Students as Partners fund

Students as Partners in Course Design grants of up to $7,100 per project are available to further student-faculty partnerships in course redesign. Most of this funding, up to $7,000, must be used for undergraduate student wages. A small amount of funding, up to $100, may be used for other expenses, such as incentives for participation in evaluation activities. In addition, faculty and student partners will receive dedicated support through a learning community and an assigned staff member from UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) with expertise in course design.

SaP course design proposals will be accepted twice per year. In total, up to 40 projects (maximum value of $284,000) will be funded between 2022-2024. The intent is to distribute funds across a diversity of disciplines and academic units.

SaP Dissemination funding

The Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic is providing $40,000 until June 2024 to support undergraduate students involved in funded SaP projects to disseminate outcomes from those projects. Funds are managed and adjudicated by the Centre for Teaching Learning and Technology.

Proposals for Students as Partners in Course Design grants will be accepted once in 2024.

There will be a call in the Spring term, that will facilitate project work commencing in the Spring and Summer of 2024.

All funded projects must be completed by March 31^th, 2025.

A timeline for the next round of proposals is available below.

Support for project ideation and proposal development is available. This may be particularly valuable for individuals seeking to better understand how best to conceptualize their partnership. Please contact the program coordinators for more information.

• This fund is only available for UBC Vancouver courses.
• Courses must be at the undergraduate level and be offered for credit. Credit bearing courses in the undergraduate professional programs (MD, JD, BEd, etc.) are eligible for funding.
• Students and faculty are strongly encouraged to develop their proposal in partnership and apply as co-applicants.
• Courses are only eligible for one Students as Partners in Course Design grant. Faculty and students looking to design large, multi-section courses are encouraged to collaborate across sections.
• Applicants can hold only one Students as Partners in Course Design grant at a time.
• Principal applicants may not hold Students as Partners in Course Design grants in consecutive years.
• Applicants cannot concurrently hold a Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) grant and a Students as Partners in Course Design grant for the same course.
• Graduate students may be part of the course design work, but Students as Partners in Course Design grant funding can only be used to compensate undergraduate students for their time. Students enrolled in undergraduate professional programs (MD, JD, BEd, etc.) are considered undergraduate students and can be compensated for course redesign partnership work with this funding.
• Student partners are not Teaching Assistants or Markers. They should not engage in work that would otherwise be assigned to these employees such as marking, assisting with class instruction, holding office hours for students, etc.

Adjudication Criteria

The proposal: 

• Articulates how a partnership approach will inform faculty and student collaboration in the proposed project.
• Outlines the need/interest in making significant revisions to course content, student interactions and/or student assessment.
• Identifies course design foci that are appropriate to and would benefit from a student and faculty partnership approach.
• Includes clear opportunities for student partners to contribute to the intellectual direction of the work (i.e., it is not simply an attempt to alleviate faculty workload).
• Seeks to integrate diverse student voices and perspectives into the proposed work. For reference, please read “A Call for Expanding Inclusive Student Engagement in SoTL” by Felten et al.
• Confirms that student and faculty partners commit to engaging in SaP Learning Community activities (see Project Support (Cohort & Mentors)).
• Includes clear course evaluation plans to assess the impact of the work.

In addition, priority will be given to proposals that:

• are developed as a partnership between students and faculty,
• have clear alignment with UBC institutional plans and priorities,
• seek to hire multiple students, and
• represent multiple students voices.

Adjudication Committee

The adjudication committee for Students as Partners in Course Design grants includes students, faculty and staff from across UBC Vancouver.

Adjudication Committee members:

Please visit the CTLT Events website to see upcoming SaP information sessions and workshops.

Consultations are available to help you conceptualize your project, develop your proposal and initiate evaluation planning. Please contact the program coordinators for more information.

Proposal Budget

• Proposed budgets must not exceed $7,100 per course. Of this, no more than $100 may be used for expenses other than undergraduate student wages.
• We recommend budgeting for students as Undergraduate Academic Assistants. These wages typically range between $20-25/hour, depending upon qualifications. Please be sure to include an additional 8% for benefits (or percentage your unit uses). At the upper end of this pay scale, the grant maximum equates to approximately 260 total student hours and should allow for multiple students to be involved in the partnership.
• If your unit expects to pay students more than $25/hour, please contact the program coordinators with a rationale prior to submitting your proposal.
• Students should not be hired or budgeted as Teaching Assistants.
• Up to $100 of the project budget may be used for additional expenses, such as incentives for participation in evaluation activities. This funding may not be used to purchase or supplement the purchase of equipment.
• Please note: Courses are only eligible for one Students as Partners in Course Design grant. If your project involves a multi-section course, you are highly encouraged to collaborate with those responsible for teaching other sections.

Proposal Template

A proposal template has been developed to guide applicants through the application process. This template will be for reference only. Applicants must use the online form to submit an application.

Submitting Your Application

Proposals must be submitted using the online form provided.

UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) will provide support for SaP-funded projects through both a program cohort and staff mentors.

Both student and faculty partners are expected to participate in cohort activities, which include a kick-off meeting and two cohort meetings per Winter session. In addition, optional workshops will be held, and all participants will be invited to participate in Celebrate Learning Week.

Cohort meetings and optional workshops will address a variety of topics including:

• Developing and implementing the partnership process
• Conceptualizing and implementing learner-centred, inclusive and equitable course design practice
• Gathering feedback and other data to inform the course design process
• Planning for and implementing course evaluation

Cohort meetings will also provide opportunities for knowledge-sharing and reflection between projects, and across student and faculty peer communities. 

In addition, each funded project will be assigned a staff member from the CTLT with expertise in course design. This staff member will work as a mentor for students and serve as a liaison to the CTLT for any additional support the project may need.

Successful applicants are required to comply with the SaP in Course Design Grants reporting requirements. For individuals who have completed their SaP funded project, a final report must be submitted one month after the project has concluded.

The information you provide in the project closure report will be used to assess the impact of the SaP in Course Design Grants, identify ways to better support future projects, and to help evaluate the SaP initiative.