Open Course Initiative Fund

The Open Course Initiative Fund (OCIF) supports instructors seeking to develop new Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Eligible courses must:

  • Contribute to education community and the broader public by sharing curriculum;
  • Explore a range of pedagogical approaches and open course platforms;
  • Leverage the use of MOOC materials through integration into U of T degree program courses;
  • Showcase the University of Toronto’s capacity as a leading institution for teaching, learning and research.

OCIF has three key criteria:

  • Funds are used for development of a new open online course that will be available on a self-directed basis for a minimum of two years, or offered as a session-based MOOC for a minimum of four offerings.
  • Material can be reused in a course for registered University of Toronto students. For example, content and activities could be reused in a credit online course or in an inverted classroom course model.
  • Instructors participate in institutional research and evaluation activities.

Funding through the OCIF is detailed below:

  • Up to $15,000 per project (may be used to develop multiple course components as part of a series).
  • The Office of the Dean in the relevant division may direct the use of funding.
  • Funding may be used to subsidize instructional design; media production; course building; research assistant support; technical staff and related support; or course buyout of instructor or hiring a co-instructor (in accordance with unit-level Workload Policy provisions).
  • This funding is not expected to cover the full cost of development and delivery of the open course or module(s). It is anticipated that divisional resourcing will cover the remaining costs, which may vary depending on the scope of the project and experience or expertise of the instructor.

The following are expectations of successful applicants:

  • Course instructor will participate in initial consultation with Director of Online Learning Strategies and divisional leaders/experts.
  • Division will form a design team including instructional design support, media technicians, RAs, liaison librarians, course builder, technical support and others as appropriate.
  • Course instructor will participate in regular online course redesign team planning meetings as needed to ensure quality of course materials and instructional design.
  • Course instructor will support institutional evaluation processes and support scholarly activity related to research on effective teaching and learning processes within the Open Course sphere.
  • Courses will meet UofT standards with respect to branding.

Please contact the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovation in Undergraduate Education at vp.iue@utoronto.ca.