Call for expression of interest - External experts in remote learning and distance education

OVERVIEW

Grade : 

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 26-AUG-2020

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

Long Description

 

ADVERTISED FOR ROSTER PURPOSES

 

Call for expression of interest: Creation of a pool of external experts in remote learning and distance education for high, low and no-tech solutions

 

 

 

 

Experts and professionals interested in joining the roster should submitted their application by 26 August 2020 (Midnight Paris Time).

 

Depending on our organizational needs, applicants accepted into this roster may be considered for future job vacancies.

 

 

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

 

Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationwide and localized closures are impacting millions of learners. UNESCO is supporting countries in their efforts to alleviate the immediate impact of school closures, particularly for more vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and to facilitate inclusive learning opportunities for children and youth through remote learning.

 

UNESCO Remote Learning and Distance Education Experts Roster is created in the framework of the UNESCO COVID19 response activities and in particular to support the Global Education Coalition (https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/globalcoalition) ensuring the continuity of education for all learners and strengthening the resilience of education systems. The Coalition is committed to help countries assure the inclusive and equitable provision of distance education. For this purpose, UNESCO is calling for individual experts working in the field of distance education to support UNESCO in providing countries with high-, low-, and no-tech solutions.

 

While many experts exist in the field of educational high-tech, those already working with UNESCO are not sufficient to meet the needs of UNESCO's Member States. Moreover, UNESCO is short of experts in the field of educational solutions that require little or no technology in order to reach the most vulnerable populations and promote sustainable technologies. If you have this type of expertise, UNESCO strongly invites you to apply as well.

 

OPERATIONAL AREAS AND KEY TASKS OF THE POST

 

 

In this context, UNESCO is actively working in the following areas:

• Technical guidance to Regional and Country Offices on strategies and issues related to distance education;
• Design and implementation of capacity-building solutions in digital skills targeting teacher educators, teachers and/or students;
• Design and deployment of high-, low-, and no-tech solutions for distance education as part of the emergency response, including online learning platforms and systems, mobile and web-based applications, digitizing of curricula, development of learning content available online, TV and radio education, self-instructional print-based learning material;
• Scoping complimentary ICT for learning tools and no-tech solutions to further support  distance education related-efforts;
• Assessment of learning outcomes of distance education;
• Development of information and management systems of remote learning.

OPERATIONAL AREAS AND KEY TASKS

The tasks that the expert is expected to perform include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Drafting papers, notes and reviews to further research and knowledge generation efforts in the field of remote learning;
• Development and review of project proposals responding to the needs of UNESCO Member States (countries) in the field of remote learning;
• Advice and guidance to countries on technical options;
• Technical interface for matching countries needs with service providers;
• Design and implementation of capacity-building activities for countries ;
• Design and roll-out of distance education solutions in countries ;
• Facilitation of knowledge sharing on remote learning with different stakeholders ;
• Development of communication and visibility resources on the work carried out for UNESCO (such as presentations and videos).

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Building partnerships (M) Strategic thinking (M) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

 

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a field relevant to the topic of the call (e.g. Education Sciences, Pedagogical studies, ICT in education, information technology, etc.). A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

 

Skills and competencies

Additional skills and competences include:

• Proven experience in supporting the development and implementation of distance education programmes;
• Knowledge of theories and learning design approaches;
• Experience working in developing countries;
• Proven capacity to manage projects involving many stakeholders;
• Excellent IT skills, including knowledge of MS software (Word, Excel etc.).

 

Languages

English and French are the working languages of UNESCO. Excellent knowledge of English or French and working knowledge of the other language is required.

Professional proficiency in other UN languages, in particular Spanish and Arabic, as well as non-UN languages, such as Portuguese, is of particular interest.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

 

Individual experts interested are invited to submit their application online. 

Applicants will be requested to provide the following documents:

• An up-to-date CV stating details of educational qualifications, work experience, including prior experience of work relevant for the call; 

• A statement indicating the reasons for applying and how qualifications and experience may be useful for the assignments (max. 1 page);
   
• Two recommendation letters of previous supervisors, clients or other professionals you may have worked with in past assignments who are knowledgeable of your competences and experience.

• Additional information such as hyperlinks to previous works, affiliation to a professional body, associations, research institutions and universities, and list of publications, although not mandatory, will be highly appreciated and considered.

 

Any individual expert interested may submit an application by 26 August 2020 (Midnight Paris Time). After that period, UNESCO will establish a roster of eligible applicants following the criteria set out in the Call.

For any requests for clarification, please contact Ms Lydie Ruas at l.ruas@unesco.org by quoting “Call for interest - remote learning & distance education” in the subject line of your email.

 

 

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