OCULL provides Professional Development opportunities to its members through the annual Retreat and regular online meetings of the Distance and Online Learning Community of Practice.
Research Fund
OCULL administers a small research fund that provides grants to projects which build knowledge of our constituency and enhance the quality of university lifelong learning.
These grants are designed to support research projects whose outcome is going to be of direct relevance to the topic and practice of university lifelong learning, in any or all of its guises.
Grants are typically in the $2,000 – $2,500 range. Two grants will be awarded annually. Additional grants may be available if the OCULL Executive deems a project to be worthy of this support. Applications are only accepted from OCULL members.
Research Grant applications must include the following:
- comprehensive statement of objectives and anticipated outcomes;
literature review; - description of research design and methodology;
- reasons why the project is of relevance to university lifelong learning;
budget;
- project timeline (typically, research projects will be completed within one year); and,
- description of how the research findings will be disseminated.
Selection criteria
- relevance and timeliness of research to Ontario university lifelong learning;
- clarity of proposal;
- soundness of research design and methodology ;
- other financial or in-kind support for the project, or letters of support; and,
- a well articulated process for disseminating findings.
Payment of research grants
Payment of research grants will normally be made in three equal installments: first payment on notification and acceptance of the research grant award; second payment on receipt of a research progress report, typically 6 – 8 months into the research project; and, third and final payment on completion of the research and receipt by OCULL of a research summary report and financial statement, typically at the end of one year. Requests for alternate distribution of funds should be made at the time of application.
If the research project is not completed within two years of receipt of the OCULL research grant, OCULL retains the right to cancel any remaining payments.
Recipients of OCULL research grants will make their findings available to the OCULL membership, either by a research summary to be posted on the website, or a brief presentation at the annual OCULL retreat.
How to apply
Applications should be emailed to info@ocull.ca.
Grant applications may be submitted 365 days a year.
Successful applicants will be notified as a decision has been made.
Community of Practice
2026 Community of Practice Sessions
NEW! May 6, 2026: “Engaging Online Continuing Education Through Community, Connection, and Assessment,” presented by Dan Strutt, Director of eLearning Consortium Canada.
March 18, 2026: “Building and Sustaining EDI in Continuing Education,” presented by Mohammad Salhia, Senior Director of McMaster University Continuing Education.
2025 Community of Practice Sessions
February 19, 2025: “Embracing Critical and Creative AI Literacy in Lifelong Learning,” hosted by Josh Thorpe, author of AI for Students and Academic Skills Advisor at University of Stirling.
April 9, 2025: “Reimagining Campus-Industry Collaboration: Introducing Campus Exchange,” hosted by Don Eldridge, Michael Chrobok, and Suzy Lim of eCampusOntario.
May 21, 2025: “From Denver to Ontario: What’s next in lifelong learning?” hosted by Lena Patterson, Assistant Dean, The Chang School of Continuing Education, Toronto Metropolitan University.
June 17, 2025: “CAUCE 2025 Conference Debrief,” an open conversation about our key takeaways from this year’s CAUCE conference.
July 23, 2025: “Reimagining Workflows from an AI Lens,” an exploration of specific prompts, practical examples, and all the ways AI tools might support innovation and sustainability in continuing education units.
September 23, 2025: “From Numbers to Evidence: The Future of Microcredentials,” hosted by Nancy M. Pratt, Ph.D., Executive Director, Division of Continuing and Extended Education & Office of Workforce Development at Cleveland State University.
Summit and AGM
Mark your calendars! The Ontario Council for University Lifelong Learning (OCULL) will host our first annual OCULL Summit on October 16th in Burlington, Ontario.
Formerly known as the OCULL Retreat, this refreshed event places a strong focus on the state of Continuing Education in Ontario and will bring CE staff, government and business leaders together for a day of insight, collaboration, and sector-wide conversation.
More details, including registration information and the full program, will be shared soon. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
We look forward to seeing you there as we shape the future of lifelong learning in Ontario together.
The 2026 Annual General Meeting will follow online in November.
