Continuing its mission in Vietnam, SIMPLE is looking for a subcontractor to support its implementation in Vietnam, Can Tho from May 2025 to December 2026. 

Introduction

SIMPLE is a collaborative project co-funded by the European Union from 2023 to 2027, designed to raise awareness of sustainable development among young audiences in the Lower Mekong countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam). The project aims to achieve this through the development, implementation and evaluation of lesson plans supported by activities in virtual reality, which enable young people to experience first-hand environmental issues and explore potential solutions in engaging games and interactive evidence-based simulations. 

The French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) is a public scientific and technological institution whose research, expertise, valorization and training activities aim at contributing to the economic, social and cultural development of the Global South. IRD is the leading partner in SIMPLE, through a team based in Hanoi, with Can Tho University (CTU) in Vietnam and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) in Thailand. 

IRD is looking for a subcontractor to support the implementation of SIMPLE in Vietnam, Can Tho from May 2025 to December 2026, in all its dimensions: administrative and financial support, adjustments and improvement of a lesson plan, advice on the development of VR activities, and implementation in educational environments. It should be noted that academic and scientific partners have already been identified by IRD, that a first pedagogical approach (Virtual Universe 1) has been launched in November 2023 and is yet not finalised and that the tenderer is expected to take on the task to finalise what has been started, using the initial results and achievements. IRD provides the software and hardware infrastructures necessary for the implementation of the project, as well as expertise and support for the development of simulations, VR activities and the lesson plan.

Scope of work: main roles and responsibilities

Pedagogical activities

VU1

–   Readjusting and updating the existing lesson plan

–   Mobilising key educational partners like schools or school networks

–   Ensuring the implementation of the VR-based lesson plan by educational stakeholders

–   Keeping on working and improving the pedagogical approach of the project and improving the learning units developed based on first experience with VU1 (see Appendix A) in conjunction with the regional pedagogical coordinator and pedagogical advisor of SIMPLE.

–   Organising and following-up the impact evaluation (see Appendix A).

 VU2

–   Adapting and implementing the pedagogical approach (see Appendix A) in conjunction with the regional pedagogical coordinator and pedagogical advisor of SIMPLE.

–   Mobilising key educational partners like schools or school networks and connecting them with the IRD team. 

–   Ensuring the implementation of the VR-based lesson plan by educational stakeholders. 

–   Coordinating the use and maintenance of the equipment (two mobile laboratories equipped with six headsets, a server, a UPS, a wifi and a tablet) provided by IRD.

–   Organising and following-up the impact evaluation (see Appendix A).

Scientific activities 

–   Working with academic partners the scientific aspects of the resulting lesson plan

–   Working with academic partners to co-design models and simulations able to provide scenarios to support both the lesson plan and the VR activities. 

Technical activities 

–   Liaising with the technical team to discuss the activities in virtual reality that can support the lesson plan.  

–   If necessary, adapting the equipment provided by IRD to the local conditions. 

Project management and coordination 

–   Regularly meeting with the scientific and technical partners to gather information and the latest updates on developments and keeping the IRD team in Hanoi and the regional pedagogical coordinator posted. 

–   Supporting the organisation of meetings and attending them or field visits to stay updated, identify issues and discuss them with the IRD team to resolve them. 

–   Submitting project deliverables that match quality requirements. 

–   Supporting the control and documentation of the use of budget and expenses by the participants. 

–   Supporting events’ organisation and/or participation in countries of implementation. 

Key deliverables  

VU1

–   A complete lesson plan on the theme of the Mekong Delta subsidence, which can work with or without VR activities

–   At least one training of educational actors

–   At least one implementation in one different educational environment

–   Implementation of the evaluation process

VU2

–   At least one focus groups organized

–   Co-construction process with educational actors (at least two co-construction workshops)

–   At least one training of educational actors

–   A complete lesson plan on the theme of the Mekong Delta subsidence, which can work with or without VR activities

–   At least two implementations in two different educational environments

–   Implementation of the evaluation process 

–  Participation or organisation in/of outreach events (awareness raising workshops, VR testing sessions, conference/symposium, roundtables, fairs, etc.) 

Expected calendar:  

–   04/25: Organisation of teachers’ training VU1

–   05/25: Implementation and impact evaluation VU1

–   05/25 to 06/25 : Organisation of focus groups 

–   07/25 to 08/25 : Co-construction of the educational programme VU2

–   09/25 to 10/25 : Tests and training 

–   11/25 to 12/25 : Implementation and impact evaluation VU2

–   01/26 to 02/26 : Analysis of impact evaluation data

–   02/26 to 12/26 : Support and counselling of Lao PDR and Cambodia partners

Eligibility criteria 

–   Experience in education to sustainable development or environmental protection. 

