OPEN 2021 NOFO.pdf

Department of State

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Notice of Funding Opportunity

(NOFO): FY 2021 Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program

Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement

Funding Opportunity Number: SFOP0007752

Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) Number: 19.421

Key Date/Application Deadline: May 25, 2021

Executive Summary: The Office of English Language Programs of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA/A/L) announces an open competition for the FY

2021 Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program, which offers foreign

English teaching professionals and language learners the opportunity for professional development through high-quality virtual programming, including online university-level

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) methodology courses, online

English language learning courses, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), webinars, communities of practice, social media, virtual exchanges, and other types of engaging and innovative virtual learning.

In cooperation with ECA/A/L, the recipient will manage the selection, development, and delivery of appropriate online learning courses in the field of TESOL which will be offered to English language educators or learners on an easily accessible online Learning

Management System (LMS). Courses, webinars, and other virtual programming may be offered globally, regionally, or to specific countries at the request of U.S. embassies.

Courses and webinars will be developed by U.S. higher education institutions and/or

U.S.-based TESOL professionals and will primarily include courses and content for

English as a foreign language (EFL) educators to familiarize participants with U.S.

student-centered teaching methods, introduce current methods and techniques in TESOL, and prepare participants to formally disseminate the newly acquired knowledge to their colleagues. Courses will also include topics for English language learners in English for

Specific Purposes (ESP) topics, according to global and regional goals and priorities. All content produced for this program will be openly licensed with a Creative Commons

Attribution (CC BY) License.

Pending the availability of FY 2021 funds, ECA/A/L anticipates approximately 3,000

EFL educators worldwide will participate in online courses under this award and an unlimited number of educators will benefit from the openly licensed virtual learning tools, webinars, MOOCs, and content developed under this award. U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue

Code, Section 26 U.S.C 501 (c) (3) may submit proposals to administer and manage the

FY 2021 OPEN Program.

It is ECA/A/L’s intent to award one cooperative agreement in the amount of $8,000,000, pending the availability of FY 2021 funds, to an applicant that has the ability to achieve these objectives and provide the necessary infrastructure and experience conducting online academic exchange programs. ECA/A/L reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets and participant numbers in accordance with the needs of the program and the availability of funds. Please see section B.) Federal Award Information, below for additional details.

Applicants may submit only one proposal under this competition. If multiple proposals are received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared ineligible and receive no further consideration in the review process.

A. Program Description:

Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-256, as amended, also known as the

Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of the Act is "to enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries...; to strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United States and other nations...and thus to assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and the other countries of the world." The funding authority for the program above is provided through legislation.

Purpose:

The OPEN Program offers professional development for EFL educators and other professionals as well as English language learners through online courses and other virtual learning tools and programming developed by accredited U.S. educational institutions and TESOL professionals. The courses and online content primarily introduce EFL teaching methods and techniques while offering participants the opportunity to engage in online learning that employs the latest in educational technology and provides direct access to U.S. experts in the field of TESOL. The courses and content may also address key mission goals and priorities for English language learners and educators, based on U.S. Department of State foreign policy goals and/or regional

U.S. Embassy goals and priorities. Participants are expected to share their newly-acquired knowledge with their colleagues in their home countries and to share it with other participants and stakeholders around the world through an online Community of

Practice (CoP) for alumni. U.S. embassies may also request alumni involvement in events, workshops, or other such programming with the goal of cascading new knowledge and providing new opportunities for leadership and training of trainers.

Program Categories:

Global Online Courses:

The award recipient will issue sub-awards to accredited U.S. educational institutions through open competitions to develop and provide approximately eight online courses appropriate for foreign EFL teachers of or for English language learners. These courses will include participants from multiple geographic regions in global, regional, or country-specific cohorts. Courses will be designed with the primary goal of familiarizing participants with U.S. student-centered teaching and learning methods and with current

TESOL teaching methods and techniques, while preparing participants to formally disseminate the newly acquired knowledge to their colleagues. Courses may also include topics for English language learners in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) topics, according to global and regional goals and priorities. The courses must include appropriate content that provides participants insights into U.S. culture, society, and values.

