Call for Proposals: Development Self-Learning Course on Digital Competencies for Literacy Educators

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: remote

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 18-MAY-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

BEFORE APPLYING

Please note : This call for applications is open to Corporate Applicants.

Important: Do not apply via the online career portal. Instead, please submit your bidding proposal and supporting documents by email to uil-learningecosystems@unesco.org with the subject line: ‘Development of a Self-Learning Course on Digital Competencies for Literacy Educators’, following the instructions outlined in the "Application Process" Section

1. OVERVIEW OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATION

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Through the UIL Learning Hub platform, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has curated a wealth of educational materials from experts worldwide, addressing various aspects of lifelong learning policymaking.

In today’s world, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly used in every part of life – for learning, entertainment, work, and everyday communication. Digital competencies are an important and essential part of the literacies used daily. These competencies allow individuals to engage more fully in a digital and text-mediated society. Literacy educators play an important role in supporting learners through these changes and enabling them to fully benefit from the opportunities technologies offer for lifelong learning.

Long Description

Against this backdrop, UIL has developed an instructor-led course within a project on improving the digital competencies of literacy educators as technical support to Member States to enhance the skills of the educators and in the use of technology in literacy instruction as well as promote the professional development of their literacy educators. In particular, a set of three training modules covering 17 sessions- have been developed, translated and piloted in five countries as an instructor-led course.

This course is designed for literacy educators to develop the knowledge, skills, and values that form digital competencies for literacy instruction. The course is expected to:

• Share innovative and creative ways to integrate technologies into literacy education and transform the ways educators learn and teach.
• Develop the capacity to create learning materials and environments using digital tools that increase curiosity and inspiration in learners.
• Support professional development by learning about technology and its use as a tool and resource for continuous learning.

Long Description

UIL is looking for an instructional designer or an instructional design company to design a self-learning course on digital competencies for literacy educators based on the existing instructor-led course. The self-learning course should have the following attributes on the UIL Learning Hub (Moodle LMS version 4.1):

• Each session to be 8-10 minute long, totally between 136-170 minutes for the entire course
• Clear Objectives and Goals
• Game Mechanics
• Interactivity
• Real-World Applications
• Feedback and Rewards

• Personalization
• Narrative and Storytelling / audio visual elements
• Social Interaction and Collaboration
• Progress Tracking and analytics (compatible with the Learning Hub) with module badges/ one completion certificate available for download by participants when they achieve module milestones/ complete the course respectively.

As these opportunities foster self-directed learning, the objective is to craft engaging module with a logical flow, encompassing descriptive content, questions, embedded videos, and interactive activities.

2. Work assignments

• To design and develop a multimodal (audio, visual, text), engaging, interactive, gamified and practical self-learning course based on the existing course.
• To develop course blueprints, storyboards, and supporting materials, while ensuring a conversational and engaging training style as required

3. Scope of Work and Objectives

Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the direct supervision of the Team Leader, Quality Learning Ecosystems at UIL, the contractor shall provide the following services:

• Collaborate with the subject matter experts (SMEs) including UNESCO staff with relevant expertise in brainstorming sessions/exercises per session to draft a storyboard that incorporates the corresponding pre-prepared content.
• Design and develop a self-learning course using standard features of suitable software (proposed by contractor). Develop audio-video and textual content and activities such as in-built quizzes, interactive or H5P content etc. to be uploaded to the UIL Learning Hub.

• Supporting with implementation
  • Support with enrolment of nominated learners;
  • Support with preparing learner engagement analysis (learners active, completion status per activity, responses on discussion forum, pre and post course survey completions);
  • Provide ongoing technical support with the course.
• The UNESCO Style Manual (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001418/141812e.pdf) shall be applied precisely with careful attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, abbreviations, referencing and country names. The final drafts should be submitted at a publishable standard.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence tools for any form of content generation should be duly attributed, and compliant with highest standards of ethics.

3. Deliverables

UIL project members will provide feedback to each deliverable submitted and hold regular meetings to discuss progress and next steps. All the files and course testing will be done throughout the contract duration, and feedback should be duly incorporated. The backend course files should be submitted to the UIL team.

In line with UNESCO’s overall gender mainstreaming strategy, the contractor is expected to integrate a gender perspective in all activities and apply gender analysis and mainstreaming concepts whenever feasible. Per UNESCO guidelines, the report will have to be subjected to external reviews prior to the launch of the course.

4. Expected timeline

Contract start date: 2 June 2025

Contract end date: 20 September 2025

10 June 2025

• Storyboard and blueprint finalized.

30 June 2025

• Two units fully completed, including video content and written material.

15 August 2025

• All units completed, with finalized videos and transcripts

2 September 2025

• All units finalized and uploaded to the Hub.

5. Qualifications and requirements

• Bachelor or Master’s in education, visual communications, graphic design, education technology, ICT for development, and other related field
• Proven record of learning technology experience
• Knowledge of Learning Models
• Proficiency in Learning Management Systems, hybrid/ blended learning/ self-paced learning design
• Fundamental understanding of and past HTML and CSS coding experience
• Well versed with MS Office and audio and video editing software
• Prior relevant experience with a UN agency or similar organization is an asset

Long Description

6. Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to effectively work within a complex and multicultural environment
• Proven interpersonal and communication skills
• Proven graphic design skills
• Ability to organize and coordinate multiple tasks, and deliver the result within specified timelines.

7. Language requirements:

Fluency in both written and oral English is a requirement.

APPLICATION PROCESS

For the application, please do not use the application tool. 

Interested research and consultancy agencies will need to submit one consolidated PDF document by e-mail, which includes the following information:

• An executive summary, not more than 3 pages, with a proposed detailed methodology for completing this project.  
• A financial proposal or detailed budget, quoted in euros (EUR), for delivering these two components (guidelines and training module);  
• A list of team members with specific and relevant technical expertise and the lead consultant as specified, with their short CVs, elaborating the focus on their previous relevant consultancy assignments and deliverables and relevant expertise to this project;  
• A sample of previous relevant consultancy project deliverables.  

The proposal should not exceed 10 pages. 

It should be submitted in English to uil-learningecosystems@unesco.org  no later than  18 May 2025.

Any requests for additional information should be addressed in writing to: uil-learningecosystems@unesco.org . All responses to any queries or clarification requests will be made available to all the applicants before the deadline for submission of proposals.

Please note that only selected companies/service providers will be further contacted.

Thank you for your interest in this UNESCO call.

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