Ontario Exchange FAQ

Successful applications through this track will receive matches with skilled professionals and consultancies, and have their projects funded by Ontario Exchange. Projects will have to meet eligibility and reporting requirements, described within the application. Submissions will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The submission window for Pathway 1 is periodically opened for applications throughout the year. The opening of applications will be announced on the eCampusOntario website.

Applicants who do not require funded support but would like to be matched with a skilled virtual learning services supplier for last-mile support or to fill a key role can apply through Ontario Exchange’s Fast Track program. Successful applicants will receive matches from Ontario Exchange but be responsible for communicating and funding for their projects. Submissions will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.  Inquiries and questions about either pathway can be addressed to exchange@ecampusontario.ca

Successful applications through this track will receive funding for recent graduates (defined as those who have graduated within 24 months of the application date) from post-secondary programs in instructional design, learning experience design and other programs relevant to developing virtual learning materials. Ontario Exchange will provide funding to cover the project costs associated with hiring of a recent graduate. Projects will have to meet eligibility and reporting requirements, described within the application. Submissions will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

The recent graduate must have graduated within the dates stated in the memorandum of understanding (MOU). Their educational credential must be obtained from a recognized or legally authorized post-secondary institution and meet the definitions listed below. If you are unsure if your credential qualifies, please contact your educational institution to determine the type of credential assigned to your program. Proof of academic credentials will be required along with submission of an MOU.

Degrees include:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Bachelor’s Degree: Honors
• Master’s Degree
• Doctoral Degree

Diplomas include:

• Ontario College Diploma or the equivalent credential from another jurisdiction
• Ontario College Advanced Diploma or the equivalent credential from another jurisdiction

Post-Graduate Certificates include:

• Ontario College Graduate Certificate or the equivalent credential from another jurisdiction

Funded Support project application questions
Fast Track project application questions
Support for Recent Graduates project application questions

Example taken from a previous year’s project application.
Milestones and project schedule:

• Aug 2022: Connect with vendors
• Sept 2022: Finalize scope of project, required resources, and create storyboard
• Oct 2022: Secure filming location, clinical staff, and patient actors
• Nov 2022: Record virtual reality experience on-site
• Nov – Dec 2022: Edit virtual reality raw footage to create cohesive end user experience across mediums
• Jan 2023: Conduct usability testing with learners
• Feb 2023: Finalize content and publish

Ontario Exchange supports Ontario’s publicly-assisted  Colleges, Universities and Indigenous Institutes as well as suppliers of virtual content development services and more. Ontario Exchange functions as a ‘marketplace matchmaker’ by connecting suppliers with applying member institutions that require supporting resources identified through a project application.

Approved services contracted through the Ontario Exchange Platform are paid for by eCampusOntario with funding from the Province of Ontario.

Virtual learning materials supported in part by Ontario Exchange (with the exception of Fast Track requests) are generally subject to the same terms as content supported by VLS funding, in that all copyrightable content developed with Ontario Exchange support will be required to be shared within Ontario, among all post-secondary member institutions. eCampusOntario will retain the non-exclusive right to retain and distribute that content at no cost throughout the Ontario PSE sector (colleges, indigenous institutes, universities) for the purpose of use or adaptation for teaching and learning. All copyrights will be retained by the creator. In select cases, for example, if the content includes Traditional Knowledge – creators may restrict the right to adaptation of their content as well. At the time of submission, you may choose to select an additional public license (for example, Creative Commons) that allows for your work to be shared beyond Ontario.

No

Ontario Exchange will be periodically opening project applications from member institutions throughout the year. The opening of applications will be announced on the eCampusOntario website.

eCampusOntario will periodically post a Request for Supplier Qualification (RFSQ) to invite potential suppliers, including companies, experienced freelancers and recent graduates of instructional design programs, to apply for a Ontario Exchange services contract with eCampusOntario. RFSQs will be posted to the ‘Opportunities’ section of the eCampusOntario website.

Ontario Exchange is using the platform Submittable for efficient intake of project applications (EOIs).
Privacy and security considerations Submittable encrypts the transmission of information using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and follows industry standards to protect the information they store (GDPA & HIPPA compliant). Submittable uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to store data and all data/information will be transmitted and stored outside of Canada. Submittable also maintains industry standards in accessibility (WCAG 2.0 compliant). Here is some more information about Submittable.

1. Privacy: https://www.submittable.com/privacy/
2. Security: https://www.submittable.com/security/
3. Accessibility: https://www.submittable.com/accessibility/

Your EOIs are private and will not be available to anyone external to the eCampusOntario team. eCampusOntario will never use the information you provide outside of the purpose for which it was collected, but there are always risks when using software platforms that we do not control.