The proposal must demonstrate the award recipient’s capacity to draft a request for proposals (RFP) and the capacity to administer an open competition for issuing sub-awards to appropriate U.S. higher education institutions or TESOL professional associations. The award recipient may not issue a sub-award to itself to create or provide courses. The award recipient must explain how it will identify the topics of the courses to be provided based on the needs and priorities of ECA/A/L, U.S. embassies and specific regions and countries. In order to select appropriate courses, the award recipient should demonstrate that it has the appropriate staff with expertise in the field of TESOL, particularly in working with non-native English speaking teachers. The award recipient should also demonstrate that it has or will procure the appropriate tools and will have the appropriate staff or consultants with expertise in curriculum design, online instructional design, and graphic and video design.

The award recipient should submit a plan and timeline for the administration of an open competition, or competitions, to select sub-awards to design and deliver global online courses, which may include courses previously developed for the OPEN Program, for a series of academic quarters for the length of the award. The recipient, in collaboration with ECA/A/L and the sub-award recipients, should develop, maintain, or build upon strategies for participant placement in courses and for participant retention.

Regional and Country-specific Online Course Offerings:

Regional and country-specific course offerings will be managed through sub-awards or contracts issued by the recipient to accredited U.S. higher educational institutions through open competitions or to qualified consultants. The award recipient should conduct needs analyses in collaboration with ECA/A/L, Regional English Language Officers (RELOs), and U.S. embassies for both regional and country-specific course offerings as requested by ECA/A/L throughout the period of performance. Regional or country-specific course offerings will be provided online to meet the requests of U.S. embassies, as articulated in the needs analysis and with final approval from ECA/A/L. Such courses could involve repurposing Global Online Courses for a specific regional audience; taking advantage of an existing course through an individual or institution that is not among the Global

Online Course providers; or reaching out to an institution or individual to develop a course tailored to a specific context. The award recipient may not issue a sub-award or contract to itself to create or provide these courses.

The award recipient should submit a narrative outlining a comprehensive strategy and timeline for the administration and implementation of regional and country-specific course offerings, approximately five for the duration of the award. This strategy should include how, in coordination with ECA/A/L, the needs and requests of U.S. embassies will be assessed, and how courses addressing these needs will be implemented throughout the duration of this award. This strategy should also include how such courses may be used or adapted for global audiences after an initial iteration.

Participants:

Participants in GOCs and ROCs will be identified and/or selected by the U.S. embassies and consulates in participating countries, based on allocations determined by ECA/A/L with the final selection made by ECA/A/L. Each course will host approximately 25 participants with approximately 3,000 total participants during the length of this award, in addition to the unlimited number of participants who may access OER materials and virtual learning tools.

Participants* should:

Have the ability to complete academic work at a U.S. university level roughly equivalent to a minimum TOEFL score of 525/iBT 70

Have an understanding of English technical terms relating to computers and the internet;

Have regular access (4-5 times per week) to a reliable, up-to-date computer or mobile device with high-speed internet connectivity;

Have basic technology skills related to email, internet searches, downloads/uploads, logins/passwords, and e-file use;

Have the ability to type in English well enough to perform online tasks in real-time and submit written assignments in a timely manner;

Have at least 8-10 hours per week to devote to the coursework;

Be a citizen of, and reside in, the nominating country for the duration of the course, with some exceptions for extenuating circumstances; and

Not hold dual citizenship in the United States.

*These criteria are not related to MOOC, webinar, or social media participants.

The successful completion of an online learning program can be challenging due to several factors, such as the participants’ level of digital literacy, insufficient access to reliable internet connectivity, and competing professional and personal obligations. The award recipient should submit a narrative outlining a comprehensive strategy for improving participant retention to maximize course completion rates.

MOOCs:

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offerings will be managed by staff of the award recipient and/or through sub-awards or contracts issued by the recipient to accredited

U.S. educational institutions and approved individuals through open competitions, sole-source contracts (when approved by ECA/A/L), or with qualified consultants. MOOCs may be based on GOCs or ROCs and adapted for self-paced or instructor-led courses open to an unlimited number or participants and housed on an open and easily accessible

Learning Management System (LMS). MOOCs may also be created and implemented based on the requests of ECA/A/L and U.S. embassies.

The award recipient should submit a plan and timeline for the use of program staff to manage and implement MOOCs or the administration of an open competition, or competitions, to select sub-awards to design and deliver MOOCs for a series of academic quarters throughout the length of the award including a plan for approximately eight self-paced or facilitated MOOCs during the period of performance. The recipient should, in collaboration with ECA/A/L, develop strategies for ongoing promotion of MOOCs, participant retention, and alumni follow-on and engagement.

