TLEF Grant Applications

The Science Centre for Learning and Teaching (Skylight) offers early internal feedback on potential submissions with the objective of assisting prospective applicants with the proposal development process. 

Skylight staff can help applicants connect with similar existing and/or proposed Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) projects (including cross-faculty applications), connect with support units such as CTLT, and provide pedagogical, technical, evaluation, project planning and/or budget consultation. If you are submitting a large TLEF, Skylight staff are also available to work with you on the LOI submission which is due mid-July. For up-to-date information on the TLEF please visit http://www.tlef.ubc.ca/application.

UBC and Skylight Important Dates for TLEF Applications

* Skylight Development Grants (up to $5,000 with matching funds from Departments) can be used as seed funding for TLEF proposals (e.g. for summer baseline data collection, beta testing of ideas in summer courses, piloting pedagogy and learning technology, etc.). Please visit the Skylight Development Grants page for details and dates.

Available Skylight Support

Proposal Development Support

The Skylight early internal feedback submission process invites faculty members, students and/or staff to receive feedback and support on the development of TLEF grant proposals. The areas we can provide advice and/or support include: 

• Project idea development, including pedagogy and learning technology.
• Helping with decisions on grant size (large or small TLEF).
• Project plans:
  • needs analysis;
  • scoping;
  • timelines;
  • budgets;
  • resourcing (e.g. media services support, staffing decisions);
  • evaluation;
  • conversation facilitation.
• Connecting project team with resources and support services across UBC and Dean’s office.
• Providing feedback on proposal drafts including but not limited to budgets, timelines, pedagogy, learning technology and evaluation.

If you would like to receive early internal feedback, please contact Ashley Welsh, Faculty Liaison (ashley.welsh@ubc.ca), as soon as possible.

Project Partnership

Skylight may be available to partner with project teams. We have expertise in discipline-based education research methodologies and the scholarship of teaching and learning, qualitative and quantitative methods, evaluation for quality assurance, course design, pedagogy, learning technology-enabled pedagogy, instructional design, science communication, interdisciplinary science, learning analytics, and strategic planning. We also have experience facilitating and supporting the coordination of large projects and teams.

Please contact Gülnur Birol, Director of Skylight (birol@science.ubc.ca), to discuss possible partnerships.

Sample Proposals

Frequently Asked Questions, Application Tips, and More

1. Should I apply for a large or small grant? 

Skylight staff are available to help you think through this decision.

Large TLEF grants may be particularly appropriate for projects that:

• Focus on large enrolment, multi-section course (re)development.
• Require extended faculty engagement through course release.
• Build from and/or scale-up previous small grant-funded work.
• Cross departments and/or faculties.
• Have anticipated project budgets that exceed $50,000 in total.
• Large TLEF grant projects must align tightly with departmental priorities and curriculum plans. 

Small TLEF grants may be particularly appropriate for:

• Proof-of-concept projects.
• Prototype development.
• Single course and/or course section (re)development.
• Have anticipated project budgets up to $50,000 in total.