RFA #103425-07-27-2026-003 Designing and Delivering English Courses for Professionals GOC - Q&A

Request for Application (RFA)
Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Online Course Development and Delivery:
Designing and Delivering English Courses for Professionals
RFA #: FY26-103425-07-27-2026-003
Issued on: July 27, 2026
For: Development and delivery of an online, university-level Global Online
Course (GOC) on Designing and Delivering English Courses for
Professionals
Estimated
Period of
Performance: January 25, 2027 - August 31, 2027
Application
Deadline: September 25, 2026
___________________________________________________________________
FHI 360 Brief Background:
FHI 360 is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes research, resources and relationships so that people
everywhere can access the opportunities they need to lead full, healthy lives. FHI 360 serves more than 50
countries around the world.
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Table of Contents
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Purpose ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Description ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Course Development ....................................................................................................................... 4
Course Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 4
Guidelines and Standards ............................................................................................................ 6
Course Development Process ...................................................................................................... 6
Intellectual Property .................................................................................................................... 7
Technical Requirements .............................................................................................................. 7
Course Design ............................................................................................................................. 8
Period of Performance .................................................................................................................... 9
Statement of Work (SOW) and Deliverables .................................................................................. 9
Budget ........................................................................................................................................... 10
Instructions to Applicants ............................................................................................................. 10
Submission Requirements ......................................................................................................... 11
Cost Application ........................................................................................................................ 11
Eligibility ................................................................................................................................... 12
Criteria/Qualifications for Evaluation ....................................................................................... 12
Terms and Conditions ................................................................................................................... 13
Attachments .................................................................................................................................. 16
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Background
The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department
of State with funding from the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. OPEN is a program
of the U.S. Department of State's Office of English Language Programs in the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). OPEN leverages U.S. educational technology to engage
English language teachers, learners and professionals worldwide through free online courses and
learning materials. OPEN's virtual learning resources are developed in partnership with U.S.
institutions and experts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and other
topics for learners and professionals that promote workforce development. Access to these
resources provides educational and economic opportunities to learners in their home countries,
enhancing local educational infrastructures, improving teaching capacities, and building a variety
of professional skills.
Note to Applicants
Thank you for your interest in working with the OPEN Program. Please read this RFA and
associated documents and templates carefully to ensure that you understand all application
requirements and submit any requests for clarification by August 14, 2026. You should also
review this best practices document with tips for responding to the RFA requirements.
Applications that do not respond to the specific requirements and submission instructions included
in this RFA and attachments will be disqualified. Please note that organizations must be based in
the United States to be eligible.
Purpose
OPEN offers a variety of online career readiness opportunities to non-native English-speaking
teachers and other learners worldwide. FHI 360 is soliciting applications for an accredited, U.S.-
based university, academic institution, or non-profit with expertise and demonstrated proficiency
in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) to develop an eight-module
asynchronous online course on the topic of Designing and Delivering English Courses for
Professionals. Please see the OPEN website for more information about Global Online Courses.
The selected applicant will deliver the eight modules of content over an eight-week period during
OPEN's Fall 2027 term. Term dates and required number of sections (one section equals twenty-
five participants) will be confirmed in early 2027.
Completion of this project will help FHI 360 achieve the objectives of the FY24 OPEN program
to offer online career readiness opportunities to learners and professionals worldwide. This project
contributes to the U.S. economy and strengthens U.S. educational institutions through a
competitively awarded grant to a U.S.-based university, academic institution, or non-profit to
develop and deliver content for rising leaders and professionals worldwide. Further, this project
supports collaboration and resource sharing between U.S.-based experts and participants that:
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* Increases understanding of U.S. priorities and perspectives;
* Increases the impact that participants and alumni have on their home communities /
countries, thereby multiplying the effect of the program;
* Strengthens engagement among participants, alumni, beneficiaries, and institutions; and
* Strengthens personal, professional, and technical abilities and aptitudes of participants and
beneficiaries.
Description
Designing and Delivering English Courses for Professionals will be an eight-module GOC
designed for a global audience of non-native English-speaking teachers. The course will introduce
participants to key principles for designing effective professional English courses that respond to
participant goals and communication needs for their professional contexts.
