Digital Pedagogy Lab Grants

Applicants should note the following:

• Projects/initiatives should demonstrate a direct benefit to community partners, and/or the capacity to enhance community capacity building related to digital literacies and pedagogies
• Projects/initiatives are intended to support experimentation with pedagogical approaches that utilize digital tools to enhance teaching and learning, and/or experiment with leading edge technology
• Projects/initiatives are typically smaller in scope and should take less than one year to develop and implement
• DPL grants should not be used to fund general research activities related to teaching and learning
• Funding is limited to projects/initiatives for which departments/units in UBC’s Faculty of Education have the primary responsibility for delivery

The below noted individuals affiliated with UBC’s Faculty of Education may apply as a Principal Applicant:

• Faculty (Education faculty in both the research and educational leadership stream, as well as Lecturers, and Sessional Lecturers/Adjunct Professors)
• Staff
• Students*

*If a Principal Applicant is a student, the application must have a Co-applicant who is a faculty or staff member.

Principal Applicants may not obtain funding for more than one grant concurrently; however, Co-applicants may be implicated in more than one project at a time. Principal Applicants who have received funding previously must submit their final report (see ‘Final Report’ section of this document) before submitting a new DPL grant application.

Applicants may request up to $10,000 per grant; however, it is anticipated that the majority of funded projects/initiatives will require between $3,000 - $5,000.

Budgetary Considerations

Applicants must include, as part of their application, a budget that shows how funds will be spent on specific expenses. Also, applicants must provide a narrative justification for each expense in relation to project objectives.

Please keep the below in mind when crafting budget requests:

• Equipment: Small items of equipment and/or computer peripherals may be funded where there is a demonstrated pedagogical need and no source of funding (e.g. audio/video equipment and/or specialized software)
• Student Salaries: Student salaries should be within Faculty norms (e.g. $16-$18 for undergraduate students and $24-$30 for graduate students, depending on tasks and responsibilities)

DPL grants cannot be used to fund the below items:

• Large items of equipment (e.g. computers, printers, monitors)
• Conference or travel expenses for UBC faculty, staff, or students
• Items related to primary research (e.g. data collection and/or analysis) or knowledge mobilization activities (e.g. on-site conference expenses, publication expenses, website development)

The adjudication committee reserves the right to reduce/adjust funding requests. If granted, funds must be used for the purposes explicitly approved per the funding application. Once in receipt of funds, applicants must assume full responsibility for oversight and tracking of expenditures, as well as reporting upon program completion. A breakdown of expenditures must be included in the final report submitted to the Edith Lando VLC and any unspent funds must be returned.

For support with budgeting, including identifying appropriate amounts for specific items, please reach out to our support team at info.elvlc@ubc.ca.

Prior to grant application all interested applicants should email info.elvlc@ubc.ca and schedule a meeting to discuss their idea and how best to proceed.
Applications should be submitted via the online form (with the required Project Proposal Form and Budget & Timeline Form). E-mailed applications or applications received without a consultation will not be accepted.

DPL grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year to be responsive to needs.

Grant applications are adjudicated on an ongoing basis. We aim to provide all applicants with a response to their application (which may include a request to revise the application) within 2-3 weeks.

Successful applicants must, as part of the conditions of receipt of funding, complete and submit a final report to the Edith Lando VLC within 3 months of project completion. A report template will be provided for this purpose.

The final report should describe outcomes and impacts for the project and its community partners. The report must also include visual and/or auditory artefacts or representations of project implementation (e.g. photographs, video/audio recordings), which may be shared on the Edith Lando VLC website and various social media channels etc. Given the non-traditional nature of this funding, project teams are encouraged to be creative in their conception of “documentation.”

Projects and/or elements of projects and their artefacts (e.g. proposal, reports, etc.) may be used by the Edith Lando VLC, including but not limited to sharing on their website, in donor reports, and on social media channels. Please note, applicant names may be published but their contact information will be kept confidential.

Similarly, teaching and learning materials, tools, and practices developed with the support of DPL grants must be made available for re-use within UBC. To that end, project teams are encouraged to license and share materials developed with the Edith Lando VLC under an appropriate Creative Commons license.

A successful DPL application will:

• be connected to educational research and/or practice;
• provide a clear rationale of the need, methodology, and objectives of the project, as they align with the Edith Lando VLC's mission and UBC’s strategic goals;
• make a clear connection to the thematic priorities and communities associate with the Edith Lando VLC;
• provide evidence of consultation with community stakeholders and address their stated needs;
• result in impactful and sustainable benefits to learners;
• provide a clear description of the use of digital technology to meet the project objectives;
• promote the use of open resources and pedagogies;
• include a clear timeline for project development and implementation;
• include an explicit and reasonable budget with no extraneous expenses;
• include an evaluation plan that will be used to determine the project’s success/impact/outcomes.

All interested applicants must reach out for application support prior to submission. Please email  info.elvlc@ubc.ca to schedule a meeting.

Edith Lando VLC team members (including representatives from the Faculty’s Educational Technology Support (ETS) team) are available to provide support and feedback for funding applications. Support provided may include but is not limited to:

• Digital pedagogy: digital course and program design, assessment of online/remote learning, evidence-based digitally supported teaching practices;
• Learning technology: use of digital tools, leading edge technologies, learning technology integration, learning analytics;
• Media: media design and development, graphic design, emerging media, VR/AR/digital games;
• Project parameters: project planning, budget development;
• Evaluation: evaluation design, project assessment.
• We recommend that all applicants meet with a member of the ETS Team for some initial support and guidance.