Individual Contractor - Quality Assurance

Area of Specialization/Thematic Areas:

Instructional design, learning experience evaluation, course evaluation methods, learning technology proficiency, quality assurance standards

Overview:

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Division on NCD, Digital Health, and Capacity Building supports the strengthening of individuals, and institutions (including public, private, and philanthropic organizations) at global, regional, and country levels to ensure that these partners have essential capacities, structures, and systems in place to tackle non-communicable diseases, innovate through the uptake of digital health tools and approaches, and enhance their capacities through more accessible, affordable, and accredited training in a sustained and sustainable manner.

The WHO Academy operates as a specialized global entity within the World Health Organization, working collaboratively with various departments and stakeholders to support the advancement of health education worldwide. It acts as a key driver in shaping the learning strategies and initiatives to address the evolving needs of the global health community. Currently, WHO delivers over 1,400 courses for both internal and external learners through various diverse digital learning platforms. The WHO Academy aims to migrate these courses on its Learning Experience Platform (LXP). WHO, UNITAR, and The Defeat-NCD Partnership will work together to accelerate the efforts of establishing this unified platform, including migration of existing courses and development of new courses.

The Individual Contractor (Quality Assurance) plays a crucial role in ensuring the courses on the WHO Academy platform are compliant with the expected quality standards and improving the quality of the courses offered.

General objectives of the contract: Reporting to the UNITAR Project Manager and collaborating with the LXP Lead from the WHO Academy, the Individual Contractor (Quality Assurance) is a key member of the “WHO Academy course mobilisation programme: Migration and co-production of courses (WHOA: MCC)” who is responsible for reviewing the hosted and co-produced courses in partnership between the WHO Academy and UNITAR. This role entails ensuring the timely review of the courses as outlined in the agreement between the WHO Academy and UNITAR.

Responsibilities/description of professional services:

• Evaluating and reviewing courses to ensure alignment with the WHO Academy’s quality standards and guidelines.
• Conducting comprehensive assessment of instructional design, content relevance and overall learning effectiveness.
• Developing and implementing quality assurance processes for course development and delivery.
• Collaborating with instructional designers, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders to integrate quality assurance measures.
• Preparing detailed reports on course quality assessments, highlighting areas of improvement and commendation.
• Maintaining accurate records of quality assurance activities and outcomes.
• Providing recommendations for continuous improvement in course design and delivery methodologies.
• Staying abreast of industry trends and practices in quality assurance for courses.

Measurable outputs/deliverables/schedule of deliverables:

1. Objective: Review migrated WHO courses from other platforms to the WHO Academy’s LXP
   • Deliverable 1.1: Create a detailed checklist or rubric to systematically evaluate each migrated course against the established quality criteria.
   • Deliverable 1.2: Create a project plan for conducting quality review of the migrated courses.
   • Deliverable 1.3: Conduct thorough reviews of each migrated course to ensure compliance with quality standards and identify any areas for improvement or revision.
   • Deliverable 1.4: Document findings from quality reviews, including strengths and recommendations for enhancements or corrections.
   • Deliverable 1.5: Provide feedback and recommendations to instructional designers for improving course quality and addressing identified issues or gaps.
   • Deliverable 1.6: Facilitate an iterative improvement process by collaborating with instructional designers to implement recommended changes and enhancements based on quality review findings.
   • Deliverable 1.7: Establish mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of course quality, including periodic quality checks and feedback loops to ensure sustained improvement over time.

Note: Depending on the consultant’s capacity and the number of courses finalised for migration purposes, the consultant may be required to work on the following deliverables as well. In such an event, a revised schedule of deliverables will be shared with the consultant.

