eCampusOntario has released a call for the Second Round of funding in support of the Government of Ontario’s Virtual Learning Strategy (VLS). The VLS is an investment by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) to drive growth and advancement in virtual learning across the province’s post-secondary institutions. Full details and eligibility information can be found on their VLS Expressions of Interest page.
Funding is available in four streams:
- Digital Content
- Digital Content – XR Projects
- Digital Capacity – Targeted Supports
- Digital Capacity – International Marketing
The Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (VP-IUE) has flagged the first Digital Content and Digital Capacity – Targeted Supports as streams of particular interest to our faculty and staff. Given the limited amount of funding available during this round of the VLS, please note the specific priorities signaled by eCampusOntario:
- Micro-Credentials
- Sector-Wide Impact
- Learner Engagement
- Employer Partnerships
- Connectivity Options
Due to the highly competitive nature of the VLS application process and the much smaller envelope of funding available in this round, applicants are encouraged to consider their project in light of these priority areas.
Process & Deadlines
A U of T specific Institutional Proposal Template populated with sample text and examples will be made available to interested applicants once they have completed the Internal Expression of Interest Form.
All proposals must be vetted, approved, and submitted to eCampusOntario by the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education. Proposals without approval of the VPIUE will not be accepted by eCampusOntario. To help support interested applicants in this process, an internal review process has been developed with a detailed timeline found below. There will be an UofT information webinar on November 17, 2021 from 10 – 11 AM. We are asking interested applicants to complete the internal Expression of Interest form, which includes a 250-word project proposal, by Monday, November 22. Please note: Expressions of Interest require a letter of support from the applicant’s unit head, chair, associate chair, or director.
Below is the full program timetable, with UofT submission dates in bold:
| November 4, 2021 | Expression of Interest available online at Virtual Learning Strategy site |
| November 10 and 12, 2021, 12-1 PM | eCampus Technical Briefing [Registration] |
| November 17, 2021, 10 – 11 AM | UofT VLS Information Webinar [Registration] |
| November 22, 2021 | Internal Expressions of Interest to be submitted to VPIUE for review |
| January 7, 2022 | Full VLS Application to be submitted to VPIUE for final review |
For any other queries regarding the scope or submission to the VLS, please email vp.iue@utoronto.ca.
