Undergraduate Course Development Fund

About UCDF

The Undergraduate Course Development Fund (UCDF) fosters ongoing, mutually beneficial teaching relationships between second-entry / graduate-only divisions and units and divisions that offer undergraduate degree programs. The UCDF program supports these teaching relationships by providing funding for instructors from second-entry or graduate-only divisions to teach courses in first-entry undergraduate divisions.

UCDF funded courses are intended to be of mutual benefit to both the undergraduate division and the second-entry / graduate division. The undergraduate division benefits from additional teaching capacity and the inclusion of leading-edge researchers into their teaching cadre, while the second-entry / graduate division benefits from exposing their instructors to a broad undergraduate population. UCDF funding is enrolment based and provided to the partnering second-entry / graduate division in support of their instructor participating in the program.

For more details, review the UCDF Principles and Guidelines. For questions about UCDF, contact the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education at vp.iue@utoronto.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions

To offer a course through the UCDF program:

  1. The undergraduate and second-entry / graduate partners are expected and encouraged to negotiate agreements directly in areas where capacity and need for delivery of undergraduate teaching are aligned. Upon request, the Planning & Budget Office will provide guidance regarding the calculation of revenue and assumptions regarding costs.
  2. After coming to an agreement on the structure of the revenue or cost sharing agreement, the deans of the undergraduate and second-entry / graduate divisions will jointly submit the following to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (OVPIUE):
    • A copy of the completed UCDF application form
    • A copy of the proposed instructors CV
    • A copy of the teaching evaluations from the proposed instructor or equivalent evidence of quality of teaching for the last two years
  3. Once submitted it will be reviewed by the OVPIUE and evaluated for approval. The OVPIUE will review the proposal and consult with the Planning & Budget Office to ensure all of the eligibility requirements are met and the proposal meets the goals of the UCDF program. 
  4. If approved, the OVPIUE will provide the divisions involved with an agreement for signature and return to the OVPIUE office.

If you are interested in offering a UCDF, please reach out to vp.iue@utoronto.ca. 

Note: It is the responsibility of divisions to complete and submit an application to the OVPIUE for review and approval by the UCDF Committee prior to the course being offered. The OVPIUE will not offer retroactive funding for courses offered without a UCDF agreement in place prior to being offered.

In order for a course to be deemed eligible for funding under the UCDF program, the partnering divisions/unitsmust ensure the following:

Divisions/Units

  • The proposed second-entry / graduate and undergraduate divisions must not be covered by an existing inter-divisional teaching (IDT) agreement
  • The second-entry / graduate unit is a division, academic unit, or an EDU:A or EDU:B

Faculty Member

  • The faculty member should hold a primary appointment in the second-entry / graduate division partnering in the UCDF course (at least 51% of the appointment must be with the second-entry / graduate division).
  • The faculty member should not hold any appointment in a unit that offers first-entry undergraduate degree programs or a graduate unit that is engaged in an IDT agreement with the undergraduate unit.
  • In their application to offer an UCDF course, the faculty member must be supported by:
    • The head (chair, director, dean etc.) of the partnering second-entry / graduate unit
    • The dean of the division holding the faculty member’s primary appointment (and any other dean where the faculty member has a budgetary cross-appointment), and
    • The head (chair, director, dean etc.) of the undergraduate division / unit that will offer the course.
  • The faculty member should hold a continuing appointment at the University. Where the faculty member holds a clinical or status-only appointment, the application requires approval of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education. Such approvals will only be granted in exceptional cases.
  • The UCDF program does not fund teaching by adjunct faculty members, visiting faculty members, post-doctoral students, research associates, or graduate students.

The Course

  • The course must be approved by both the head (chair, director, dean etc.) of the second-entry / graduate unit, the dean of that division, and the dean of the division in which the course will be offered.
  • The course may be existing or new. If a new course, the course will have to be approved by regular governance bodies at the University.
  • The proposed enrollment figure in the UCDF application should reflect the curricular needs of the undergraduate program. 
  • The UCDF program is not intended to support courses that serve as a critical pre-requisite in a program or that are crucial for program completion. In such cases, proposals should come with a statement of sustainability to ensure ongoing support can be provided should the approved instructor no longer beavailable to teach the course. This is to ensure the stability of critical paths within a program for studentprogression.
  • The UCDF funded benefit is intended to be long-term and sustainable. The arrangement should not be on an OTO basis.
  • Where applicable, course proposals should outline the sharing of revenues and/or costs between the undergraduate and second-entry / graduate units. Divisions are encouraged to consider a funding transfer or in-kind contribution from the undergraduate unit to minimally cover the cost of teaching assistants andclassroom space
  • The UCDF may separately fund the delivery of distinct sections of the same course on two campuses or in two undergraduate divisions in cases where a combined section is not possible. In this instance, two separate UCDF applications may be required. Please connect with the OVPIUE for further discussion (vp.iue@utoronto.ca). 

