EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
CONSULTANCY SERVICES – TERMS OF REFERENCE
Brief Description of the assignment : Strengthening the e-learning ‘Operations Academy’ program
Department making the request : SNOQ.2
Place of assignment : Homebased
Period of assignment : December 2022 – March 2022 (3 months)
Expected start date of the assignment : January 2021
Closing date for expressing interest : 5 November 2021at 5:00PM (Abidjan) local time.
Expression of interest to be submitted to : k.zadi@afdb.org And r.schiere@afdb.org
Questions/ clarifications to be addressed to : r.schiere@afdb.org
- Background :
The Operations Academy is one of the key initiatives set out in the Quality Assurance Plan. Its objective is to provide a well-structured e-learning programme that strengthens the foundational knowledge required of operations staff. The Operations Academy seeks to deepen the Bank’s culture and supports career development by defining and providing essential knowledge for specific career pathways within operations.
Using an e-learning format, the Operations Academy effectively trains staff regardless of their physical location, whether in the headquarters, country offices, or home-based offices. The Operations Academy seeks to deepen the Bank’s culture and supports career development by defining and providing essential knowledge for specific career pathways within operations.
The Operations Academy has had tangible success since launching the first phase – the Gateway – with nearly 700 staff that have completed all ten e-courses. The launching of the second phase that covers both the Sovereign and Non-Sovereign Pathways is scheduled for 2021, and the final phases on CPOs and Country Managers will be finalized in 2022. The total number of e-courses for the entire Operations Academy is approximately 50 e-courses.
Until now, the delivery of Operations Academy has been undertaken with limited resources. More importantly, the Bank lacks the institutional framework to ensure the long-term sustainability of Operations Academy.
- Objective :
The Quality Assurance Division (SNOQ.2) seeks an expert consultant to advise on the sustainability of the current courses of the Operations Academy and propose how to strengthen the impact of this online learning programme. It will need to consider a review of the training approaches for online learning, identify weaknesses in the implementation and growth opportunities for e-learning in the Bank and propose essential institutional and team requirements for a self-sustain e-learning programme or unit, in particular striking a balance between internal capacity and outsourcing to eLearning development companies.
- Main activities and responsibilities :
Specific activities and responsibilities are outlined hereunder in three phases :
Phase 1 : Assessment
- Draft an inception PowerPoint presentation on the methodology, a work plan and timeline for the assignment ;
- Conduct a thorough and systematic assessment of the learners and institutional needs ;
- Discuss with key stakeholders (Management, SMEs, Learners, etc.) and document the current ;
- weaknesses and strengthens of the Operations Academy ;
- Identify the barriers to further developing e-learning capability at the Bank and approaches to address them ;
- Review the current capacity of the e-learning system, including institutional capacity, human resources and Learning Management Systems ;
- Consult on and document the current systems, processes, and IT tools currently used in the Bank ;
- Identify best practices that could be applied to the Operations Academy specifically and, more broadly, the Bank ;
- Review the advantages and disadvantages of making a learning program mandatory.
Phase 2 : Analysis of findings :
- Develop and present a PowerPoint presentation on the key findings of the assessment and outline of the report to ensure consensus of the proposed approach by the consultant ;
- Draft an interim report that identifies weaknesses and opportunities to strengthen the impact and sustainability of the operations academy ;
- Identify the critical institution functions that are necessary for a properly function e-learning unit, including the requirement for in-house development vs outsourcing.
Advice on the critical elements to ensure a self-sustaining e-learning unit, including by identifying minimum learning needing that cover both hard- and soft-skills such as :
- Instructional design models and adult learning strategies for eLearning; o Engagement with SMEs ;
- Content and multimedia development tools such as Articulate 360, Captivate, Camtasia ;
- Learning Management System and/or Learning Experience Platform (LXP) ;
- Identify key process documents to ensure consistent approach and quality of individual e-courses of the Operations Academy ;
- Propose various options on how best to address the weaknesses, including the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches ;
- Recommend an approach to effectively monitor the progress and institutional impact of the operations academy, including a generic approach with possible indicators ;
- Identify the industry’s best practices that are tailored to the needs and requirements of the Operations Academy ;
- Present a rudimentary eLearning assessment approach to help measure the impact of eLearning.
Phase 3 : Present findings and solutions
- Develop and present a clear-cut high-quality PowerPoint presentation that can be used as a basis for consultations with Senior Management ;
- Deliver a concise report of about eight pages that will cover various options for the Bank to consider, including the impact on the Bank’s and learners needs, the institutional requirement for a self-sustained Operations Academy unit or programme, IT infrastructure and critical functions ;
- Advise on the balance between internal capacity and outsourcing to eLearning coding companies ;
- Deliver a style and process guide to ensure consistency of quality and “feeling” of various e-courses, including a quality checklist ;
- Remain available for any questions and finetuning the deliverables.
- Key deliverables :
Phase 1 : Assessment : A PowerPoint presentation containing work plan, reporting format and timeline at the beginning of the assignment.
Phase 2 : Analysis of findings : A PowerPoint presentation on the key finding of the assessment and outline of the report. o An interim report containing the key finding of the assessment.
Phase 3 : Presentation of findings and solutions
- A PowerPoint presentation on the key findings and solutions of the report ;
- A concise report of eight pages that covers various options to make the Operations Academy e-learning unit/programme sustainable ;
- Instruction design guide that specifies project management process, including (i) a rudimentary assessment approach to help measure the impact of elearning and (ii) an annexe assessment plan to measure a request form for internal clients that wish to develop an e-course ;
- Style and process guide to ensure consistency of quality and “feeling” of the different e-courses that can be shared with individual e-courses developers, including a quality checklist in the annexe.
- Essential Qualifications and Experience :
- At least ten years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in learning design, eLearning and/or blended learning development, knowledge management and, monitoring, evaluation and learning of training programs ;
- Demonstrated experience and understanding in developing and leading innovative eLearning programmes, facilitating communities of practice, and social networking ;
- Proven track record of developing and implementing eLearning and knowledge management systems ;
- Highly competent in research and evaluation and up-to-date with current research and methodologies and best practices in the learning design and knowledge management domains Excellent oral and written communication, analytical and presentation skills ;
- Experience working with Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), international development agencies, NGOs, and/or the financial sector is desirable.
- Language skills :
English and French are the working languages of the African Development Bank.
- Duration of the assignment and payment modalities :
The duration of the assignment will be for three months, and the estimated starting date is January 2022. Payment of honorarium will be on a lumpsum basis after satisfactory execution of deliverables.