Title of Assignment: eLearning Training Administrator

Name of unit/sector: Distance Learning Program, WIPO Academy

Place of Assignment: Remote or Geneva, Switzerland

Expected places of travel (if applicable): Not anticipated

Expected duration of assignment: July 24 to December 31, 2023 (maybe extended)

1. Objective of the assignment

The WIPO Academy Distance Learning (DL) Program offers online and blended learning courses on Intellectual Property (IP), catering to a variety of target audiences ranging from, university students and researchers, to private professionals such as inventors, creators, lawyers, entrepreneurs, scientists, teachers, and managers, including policymakers and government officials such as judges, diplomats, etc.

Annually the DL Program conducts about 300 general, advanced, and specialized eLearning and hybrid courses, in official UN and other languages, for the benefit of more than 100,000 enrolled participants worldwide.

The DL Program is expanding its offers with a new generation of practical and competency-oriented courses that will enhance the learning journeys of different types of learners. These courses will equip learners with the applied IP skills required to transform ideas into commercially viable opportunities and more broadly, provide economic, social, and cultural benefits to society. Our training will increasingly use Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning capabilities, and other modern monitoring mechanisms.

eLearning Training Administrators (eTA) manage and support the delivery of hybrid courses through WIPO’s Learning Management System (LMS). Their responsibilities are to ensure the smooth operation of the eLearning platform and provide assistance to both instructors and students serving as the DL Program’s point of contact for technical and administrative issues. They are involved at every stage of the operation of a course, from advertising (using social media and other digital media tools) to the planning of course timetables, enrollment of participants, on-boarding of tutors, assessments, and grading to measuring progress (using AI and other traditional methods), dynamic reporting on progress (using KPI data analysis, etc.) to awarding qualifications and collating feedback for timely assessment.

The eTA will be assigned courses corresponding to their language skills. The eTA will implement eLearning platform-related activities on the courses and support learners and tutors throughout their online participation, and resolve any technical and/or administrative issues while ensuring that enrollment of participants, pre-course formative planning, in-course activities, and final assessment phases including receipt of tutor deliverables are conducted timely and as per established WIPO Academy standards.

The eTA will provide services using prescribed templates of client-oriented scripts, and applying eLearning technology (through online tools provided by the WIPO Academy) with a view to increasing learner retention and completion rates of the DL Program’s training. The tasks are predominantly performed through remote access to the WIPO Academy’s Central Registration and Payment (ACRP), Administration Interface (ACAD), and Moodle platforms. The service delivery is monitored by the Academy using a commonly shared dashboard, and email boxes for each course. A Course Administration Manual will be provided with the expected deliverables and methodology for administering the Academy’s courses.

The eTA reports to the Head of the Distance Learning Program and is supervised by the eTA Coordinator.

2. Deliverables/services

(a) Draft and maintain email communication with a large group of learners based on the WIPO Academy style of address on a daily basis throughout each online session;
(b) Maintain contact with the eTA Coordinator and provide progress and status updates through the predefined pre-course, during-course, and post-course checkpoints;
(c) Manage the enrollment process for learners, including opening registrations, monitoring registrations, verifying their eligibility for enrollment, and adding students to the online course platform;
(d) Set up and configure online course(s) within the LMS by uploading and organizing course materials, granting appropriate access to learners and tutors, and ensuring that necessary resources are available to enrolled students;
(e) Coordinate the planning of tutor tasks and deliverables, including scheduling and facilitating live lectures, preparation of assessments, and final grading;
(f) Monitor, and follow up on the timely completion of assigned tasks of both learners and tutors throughout the course, undertaking timely actions to assist them as well as encouraging tutor-learner, tutor-tutor, and general peer-to-peer interactions as prescribed in the Academy’s formative schedules;
(g) Reply promptly to questions by learners and tutors addressing administrative and technical aspects of the course, and report issues promptly to the eTA Coordinator;
(h) Identify and implement specific eLearning methods to increase interaction in the virtual classes, and motivate learners to complete the courses through individual and group communication. Monitor discussion forums, and send announcements, reminders, and updates to ensure effective communication throughout the course;
(i) Prepare evaluation reports on course participation, learner performance, and engagement from each course, for bi-annual or ad hoc reporting requests;
(j) Create and maintain a list of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) by learners and the tutors in addition to the accompanying model responses, with a view to improving future administration of the course and the Course Administration Manual;
(k) Report any email and/or discussion forum communication outside the context of the courses to the eTA Coordinator;
(l) Review and update user guides in line with regular updates of the LMS, and participate in testing of new features, course delivery methods, and course content;
(m) Provide and receive training on training administration methodologies and use of Academy’s eLearning platform according to the level of experience in the DL program and its WIPO IT and information security standards;
(n) Ensure the confidentiality of all DL-related content, user data, and, inter alia, examination questions, answers, and modalities, according to the confidentiality clause in the ICS contract; and
(o) Perform other tasks under the DL program, as requested.

3. Reporting 

The eTA must meet and communicate with the eTA Coordinator on a regular basis. At the end of each month, the eTA will fill in the summary of tasks for management view and send it to the eTA Coordinator, attaching a monthly invoice.

The eTA must notify the eTA Coordinator seven days in advance of planned absences from the duty station to allow planning of important tasks during the absence.

4. Requirements

Education (Essential)
First-level university degree in education/ eLearning, management, business administration, law/ IP law, or any relevant field.

Education (Desirable)
Qualifications in the area of digital marketing, communication, or social media management.

Experience (Essential)
At least three (3) years of relevant work experience in educational/ academic administration, operations, or related work experience at universities and other educational institutions;

Experience in online education delivery platforms (such as Moodle), plagiarism software, (such as Turnitin), and other web-based tools to conduct surveys and assessments;

Experienced user of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), and data visualization tools (such as Tableau).

Experience (Desirable)
Experience in project support in a training background is desirable.

Language (Essential)
Excellent knowledge of at least one language: English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, or Chinese.

Language (Desirable)
Working knowledge of English; and

Working knowledge of any other UN language(s) or Portuguese.

Desirable skill sets
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work well in a multilingual and multicultural team, with a strong client service orientation;

Ability to quickly adapt to new software, and online tools such as the use of different courseware, and multi-media tools;

Keen interest in social media management and monitoring;

High level of organizational skills with the ability to work within strict time limits and deadlines;

Good public speaking skills and presentation skills;

Highly developed problem-solving and multi-tasking skills;

High degree of flexibility to adapt to varying levels of work volume and schedules;

Good understanding or keen interest in new technologies and related tools such as, knowledge of AI, machine learning, and Metaverse;

Experience working in an international environment and knowledge of diplomatic and international relations would be beneficial for this role.

5. Duration of contract and payment

July 24 to December 31, 2023

eTA will be paid a daily rate upon delivery of the monthly report of the summary of tasks (maximum number of days over the period to be determined).

Applicants are requested to provide an indication of their remuneration expectations in Swiss francs (daily rate).