Background

The “Horizons. Strengthening community resilience in Abkhazia” (Horizons) project is aimed to promote the social and economic resilience of local communities, especially youth, through improved access to high quality health and education services in Abkhazia. In doing so, the project aims to increase the space for reconciliation, confidence-building and social cohesion, thus expanding the ‘horizons’ of local communities affected by 1992-1993 conflict. The project is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The 5-year project intends to achieve its goal through reaching targets within and across three primary objectives of the program:

• Improved access to quality health services for vulnerable populations in Abkhazia;
• Improved access to quality education, skills development and social participation opportunities for children and youth;
• Enhanced dialogue across respective youth and professional groups;
• Enhanced Business Development Skills and Access to Vocational Trainings for Young People.

The Horizons project focuses on the following key outputs: improving the healthcare system through expanding HIV/AIDS prevention and providing screening on STIs, Hepatitis B and C, and TB; improving maternal and child health care services; and expanding learning and social participation skills and opportunities for youth in Abkhazia; enhancing business development skills and access to vocational trainings for young people.

Up to 3,000 students from all over Abkhazia currently attend the Abkhazian State University (ASU). Course works, and Diploma works in general are assigned to students during the second to fifth study years (it varies per each of the University’s eight faculties). Whereas a “Provision on Graduate Qualification Work” (Graduation Thesis) have been elaborated, approved and introduced within the university, the provision of comprehensive Academic Writing skills trainings to both teachers supervising and students assigned to complete academic works on existing standard rules and regulations have not been efficiently introduced. While the lack of proper access to external bibliographical materials, including books, textbooks, journals and periodicals etc. also creates an unfavorable condition for completing quality written assignments, the lack of basic competences in making academic research averts the students from submitting quality academic works that follow proper citation accepted rephrasing rules and avoid direct or indirect plagiarism etc. The observed state of current policies decreases the quality of education and impedes development of each students’ full academic potential.

In the fall-spring 2018, under the Horizons project UNDP in cooperation with the ASU agreed to build capacities of the university students and professionals through enhanced learning opportunities and introduction of academic writing training/short-course for targeted professors and students. A UNDP-recruited academic writing expert conducted situational analysis and developed a tailored course on academic writing. The academic writing expert also built capacities of selected 20 junior professors and 11 university students in spring 2018, through 30 lectures, each 1.20 academic hour in length.

Following results of the works carried out and strong partnership established between UNDP and ASU, in the next phase, UNDP expects to build ground for the basic academic writing course to be introduced into the ASU core-curriculum. This will be implemented through provision of capacitated local lecturers in carrying out academic writing course at ASU. While building a pool of professors capacitated and further carry out the academic writing course to ASU students, UNDP also intends to hire an international expert to contribute to building skills of ASU students in basics of academic writing, online tools and resources for publishing and improving academic writing skills. This will be reached through provision of a tailored academic writing course for 80 university students. After completion of the course, students are expected to build competencies in academic writing, and broaden their horizons on the tools, resources and opportunities available for publishing in Abkhazia, as well as abroad.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

1. Review and adjustment of the elaborated tailored Academic Writing Training programme for the ASU lecturers and students on the basis of Academic Writing Course Syllabus, designed by the expert of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in fall 2018 for university lecturers and students;
2. Conducting on-site training sessions for 80 university students (in 4 groups, each group of up to 20 students) aimed at improving their academic writing skills.

Conducting of a tailored academic writing course for 80 university students:

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, and overall guidance of UNDP CPR Team Leader, the Consultant will travel to Abkhazia to conduct Academic Writing training sessions for a group of 80 university students. Based on already elaborated Academic Writing Course, the expert will prior adapt the course content for the duration of 3 full working weeks, including the number of course lessons and lesson structure, adjust (if required) power point presentations for each course sessions and hand-outs as well as progress assignments, indicating frequency and scope of written assignments. It is expected that within 18 consecutive working days a group of 80 university students will be capacitated on academic writing. Key objective of the training course is to improve understanding of the concept of academic writing (including its structure and writing process) among targeted audience and facilitate further introduction of academic writing standards at the university level. The course should enable targeted students to build capacity in writing academically, as well as to learn more on online tools and resources widely available for improving academic writing skills, including useful literature available in English and Russian.

The expert is expected to consider the findings and recommendations of “Assessment of the Academic Writing Framework at the Tertiary Education Level in Abkhazia”, developed by a UNDP-recruited expert, as well as Academic Writing Course Syllabus, designed for Abkhazian State University by a UNDP consultant, based on assessment results collected during the initial visit to Sukhumi, Abkhazia in November 2017. In addition, prior to his/her visit to Abkhazia, the expert will be provided with university documents (available in Russian) specifying the university’s academic writing rules for a review and better understanding of the context as well as estimated outputs he/she is expected to produce. Briefing of the UNDP team in Abkhazia will be provided prior to and upon the arrival to Abkhazia.