–   Active network/relationships with educational and academic stakeholders. 

–   Experience working with the Vietnam youth and their empowerment. 

–   Proven experience with the management of development and/or educational projects. 

–   Organisation based in Vietnam with the administrative capacity to liaise with the University of Can Tho. 

–   A team dedicated to the project, with the possibility to hire or assign a full time coordinator.

–   Proven reliability, responsiveness, rigorous organization.

Application process

We will consider applications including a proposal with the following elements:

–   Your understanding of the requested mission; 

–   A proposal regarding the development of the activities listed above; 

–   A presentation of the team involved; 

–   A budget breakdown; 

–   A provisional timetable based on elements provided;   

–   Examples of previous projects on related topics. 

The deadline to apply is 1st May, 2025. Selected proposals will then be invited for an interview, with the final answer provided mid-May 2025.

Contractual arrangements 

Activities should start from May 2025 to December 2026. The maximum envelope for the implementation is 30.000 euros. 

Contact information 

Applications should be sent in English to alexis.drogoul@ird.fr and jeanne.cottenceau@ird.fr, as a file entitled “SIMPLE_PedagodyVietnam_2025_ApplicantName.pdf”. Appendices with additional material can be sent along separately or included in the same document.      

APPENDIX A  – SIMPLE pedagogical approach

SIMPLE develops VR games tackling sustainable issues. The VR games are developed by scientists, engineers and game specialists. Each game comes within a lesson plan that maximizes the learning impact of the VR game. A lesson plan is a supportive framework for educators. It is made of several activities, among them the VR game developed by SIMPLE. It has one main pedagogical objective, and allows students to discover a scientific subject and learn step by step.

One of the main roles of the tenderer is to design the lesson plan on the Mekong Delta subsidence:

– Integrate the VR game into a comprehensive and realistic lesson plan that facilitates the use of VR for educational purposes 

– Develop open-source and free teaching materials and guidelines ready to use by educators

– Evaluate the impact and adequacy of the lesson plan and its materials. The impact evaluation assesses students’ knowledge, competencies and attitudes toward the environment.

The SIMPLE pedagogical approach is divided into 5 steps:

• Phase 1 – Consultation

Goals: To understand the local school system, opportunities for implementation of extracurricular activities like the ones envisioned within SIMPLE and constraints to such activities by discussing with local educational actors. Based on this data, determine the main scope of the lesson plan to develop (age of students, pedagogical goals, duration, connection with the curriculum, places of implementation (in or out schools), etc.) Tool: Focus groups with teachers, educators, curriculum designers, etc.

Deliverables: Report on the main conclusions from the focus groups to lay the foundations of the lesson plan to be set up.

• Phase 2 – Co-construction

Goals: To co-develop with teachers, educators, scientists and game designers the lesson plan and its materials. This lesson plan must include the VR game designed by the SIMPLE team, and enable it to reveal its educational potential through knowledge input and related pedagogical activities.

Tools: Online meetings, working sessions and tests in schools/with young people Deliverables: Lesson plan tested and ready to be used

• Phase 3 – Training

Goals: To train the teachers or educators who will implement the lesson plan. The training should include sessions about the scientific topic tackled by the lesson plan, the use of the virtual reality equipment, the different activities and learning approach developed. 

Tools: A several-day in-person training

Deliverables: Training programme ; training materials (shared with the trained educators at the end of the training)

• Phase 4 – Implementation

Goals: To implement the lesson plan in at least two different places.

Tools: At least two sessions of implementation with two different groups of students Deliverables: Report on the implementation and main recommendations to improve the lesson plan and the VR game ; Pictures and testimonies

• Phase 5 – Evaluation

Goals: To assess the impact VR in the development of students’ knowledge, competencies and attitudes toward the environment. To ensure the consistency of the assessment, it is mandatory that the implementation takes place with two separate groups: an experimental group using the VR; and a control group not using the VR.  Tools: Pre and post student surveys on LimeSurvey, teachers’ interviews and on-site observations (*)

Deliverables: Report on the impact of VR on students’ knowledge, competencies and attitudes toward the environment ; Recommendations to improve the sustainability of the lesson plan and the VR game in chosen educational environment 

(*) The evaluation process currently consists of the following actions, which may evolve in the future. The evaluation tools have already been developed (online surveys, interviews grid and observation guide).