Details

• Job Type: Consultant
• Location: Central Asia (Online)
• Anticipated Period of Performance: 8 March to 23 April 2021
• Application Deadline: 1 March 2021

Summary

Eurasia Foundation (EF), a US non-profit organization promoting civil society development and good governance, is accepting applications for consultants to provide a range of professional services aimed at strengthening institutional, technical and financial capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Institutional Development Program (IDP) in Central Asia. IDP is a part of the Civil Society Support Program in Central Asia (CSSP), implemented with the financial support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The purpose of the program is to cultivate a vibrant and responsive citizen-oriented civil society in the region.  

Institutional Development Program consists of closely interconnected activities involving rapid assessments of CSO’s organizational capacities, tailored trainings, mentoring and other technical assistance. Staff from organizations participating in IDP will be eligible to enroll in the CSO Development School, a series of online and in-person learning events focused on the most pressing needs of civil society in Central Asia today. Organizations who demonstrate commitment to the program and potential for strategic growth will be eligible for institutional development (ID) grants.

EF is seeking consultants to design the first e-learning course under the CSO Development School, a four-week, multi-session Effective Communications Technology (ECT) module, and deliver the course to participants from Central Asia in March and April 2021. The goal of the EC module is to develop IDP participants’ core communication competencies in social media marketing (SMM) and enable them to convey clear, convincing, and credible messaging using new technology. Illustrative topics under this module might include: How to Get Started with Social Media for Nonprofit; How to Build an Engaged Audience on Social Media; Organizing Online Communications; Problem Solving Session - Challenges and Solutions; and Digital Storytelling for Beginners.

Duties

The EC module will be for approximately 80 participants from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Participants will speak Russian and/or Uzbek, and the consultant must deliver the module course content in these languages using Google Classroom. The consultant may leverage existing EF Zoom, Facebook and Telegram channels to supplement Google Classroom activities, foster continued dialogue around course content and build strong networks among peers. See Annex 1 – Course Outline and Learning Outcomes for detailed overviews.

Important Note: The consultant is responsible for producing or translating all pre-recorded videos, assessments, presentations, handouts and other key course materials for participants in Russian and Uzbek, as well as providing simultaneous translation into those languages during live events, as needed. Participants will be asked to submit assignments for consultant review in Russian or Uzbek.

This activity is budgeted for approximately 168 hours in total, as detailed below: 

Stage	Period
Content Development	8 March through 19 March
Implementation	22 March through 16 April
Student Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting	Ongoing; Report due 23 April

 

Content Development (up to 64 hours)

The consultant will be responsible for identifying gaps between knowledge and practice, trends emerging from data and characteristics of target audience(s). The consultant may conduct pre-assessments, surveys, focus groups or other assessments to finalize a list of the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors IDP members will need to acquire and practice.

After surveying participants, the consultant will outline the course content (what will be taught) and methods (how it will be taught). The course must present theories, methods and tools to promote the application of taught competencies through practical situations facing CSO members in their respective communities. The curriculum for each module should be divided into:

• at least one pre-recorded, subtitled lecture each week for four (4) weeks;
• at least one live Q&A session each week for four (4) weeks in Russian and Uzbek (each may be one session with simultaneous translation, or separate, parallel sessions in each language); and
• at least two (2) quizzes.

Lectures and Q&A sessions should be accompanied by homework assignments to practice and refine concepts highlighted in these sessions. All course content should focus on trends in using technology and best practices in public relations and communications, and the consultant must localize all content for a Central Asian audience by using relevant case studies, references and/or other examples from this context. Length, timing and other characteristics of the sessions should be explained in proposals (See ‘Apply’ below)

The consultant is expected to create immersive, engaging and interactive module content and exercises that are optimized to teach effective skills through online delivery, including written materials, reading materials, homework assignments and quizzes, as well as provide a list of additional resources (e.g., articles, videos and case studies), to supplement the course.

In addition to core module sessions, the consultant must arrange at least two unique webinars held by guest lecturers to supplemental theory and knowledge gains from the module. Guest lecture webinars must be one to two hours in length, use Zoom and focus on practical uses of Effective Communications Technology. The lectures must be held in Uzbek or Russian, and simultaneous interpretation into the second target language is required. The consultant must submit a list of at least five illustrative guest lecturers and their topics to EF in their proposals. EF and the selected consultant will determine the final list of lecturers. Webinar guest lecturer fees must be reflected in proposal budgets (See ‘Apply’ below).

 

Implementation (approximately 15 to 20 hours per week; up to 80 hours total)

The consultant will be responsible for facilitating all four weeks of distance learning using the developed content and resources. Each week, participants will be responsible for watching pre-recorded lectures and completing associated coursework. The consultant will be responsible for responding to participant questions via Google Classroom, Facebook and Telegram on a daily basis, reviewing and grading weekly coursework and providing additional resources based upon student input. The consultant must also conduct four weekly Q&A sessions via Zoom.

 

Student Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (up to 24 hours)

The consultant will be responsible for monitoring participant involvement in Q&A sessions and other live activities, creating a database for tracking data and recording individual participant progress, additional support and identified needs. Where relevant, the consultant will identify reasons for dropouts or other obstacles to desired learning outcomes. The consultant will collaborate with CSSP staff to determine pass or fail grades for all students.

The consultant will also develop pre-course and post-course evaluations to ensure that participant progress over the course can be accurately measured. The consultant will administer the pre-course assessment prior to the first lecture, and, following the final session, the consultant will administer the post-course assessment.

One week after the final session, the consultant must provide a final evaluation report that outlines participant final projects, knowledge gains, course progression, overall engagement, and forum participation. The report will include suggestions for EF on how to adapt future online courses for improved delivery based on lessons learned.