Kyambogo University -- Vacancies

Title: Creative Materials Design Specialist, PTCs Number of Positions: Three Positions Start Date: October 2001 End Date: March 2003 Salary Range: Negotiable, based on salary history and experience Institution: Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK) Supervisor: Stacy Cummings, Project Manager, Uganda Connect-ED, USAID LearnLink Project, Academy for Educational Development in conjunction with respective PTC Principals. BACKGROUND The Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK) has been selected by the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as a key institutional partner for the development of multimedia teacher training courses to be developed and shared with ITEK students and with teachers at pilot Primary Teacher Colleges (PTCs). The Academy for Educational Development (AED), a Washington, D.C. based non-profit organization and a partner of USAID under the Education for Development and Democracy Initiative (EDDI), will assist ITEK in designing and developing a small, low end multimedia teacher training course development center, as well as a multimedia course user laboratory on the ITEK campus. Multimedia teacher training courses and other electronic resources are being developed. Selected ITEK staff is receiving training in low-end multimedia course development and use so that additional courses and resources may be developed after the Connect-ED concludes. Technical Professional Development will be provided and training materials offered to ITEK and PTC personnel. AED will provide rural connectivity solutions for selected PTCs and will establish PTC-based multimedia centers that will be given access to ITEK developed multimedia courses and resources. JOB DESCRIPTION The Connect-ED Project Creative Materials Design Specialist will be working with Connect-ED Project Co-ordinator and Assistant Co-ordinators at ITEK as well as the Technical Assistants at the following PTCs: Gulu, Mukujju, Bushenyi, Ndegeya, Shimoni, Kibuli and two extra rural PTCs that are yet to be selected. Priority will be given to applicants currently working in the broader community of ITEK. The Creative Materials Design Specialist will work closely with ITEK and PTC staff, particularly in the areas of planning, training, and monitoring communication, to ensure that appropriate informational materials are developed and shared via the electronic networking system to be established under the project. The Creative Materials Design Specialist will be part of the 14-person Information Technologies, Multimedia Development, and Teacher Training staff located at 8 various PTCs and ITEK. He or she is responsible for providing technical support at ITEK and conducting and training events to teacher trainers or “multipliers” at ITEK and the PTCs. The Creative Materials Design Specialist will respond to HELPDESK type requests received from ITEK staff, tutors, and students and must “troubleshoot” hardware and software problems. RESPONSIBILITIES: - Provide technical support to end-users at selected PTC for Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows 2000 based systems. Install and connect computer hardware and peripherals (such as workstations, network interface cards, modems, printers etc.). This person will be the primary person responsible for responding to HELPDESK type requests and providing follow-up surveys for quality control. - Modeling the development of low-end multimedia teacher training courses and resources to be shared with ITEK and PTC students and tutors; assisting in the alpha and beta testing courses and resources to ensure product quality; continual adaptation of ITEK teacher training curriculum and resources intended for PTCs for electronic delivery and supplementation; working with ITEK and selected PTCs, and other institutional partners, to determine priority course development topics - Developing a full-term Professional Development Program on computer literacy that focuses on integrating technology into the curriculum, and providing teachers and student teachers with proficiency in both the concepts and skills related to integration of computer technology into the classrooms. - Creative Material Design Specialists shall work with ITEK to compile a “syllabus” that includes best practices and training materials for keyboarding, introduction to computers, word processing, spreadsheets, and other baseline computer applications and develop various teachers’ manuals for the ITEK trainers to use in teaching the tutors how to go about teaching basic computer skills. - Train selected ITEK and PTC staff and ConnectED Technical Assistants (working at the PTCs) the basic computer skills developed in the Professional Development Course syllabus. This Professional Development Program includes a mastery of keyboarding, basic technology skills, and basic applications skills will be a prerequisite to using LearnLink/ConnectED multimedia-enhanced curriculum modules. The preliminary training shall familiarize ITEK and PTC tutors with the basic “syllabus”, and supporting materials that will facilitate the training. Creative Materials Design Specialists will train ITEK tutors how to teach the lecture-mode components of the course, and will be given guidelines to encourage and facilitate the self-paced portions of the basic syllabus. This course includes a mastery of keyboarding, basic technology skills, and basic applications skills will be a prerequisite to using ConnectED multimedia-enhanced curriculum modules. - Up to 50% of this position time will be spent in the ITEK Multimedia Development and Training Labs organizing and providing training, monitoring progress and follow-up assistance. Approximately 20% is spent on administrative support and co-ordinating efforts; 30% is spent working with/at PTCs. REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS: - Advanced Degree in Education required. Computer Information Systems preferred, or equivalent experience; - One - two years of Software/Hardware Support experience; - Previous experience as a member of a support staff desired; - One - two years Microsoft Windows experience; Internet and website development skills are beneficial. - Ability to clearly and concisely present complicated computer concepts to end users with differing skill levels. - Prior working experience with the Institute for Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK) required. Interested applicants contact: Fredrick Wamala, Local Project Co-ordinator, Connect-ED Offices at Kyambogo Hill Campus Institute for Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK), Kampala, Uganda Telephone: 77-78-50-28 or E-mail: fwamala@aed.org