TERMS OF REFERENCE LESSON PLANNER FOR TEACHERS (AI POWERED WEB APP)

Apr 02, 2024

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The Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3) is a UNESCO programme, being implement in 33 countries across Sub- Sahara Africa. The programme seeks to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH), gender, and education outcomes for adolescents and young people (AYP) through sustained reductions in new HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early and unintended pregnancy (EUP), and gender-based violence (GBV). The O3 programme envisions a Sub-Saharan Africa where adolescents and young people are empowered, healthy and resilient and have the capacity to reach their full potential and contribute to the development of their community, country and region.

To achieve this, the O3 Program supports in-service teachers to ensure delivery of quality CSE in the classroom, paving the way for impactful education that equips students with the knowledge and skills they need for healthy decision-making. Teachers are constantly seeking innovative ways to deliver content that resonates with students, keeping them engaged and ensuring effective learning. The stakes are high given the sensitive and crucial nature of the content they deliver.

In line with this background, UNESCO ROSA is seeking a firm to develop a Lesson Plan Generator (AI powered web app). CSE educators will utilize the tool to craft lessons that are evidence-based, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive. By feeding the generator specific parameters and guidelines, CSE teachers can ensure the lessons produced are tailored to address the unique challenges and questions posed by students in this field. Furthermore, the AI's ability to incorporate latest research findings and global best practices into the lesson plans ensures that the content remains up-to-date and relevant.

The Lesson Plan Generator also offers general educators (non CSE teachers) a transformative tool, streamlining the lesson planning process. By automating the foundation of lesson creation, teachers can dedicate more time to refining pedagogical strategies, integrating multimedia resources, and personalizing lessons to cater to diverse learning styles and needs. With instant access to structured lesson blueprints tailored to specified subjects and topics, educators can expedite their preparation while ensuring comprehensive coverage of the curriculum, making their teaching approach both efficient and effective.

The firm will be responsible for the following tasks:

The selected consultant or firm will:

a. Design and develop a user-friendly front-end interface, ensuring optimal user experience and interaction with the lesson planner.

b. Construct a secure and efficient back end that handles user data, integrates with the AI model, and manages the generation and storage of lesson plans.

c. Seamlessly integrate the ChatGPT API to facilitate AI-generated lesson plans based on user input.

d. Train the AI app on CSE using existing CSE Lesson plans and other relevant documents to be provided by UNESCO ROSA

e. Ensure that the application is scalable, secure, and compatible across multiple devices.

f. Collaborate with the UNESCO ROSA team for iterative feedback and improvements throughout the development process.

The lesson planner (AI powered web app) will be constructed as follows:

Front End:The front end of the web application will consist of a user interface (UI) that allows teachers to interact with the AI-powered lesson plan generator.

The UI will include the following components:i. Login/Registration: Users will be able to create an account or log in to an existing account to access the app's features.ii. Lesson Plan Input: Teachers will enter the details of the lesson, such as subject, grade level, topic, learning objectives, and any specific requirements or resources they want to include.iii. Generate Button: After entering the lesson details, teachers can click this button to initiate the generation process.iv. Output Display: The generated lesson plan will be displayed on the screen, including text generated by the AI model and any additional resources or suggestions.v. Download/Share: Teachers will have the option to download the generated lesson plan as a Word or PDF document. They can also share the output with other users through email, social media or a unique link.

Back End:The back end of the web application will handle the processing and generation of the lesson plans. It will involve the following components:i. User Authentication: The back end will manage user registration, login, and authentication processes to ensure secure access to the application's features.ii. Lesson Plan Generation: The back end will integrate with the ChatGPT API, sending the user's input and retrieving the generated lesson plan. It will combine the output from the AI model with any additional resources or suggestions.iii. Storage and Retrieval: The back end will store the generated lesson plans and associate them with the corresponding user accounts. It will provide functionality for users to access and manage their previous lesson plans.

iv. File Conversion: The back end will convert the generated lesson plan into a downloadable Word or PDF document for users to save or share.

How It Works:i. User Registration: Users will create an account by providing their email address, username, and password.ii. User Login: Users will log in using their credentials to access the lesson plan generation features.iii. Lesson Plan Input: Teachers will enter the necessary details for the lesson plan, including subject, grade level, topic, learning objectives, and any specific requirements or resources.iv. Generate Lesson Plan: Upon clicking the "Generate" button, the front end will send the entered details to the back end for processing.v. AI Model Integration: The back end will use the ChatGPT API to send the user input and retrieve the AI-generated text for the lesson plan.vi. Additional Resources and Suggestions: The back end will supplement the AI generated text with any additional resources or suggestions based on the user's input or available content.vii. Display and Download: The generated lesson plan, along with any added resources or suggestions, will be displayed on the front end. Users can download the lesson plan as a Word or PDF document.viii. Sharing: Users can share the generated lesson plan with other users through email, social media or a unique link.ix. History Section: Users can access their previous lesson plans through a history section, which retrieves and displays their stored plans.