Webinars:

ECA/A/L has hosted the American English Live webinar series since 2010, and the award recipient will be a partner in the series implementation. The American English

Live webinar series is an online professional development program for teachers currently broadcast via Facebook Live on the American English for Educators Facebook page. In collaboration with ECA/A/L, the award recipient will develop a calendar of American

English Live webinars shared on one or more platforms that allow for the highest degree of global accessibility. In collaboration with ECA/A/L, the award recipient will also recruit and contract with U.S. TESOL professionals to prepare for and present each of these webinars.

The award recipient should submit a plan and timeline for recruitment, topic selection, presenter collaboration, presentation development, and announcement of webinar series throughout the length of the award with approximately 18 webinars throughout the duration of the award. The recipient should, in collaboration with ECA/A/L, develop strategies for promotion of webinars and participant follow-on and engagement. The timeline and plan for MOOCs, GOCs, ROCs, webinars, social media content, and the

Community of Practice (CoP) can be submitted in one overall plan, if desired.

Social Media:

ECA/A/L hosts the American English at State and the American English for Educators

Facebook pages as well as the American English YouTube channel. These platforms have a combined reach of over 4 million followers. In collaboration with ECA/A/L, the award recipient will strategize the incorporation of public diplomacy and TESOL themes and create engaging content for these platforms, promoting English language learning and other U.S. embassy or D.C.-based content or opportunities upon request.

The award recipient should submit a plan and timeline for theme development and content creation as well as management and moderation of the social media platforms beginning in 2022 throughout the length of the award. The plan should include specific ways which the award recipient will assess the needs of U.S. embassies and current and potential audiences. The social media plan should include information on types of content and strategies for engagement based on potential needs assessment results, as well as strategies for engaging award recipient staff or approved consultants in executing this plan.

The award recipient, at the request of and in collaboration with ECA/A/L, may develop a plan and timeline for redeveloping the American English website or application (app), including options for obtaining an appropriate domain name, hosting of website or application, design, development and testing.

Community of Practice (CoP):

The award recipient will use, maintain and update as necessary the existing online

Community of Practice (CoP) for OPEN alumni. The purpose of the online CoP is to ensure continued follow-on activity and alumni engagement, which insures that Bureau supported programs are not isolated events. In collaboration with ECA/A/L, the award recipient will develop strategies for maximizing participation on the CoP and create an engaging, dynamic, user-friendly, and visually appealing online CoP where alumni participants are encouraged to share resources and ideas as well as cascade knowledge and skills gained from online courses or webinars. The award recipient may also engage

U.S. embassies or provide opportunities for stakeholders to participate on the CoP.

The award recipient should submit a plan and timeline for CoP engagement beginning in

2022 and throughout the length of the award. The plan should include specific ways which the award recipient will assess the needs of program alumni, U.S. embassies and current and potential audiences. The plan should include information on types of content and strategies for engagement based on potential needs assessment results. The award recipient must also explain the value added for activities and involvement on the CoP.

The timeline and plan for MOOCs, GOCs, ROCs, webinars, social media content, and the

Community of Practice (CoP) can be submitted in one overall plan, if desired.

Data Management:

The award recipient will use, maintain, and update as necessary the existing LMS, which is uniformly utilized for all online course offerings through the OPEN Program. The recipient will be responsible for ensuring ongoing evaluation of the efficacy of the LMS .

If a significant improvement to the program could be made by transferring to a different platform or by making significant changes to the current platform, the award recipient may do so, with ECA/A/L approval. This LMS must accommodate participants in low-bandwidth contexts, while offering participants access to various collaborative multi-media tools during the courses, such as discussion forums or videos. The LMS is customized specifically for the OPEN Program. The LMS should not be tied to any one institution, as the system must be accessible to multiple institutions and individually-contracted instructors. This system must be accessible at all times to U.S. embassy and

ECA/A/L staff involved in nominating and selecting participants, as well as monitoring the online courses.

