Collaborative Education Lab (Co-LAB)

The Co-LAB will support and launch multi-disciplinary projects designed to: a) explore new approaches to student-centred learning, and b) empower students, instructors, staff, and college alumni to take leadership roles advancing place-based solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges. 

Project Categories

The Co-LAB will fund projects in one or more of the following project categories:  

  1. Innovations in Learning & Student Success 
  2. Faculty-Student Research Projects 
  3. Community Development Accelerator

Through funding made available by the TD Ready Commitment Program, additional funds are available in the Community Development Accelerator category to enable refugee students to lead projects.  

Further details for each category are provided below.

A space and resources for staff, instructors, and students to explore new approaches to student-centred learning*.  

Section release for Instructors and up to $3000 for project costs 

For who?

College Instructors, Staff, and Students working together.

Possible Innovation in Learning Projects
  • Working with students to explore new approaches to incorporate cultural exhibits into a course.
  • Work with students to experiment with new pedagogical approaches.
  • Identify and test the implementation of new digital tools to support student learning.

*Student Centred Learning is characterised by innovative methods of teaching which aim to promote learning in communication with teachers and other learners and which take students seriously as active participants in their own learning, fostering transferable skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and reflective thinking. (Ref: 2015 Overview on Student-Centred Learning in Higher Education.)

A multidisciplinary research setting designed to give instructors the space and resources to design, plan, and execute research projects in collaboration with students. 

$3000 or paid section release for Instructors and up to $5000 for project costs

For Who?  

College Instructors, Students and/or Alumni working together. May include community partners.

Possible Research Projects

Research projects that replicate research done elsewhere on an international student body 

Research to identify new approaches to wrap-around supports that enable student learning

A project to create, implement, research, and evaluate innovative community based curricula

Empower College Students and Alumni to take leadership roles advancing place-based solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges. 

Neighbourhood Small Grants Matching program: $500  

Social Impact or Innovation Projects: up to $6000 

For Who?  

College Instructors, Staff, Students, community organizations, and College Alumni working together.

Possible Community Development Projects

Social innovation or community development projects where faculty, alumni, and community organizations or industry partner together to undertake community research projects.

Collaborative projects that focus on goals from the City of Vancouver False Creek Flats Plan and/or implementing sustainable and circular principles of the proposed Green Industrial Innovation District.

Collaborative projects to examine the feasibility of, or launch, social enterprises

Place-making initiatives such as setting up a Community Garden, Neighbourhood Library, Local Food Program, Creating a Mural, and more

Open Educational Resources Fund

The purpose of the OER Fund is to support affordable and inclusive access to learning materials through the adaptation, adoption, and integration of open educational resources in Columbia College credit courses.  

2022-2023 OER Fund Guidelines – FINAL

Applications for both Incentive Grants and Implementation Grants will be accepted beginning in January 2022. 

Apply Here – Incentive Grants

Questions about the OER Fund can be directed to Zenith Bose: [email protected]