The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) is administering the 2015-16 Call for Proposals and distribution of funding provided by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) as part of its Ontario Online initiative. The Ministry’s goals in this initiative include: leveraging existing online strengths in the sector and developing new opportunities for collaboration; improving institutional productivity and the efficient use of resources; providing high-quality online learning opportunities for students; and enhancing student access and mobility. In pursuing these goals, the Ministry seeks to enhance the national and international profile of Ontario as a leader in online education.

Background
The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities has provided $4.75M in 2015-16 for Ontario universities through the Shared Online Course Fund, including a minimum of $250,000 in funding for French-language projects. Resources available through the Shared Online Course Fund are directed at online course development or redesign, and the development of reusable content (modules). The link below outlines the process and criteria for selecting online course development/redesign or module projects to grow and enhance high-quality online learning opportunities for students: RFP – Shared Online Course Fund – Overview

Course/Module Project Budgets
The maximum total budget for each approved project is $75,000, including direct and indirect costs. If a proposal is accepted for funding, only 80% of the submitted budget will be funded by the Shared Online Course Fund. The university will provide the remaining 20% of the submitted budget.

Deadlines

• The submission of a Preliminary Statement of Intent to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (VPIUE), is strongly encouraged, though not required, by October 1, 2015
• A Statement of Design Intent for each course or module is due to the Office of the VPIUE by November 6, 2015