UCDF courses that meet the eligibility requirements on an ongoing basis receive annual funding based on the following total course enrolment allotments.

EnrolmentFunding
10-19$12,500
20-34$25,000
35-49$32,500
50-124$40,000
125-199$50,000
200+$60,000

Please note:

  • UCDF courses that are approved for an exemption that allows for a status-only instructor are only eligible for $12,500, regardless of enrolment.
  • UCDF courses require a minimum enrolment of 10 students to receive funding, an exception only being made during the first year of offering the course.
  • It is the responsibility of divisions to complete and submit an application to the OVPIUE for review and approval by the UCDF Committee prior to the course being offered. The OVPIUE is unable to offer retroactive funding for courses offered without a UCDF agreement in place prior to being offered.

The Planning & Budget Office transfers funding prior to fiscal year end, usually in late March / early April. 

In the event that the instructor of record is not available to teach the course, either in a single offering year or on an ongoing basis, a replacement instructor may be identified from within the same or another second-entry / graduate-only unit.

If a UCDF-approved instructor is not available to teach the UCDF course, we would ask you to:

  1. Review the UCDF guidelines to confirm faculty eligibility to teach a UCDF course.
  2. The replacement instructor must receive the approval of the head of the undergraduate and second-entry / graduate academic units as well as deans of both partnering divisions.
  3. After the academic units and divisions have agreed on a replacement instructor, please email the OVPIUE with the instructor information including: appointment type, appointment title as well as the academic unit and division they are located in (vp.iue@utoronto.ca). 
  4. The OVPIUE will then review the information shared to ensure all of the eligibility requirements are met and a decision will be shared.

Note: If the replacement instructor holds a primary appointment in a different second-entry / graduate unit than the instructor on record, funding will be transferred to the replacement instructor’s second-entry / graduate unit, subject to meeting customary UCDF criteria.

The OVPIUE, in collaboration with the Planning & Budget Office, maintains an up-to-date list of active, approved UCDF courses offered.

To maintain such a list, each fall OVPIUE reaches out to the graduate / second-entry and undergraduate divisions involved in offering courses funded through UCDF and asks both divisions to confirm the following details about their joint courses:

  • Is the course being offered in the current academic year
  • Confirm the course instructor
  • Confirm the course code and title 

Verifying UCDF course information plays a key role in the UCDF process.

  • This is done to ensure all participating divisions are aware of the process. A core principle of UCDF is that both divisions are committed to continuing the UCDF course offering(s), so it is essential to confirm this commitment along with the course offering details.
  • It is an essential step for the budgetary planning. Confirming course offerings in the fall is crucial to ensure the budget is properly allocated to cover UCDF course costs. In addition, if course information changes and we are not informed, the course will not appear in the data pull, and funding will not be transferred. 
  • It is also important that divisions inform the OVPIUE of any changes to course codes or instructors in advance, so we can review and approve them before the course proceeds. For example, for a course to receive funding through the UCDF program, any new instructor must meet the established eligibility criteria (e.g., continuing status appointment in the second-entry or graduate-only division). 
  • We are unable to reimburse courses that do not have a current, accurate and approved agreement. Additionally, we cannot provide retroactive reimbursements for courses. If courses are missing in the data pull due to adjusted course details that are not communicated to, and approved by OVPIUE, those courses will not qualify for funding and will not receive retroactive funding.

The OVPIUE reaches out to divisions in the fall each academic year to confirm key course offering details:

  • Is the course being offered in the current academic year
  • Confirm the course instructor
  • Confirm the course code and title

The OVPIUE asks that any updates or changes be shared with the OVPIUE by the start of November, so they can be reviewed and approved before the course proceeds. If there are any changes (e.g., instructor, course availability, course code updates), the OVPIUE asks academic units to inform their divisional contact as soon as possible. The divisional contact can then relay this information to the OVPIUE (vp.iue@utoronto.ca). If a course instructor or course code changes those changes would need to be reviewed by the OVPIUE to determine eligibility under the UCDF criteria. Additionally, in some circumstances a new UCDF agreement may be required.

The OVPIUE is responsible for initiating this process.  OVPIUE will provide the divisions involved with a list of active, approved UCDF offerings according to the records of the OVPIUE and Planning & Budget, and ask for verification of information.