Title: Technical support in the development of a structured digital literacy platform with safety features for primary and secondary school learners in Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and surrounding host communities.

Location/duty station: Kakuma/Kalobeyei

Expected Start Date: March 2024

Duration: 6 Months

Reporting lines: Consultant shall report directly to MERL/ICT Officer working closely with the Project Manager.

Background

World University Service of Canada (WUSC), a leading Canadian international development organization focusing on three programmatic areas: Economic Opportunities, Education, and Empowerment. WUSC is working in partnership with Finn Church Aid (FCA), implementing the Learning through Education and Access to Employment Pathways (LEAP) project, a Global Affairs Canada (GAC) funded program. LEAP will increase empowerment of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) by providing quality education for underserved populations in Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps and in nearby host communities in Turkana County.

The LEAP Project works in Kalobeyei Settlement, Kakuma Refugee Camp, and the host community. The project’s education-focused interventions are concentrated in Kalobeyei Settlement and host communities. The project is working with 15 schools. The target groups are adolescent girls and young women. The project intends to mainstream digital literacy with life skills in safe spaces. Through these strategies, the project seeks to improve non-learning outcomes that promote learning outcomes at primary and secondary school levels.

Purpose of the Assignment

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) under the LEAP project is looking for a service provider with technical expertise in delivering a structured digital literacy programme and platform appropriate for both primary and secondary school learners, in Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camp and nearby host community schools.

The focus is to provide appropriate tools, content that will allow adolescent girls to have enjoyable exposure to digital literacy during the life skills sessions in safe spaces.

Key Deliverables:

• Concept note on the design and implementation of the digital literacy platform considering the project needs and location
• Analytics management system (Admin dashboard).
• Implementation strategy
• Level of technical support after launch

Specific task to be undertaken by Consultant:

Needs assessment

Assess the needs of the project participants through discussions with WUSC and partner teams to provide appropriate platform and content designed forlow-bandwidth and low-electricity environments

Design and develop resource materials on a digital learning platform

Envision and design differentiated resource materials for primary and secondary school learners and gender appropriate and aligned with basic digital literacy (Communication, Safe use of the internet)

The platform should:

• Outline system hardware requirements, scalability considerations and software compatibility.
• Effectively perform on both mobile devices and computers.
• Be user friendly, engaging, interactive and easy to navigate for students.
• Provide participants access to rich learning content aligned to digital literacy.
• Tasks after learning sessions- assignments/Quizzes
• Opportunities for Peer discussions/ Social learning ( content that can elicit collaboration and interaction)
• Real-time support to the facilitator if the system encounters challenges/tracking (chatbot).
• Be able to perform as a stand alone program on devices while providing notifications if the system is used beyond the scope of its functions.
• Provide protection to learners not to access harmful sites.
• Enable facilitated teaching and provide facilitators with access to real-time data on participant progress (virtual classroom).
• Be able to perform both online and offline with speed and efficiency.
• Enhance microlearning by providing content in bit sizes for meaningful learning experiences.

Test and deliver

Pretest and validate the platform developed – for project participants materials with the different target audiences before finalizing for implementation; pretesting should be done with separate groups of girls and boys in order to ensure that content and materials developed address specific gaps. Provide documentation of technologies used in system development, source code and user manual.

Evaluate and feedback

• Develop a process monitoring checklists for facilitators and WUSC project teams to facilitate a feedback loop and support effective implementation.
• Outline a comprehensive plan to include metrics to be used to assess success of the digital literacy program

Application requirements

1. Candidate/Firm demonstration of ability to roll out a digital literacy and learning platform.
2. Visible list of relevant previous software systems developed and any other relevant previous experience in developing digital learning platforms.
3. Candidate/Firm demonstration of trial version of the learning platform
4. Service level of effort and terms
5. Technical support terms and conditions