The award recipient will also use, maintain, and update as necessary the existing application and registration portal that allows U.S. embassies to nominate and enroll participants and track participant progress through the OPEN Program. The application and registration portal must remain connected to the LMS. With guidance from

ECA/A/L, the award recipient must electronically maintain and regularly update applicant and participant data, and protect personally identifiable information using cyber-secure data collection processes. The management and sharing of this data must continuously be updated and improved to meet the reporting and story-telling demands, monitoring and evaluation requirements and requests of ECA/A/L and U.S. Embassy stakeholders. The award recipient should provide technical assistance and periodic trainings (virtual and/or face-to-face) for ECA/A/L and U.S. embassy staff on how to use the system and should strive to build and maintain a system that is intuitive and user friendly.

Open Educational Resources:

At the direction of ECA/A/L, the recipient organization will create or issue sub-awards or contracts to accredited U.S. educational institutions and approved individuals through open competitions, or with qualified consultants, to create openly-accessible online

English language teaching and learning tools, which may include MOOCs, webinars, course materials, course modules, communities of practice, digital libraries, and other online methods of learning. Open educational resources (OERs) are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others. OERs include full courses, course materials, course modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge. OERs may be enriched by utilizing OPEN Program alumni in supporting roles, such as a moderator of a MOOC, a facilitator of a webinar or as a contributor to a community of practice. The award recipient will be expected to provide ECA/A/L with access to OERs created during the program at any time during the award. This will allow

ECA/A/L to innovatively address additional virtual learning opportunities that may arise.

The award and sub-award recipients will collaborate with ECA/A/L and Creative

Commons to license all online courses with the most recent CC BY license to ensure the courses and materials developed with this award will have a significant multiplier effect, be cost-effective, and encourage innovation in the development of new learning materials. As a condition of the FY 2021 OPEN Program award, all work (except for computer software source code, discussed below) created with the support of the award and any sub-awards will be required to be licensed under a CC BY license. Work that must be licensed in this manner includes new content created using sub-awards;

modifications made to pre-existing sub-recipient-owned content using sub-awards; and new works and modifications made to pre-existing works commissioned from third parties using sub-awards. This license will allow subsequent users to copy, adapt, distribute, and transmit the licensed work, and will require users to attribute the work in the manner specified by the award recipient. Notice of the license shall be affixed to the work. For general information on CC BY, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. The award recipient may also contract with

Creative Commons for services, such as technical assistance, implementation, and on-going maintenance associated with CC BY licensing.

Micro-credentialing Pathways

In collaboration with ECA/A/L, the recipient organization may create micro-credentialing pathways to engage participants and alumni in further developing their professional skills through higher level training of trainers courses and other professional development opportunities globally and/or in conjunction with U.S. embassies to train other educators and cascade new knowledge. The recipient organization may provide badging related to participation in webinars, GOCs, ROCs, and/or MOOCs that would create a pathway for participants to receive honors and recognition for participating in multiple opportunities and to receive training to train other teachers. The award recipient may also contract with a badging software company or institutions for services, such as technical assistance, implementation, and on-going maintenance associated with micro-credentialing and pathway building.

Virtual Exchanges: As requested by ECA/A/L, the recipient may conduct virtual exchanges or may issue a sub-award(s) to another/other organization(s) through an open competition. Sub-recipients may include U.S. public and private non-profit, non-governmental organizations, and accredited U.S. colleges and universities. The recipient organization may plan, conduct, and fund a virtual exchange for participants identified and/or selected by the U.S. embassies and consulates in participating countries, based on allocations determined by ECA/A/L with the final selection made by ECA/A/L.

A1. Substantial Involvement:

In a cooperative agreement, ECA/A/L is substantially involved in program activities above and beyond routine monitoring, as follows:

Grant Management and Program Administration Responsibilities:

Providing overall program and policy design and direction;

Collaborating with the recipient organization on the design and development of the overall approach to the Online Professional English Network (OPEN) program, the course development process, the identification of the topics of the courses to be provided based on the needs of U.S. embassies and specific regions and countries, the determination of program participant allocations for each region, and developing strategies for participant placement in courses and/or virtual exchanges and for participant retention;

Collaborating on and approving Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to solicit appropriate courses or virtual exchange opportunities through sub-awards from accredited U.S. higher education institutions and/or through independent contractors or organizations;

Giving final approval of all sub-awards and contracts;

Approving all major personnel changes in the recipient organization that are directly involved with this award;