The course will explore the meaning of professional English and how the English language can
help learners participate actively and confidently in their professional fields. Participants will
examine how to identify learner needs, set course goals and objectives, select appropriate
materials, sequence lessons, design assessments, and support learner engagement.
This course will equip participants with the skills to develop the tools needed to design professional
English courses that are clear, meaningful, and responsive to varying learner needs. Special
attention in this course will be given to the components that make up course design, including how
to conduct a needs assessment, develop learning outcomes, plan comprehensive modules, design
instructional activities and assessments, and build in feedback for future course revision.
Course Development
Please note that FHI 360 will provide an orientation course for learners that will precede this
course. The orientation course introduces the OPEN Program, how to use the Canvas Learning
Management System (LMS), strategies for successful online learning, American academic culture,
digital citizenship and safeguarding, and how to get support during the course. Applicants should
not propose developing orientation content.
Course Objectives
The selected applicant will be responsible for developing module objectives that support the
following overall course objectives. By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
* Explain concepts related to professional English and describe how English language
courses can support professional needs,
* Conduct a needs assessment to identify learner backgrounds, language levels and overall
priorities,
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* Develop course goals and measurable learning objectives that align with identified needs
of learners and the purpose of the course,
* Design a course outline that includes appropriate sequencing of modules, clear pacing,
and meaningful progression of language skills,
* Choose and adapt course materials that support learner engagement and meet module
goals and objectives,
* Create activities that utilize vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, writing
skills,
* Design formative and summative assessments that align with course objectives and
provide useful information about how learners are progressing throughout the course, and
* Develop a practical course plan that includes learning objectives, example activities,
assessment strategies and opportunities for discussion and reflection.
OPEN Learner Profile
PARTICIPANT
REQUIRED DESIGN APPROACHES
CHARACTERISTICS
Audience Educators of adult EFL students Basic pedagogical and andragogical strategies that
living outside of the United are effective for an asynchronous audience of adult
States learners
Language CEFR B1 Provide extension materials/activities for higher
Level May be higher or lower level participants
Language level is not verified Scaffold instruction to reach lower-level
by the OPEN Program participants
Educational Most hold a BA Do not assume prerequisite knowledge
Background May or may not have Gauge participants' background knowledge and
advanced degrees experience using diagnostic assessments
Degrees may not be related to
English or Education
Technical Low bandwidth constraints The course should be designed for asynchronous
may limit the reliability and delivery; participants should not be required to log
Environment
frequency of Internet access in daily
for many participants Downloadable packets of course materials must be
Low resource constraints may provided
limit access to online tools or Per instructional design guidelines, video segments
applications should be short, and transcripts must be provided
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PARTICIPANT
REQUIRED DESIGN APPROACHES
CHARACTERISTICS
Learning * Global audience with varied Outcomes should reflect an EFL focus and use
Environment educational contexts and participants' experience as a springboard for
goals activities
* Significant work / family The combination of presentation
commitments may impact and required interaction (reviewing course
ability to devote time to instruction, reading course
coursework materials, participating in course activities, and
* Asynchronous completing productive activities) should not
exceed 10 hours per module (+/-3 hours of
presentation, +/-5 to 7 hours of activities)
While assignment due dates are expected,
participants cannot be required to be online on a
specific date or at a specific time
Guidelines and Standards
Program-specific and ECA-approved guidelines and standards will be included as part of the
subaward and must be used throughout the period of performance to ensure that the course and
corresponding resources meet the requirements of the funder. These guidelines include:
* TESOL Content Standards
* Instructional Design and Online Learning (IDOL) Guidelines
* Creative Commons Guidelines
* Creative Commons Licensing Manual
* OPEN Video Production Tips
* OPEN Accessibility and Section 508 Compliance Guidelines
It is strongly recommended that applicants review these guidelines prior to submitting an
application. Interested applicants can review examples of courses developed for the program using
these guidelines by visiting the Canvas Commons learning object repository and searching for
"Online Professional English Network."
