Project Title: Curriculum Analysis and Alignment of Karkhana Lessons 

Project Timeline: All deliverables must be completed and submitted within 8 weeks of the contract signing 

Project Budget: NPR 150,000 inclusive of all taxes in consulting fees. When the project is assigned the selected consulted may seek approval for additional funds to acquire material, hire translators and conduct validation workshops with teachers and other educators. 

Project Description 

Over the past decade Karkhana has created over 100 lesson plans and kits across three product offerings (Science, Make and Computing). Our products, though schools and community makerspaces, reach over 10,000 learners a year. 

These products were designed specifically to address gaps in the Nepali education system, however, we are increasingly finding they are useful across countries and curricula. In recent years educators both in the region (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) as well as further away (United States, Myanmar, Fiji) have expressed interest in our approach and products. Consequently the Karkhana team needs to understand how well our existing products align to various national and international curricula.

To that end, this project will engage a qualified consultant to conduct a wide ranging analysis of our existing learning products and their fit across six curricula. Further details are enumerated in the.section below.

Scope of Work & Deliverables 

The consultant will provide the following services under this project: 

In Phase 1 

Review and develop an understanding of a consolidated list of Karkhana lessons and kits across various products, including lessons that may not be assigned to any product. - Conduct an analysis of the subjects that fit into Karkhana domains (Science, STEM, Computers, Design and Technology etc) across the following curricula: 

• Indian Certificate of Secondary Education - ICSE (India) 
• Central Board of Secondary Education - CBSE (India) 
• Primary/Middle Years Program, International Baccalaureate - PYP/MYP (International) 
• Next Generation Science Standards - NGSS (USA) 
• International Primary/Middle Years Program - IPC/IMYC (International) - Bangladesh National Curriculum (Bangladesh) 

Note: Karkhana team members can provide some assistance, however, the responsibility for acquiring documents outlining these curricula and their details is the consultants 

Deliverables for Phase 1 are: 

• A brief plan of action, including a timeline and additional costs, for phase 2 completion. 
• A brief report (no more than 1500 words) outlining the similarities and differences discovered between the various curricula analysed. 
• A visual representation that presents the similarities and differences between the 6 curricular. NOTE; Karkhana’s designers can be engaged to produce the actual designed document, however the consultant is responsible for conceptualizing the visual representation and guiding the designers.
• 20% of the payment will be made after phase 1 deliverables are received and accepted. 

In Phase 2

• Determine the curricular link for each Karkhana lesson and document it - Conduct validation meeting with educators and experts familiar with the various curricula being analysed 
• Conduct a knowledge transfer workshop for Karkhana’s product and academic teams on findings. 

• Google Spreadsheet that links each Karkhana lesson to its corresponding learning outcome/standard in each of the curricula analysed 
• Documentation to demonstrate validation meetings were conducted. These documents can be informal e.g. emails exchanged, photos from workshops etc. - Suggestions, via email, on how Karkhana can improve curricular alignment across all the analysed curriculam
• Knowledge transfer workshop for Karkhana team members 
• The balance of payment will be made after Phase 2 is completed. 

In Phase 3 (possible extension) 

The project may be extended to a phase 3 at the mutual agreement of the consultant and Karkhana. In phase 3, a thorough analysis of the lessons will be conducted to determine which lessons need to be modified to ensure a fit across various curricula. The consultant will be expected to identify specific lessons that need to be altered and provide recommendations on how to modify each of these lessons.

Competencies and Experience 

A successful applicant will have the following competencies and experience: - At least 2 to 3 years experience with instruction design and/or developing lessons based on curricular standards. Additionally, several years of experience as a classroom teacher is a bonus but not required.

• Have served in roles that require engaging with the curriculum, such as, science coordinator/HoD, academic director, instructional designer or curriculum designer. - Familiarity with at least 2 of the curricula we seek to analyse
• Excellent communication skills in person as well as in writing
• Strong critical thinking skills such that they can locate and determine curricular links even in those curriculums that they are not deeply familiar with 
• Experience working in the education sector in any South Asian country. 

Reporting 

The consultant will report directly to the Founder and will have to work closely with the Head of Teaching and Academics.