Approving the selection criteria, topics, academic level, and final offerings for all courses and virtual exchanges;

Assigning scholarship allocations to U.S. embassies;

Determining revisions to programs as needed, in cooperation with the recipient;

Monitoring the administration of the award, including monitoring all online courses and activities the recipient administers;

Identifying the need for consultants and/or staff to be hired by the recipient to create, curate, and copy edit OER content for publication and social media purposes, identifying or approving the selection of consultants and approving their assignments;

Inviting U.S. embassies to request the development and implementation of online courses for their regions;

Inviting RELOs to allocate participant slots for Global Online Courses throughout their regions;

Inviting RELOs and U.S. embassies to recruit and nominate participants to participate in and complete OPEN courses;

Reviewing and analyzing the potential of online course development projects and distribution plans, courses, and materials to improve teaching capacity and professional and language development for English language teachers and learners overseas and to promote the Bureau’s goals;

Analyzing the prospective impact of course development, implementation, and alumni outreach on host-country English teaching and learning institutions and

English language outreach and the likelihood of projects meeting host-country institutional needs;

Approving the provision of regional or country-specific online course offerings to meet the requests of U.S. embassies;

Approving virtual events, travel, and/or outreach for recipient organization staff to higher education institutions, educational technology firms, and related conferences and events;

Monitoring program activities and making recommendations for improvement.

Technical Oversight Requirements:

Approving data management system(s), LMS, and CoP platform and coordinating with the recipient to ensure systems are customized for the OPEN Program and meet the reporting needs of ECA/A/L and U.S. embassies;

Approving all publicity for the program to ensure the program is clearly identified as a U.S. Department of State initiative;

Ensuring that policies and implementation practices are put into place to license all online courses with the most recent CC BY License to ensure that the courses and materials developed with this award (except for computer software source code, discussed below) will have a significant multiplier effect, be cost-effective, and encourage innovation in the development of new learning materials;

o For general information on CC BY, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0;

Collaborating with the recipient organization on the design, development, training, and necessary updates to the OPEN Program CoP;

Approving the recipient organization’s open competition for and issuing of a contract under the award or sub-award to a website/application development company to design, develop, and test a new American English website and/or application;

o If requested by ECA/A/L, a contract under the award or sub-award will include obtaining a domain name and hosting the website/application throughout the period of performance;

Collaborating with the recipient organization on the design, development, training, and necessary updates to the American English website/application.

U.S. embassies are responsible for managing the Online Professional English

Network (OPEN) Program in-country. The role of the U.S. embassies and consulates includes:

Recruiting, identifying, and/or selecting participants to take part in Global Online

Courses; Regional or Country-Specific Courses; webinars, MOOCs and/or virtual exchanges, if conducted;

Nominating participants to take part in OPEN courses through the OPEN Program nomination portal (participant nomination and tracking system);

Developing course development proposals for regional or country-specific online course development;

Initiating, planning, and conducting OPEN alumni events, which could include the following: alumni conferences and/or virtual or face-to-face meetings, certificate issuing and ceremonies, and regional social media engagement.

Promoting Massive Open Online Courses and other related virtual exchange programming created through this program as desired and relevant to potential participants.

A2. Recipient Responsibilities:

The responsibilities of the recipient organization are as follows:

1. Course Development and Implementation for Global Online Courses, Regional Online Courses, and Massive Open Online Courses

In coordination with ECA/A/L, assessing U.S. embassies’ needs for online

English language teaching and learning courses, and soliciting and selecting appropriate courses that address those needs;

Identifying the topics of the courses to be provided, in collaboration with

ECA/A/L, based on the needs of U.S. embassies and specific regions and countries;

Managing the RFP process for issuing sub-awards to accredited U.S. higher education institutions and individual contractors to deliver online courses for EFL teachers or learners overseas;

Seeking final approval from ECA/A/L of all sub-awards and contracts;

Managing the selection, development, and delivery of appropriate online learning courses in the field of TESOL which will be offered to English language educators, other professionals, or learners and for ESP courses as requested by

U.S. Embassies;

Issuing sub-awards to accredited U.S. higher education institutions;

Managing sub-award recipients in the development and delivery of online professional development courses, including ensuring that materials and syllabi are submitted by sub-award recipients by the established deadlines for ECA/A/L approval;

