The African Virtual University is an equal opportunity employer.
The successful candidate will be appointed on an initial contract of four months.
Application must include an application letter and a detailed curriculum vitae with: a telephone number; email and residential addresses; and names with contact addresses of three professional references.
Applications should be sent to job@avu.org and must have 'Technical Lead and Implementation Coordinator of the Revised AVU Websites' as the email subject
All inquiries should be sent to avuhr@avu.org
The closing date for this application is 29th October 2012
Terms of Reference
Technical Lead and Implementation Coordinator Of The Revised AVU Websites (2012)
1.0. Introduction
The African Virtual University (AVU) www.avu.org is a Pan African Intergovernmental Organization established by charter with the mandate of significantly increasing access to quality higher education and training through the innovative use of information communication technologies.
A Charter, establishing the AVU as an Intergovernmental Organization, has been signed so far by fourteen (14) African Governments - Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, and South Sudan.
The AVU has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a Regional office in Dakar Senegal with Host-Country Agreements and Diplomatic Status with the two governments.
The AVU Business Plan 2009-2014 has two main thrusts: (a) Educational and support services provided on a fee basis; and (b) Not-for-profit development services.
The, Not-for-profit development services, aims at building the capacity of AVU Partner institutions (PIs) with an objective of increasing access to quality education through the following activities: updating and developing content; Open Educational Resources (OER) Development; AVU Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP); set up/upgrade ODeL centers; developing professional networks through Communities of Practices; Research and Development; and Quality Evaluation and Benchmarking.
Some of the Not-for-profit development services were delivered from 2005 to 2011 through the AVU Multinational Project I, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and implemented in 10 African countries.
The AfDB is funding a second phase of the Multinational Project which will build on the first phase and will extend its benefits to more countries.
The overall objective of the AVU Multinational Project II is to strengthen the capacity of the AVU and a network of 27 institutions to deliver and manage quality ICT integrated education and training opportunities in 21 African countries.
The project has the following activities: (1) Establishment of new Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) Centers and/or upgrading of exiting AVU Learning Centers as well as Internet connectivity provision at AVU Partner Institutions; (2) Development and/or improvement, and delivery of four ICT integrated Programs: AVU Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP); Teacher Education (TE), Computer Science (CS), and Peace and Conflict Resolution; (3) Gender Mainstreaming (4) Research and Development; (5) Promotion and development of Open Education Resources (OERs); and (6) Enhancement of AVU Capacity.
The AVU Multinational Project II will be implemented in 27 AVU Partner Institutions in the following 21 countries: nine (9) Francophone African Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal; four (4) Lusophone African Countries: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique; and eight (8) Anglophone African Countries: Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, and Tanzania.
The AVU launched its current corporate website www.avu.org, as well as its Virtual Classroom (Moodle) http://www.avu.org/virtualclass/login/index.php and in 2010 and now wishes to update them to reflect the changes that have occurred since then, to modernize them, to reflect the AVU 15th year anniversary and to include current activities especially those related the Multinational Support Project Phase II.
To this effect, the AVU requires a qualified person to coordinate the process of developing and implementing its revised websites(2012).
The image below gives a high-level graphical view of the AVU current portals:
2.0. Scope of Work for the Consultant
Gather and document user requirements
Design and Develop the concept for the website, Overall Site Design and Layout using latest available technologies
Create a Detailed Design document for each area of responsibility and peers for review and feedback. Update the design documents based on feedback received and publish final version
Design and develop an implementation strategy of the websites
Design and develop a mobile-friendly version of the websites that are compatible across multiple platforms, including but not limited to: Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Mobile web
Supervise the development and implementation of the websites.
Ensure integration and consistency across the AVU Portals - the OER@AVU Portal, the Virtual Campus for Development and Peace and Virtual Classroom and provide mitigation strategies
Ensure optimal User Experience
Optimize website loading times
Optimize Search Engine
Provide regular reports
Ensure that the above activities are in line with the AVU Business Plan
Execute any other task that may be requested by the supervisor.
3.0. Deliverables and Expected Outcomes
Scope & Approach and Functional Design documents
Reviewed AVU Websites featuring the latest technological advancements and with relevant, up to date content, easy to update
Trained AVU staff and other users on the website
the Virtual Campus and Virtual Class are reviewed and integrated in a reviewed AVU Website
The OER Portal http://oer.avu.org well integrated in the reviewed AVU corporate website
4.0. Qualifications of the Consultant
A minimum of Master's Degree in Information Technology, Business Study or Education Administration
Strong skills in web development platforms and technologies, including Apache, PHP, CSS3, XML, Ajax, jQuery, HTML5, HTML/XHMTL, Java, Javascript, and other relevant programming and scripting languages
Extensive experience with Databases, including MySQL and Oracle
Experience with Moodle v2.3 deployment
At least 8 years' experience in managing projects in international organizations.
Experience in successfully completing similar assignments
Knowledge of Higher education in Africa is an asset
Bilingualism (English & French) is an asset
5.0. Modalities Of Work And Timelines
The consultant will dedicate 8hours a day, for 4 months.
6.0. Reporting
The Consultant will report to the Rector
7.0. Payment Schedules
The salary will be commensurate with the qualification and experience of the successful candidate
