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Turkmenistan ICT Instructional Design

Creative Associates International Incorporated is a dynamic and fast-growing professional services firm that specializes in international development in the areas of education, democratic transitions and stabilization in post-conflict environments. Based in Washington, DC, the firm has a field presence in 20 countries worldwide with a strong and diverse portfolio that includes global contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other clients including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense. The firm has earned a solid reputation among its clients and missions worldwide and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.

Position Summary

This is a short-term position to provide technical assistance to the USAID funded Quality Learning Project (QLP) in Turkmenistan to support the Government of Turkmenistan (Ministry of Education/National Institute of Education) to create a Digital Curriculum Resource Package that will support teachers to deliver effective pedagogy using the ICT equipment that the Turkmen government is providing to schools in the country.

This consultancy will make the technical inputs and provide training to key project stakeholders to enable the National Institute of Education to conduct systematic support to teachers

Reporting & Supervision

The consultant will report to the Chief of Party for the Central Asian Republics USAID/Quality Learning Project. The Project Director for the Quality Learning Project has overall supervision for the project.

Reporting & Supervision

The consultant will report to the Chief of Party for the Central Asian Republics USAID/Quality Learning Project. The Project Director for the Quality Learning Project has overall supervision for the project.

Primary Responsibilities

1 Prepare a concept paper on how a digital curriculum resource package will work; what are the innovations that digital curriculum resource packages are currently providing in the international arena and bringing to education development; how a digital curriculum resource package can bring systematic and managed improvement to education reform and delivery in a country (and what are the pre-conditions)

2 Design digital curriculum resource package

--Define specifications for a digital curriculum resource package product that supports the needs of the Turkmenistan education system

--Choose a platform for the online and offline delivery of the resource package that is compatible with the range of interactive whiteboard and response system hardware being installed in schools in Turkmenistan and suitable for teachers with limited IT skills

3 Build digital curriculum resource package. Develop offline curriculum resource package. Identify the strategic relevance of an online curriculum resource package in the Turkmen context and present this to government stakeholders for consideration.

4 Support content strategy development. Contribute to the documentation and implementation of a content strategy

--Help develop content strategy document (with other QLP ICs and country team)

--Curriculum resource package materials developed by project (with clear handover & capacity building process for the National Institute of Education & with QLP staff)

--Identify relevant open source/adapted materials that meet the criteria of the Turkmenistan Curriculum in coordination with QLP staff

5 Conduct trainings and provide support for administrators and end-users

--Conduct face-to-face trainings on administrative and technical issues to enable completion and management of the digital curriculum resource package

--Conduct face-to-face trainings on curating, tagging, and uploading materials to the digital resource package

--Conduct face-to-face trainings for teacher trainers to use the digital curriculum resource package, and to contribute feedback about curriculum resource package resources--Provide remote follow-up technical, administrative, and content support

6 Review and document potential technology and content partners to integrate and sustain this initiative, including existing commercial partners of the Turkmen government.

7 Prepare report and recommendations

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

Provide support and training to the QLP Turkmenistan team, online and in-country to understand and provide monitoring and support to local counterparts to adopt and achieve the project outcomes under this component

Required Skills & Qualifications

Background and qualifications in ICT use and development in education. Experience and understanding of digital galleries, archives, or resource packages, particularly in the field of education and for teacher resources and how they support effective teaching Experience of working with digital galleries, archives, or resource packages and understanding of different interactive whiteboard and response system platforms and their pros and cons Technical expertise and experience of creating and/or advising on the creation of digital resources and platforms for utilizing the resources and explaining to non-IT officials/policy makers their effectiveness and operation Understanding and experience of the transition from paper-based to digital content and how a strategy is required to effectively utilize a classroom digital platform (interactive whiteboard and response system in this case) to deliver effective pedagogy. Experience of training/training material development to enable teacher trainers to adopt digital based resources as a core element/focus of their training Experience of training/training material development to train officials and education sector managers in the use of digital curriculum resources. Experience of training/training material development to enable teacher trainers to adopt digital based resources as a core element/focus of their training Experience of/ability to developing appropriate strategies for government partners to utilize and leverage cost effective support for the development of ICT in education. Written and spoken fluency in English

Desired Skills & Qualifications

Ability in Russian and/or Turkmen Language

How to apply:

Please apply online at http://www.creativeassociatesinternational.com

Please submit all electronic submissions by 11/26/11. No phone calls please. Only finalists will be contacted.

If you experience any technical difficulties during the application process, please send an email to recruitment @creativedc.com

Creative Associates International is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and Minorities are encouraged to apply. AA/V/D