Request for Information - Online Teacher Professional Development Course

Introduction:

Alaska Statute 14.30.800 calls for the creation of a Virtual Consortium that provides professional development for educators in the state of Alaska. This Request for Information (RFI) aims to identify potential vendors capable of creating an asynchronous course offered to Alaska educators on virtual instruction methods that highlights the distinctions between virtual instruction and traditional classroom-based instruction.

Background Information:

This course will be made available in the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development’s online eLearning platform, which is accessible by all educators in the State of Alaska. The audience for this course will be K-12 school educators (i.e. teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators) who instruct students in online courses and/or manage teachers who instruct students in online courses.

The course should be asynchronous with elements such as quizzes, knowledge checks, reflection opportunities, end-of-unit tests, and an end-of-course exam. Vendors are encouraged to list other elements included in their online course that aid participants in learning effective methods for online instruction.  The course should be aligned with the National Standards for Online Courses and National Standards for Online Teachers (see attachments). The course should meet all ADA web accessibility guidelines . Participants may be able to complete the end-of-course exam before beginning the course to demonstrate existing knowledge and potentially exempt themselves from completing the entire course. The course will need to be SCORM 1.2 or 2004 to be uploaded into the eLearning platform.

Response Information:

Vendors are encouraged to respond with the following information and may include additional information.

1. Overview of Company and Products
2. Company’s Experience and Qualifications
3. Licensing and Cost
4. Course Description and Overview
5. Integration Capability into eLearning (SCORM)
6. Support and Maintenance for Product
7. Implementation Timeline
8. The vendor shows the ability to modify the course specifically for Alaska
9. Show alignment with National Standards of Online Courses and Online Teachers
10. Show alignment with ADA web accessibility

Procurement Officer contact information:

Interested parties must submit a written response by Friday, May 3rd, at 3:00 p.m. AKST. Responses must be sent via e-mail to the addresses listed below.

All questions must be directed to:

Disney Ramos, Procurement Officer
Email: eed.procurement@alaska.gov

Notice to Vendors:

Pursuant to Administrative Order 352 , (a) any person or business determined to support or participate in a boycott of the State of Israel will be disqualified from any procurement related to this Request for Information; and (b) the support of or participation in a boycott of the State of Israel by a person or business contracting with the State of Alaska under AS 36.30 constitutes grounds for termination of the contract.

Administrative Order 352 does not apply to a contract if the person or business has fewer than 10 employees; or the amount to be paid under the contract, excluding renewals and options available under the contract, is less than $100,000.