Course/training participants are expected to acquire the following knowledge and skills upon successful course completion:

• Learn to structure and organize a range of written texts;
• Produce written academic work;
• Practice planning and editing own writing;
• Elaborate and cluster the content of the written assignment (abstract, summary, introduction, literature review, methodology, research results, general conclusion, references.

Expected course/training content should include the following components: research design and methods (research questions and objectives), data collection, literature review, types of sources, APA and/or other source citing styles etc.

Particular attention in course design is to be given to ethical aspects related to completing written academic works:

• Reference methodology
• Citation and paraphrasing
• Avoiding plagiarism

Participants written assignments are expected to receive the following feedback from the instructor/trainer:

• Quality of the content (summary)

Deliverables:

• Review and adjustment of earlier Elaborated Academic Writing Training programme on the basis of Academic Writing Course Syllabus, designed by the expert of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in fall 2018 for university students;
• Conducted on-site training sessions for 4 groups of university students (each group of up to 20 students) aimed at improving their academic writing skills;
• A brief analysis of works carried out with lessons learned and recommendations for future actions.

Description of deliverables and timelines:

• Elaborated Academic Writing Training programme following the review of currently existing university documents (available in Russian) specifying the university’s academic writing rules for a better understanding of the context as well as estimated outputs the Expert is expected to produce; as well as “Assessment of the Academic Writing Framework at the Tertiary Education Level in Abkhazia”, developed by UNDP attracted expert; and Academic Writing Course Syllabus, designed by the same expert of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Abkhazian State University,  briefing with UNDP team - 2 working days (home based);
• Carrying out Academic writing course training for 80 university students (4 groups, each group of up to 20 students) – 18 working days (during the mission);
• A brief analysis of works carried out with lessons learned and recommendations for future actions - 1 working day

Accordingly, the financial proposal should be submitted for the 21 days of fee-paid expert work and up to 22 travel days during the mission. All envisaged travel costs (ticket, living allowance fees) must be included in the financial proposal as well.

Mission: The Consultant is expected to complete assigned deliverables through traveling to Abkhazia in (tentatively) the end of February 2019 till mid-March 2019 (spring semester of 2019 academic year), depending on the consultant availability, conduct tailored academic writing training course at the ASU, for 4 groups (each group of 20 students) university students.

Total number of working days: Up to 2 w/days in total are envisaged for home-based work prior to arrival to Abkhazia; up to 18 w/days for academic writing training sessions for university students aimed at improving their academic writing skills. 1 working day is envisaged to develop a brief analysis of works carried out with lessons learned and recommendations for future actions of UNDP in that area upon the mission completion (home based). In total, up to 21 w/days for the duration of February – March 2019.

Tentative start date: end of February 2019

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrated commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Sensitivity and adaptability to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age;
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to collect field data;
• Ability to produce analytical reports/assessments in written;
• Ability of interpretation, development and analyses of related documentation;
• Ability to work under pressure with several tasks and various deadlines;
• ICT competencies;
• Excellent written and spoken English and Russian skills;
• Strong professional communication and inter-personal skills and ability to transfer knowledge to targeted groups of beneficiaries;
• Flexibility and ability to adjust to teaching environment and needs.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Humanities, International Relations or related fields (minimum requirement:  master’s degree  -7 points; Ph.D. - additional 3 points).

Experience:

• At least 5 year working experience in instructing academic writing courses at university level, experience of instruction in Russian speaking countries is an asset (minimum requirement: 5 years – 21 points; more than 5 years -additional 5 points (depending on nature of expertise, relevance, international nature of work etc.); more than 10 years– additional 4 points);
• Experience in writing training course and program curriculum minimum requirement: at least 1 conducted Academic writing course under the similar assignment  -  7 points; more than 1 similar assignment carried out – additional 3 points);
• Experience in teaching using a variety of methods, including traditional classroom and interactive teaching methods;
• Experience in conducting trainings for professors and students;
• Recorded track of at least 1 similar mission carried out as an international consultant/expert is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in both English and Russian languages. Candidates not fluent in Russian language will not be considered for the assignment.

Evaluation:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on Cumulative scoring analysis, against combination of technical and financial criteria. Technical evaluation stage encompasses desk review of offers and interviews. Offerors not meeting any of minimum technical qualification requirements will be automatically excluded from the list of offerors for further technical evaluation. In addition, offerors not meeting Language requirements will as well be disqualified. Maximum obtainable score is 100, out of which the total score for technical criteria (desk review and interview) equals to 70 points (70%) and for financial criteria 30 (30%). Offerors who pass 70% of maximum obtainable scores as a result of desk review (i.e. 50 x 70% = 35 points) will be considered as short-listed Offerors and will be invited to the interview. Those offerors passing 70% threshold of maximum obtainable scores as a result of the technical evaluation (desk review and interview), i.e. obtain minimum 49 points will be shortlisted and requested to provide financial proposal.

Financial Proposal:

Short-listed Offerors will be requested to provide financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount (with indication of specific sub-components of the payment, including daily fee, travel costs, living allowance etc.), and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include a breakdown of all cost components required to perform the deliverables identified in TOR. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. UNDP will not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.