In coordination with ECA/A/L, developing a plan to be implemented with the sub-award recipients for participant placement in courses and participant retention; seeking ECA/A/L’s guidance and approval in the selection and placement of participants based on nominations from U.S. embassies;

Reviewing, analyzing, and approving the curricula, the syllabi, and the materials of proposed courses to ensure they meet program guidelines, including OER guidelines, Instructional Design and Online Learning guidelines, innovative and engaging graphic and video design, and TESOL guidelines;

Communicating and working with U.S. embassies to resolve participant issues, including connectivity, academic level, etc.;

Periodically conducting a needs analysis in collaboration with ECA/A/L, RELOs, and U.S. embassies for Global Online Courses;

Ensuring that the courses developed through sub-awards include appropriate content that provides participants insights into U.S. culture, society, and values;

Recruiting and maintaining a team of appropriate staff with expertise in the field of TESOL, particularly in working with non-native English-speaking teachers;

Seeking approval from ECA/A/L and the assigned grants officer for key personnel changes;

Collaborating with ECA/A/L and Creative Commons to license all online courses with the most recent CC BY License to ensure that the courses and materials developed with this award will have a significant multiplier effect, be cost-effective, and encourage innovation in the development of new learning materials;

o Notice of the license shall be affixed to the work. For general information on CC BY, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0;

o When necessary, contracting with Creative Commons for services, such as technical assistance, implementation, and on-going maintenance associated with CC BY licensing;

In collaboration with ECA/A/L, creating micro-credentialing pathways to engage participants and alumni in further developing their professional skills through higher level training of trainers courses and opportunities globally and/or in conjunction with U.S. embassies to further their engagement by training other educators and professionals and cascading new knowledge;

When necessary, contracting with digital badge providers for services, such as technical assistance, implementation, and on-going maintenance associated with digital badging, micro-credentialing, and learner pathways.

2. Reporting and Documentation Responsibilities:

Developing and implementing a strategic communication plan in close coordination with ECA/A/L;

Submitting regular updates to ECA/A/L, as well as required program reports by the established deadlines; providing additional ad hoc reporting as requested and as appropriate;

Informing and consulting with ECA/A/L about the administration of the program, any program or participant-related problems or deficiencies, and the progress of necessary actions;

Connecting ECA/A/L and all sub-award recipients, such as U.S. universities and institutions, consultants, technical vendors, and LMS partners to ensure that all sub-awarded recipients recognize their role in implementing a U.S. Department of

State-funded program and aligning with the goals and vision of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs;

Drafting and finalizing official documentation, e.g. sub-agreements and

Memoranda of Understanding, before disbursing funds to universities or individual contracts;

Tracking the entire sub-award and contractor process, e.g. proposals, official documents, reports, and disbursements in addition to sending reminders about when reports are due and overdue;

Managing all ECA/A/L funds for Online Professional English Network (OPEN) activities, including submitting required reports to ECA/A/L by the established deadlines;

Ensuring existing ECA/A/L educational materials are integrated into course materials and syllabi, as appropriate (see http://americanenglish.state.gov/). The award recipient will also seek guidance on collaborating with other ECA/A/L programs, such as the English Language Fellow and Specialist Programs and the

English Access Microscholarship Program;

Reviewing participant evaluations of courses as well as evaluations of participants by course instructors, and providing ECA/A/L an analysis of the evaluations;

Working with award recipient staff, sub-award recipients and individual contractors to ensure that recommendations based on the evaluations are implemented.

3. Data Management and Technical Oversight

Managing, creating, and/or improving information-sharing tools [e.g., the LMS, program database, nomination and reporting portal, CoP, webinars, social media, etc.] for the OPEN Program. The information-sharing tools must be easy to access and updates must be made in a timely manner. Data must be maintained in a way that will enable the recipient to provide ECA/A/L with information on the

OPEN Program immediately upon request;

Ensuring that communications and database information protects personally identifiable information according to ECA/A/L guidelines;

Researching, developing, and producing OERs for English language teaching and learning in response to the articulated needs of ECA/A/L; coordinating and supporting the deployment of these resources overseas, including the purchase and shipping of equipment, as necessary; and managing professional development activities to allow educators abroad to effectively use these resources;