Course Development Process
Upon award and following a kickoff call to review the scope of work, clarify roles and
responsibilities, and finalize the project timeline, FHI 360 will provide access to course
development tools including a Canvas course shell, a deliverables tracker and a file storage site.
After submission of a draft syllabus, FHI 360 will provide feedback to the grantee, at which point
the grantee can begin building out the first module. After reviewing the first module, FHI 360 will
provide detailed, guideline-based feedback and requests for changes to ensure that the content and
design of the module meet program expectations and the objectives of the project. Remaining
modules will be submitted and reviewed in a similar fashion. The grantee should expect requests
for modifications to be substantial and extensive throughout the course development process, but
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particularly after submission of the first module. The feedback provided by FHI 360 is intended to
build the grantee's capacity to use program guidelines effectively to develop a course that is usable
and accessible to the program's unique audience. Applicants should budget appropriately for
robust communication throughout the development process, and time to review and make the
requested changes, in addition to time for initial module development.
Intellectual Property
OPEN represents an investment in the next generation of open educational resources (OER) by
requiring that all new intellectual property, including all digital content, be openly licensed for free
use, adaptation, and improvement by others. OER are teaching, learning, and research materials in
any medium that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that
permits their free use and re-purposing by others. "Educational materials" can be but are not
limited to the following: courses, course materials or modules, textbooks, handouts, videos,
assessments, multimedia applications, audio, games, lesson plans, curriculum maps, teaching
guides, training and certification materials, and any other explanatory materials used to support
access to knowledge.
All materials and resources built or revised with grant funds must be openly licensed and made
publicly available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY). The purpose of
the CC BY licensing requirement is to extend the reach of the Online Professional English
Network. CC BY licensing allows participants to retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute
course materials within their professional community. For more information about Creative
Commons licensing, please visit https://creativecommons.org/ and review the Creative Commons
Guidelines and Licensing Manual linked in the Guidelines and Standards section.
When possible and appropriate, the OPEN Program requests that course developers incorporate
English Teaching Forum content and/or American English social media, materials, graphics, or
videos created for the U.S. Department of State's Office of English Language Programs. Licensing
requirements and guidelines for these components may differ slightly from the CC BY licensing
referenced above. FHI 360's course development team will work with the selected institution to
clarify guidelines, correctly mark, and publish this content, if included.
Technical Requirements
The course will be developed using OPEN's Canvas platform, which is a self-hosted instance of
the open-source Canvas LMS, administered by FHI 360 with support from a technology services
provider. The selected applicant should be aware that some features available in a licensed Canvas
LMS may not be available in OPEN's Canvas LMS. Applicants must demonstrate flexibility to
work within the constraints of the self-hosted version of Canvas, which allows us to make courses
accessible worldwide. Course content must be fully downloadable, accessible to users with limited
bandwidth, universally adaptable and transferable between various platforms and learning
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management systems, compliant with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and accessible
at all times to FHI 360 and the Department of State.
Short video clips can be used effectively to engage different learning modalities in an online
course, along with other types of content presentation. Please see the OPEN Video Production
Tips and consider the following video expectations:
* Video will be dynamic and engaging, and will utilize modern design principles;
* Adequate lighting will be used to highlight speakers and produce crisp images;
* Noise-reducing microphones will be used to eliminate background noise;
* Presenters/speakers will model natural speech patterns and avoid monotone delivery by
using an animated style;
* Presenters/speakers will appear on camera as much as possible (not just narrate a
presentation).
You can view a sample OPEN course video that demonstrates these expectations.
Course Design
The course design must be responsive to the requirements outlined in this RFA, including the
learner profile, and reflect basic pedagogical and andragogical strategies that are effective for an
asynchronous audience of adult learners, as well as account for specific characteristics of the target
audience.
OPEN Curriculum Design Component Requirements
Pre- and post-course Ungraded diagnostic and post-course assessments must be included
assessment and aligned to learning objectives.
"Cascading New Incorporate project-based design to embed "Cascading New
Knowledge" Knowledge" concept throughout the course (TESOL Content
Standards, Domain 5, Standard 1). An Action Plan for "cascading"
the knowledge participants learn from this course to their colleagues
should be required as a culminating assessment.
