logo: open learning grants

Call opens for funding to explore innovation in digital and online teaching and learning

The Office of Open Learning has issued a call for proposals for the 2023 round of its Digital, Open, and Online Learning Grants. The funding supports projects from UWindsor faculty, staff, and graduate students that contribute to understanding of hybrid, online, open, and digital curricular innovations.

The themes for the 2023 grants include, but are not limited to:

  • Supporting the priorities of the Aspire strategic plan
  • Supporting and exploring flexible, hybrid teaching and learning
  • Exploring the potential impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) in education
  • Indigenization and decolonization of digital learning
  • Equitable and ethical assessment practices
  • Microcredentials

“We’re watching our students emerge from the largest disruption in higher education’s history caused by the COVID pandemic, and run directly into the disruption of generative artificial intelligence,” says director Nick Baker. “We want to give campus the support to explore ways we can best help our students build the critical digital literacies they need so they can thrive in their increasingly complex and uncertain world.”

The funding provides the opportunity to explore a wide range of projects addressing critical questions about online, hybrid and open learning environments, and supports development or adaptation of courses and programs (credit, non-credit, microcredentials, community-focused), and digital learning resources — all with support from the open learning team.

Expressions of interest are invited for individual proposals up to $4,000, or program, department, inter-program and departmental, or community partnership proposals up to $8,500. The call closes April 3. A unique element of these grants is that they offer an opportunity to explore pedagogical questions in a supportive environment; everyone is encouraged to submit a proposal, even if their idea is not yet fully formed.

“We really want to make this opportunity inclusive and open to the whole campus teaching and learning community, so a member of the open learning team will work with everyone who submits an idea to help refine it,” says Baker. “In the beginning, most people don’t have an idea of what might be an achievable project scope, or how best to use the budget to achieve their goals and we can help with that.”

He particularly encourages applications for projects that support Indigenization or decolonization of the curriculum, that address issues of reconciliation, diversity, equity, internationalization, or that are targeted to support and improve outcomes — including access to education — for underserved or diverse groups.

For more information on themes, expectations, and submission details, or to discuss the beginnings of your project ideas with an open learning team member, visit the funding call on our website, contact openlearning@uwindsor.ca or drop in to the second floor of the Centre for Engineering Innovation at 700 California Ave.