Connects are like tokens that enable Post-Secondary Institutions (PSIs) to connect with a supplier. Each Funded Support or Fast Track project will receive 3 “connects”. If a supplier has chosen not to accept a project’s connect, it will automatically be returned to that project. You can see how many connects a project has left on the project card.

Please use one of the following categories:

• On track – This category describes key deliverables in which the majority of elements are on-time, with no major risks on the horizon.
• Delayed – This category describes key deliverables that are currently experiencing timeline/deliverable delays or are expecting at-risk elements to create delays. Please elaborate in the Comments section.
• Complete – This category describes key deliverables that have been completed during this reporting period.
• Not started – This category describes key deliverables that have not been started yet.

Service providers that appear highlighted in green with a check mark symbol indicate a Qualified Service Provider – they have been approved through an RFSQ (Request for Supplier Qualification) process, meaning they have been internally evaluated by eCampusOntario. Non-highlighted service providers are referred to as general service providers and have not gone through the RFSQ process.

Please inform the OEX team by contacting exchange@ecampusontario.ca with your project ID and details about your project.

For Funded Support projects: Your next steps will be to complete a CSA Amendment/Change Request form (which can be submitted with your monthly report on the OEX portal) and submit your final monthly report along with a final invoice (if one is required). If it is outside of the monthly reporting window, please contact exchange@ecampusontario.ca. Please reach out to exchange@ecampusontario.ca for the CSA Amendment/Change Request form.

For Support for Recent Graduates projects: Your next steps will be to complete a MOU Amendment/Change Request form and submit your final monthly report along with a final invoice (if one is required). Please reach out to exchange@ecampusontario.ca for the MOU Amendment/Change Request form.

Please inform the OEX team by contacting exchange@ecampusontario.ca with your project ID and details about your project. Your next steps will be to complete a Termination Agreement and submit your final monthly report along with a final invoice (where applicable). The Termination Agreement will be shared upon request.

Term	Description
Connect	Connects are like tokens that enable Post-Secondary Institutions (PSIs) to connect with a service provider. Connects are present in all project types and are used when a PSI Lead would like to express interest in a Service Provider, usually leading to discussing the details of a project. When a Connect is sent, the information in the project application will be sent to the Service Provider.
CSA	Client-Supplier Agreement. A CSA is signed during a Funded Support or Support for New Graduate project once a PSI Lead has decided to proceed with a specific Service Provider. The CSA outlines the project scope, which both parties will agree to.
eCO	eCampusOntario – is a provincially-funded non-profit organization that leads a consortium of the province’s publicly-funded colleges, universities and indigenous institutes to develop and test online learning tools to advance the use of education technology and digital learning environments.
EOI	Expression of Interest – this is the project application that a PSI submits on the Ontario Exchange portal
HEI	Higher Education Institution – see PSI description
Member Institution	The Ontario Colleges, Indigenous Institutes, and Universities that are members of eCampusOntario.
Monthly Report	Process in Funded Support and Support for Recent Graduate projects in which Service Providers submit their invoices, and PSI Leads submit their status report for the month.
OER	Open Educational Resource – these are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. To learn more, you can visit https://rc-ecampus.ecampusontario.ca/open-education-resources/
OEX	Ontario Exchange – a matchmaking platform connecting educators at Ontario post-secondary institutions with professionals and service providers in the virtual learning industry. May also be referred to as the ‘platform’ or ‘portal’.
PSI Lead or Project Lead	For OEX, we will refer to the lead contact (or project applicant) on the institutional side as the PSI Lead or Project Lead
PSI	Post-Secondary Institution, this includes Ontario Colleges, Indigenous Institutes, and Universities that are members of eCampusOntario.
PSE	Post-Secondary Education (i.e., sector)
RFSQ	Request for Supplier Qualification. Process in which Service Providers apply to become qualified as Vendors of Record with eCampusOntario.
Service Provider	Freelancers and companies that create profiles on Ontario Exchange, offering their services to create digital-by-design educational resources. Service Providers can be General Service Providers or Qualified Service Providers, the latter of which are qualified by eCampusOntario and able to take on Funded Support Projects and Support for Recent Graduate projects. Service Providers may also be referred to as suppliers or vendors.
Dashboard	This is the home page that both PSIs and Suppliers will see when they are logged into their OEX accounts. It will contain project cards, and links to the Getting Started Guide, FAQs and Other resources.
Project Card	Project cards represent your submitted projects and can be found in your dashboard. Use them to ‘See Matched Service Providers’ or complete certain actions when they are available to you (i.e., Monthly Reporting)
Supplier	See Service Provider description
Vendor	See Service Provider description