Drafting and clearing all public advertisements, newsletters, course syllabi, handouts, course materials, webpages, and any OERs with ECA/A/L before dissemination to ensure their proper identification as a U.S. Department of State initiative and adherence to ECA/A/L guidelines;

Using, maintaining, and updating as necessary the existing Canvas LMS, which is uniformly utilized for all online course offerings through OPEN;

o This LMS must accommodate participants in low-bandwidth contexts, while offering participants access to various collaborative multi-media tools during the courses, such as discussion forums or videos. The LMS is customized specifically for OPEN. The LMS should not be tied to any one institution, as the system must be accessible to multiple institutions and individually contracted instructors. The LMS should include communities of practice for participants and alumni that facilitate the exchange of teaching and learning content and ideas via a global network of OPEN participants. This system must be accessible at all times to U.S.

embassy and ECA/A/L staff involved in nominating and selecting participants, as well as monitoring the online courses;

Using, maintaining, and updating as necessary the existing application and registration mechanism (currently referred to as the portal) that allows U.S.

embassies to nominate and enroll participants and track participant progress through the OPEN Program;

Using, maintaining, and updating as necessary the existing online CoP for the

OPEN Program;

Providing technical assistance and periodic trainings (virtual and/or face-to-face) for ECA/A/L and U.S. embassy staff on how to use any and all systems, databases, platforms, course materials, etc. related to the OPEN Program.

4. Open Educational Resources:

At the direction of ECA/A/L, creating or issuing sub-awards or contracts to accredited U.S. higher education institutions and approved individuals through open competitions, or with qualified consultants, to create openly-accessible online English language teaching and learning tools, which may include MOOCs, webinars, course materials, course modules, communities of practice, digital libraries, virtual exchanges, and other online methods of learning;

Providing technical assistance and periodic trainings (virtual and/or face-to-face) for ECA/A/L staff, U.S. embassy staff, and current and former program participants on how to use and/or adapt OERs.

5. Participant Retention:

Submitting a narrative outlining a comprehensive strategy for improving participant retention to maximize course completion rates;

Submitting a narrative outlining a comprehensive strategy for increasing alumni engagement to maximize participant follow-on and the cascading of information from courses and programming.

6. The Community of Practice (CoP):

In collaboration with ECA/A/L and the sub-awarded recipient, using, maintaining, and updating as necessary the online CoP;

In collaboration with ECA/A/L, strategizing for maximum engagement and quality of User Interface for the online CoP;

Ensuring that the online CoP is mobile-friendly and easily accessible in low-bandwidth contexts;

Providing technical assistance and periodic trainings (virtual and/or face-to-face) for ECA/A/L staff, U.S. embassy staff, and current and former program participants on how to use the CoP.

7. Social Media

In collaboration with ECA/A/L, strategizing, planning, creating content and events, moderating, and managing the Office of English Language Programs’ flagship social media accounts, such as the American English at State Facebook page, the American English for Educators Facebook page, the American English

YouTube channel, and the Teachers’ Corner Facebook page, and any other social media accounts upon request;

Reporting on social media statistics and trends and reflecting on successes and lessons learned for future social media strategies, methods, and content creation;

Researching and investigating other tools and platforms for social media engagement and proposing their use as appropriate.

8. The American English Website/Application:

If requested by ECA/A/L, collaborating with ECA/A/L to develop a plan and timeline for redeveloping the American English website or application (app), including options for obtaining an appropriate domain name, hosting of website or application, design, development and testing;

o Administering an open competition for issuing a contract under the award or a sub-award to a website or app development company, to design, develop, and test a new American English website or app;

o Issuing a sub-award(s) or contract to selected website development company to host, design, develop, and test a new American English website or app. If requested by ECA/A/L, sub-award or contract will include obtaining domain name and hosting website throughout the period of performance;

o In collaboration with ECA/A/L and the sub-awarded recipient, maintaining and updating as necessary the American English website or app throughout the period of performance.

9. Virtual Exchanges

Upon request, collaborating with ECA/A/L to conduct virtual exchanges or issue a sub-award(s) to another/other organization(s) through an open competition to conduct virtual exchanges for participants selected by U.S. Embassies and/or

ECA/A/L.

10. Conference and TESOL Convention involvement:

In collaboration with ECA/A/L, strategizing, organizing, and arranging for award recipient staff participation (whether in-person or virtually) in domestic or international conferences related to TESOL and educational technology to enhance award recipient staff professional development, to promote the OPEN program to U.S. universities and institutions, and/or to support alumni participation in such events.