Existing Department of Encourage participants to interact with and adapt existing resources,
State teaching resources such as American English website and social media content, and
(americanenglish.org) English Teaching Forum articles, activities, and resources.
American culture Provide participants with relevant information about the American
education system and highlight pertinent American Culture resources
available on the American English website.
Digital Responsibility Provide instruction and practice in identifying reliable online sources
and examples of adapting web-based materials to the classroom.
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OPEN Curriculum Design Component Requirements
Intellectual property rights Explicitly define and teach intellectual property rights. Draw attention
to the CC BY licensing of course materials and explore how they can
be used by participants.
Independent learning Course content and activities should encourage analysis, synthesis
strategies and critical and and evaluation of a variety of input; participants should ultimately
creative thinking skills arrive at a plan for both amending their teaching approach and acting
as a catalyst for change in their community.
Monitoring and Evaluation
FHI 360 will measure progress toward the goals and objectives of this program by evaluating the
development of the curriculum against program guidelines and standards.
Period of Performance
The Estimated Period of Performance for the course development component of this project is
January 25 - August 31, 2027. Pending funding availability, we anticipate negotiating a separate
fixed price subcontract for pilot course delivery over a period of eight weeks, after the award for
course development is signed. We anticipate tentative dates for pilot delivery between September
21 - November 15, 2027.
Statement of Work (SOW) and Deliverables
The course development agreement negotiated for this project will be issued as a standard cost-
reimbursable grant. A detailed scope including milestones and reporting requirements will be
provided in the subaward, including the following activities:
* Designate a Principal Investigator (PI) to be the main point-of-contact for the project,
monitor technical staff (curriculum developers, subject matter experts, instructors, etc.),
verify that deliverables are complete and submitted according to the agreed upon schedule,
submit required performance reporting in a timely manner, liaise with contracts and grants
management staff to ensure that financial reports are submitted in a timely manner, and
ensure that all work is completed according to the terms of the grant;
* Participate in a project kickoff call and guidelines trainings;
* Develop a draft syllabus;
* Develop eight modules of course content using the Canvas course shell provided by
FHI 360;
* Revise syllabus and content per guideline-based feedback from FHI 360's course
development team;
* Create section 508-compliant downloadable packets of course content;
* Provide source files including PowerPoint slides, video files, and transcripts;
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* Properly license the course and all course materials with Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 (CC BY) or other CC licensing, as appropriate;
* Respond to requests for information in a timely manner throughout the period of
performance; and
* Submit progress reports and financial reports according to the schedule in the subcontract.
Pending funding availability, the separately negotiated fixed price subcontract for pilot course
delivery over a period of eight weeks will include the following activities:
* Submit a roster of instructors for the required number of course sections;
* Complete a course startup checklist;
* Provide instructional services including discussion forum interaction and grading and
feedback;
* Reporting, including two Proactive Engagement and Retention System (PERS) reports to
flag struggling participants, initial and final delivery reports, high-performing alumni
(HPA) nominations, and final grade confirmation;
* Communication with FHI 360 throughout the project, as needed.
Budget
Pending funding availability, FHI 360 will issue a standard cost reimbursable grant for course
development for up to $65,000. A cost share commitment of $6,500 is required for course
development. Please refer to 2 CFR 200.306 for guidance on allowable cost share. FHI 360
anticipates funding a separate fixed amount subcontract for the section(s) required for pilot
delivery during the Fall 2027 term, up to $20,000 per section. Please see the separate course
delivery budget template tab in Attachment C for more details on assumptions for pilot delivery.
Applicants must present a detailed cost estimate, including budget calculations, summary, and
budget narrative for both components of this project (course development and course delivery).
Please use the provided Excel budget templates included as Attachment C. Please carefully read
and respond to the budget narrative prompts, providing details that clearly explain how the costs
reflected in your budget were calculated, and how you have determined them to be fair and
reasonable. For both budgets, please note that suggested ranges of hours have been provided based
on our experience developing courses with similar scopes.
Instructions to Applicants
The key dates for this RFA process are shown below:
July 27, 2026 RFA released to potential applicants.
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