval
For OER Affordability grants, the Department Head/Unit Head, Director, or equivalent of the Principal Applicant, must be consulted and agree to support the project.
As part of the application process, the applicants must confirm that their Department Head/Unit Head, Director, or equivalent has been consulted on the nature of the project, is aware of potential resource commitments, including any potential faculty releases, and has agreed to support the project, which is indicated by their signature below. If there are resource commitments from the departments of any co-applicants, their Department Heads must also be aware of, and in support of the project.
Attend a Consulting Session
Between September and January, we will be hosting weekly drop-in consulting sessions.The full schedule of OER Fund consulting sessions, as well as OER related workshops, is available on the CTLT Events Open Education Calendar.
Budget Considerations and Cost Estimates
Project budgets must be reasonable and in line with the objectives of the project. OER Fund grant budgets must include a clear explanation for all costs associated with the project.
- OER Fund grants cannot be used to purchase external consulting or other types of services where expertise and support is available within UBC at a reasonable cost and in a timely manner.
- Any catering requests should be proportionate and reasonable and clearly show how such support will maximize the benefit of the overall project goals.
- You can consult with CTLT to develop the budget for your project either at OER Fund drop-in sessions or by contacting Will Engle, CTLT (will.engle@ubc.ca) to arrange a time for a private consultation.
- For open textbook or PressBook-based development projects, the UBC Library has created this resource [PDF] which contains time estimates for project development that can be used to help inform your budget.
In developing an OER Fund proposal, an accurate budget projection is important. For your assistance, please see below a table of cost estimates for various services that can be included in OER Fund proposals. These estimates represent maximum amounts for various services that will be supported through the OER FUnd but you should budget on the basis of the actual cost of the people you are planning to employ in the project.
| Item | Estimated Range of Cost |
|---|---|
| Student Wages | If you plan to employ students in OER Fund projects, you should use the below CUPE 2278 rates (as of September 2023) in determining your project budget. A portion ($8.00/hr) of the wages below may be subsidized under the UBC Work Learn Program. The CUPE 2278 rates below include vacation pay. GTA I = $38.99/hr GTA II = $37.53/hr UTA I = $25.63/hr UTA II = $23.48/hr Although the above rates are described in terms TA roles, most OER projects employ students as as Undergraduate Academic Assistants or Graduate Academic Assistants as there are not often TA duties involved in OER development work. When budgeting for student wages, please add 10% to these rates to cover benefit costs (e.g., employer paid portion of CPP and EI) to avoid going over budget when actual costs are deducted from the funding amount. Please check with your departmental finance/administrative manager to ensure that you are following departmental practice for hiring students. |
| Faculty course release | $10,000 per course (OER Implementation Grants only. Limit is one course release per project). |
| Learning Resource Design / Instructional Design | $75.90/hr (UBC staff) |
| Graphic Design; copy editing | $37.53-38.99/hr (UBC graduate student) $23.48-$25.63/hr (UBC undergraduate student) $56.00-$75.90/hr (UBC staff) |
| Project Manager | $37.53-38.990/hr (UBC graduate student) $23.48-$25.63/hr (UBC undergraduate student) $56.00-$75.90/hr (UBC staff) |
| Evaluation support/consultation | $37.53-38.99/hr (UBC graduate student) $23.48-$25.63/hr (UBC undergraduate student) $56.00-$75.90/hr (UBC staff) The CTLT Research and Evaluation Team can provide up to five hours of in-kind OER project evaluation support and consulting. |
| Additional Wages | Project Worker: $17.23 – $18.43/hr Project Assistant: $20.11 – $21.34/hr Office/Library Worker: $18.02/hr Researcher/Professional: $24.78 – $35.70/hr Includes benefits |
| OER Hosting and Sharing | The UBC Library and CTLT will support OER hosting and sharing. Free OER hosting is available through a number of platforms including UBC cIRcle, UBC Blogs, UBC CMS, UBC Wiki and external OER repositories. |
Application Templates
You can use the templates below to help you develop your proposal. Please note, you will need to use one of the below online forms to submit your application.
OER Affordability Grants:
- Budget Spreadsheet (xls)
- OER Affordability Grant Application Form Template (pdf)
- OER Affordability Grant Application Form Template (Word Doc)
OER Rapid Innovations Grants:
