Instructor-Area Studies

Job Title

Instructor-Area Studies

Arlington, VA - possible remote or virtual position depending on class

On Call, Part Time or Full Time

Exempt

Public Trust

• This position is contingent on contract award*

Founded in 2007, Chi-Chack specializes in supporting government clients with effective training, education, program management, and operational solutions to enhance mission success. Headquartered in Tacoma, WA, with a nationwide workforce of training professionals and subject matter experts, Chi-Chack is also a Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB).

This position provides instruction for courses in the Area Studies division within the Department of State’s (DOS) School of Professional and Area Studies (SPAS). This role involves designing, delivering, and evaluating engaging training courses that incorporate adult learning principles and align with DOS standards. The Area Studies Course Instructor will collaborate with Course Chairs, technical staff, and guest speakers to prepare course materials, facilitate interactive sessions, and manage in-person and/or virtual classrooms.

• Pre-Course Preparation
• Maintain regular communication with the Course Chairs/Coordinators or Deputy Course Chairs/Coordinators for content guidance on course development and delivery and the Contractor for technical guidance.
• Review existing course guidance, course design/lesson plan, course syllabus, course schedule (also called a course grid) to incorporate adult learning principles and interactive methods that build on participants' professional experience and knowledge. Update existing materials or create new materials based on research and expertise and submit to the Contractor for technical review and the Course Chairs/Coordinators or Deputy Course Chairs/Coordinators to review for content and approval.
• Ensure all materials created meet NFATC and U.S. Government standards, including Section 508. Guidance on Section 508 can be found at (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..section
  508.gov and many commercial products such as MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel run compliance reviews.
• Send a list of proposed guest speakers to the Contractor and the Course Chairs/Coordinators or Deputy Course Chairs/Coordinators for finalization.
• Review all materials before final submission to the Course Chairs/Coordinators or Deputy Course Chairs/Coordinators ensuring they are error free and are properly formatted.
• Once proposed guest speakers, course materials, and course grid/schedule are approved by Course Chairs/Coordinators or Deputy Course Chairs/Coordinators, coordinate with the SPAS division staff to send a welcome email to students that provides material for the students to read and view before the course starts. The pre-reading/viewing material shall serve as the basis for class discussion that potentially could be part of the course syllabus.
  
  The final course schedule/grid shall also be included in the welcome email.
• Ensure any planned independent activities and assignments during a class are short and focused (generally no more than one hour), are linked to or followed by a discussion or expert-led session that covers the assigned reading or activity and are not scheduled concurrently with other independent activities.
• Identify and invite (when approved) guest subject matter experts that have specialized knowledge or experience on a topic being addressed in class and be prepared to facilitate their discussion, ensuring the presenter remains on topic, covers the appropriate learning points and objectives, and there is sufficient time for student questions and interaction.
• Coordinate presentations by guest lecturers, ensuring they are informed as to the necessary scope and objectives for their presentations to fulfill the requirements of the course design, suggest using slides for visuals but with limited text, and confirm their discussions shall be interactive with sufficient time for student questions and dialogue.
• For in-person classes, submit guest speaker information at least one week before the course begins to ensure their registration with…