B. Federal Award Information:

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. ECA’s level of involvement in this program is listed under A1. Substantial Involvement under A. Program Description.

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2021

Approximate Total Funding: $8,000,000, pending the availability of funds

Approximate Number of Awards: One

Approximate Average Award: $8,000,000, pending the availability of funds

Floor of Award Range: None.

Ceiling of Award Range: $8,000,000, pending the availability of funds

Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2021, pending the availability of funds

Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2024

Pending successful implementation of this program and the availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, it is ECA's intent to renew this grant or cooperative agreement for two additional, consecutive fiscal years, before openly competing it again.

The Department reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the availability of funds.

C.) Eligibility Information:

C.1. Eligible applicants: U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit applications for this competition. Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application. Please see the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) for additional information.

All applicants must also have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and be registered in SAM.gov (see additional information about this requirement in D3a and D3c below).

C.2. Other Eligibility Requirements:

a.) Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $130,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates making one cooperative agreement, in an amount of

$8,000,000 to support program and administrative costs required to implement this exchange program. Therefore, organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges are ineligible to apply under this competition.

b.) Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); non-compliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.

c.) Eligible applicants may not submit more than one proposal in this competition.

If more than one proposal is received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and will receive no further consideration in the review process. Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and

EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document.

C.3. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds: There is no minimum or maximum percentage of cost sharing required for this competition. However, the Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.

When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal and later included in an approved agreement. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For accountability, you must maintain written records to support all costs which are claimed as your contribution, as well as costs to be paid by the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Guidance 2 CFR

Parts 200 and 600, entitled the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. In the event you do not provide the minimum amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's contribution may be reduced in like proportion.

D.) Application and Submission Information:

Note: Please read the complete announcement before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the NOFO deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.

D.1 Contact Information to Request an Application Package:

Please contact the Office of English Language Programs, ECA/A/L, SA-5, 4th Floor, U.S.

Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, 202-632-9275, bainke@state.gov, to request a Solicitation Package.

The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) document, which consists of required application forms and standard guidelines for proposal preparation.

Please specify Program Officer Katherine Bain and refer to the Funding Opportunity

Number located at the top of this announcement on all other inquiries and correspondence.

D.2. To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet: The entire Solicitation

Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at https://eca.state.gov/organizational-funding or from the Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov.

D.2a. Content and Form of Submission: Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation Package. The application should be submitted per the instructions under

D.3p. “Application Deadline and Method of Submission” section below.

D.3a. Unique Entity Identifier Number: You are required to have a Unique Entity

Identifier (UEI) number to apply for a grant or cooperative agreement from the U.S.

Government. This number is a nine-digit identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities. Obtaining a UEI number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a UEI number, access http://www.dnb.com or call 1-866-705-5711. Please ensure that your UEI (Data Universal Numbering System or DUNS) number is included in the appropriate box of the SF – 424 which is part of the formal application package. For more detailed instructions for obtaining a UEI (DUNS) number, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

D.3b. Required Proposal Elements: All proposals must contain an executive summary, proposal narrative, budget, and budget narrative.

https://eca.state.gov/organizational-funding https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.dnb.com/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

D.3c. Required Registration with the System for Award Management (SAM): All federal award applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database in order to submit a proposal in response to an open competition on Grants.gov.

All federal award recipients must maintain a current registration in the SAM database.

Recipients must maintain accurate and up-to-date information in www.SAM.gov until all program and financial activity and reporting is completed on any issued award.

Recipients must review and update the information at least annually after the initial registration and more frequently if required information changes or another award is granted. There is no cost associated with registering or updating SAM.gov accounts.

Failure to register in SAM.gov will render applicants ineligible to receive funding.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html

D.3.d. Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity Information System (FAPIIS):

Prior to making a Federal Assistance award over $250,000, the Federal agency is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in FAPIIS

(see 41 U.S.C. 2313) and accessible through SAM.gov. If an Applicant is currently in

FAPIIS, they can comment on any information about its organization that a Federal awarding agency previously entered. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR §200.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

D.3e. Required Registration with SAMS Domestic: All ECA award recipient organizations and recipient contacts and signatories must be registered with the U.S.

Department of State’s…