Testimonials from Past Retreats
“The Annual OCULL Retreat is not to be missed. Your a-ha’s and takeaways are immediately useful back at your CE unit.”
“Great value, always high quality, and a wonderful networking opportunity; highly recommend.”
“This is one of the few events that have something to offer everyone in your unit. If you are new to this field, it’s a must-attend.”
“It was great to collaborate with colleagues from other institutions. It was insightful and there were a lot of great ideas discussed. I look forward to attending again next year.”
“The OCULL conference is worth attending. This was my first OCULL experience and meeting colleagues from other universities, discussing common experiences, spending time together in a relaxed but professional environment was informative and enjoyable.”
“I highly recommend this conference to higher education professionals in Ontario. I would say ‘You should go.’ This is a great group of colleagues who are willing to share and collaborate. Time well spent!”
“Attend!! Informal and comfortable atmosphere. The diversity among attendees guarantees one can get good information/advice on almost any topic area.”
“Come and make professional colleague connections and friendships for life! Find out the latest on what is happening on the ground at our sister university CE institutions from other attendees contributing fully like you do to adult learners all over the province. You are warmly welcomed at OCULL!”
Staff Travel Bursary
The OCULL Executive allocates $1,000 annually to a Staff Development Bursary to provide funds for OCULL members to attend professional development opportunities, such as the Annual Professional Development Retreat and General Meeting or a meeting of a Distance and Online Learning Community of Practice. Four Bursaries valued at $250 each are available annually.
To qualify, the recipient must:
- Be a staff member at an OCULL member institution;
- Be a secondary participant at an event, such that Deans and Directors do not qualify for the bursary;
- Select the ‘Apply for Bursary’ check-box on the event registration form;
- Reside and or work more than 300 kilometres driving distance from the site of a meeting and/or programming event; and
- Apply in advance of attending the event in question.
Should more than four participants apply and qualify for the staff bursary, decisions will be made by lottery. The lottery process will subsequently ensure that no institution (should the applicants be from more than four individual institutions) receive more than one bursary.
Individual bursaries are available to a maximum of $250 to recover any combination of the following allowable travel expenses:
- One night accommodation
- Parking
- Meals
- Gas
- Transportation including any one of the following: Bus, train, airfare, or personal vehicle mileage at $0.40 per KM.
The expense claim form must be forwarded with original receipts within 30 days of the event. Please note: The OCULL Staff Development Bursary is directed toward expenses associated with travel only as outlined above and event registration fees are not considered an allowable expense.
Apply for a Staff Travel Bursary
Policies relating to the Annual General Meeting
The OCULL Executive will limit the cost per participant associated with the Retreat & AGM registration fees for the purposes of recovering in full direct costs associated with this annual gathering..
If an event has to be cancelled because of low enrollment, the Executive agrees to cover the cost of cancellation fees, if any, associated with the host institution.
OCULL will cover the costs associated with the travel of the MTCU representative at any meeting or programming event at a rate of $0.40 per kilometer OR up to $250 for airfare if the event is held more than three hours driving distance from Toronto.
Past Retreats and Annual Meetings
Past Retreat Agendas
- 2025 AGM (PDF)
- 2025 Annual Retreat (PDF)
- 2024 Annual Retreat and AGM (PDF)
- 2021 Annual Retreat and AGM (PDF)
- 2018 Annual Retreat and AGM (PDF)
- 2017 Annual Retreat and AGM (PDF)
Travel Bursary Form
Individual bursaries are available to a maximum of $250 to recover any combination of the following allowable travel expenses:
- One night accommodation
- Parking
- Meals
- Gas
- Transportation including any one of the following: Bus, train, airfare, or personal vehicle mileage at $0.40 per KM.
The expense claim form must be forwarded with original receipts within 30 days of the event. Please note: The OCULL Staff Development Bursary is directed toward expenses associated with travel only as outlined above and event registration fees are not considered an allowable expense.
The 2025 OCULL AGM and Retreat are being held online. Travel bursaries will not be offered this year.