Online Courses Development on Curriculum and Pedagogy (English and Myanmar languages)

Call for Proposal (Organization or legal entities )

Online Courses Development on Curriculum and Pedagogy (English and Myanmar languages)

UNESCO Myanmar Strengthening Pre-Service Teacher Education in Myanmar (STEM)

Date Issued: 24 June2024

Organizational Unit: UNESCO Project Office in Yangon

Duty Station: Yangon, Myanmar

Type of Contract: Contract for Services – Authors (Organizations or legal entities) (Form AM7-6)

Tentative Duration: 1 August 2024 – 30 November 2024 (4 months)

Deadline of Application: 9 July 2024 at 17:00 Hours (Yangon time)

I. Background:

UNESCO works to Strengthen Pre-Service Teacher Education in Myanmar (STEM). The project addresses four fundamentally important aspects of pre-service teacher education. These include:

1. formulating a policy framework of pre-service teacher education and identifying standards for quality assurance,
2. improving a system of pre-service teacher training institutions by designing the new four-year degree programme of pre-service teacher education and creating good networks to accumulate and share knowledge and experiences,
3. developing institutional/management and human resource capacities, and
4. mainstreaming inclusion and equity issues in teacher education.

Under the project, UNESCO is developing new pre-service teacher education curriculum and training resources for the new four-year degree programme. Year 1 curriculum was developed and rolled out starting December 2019, and Year 1 orientation trainings were implemented in October-November 2019 (Semester 1) and May-June 2020 (Semester 2), respectively. Likewise, Year 2 curriculum and the training materials were finalized in 2022/2023 and Year 3 is under way. UNESCO’s training materials include training manual, PowerPoint presentations, videos, video scripts, etc., and they are also available in both English and Myanmar Language as online learning formats at UNESCO’s Myanmar Teacher Platform (MTP; www.mmteacherplatform.net).

UNESCO continues to adapt a hybrid, innovative approach to learning by creating online courses in line with these Years 1-3 curriculum and training materials. These courses are aimed at engaging more educators (teacher educators, teachers, trainers, etc.) in continued professional development opportunities. The courses will enable the educators to be able to: i) demonstrate their understanding in pedagogical theory and content knowledge required to deliver pre-service teacher education curriculum by semester; and ii) plan, prepare and deliver their subject/learning area, by applying various teaching strategies and assessment approaches to meet the needs of diverse learners in classrooms. These courses include various components such as lectures, videos, video scripts as well as a range of interactive activities including comprehension questions, graphic organisers, practice exercises and quizzes.

As such, UNESCO is planning the development of 6 online courses on teacher education curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and other key areas of teaching and learning as well as teacher professional development. The courses include portfolio assessment, mentoring and coaching for educators, adapting curriculum to classroom context, play-based learning, introduction to e-portfolio for career advancement and conducting classroom action research.

II. Objectives

The objective of this ‘Call for Proposal’ is to develop 6 online courses on curriculum and pedagogy for the professional development of pre-service teachers in Myanmar.

III. Work Assignment:

The Contractor will perform the tasks under the overall authority of the Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, the direct supervision of the Head of UNESCO Myanmar Project Office, and the day-to-day guidance of the Curriculum Specialist and in close collaboration with the STEM project team.

1. The Contractor will undertake the development of 6 online courses as outlined below:

1. Review pre-service teacher education curriculum (Year 1 to 3 subjects including syllabi, TBs, TGs, and handbooks, Teacher Competency Standards Framework (TCSF) for beginning teachers, get familiar with these materials but not limited to other reference materials, and utilize them in developing online course materials, by ensuring well aligned online course materials which can fulfill the learning needs of educators and local partners in Myanmar;
2. Review existing Curriculum and Pedagogy courses on Myanmar Teacher Platform (MTP) to map out the course materials to ensure to develop well-aligned course materials;
3. Conduct further research to ensure the online materials, in terms of overarching concepts, content, learning activities, teaching, and learning strategies and assessment approaches, are contextualized to meet the needs of educators and local partners in Myanmar while reflecting the international standards and trends, including mainstreaming inclusion and equity, gender, culturally responsive teaching approaches, Mother Tongue–Based (MTB) teaching approaches, educational management and leadership skills, and assessment and feedback approaches;
4. Develop 6 online courses materials: 3 courses for beginners, 1 course for mixed level (beginner and intermediate), and 2 courses for professional level, in English language. (see below for more details). Each course includes lectures, video scripts, quizzes, and assessments. Visual aids (illustrations, cartoons, images, etc.) are expected to be included in the lectures;
5. Portfolio Assessment – Beginner – 5 hours
6. Mentoring and Coaching for Educator – Professional – 2 weeks
7. Adapting curriculum to Your classroom context – Beginner/Intermediate – 10 hours
8. Play-based learning – Beginner – 3-5 hours
9. Introduction to E-Portfolio for Career Advancement – Professional – 3 hours
10. Conducting Classroom Action Research – Beginner – 3-5 hours
11. Translate 6 online course materials, from English into Myanmar language. All translations should be aligned with common glossary and terminologies provided by UNESCO;
12. Develop 1-2 audio-visual materials as such videos or animations, cartoons, etc. for each module of the courses, following UNESCO online course guidelines;
13. Ensure that these courses are designed to enable the educators to be able to: i) understand educational psychology, philosophy and professional knowledge and values that are beneficial to their profession, ii) create context-responsive, inclusive and equity-focused teaching and learning experience, and iii) apply various teaching strategies and assessment approaches to meet the diverse needs of their students.
14. Organize and format all materials to make sure that they comply to the UNESCO Graphical Standards and Logo Toolkit (provided by UNESCO), ED Sector Visual Identity