The firm will be expected to deliver the following:a. A fully functional AI-powered lesson plan generator web application, complete with front end and back-end capabilities as described.b. A comprehensive user manual detailing the features, usage, and troubleshooting steps for the application.c. A 3-month post-launch support for any potential bugs, updates, or enhancements.

The successful bidder is expected to demonstrate experience and list relevant projects asfollows:

Firm/CompanyMandatory• At least 3 years’ experience in the field of information technology, specifically AI powered web app development.

• Management of at least two AI powered web app development projects of similar scale (provide portfolio and references).

Desirable:• Previous work with UNESCO, other UN agencies or another international organizations and/or major institutions in development of educational web apps.• Previous work on software solutions with education institutions in a developing country.

The selected contractor is expected to dedicate the following human resources to theproject:

Team LeaderRequirements:Bachelor's degree in Software Development, Computer Science or related field. At least 5 years’ experience in software development with two years leading development team. Please attach resume to your proposal.

The designated Team Leader:• Will serve as the focal point for the project and should be the same all along implementation, including consideration in contingency plans in case the focal point is absent.• Proven experience in working on a project of similar scale, supported by a minimum of 2 references/examples.• Demonstrable project management skills related to projects of similar scope, supported by 2 examples/references

Technical team (back-end developers, front-end developers, quality assurance specialists, designers etc) with relevant qualifications / certifications and at least 2 years of experience in software development (please attach team resumes to your proposal).

Work will be performed mostly remotely and face to face meetings can be scheduled if necessary. The selected vendor will participate in virtual meetings and project consultations with UNESCO ROSA. The consultant will operate under the supervision of UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa. The office will extend necessary logistical support and facilitate access to key stakeholders and information.

The lesson plan generator should be fully operational by 31 November 2023. The consultancy is projected to span six months (including 3-month post-launch support), starting from 1 September 2023 and concluding by end February 2024. Detailed milestones and deadlines will be co-defined with the selected consultant.

The Team Leader of the selected contractor will be expected to provide an updated status in a written format on a weekly basis. Formal reporting is expected upon delivery of each deliverable. Additional reporting activities may be requested by UNESCO ROSA on a need basis.

The consultant will be selected following a competitive bidding process. Candidates must submit a cost estimation (in USD) as an expression of interest, clearly itemizing costs per production stage. Payment will be done upon submission of each deliverable.

All rights, including but not limited to title to property, copyright, trademark and patent; in any work produced by the consultant by virtue of his/her contract, shall be vested in UNESCO which alone shall hold all rights of use.

All interested Contractors are required to submit, as sperate documents, a Technical and Financial proposal separately via email.

The technical proposal shall be concisely presented and structured to include the following information:• Presentation of your company/institution (including registration and tax documentation)• Description the steps that will be followed for the development process• Proposal of detailed workplan, including milestones for key deliverables.• Proposal of timeline• Information which the bidder considers confidential, if any, should be clearly marked as such.

The Technical proposal should be no more than 10 pages, and will be evaluated on the basis of responsiveness to the requirements including:• The company’s experience and expertise that will be of benefit to the proposed assignment• Approach to task that demonstrates extent to which the company understands the requirements• Feasible and technically sound methodology, appropriate for fulfilling the overall objectives of the assignment• Realistic work plan with specific treatment of key deliverables, and clear repartition of tasks amongst team members• Qualifications and experience of Team Leader and other personnel, including the work tasks to be assigned to each team member • Quality of previous work sample

The financial proposal should be no more than 2 pages and should detail the following:

An appropriate Price Schedule which includes, as a minimum, the consultancy rate (in USD) and indication of which items may be negotiated, if applicable, or which items can be modified as per the budget. Full and final costing should include all taxes.

During the consultancy period the Contractor will be evaluated on:• their capacity to deliver products of an optimal technical quality within the agreed timelines;• their proper and smooth project management (including communication with allstakeholders);• their service orientation and responsiveness to UNESCO’s needs and expectations.

Interested companies may submit a technical and financial proposal separately via email to [email protected] no later than 10 September 2023.

This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.