2. Objective: Review co-produced WHO courses
   • Deliverable 2.1: Conduct reviews of course design documents, including learning objectives, learner descriptions, assessments, learning activities, and accessibility criteria, to ensure alignment with course objectives and quality standards.
   • Deliverable 2.2: Provide feedback and recommendations to the instructional design team based on the review of course design documents to improve clarity, effectiveness, and alignment with the WHO Academy's learning model and standards.
   • Deliverable 2.3: Conduct thorough reviews of each course developed by the instructional design team to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the learning experiences in line with the Academy's standards and course production framework.
   • Deliverable 2.4: Review each course on the Learning Experience Platform (LXP) to ensure that it is functioning as designed and meets technical specifications.
   • Deliverable 2.5: Document findings from quality reviews and feedback analyses, including strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for enhancements or corrections, and prepare reports for project stakeholders.
   • Deliverable 2.6: Facilitate an iterative improvement process by collaborating with the instructional design team to implement recommended changes and enhancements based on quality review findings and feedback from stakeholders.

List of deliverables/ Timelines

1. Onboarding of the consultant; reviewing the quality standards and expected processes/ 30 April 2024
2. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 31 May 2024
3. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 30 June 2024
4. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 31 July 2024
5. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 31 August 2024
6. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 30 September 2024
7. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 31 October 2024
8. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 30 November 2024
9. Deliverables 1.3 to 1.7 for allocated courses/ 31 December 2024

Performance Indicators for evaluation of results:

1. Completion rate of quality assurance activities:
   • Number of courses reviewed by the quality assurance consultant.
2. Adherence to quality standards:
   • Percentage of courses that meet predefined quality standards and criteria.
   • Number of deviations from quality standards identified and addressed.
3. Feedback from stakeholders:
   • Satisfaction scores from instructional design/development teams and project stakeholders regarding the quality assurance process and outcomes.
4. Timeliness of deliverables:
   • Percentage of quality assurance activities completed within the specified deadlines.
   • Average time taken to review and provide feedback on course design and development deliverables.
5. Documentation and reporting:
   • Completion of documentation, including quality assurance reports, findings, and recommendations for each course.

Competencies: Generic

1. Demonstrate a meticulous approach to reviewing and assessing course content and design.
2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail.
3. Effectively communicate quality assurance findings and recommendations to diverse stakeholders.
4. Analyse complex learning materials to identify areas for improvement.
5. Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to enhance the quality of courses.
6. Ability to work independently and remotely.
7. Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects within defined timelines.

Functional Knowledge and Skills:

1. In-depth understanding of instructional design principles and educational assessment methodologies.
2. Knowledge of quality assurance, assessment and award systems and processes in education and learning.  
3. Good knowledge of MS Office including SharePoint, Teams, Word and Excel.
4. Proficient in using tools and frameworks for quality assurance in e-learning.

Reporting structure (name of direct supervisor):

Project Manager, “WHO Academy course mobilisation programme: Migration and co-production of courses (WHOA: MCC)”, Division on NCD, Digital Health, and Capacity Building.

Minimum requirements

Education Qualifications --- An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in education, instructional design, quality assurance or a related field. Additional certification in quality assurance is desirable.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in quality assurance for educational programmes or digital courses. Previous experience in quality assurance of courses for healthcare professionals is desirable.
• Proven experience in working diverse stakeholders and vendors in an international or cross-cultural setting, showcasing exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• A profound understanding of learning design principles and methodologies to achieve optimal learning outcomes. 
• Experience working in an international or cross-cultural setting, demonstrating cultural sensitivity, adaptability, and the ability to collaborate effectively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Language Skills --- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Desired requirements

 

 

Remarks:

Individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, by local laws. UNITAR does not reimburse individual contractors for any taxes, duty, or other contribution payable by the individual contractors on payments made under the individual contractor contract.

UNITAR does not provide or arrange life or health insurance coverage for individual contractors, and individual contractors are not eligible to participate in the life and health insurance schemes provided by the UN for its staff members.

The assignment requires the individual contractor to be self-sufficient and arrange to be equipped with the requisite professional tools and equipment to carry out this assignment such as laptop with standard Adobe and Microsoft Office software, and a mobile phone.