Guidelines (provided by UNESCO) and UNESCO Style Manual

(https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000141812);

1. Streamline UNESCO’s gender strategy, ensure the Guidelines on Gender-Neutral

Language is applied throughout the course contents (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377299);😉

1. Compile a list of tables, figures (including diagram, chart, illustration), photos (including images, cartoons, icons), videos, audios and other graphic elements from the third party materials by using a template provided by UNESCO and secure the intellectual property rights by using the “permission consent form” (provided by UNESCO);
2. Ensure that no plagiarized or self-plagiarized material is published without appropriate acknowledgement of the source;
3. Provide a proper credit or citation to the original work of the third-party materials. For any materials created by author, the “Source: author” should be placed underneath aforementioned materials;
4. Avoid including maps (global, regional, country) that could be politically sensitive or that could affect the legal status of any country, territory, city, area, or its authorities, or the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries;
5. Translate all course components into Myanmar language, using appropriate terms, following the terms used in pre-service teacher education curriculum and UNESCO’s guidelines on common terminology for translation;
6. Ensure that the terminologies and spellings are accurate and compliant with the standards of Myanmar language;
7. Be sensitive to sociocultural differences, political sensitivity, and address these issues properly in the Myanmar context;
8. Revise and finalize the materials of e-learning courses in English and Myanmar incorporating comments provided by UNESCO;
9. Organize and format the online learning materials including illustrations, infographics and photographs, and teaching and learning resources to make sure that they meet the requirements of UNESCO guides (see item 4), are up to standard and are of good quality; p) Record videos in English language, approximately 5-10 minutes following the specific guidelines given by UNESCO and provide all original final files to UNESCO;
10. Propose a choice of potential narrators for UNESCO’s selection (preferably, a young female/female, etc.) and a sample of voice-over work from the past projects and secure the authorization from the narrator on behalf of UNESCO by using the consent form, ifany;
11. Suggest a choice of background music to UNESCO and obtain necessary usage rights on the final choice. (Grant of Rights form to be provided by UNESCO), if any;
12. Use standard video editing software most suitable for the production and finalize in the later stages of development. Recommended software includes Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro;
13. Secure the intellectual property rights by using the “permission consent form” (provided by UNESCO) to obtain written authorization from the original source of work wherever a photo, illustration, figure, diagram or other visual materials from the third party is used;
14. Communicate with UNESCO regularly to provide updates on the course material/component and revision process and to make clarifications on the comments received on course materials.
15. The Contractor may choose the application most suitable to produce content. However, it is recommended to utilize applications requiring minimal calibration and interface mastery, especially for repeated editing during the later stages of development.
16. Industry standards for video editing software include Adobe Premiere, Adobe Edge Final Cut Pro. These products are best for delivering the final video files in various application formats, suitable for seamless sharing on web and social media.
17. The Contractor will ensure that technical specifications for videos should have been as follows:
    • Ratio: 1280×720, 1920×1080 (HD), 720p or 1080p
    • Deinterlacing: YES
    • Codec: H.264 / AAC
    • Frame Rate: 24 – 30fps
    • Image sequence: PNG, JPEG, GIF, DPX, OpenEXR, TIFF or Targa
    • Video format: MOV, MP4
    • Web Video (social media): H.264 of different frame sizes with various resolutions for Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, X (formally known as Twitter)

IV. Submissions and Timeline:

All deliverables are submitted in English and Myanmar languages with original, editable files to UNESCO (such as MS-Word, MS-PowerPoint, MOV, MP4, etc.). The assigned tasks must be submitted by the following deadlines:

1. Courses content outline for all 6 online courses (Word Format) by 10 August 2024.

2. Draft e-learning course materials/components in English for Courses 1 and 2 (please find the table provided in section I) by 28 August 2024.

3. Draft e-learning course materials/components in Myanmar for Courses 1 and 2 by 8 September 2024.

4. Final e-learning course materials/components in both English and Myanmar for Courses 1 and 2 by 15 September 2024.

5. Draft e-learning course materials/components in English for Course 3 and 4 by 27 September 2024.

6. Draft e-learning course materials/components in Myanmar for Course 3 and 4 by 4 October 2024.

7. Final e-learning course materials/components in both English and Myanmar for Course 3 and 4 by 11 October 2024.

8. Draft e-learning course materials/components in English for Courses 5 and 6 by 28 October 2024.

9. Draft e-learning course materials/components in Myanmar for Courses 5 and 6 by 5 November 2024.

10. Final e-learning course materials/components in both English and Myanmar for Courses 5 and 6 by 30 November 2024.

    The work shall be completed by 30 NOVEMBER 2024.

V. Qualifications for Specialized Knowledge/Experience:

The Organization/Institution:

1. Required Qualifications:

   Minimum 5 years of experience in managing education project, or related fields is required;

   Minimum of one project successfully implemented in the field of teacher education, which demonstrates experience in teacher training resources development and training delivery; and

   Ability to deliver high quality content on tight deadlines.

Desirable Qualifications:

1. Previous experience working with international organizations, UNESCO and/or the UN system including World Bank Group is preferred; and

   Previous experience working on pre-service teacher education and training in various sectors of Myanmar will be an advantage.

Lead Project Manager

Required Qualifications:

1. An advanced university degree in education;

   Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in project management/coordination of education project;

   Excellent knowledge on Myanmar context, particularly pre-service teacher education;

   Experience in teacher training and learning materials development;

   Excellent project management, planning and organizational skills, including the ability to meet the deadline and manage resources effectively; and

   Excellent communication skills and a concern for transparency and diligence.

Desirable Qualifications:

1. Previous experience working with international organizations, UNESCO and/or the UN System including World Bank Group is preferred; and

   Previous experiences in developing pre-service teacher education training materials and online courses will be an advantage.