2025-2026 Campus Block Grant: Online and Hybrid Course Development

For the 2025-2026 award cycle, UC Online has instituted a new funding model for course development where each campus is now responsible for managing the proposal and funding process. At UCLA, the funding will be used to develop fully online, hybrid online, and hybrid in-person courses that promote innovative, inclusive instruction. (See UCLA Academic Senate distance education policies for undergraduate and graduate courses)

Strategic Needs

We seek proposals for online and hybrid courses that broaden access to courses at UCLA and reimagine teaching. Courses should aim to elevate teaching by using the best practices in online learning and digital technology to transform how students engage with content, instructors, and peers in their learning community. Specifically, we will consider course proposals that meet at least one of the following strategic needs:

• Creating an online or hybrid course that alleviates curriculum bottlenecks and supports timely degree completion.
• Developing an online or hybrid course that demonstrates innovative pedagogical practices, such as alternative assessment design, technology-enhanced student engagement strategies (including integration of AI), and inclusive teaching practices.
• Building online modules or course components that will be used in multiple courses, targeting data-informed interventions to address specific barriers to student success in a course.

All UCLA instructors of record for undergraduate, graduate, and professional student courses are eligible to apply. The course must be offered in the modality proposed no later than Spring 2027. Preference will be given to courses offered at least five quarters in the next five academic years after the initial launch (excluding summer sessions). Courses and modules offered in self-supported degree programs are not eligible for funding.
 

Campus Block Grant Proposal Deadline

Award Details

These grants provide financial resources ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 per instructor of record per academic year, for wages for student workers or staff to assist with the project and financial support for faculty and instructors (up to $10,000 each, including benefits and TIF). The following in-kind support can be provided by the Teaching and Learning Center free of charge: 

• Up to 120 hours of dedicated instructional design support.
• Up to 60 hours of media production services to generate instructional videos.
• Priority admission to the summer (or winter) course design workshop and relevant TLC programming.
• Course quality assurance review, including accessibility, pedagogy, and technology usage.
• Consultative support for the assessment of student engagement and learning.

   

Course Design Outcomes

To ensure the quality of online and hybrid teaching at UCLA, instructors are expected to partner with instructional designers to create courses that: 

• Use instructional material, videos, and the course space that meet UCOP’s digital accessibility standards. 
• Include a mix of formative and summative assessments, with timely and meaningful feedback mechanisms to support student learning.
• Leverage appropriate digital tools to motivate student engagement, including regular instructor presence, interactive activities, and peer-to-peer collaboration.
• Maintain open course access and share developed instructional content with the academic unit for potential future use if the granted instructor no longer teaches the course. Courses funded through this grant should be offered a minimum of five times over five academic years, excluding summer sessions. 
• Evaluate the effectiveness or impact of the course, and use this information to iteratively improve the course over multiple offerings.

   

Proposal Expectations

Successful applications should align with at least one of the strategic needs outlined above. They should also demonstrate pedagogical alignment, explaining how the online or hybrid course will be designed to facilitate student learning, engagement, and the overall academic experience.  

Proposals will be rated on impact, feasibility, and sustainability. Expectations include:

1. First, proposals should explain the impact of the developed course on teaching and learning at UCLA, along with a clear plan for assessing whether the course meets its intended goals. This may include the number of students, instructors, peers, and/or community members at UCLA or LA engaged, supported, or inspired by the course enhancements or innovations.
2. Second, proposals should include a defined course development, approval, and launch timeline, specifying the in-kind contributions requested from the TLC or other campus teaching support units and time committed by the instructor and all other collaborators. 
   1. Note: A full course design typically occurs over six to eight months, and during this time, instructors should plan to allocate at least two hours per week to discuss and review content, plus at least four hours per week when producing content with instructional designers or media staff. 
3. Third, proposals should include how often the course will be taught and how the course will be sustained by the department, existing campus resources, as well as non-monetary support. Principal Investigators (PIs) are encouraged to explore opportunities for their department or program to either commit matching funds and/or contribute other non-monetary support of the project to evidence a broader investment in the success and sustainability of the proposed course. 
4. Fourth, instructors are encouraged to explore offering the course to students enrolled at other UCs via UC Online’s cross-campus enrollment program. Funding to subsidize the costs of instructional support of cross-enrolled students will be distributed to the department based on the number of students from other UCs enrolled at the end of week 3, although this may be subject to change. Notably, these funds are not guaranteed and the UC Online subsidy can be ended at any time.

    

   
   

Schedule a Consultation

PIs are strongly encouraged to reach out to the TLC’s Instructional Design & Media Production team at idmp@teaching.ucla.edu for a consultation meeting. TLC Consultations can provide personalized guidance on project ideas and address any questions about the proposal process. This opportunity is intended to help PIs develop a competitive proposal and is not for lobbying on behalf of a proposal. The goal is to help instructors refine and focus their projects and ensure the proposals are as compelling and well-prepared as possible. Furthermore, consultations with Academic Senate staff are strongly encouraged early in the process to discuss proposals related to academic programs and courses. (See UCLA Academic Senate distance education policies for undergraduate and graduate courses) 

For all technology-related requests using tools outside of UCLA-approved Academic Technology tools, Principal Investigators must consult with the Bruin Learn Center of Excellence to ensure alignment with campus IT policies and scalability requirements.

Awarded Funds

Awarded funds will be transferred directly to departments, which bear full responsibility for administering the funding and any associated vendor payments in strict accordance with university policies, as well as state and federal regulations. Departments will also be solely accountable for any budget overages. Funds should be used within the funding period specified in the award letter; no carry-forwards are allowed if funds are not spent by the end of the fiscal year corresponding to the award end date. Any remaining funds will be returned to the TLC.

Requirements Associated with Funded Projects

Award recipients will receive a closing email from TLC after course launch and be asked to complete the following reporting requirements. Please note that future funding eligibility is contingent upon completion of all reporting requirements:

1. Progress report shared with Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and department chair at the end of the funding period.
2. A copy of your revised syllabus for each impacted course reflecting the changes that have been incorporated as a result of this grant.
3. Contribution to a TLC event, resource, or article to promote specific aspects of the course design and inspire peers.
4. Completion of a brief survey.