High interest in learning networks

A new survey among staff in Norwegian aid organisations shows high interest in participating in thematic learning networks, and high interest in continued education in monitoring, evaluation and learning.

The DLL team has been keen to learn more about what kind of resources would be useful to practitioners working in the aid sector.  The team conducted a survey examining the interest in participating in thematic learning networks that brings together researchers and practitioners working on similar topics, and the desired format and content of such learning networks.

Respondents appreciate the DLL knowledge exchange model

17 Norwegian aid organisations participated in the survey which showed overwhelming interest in new venues for knowledge exchange. Among the 230 respondents, 86 % replied that they will definitely or most likely participate in thematic learning networks if they are offered. The survey also gives clear pointers as to the preferred content in such learning networks: Research on the effectiveness of interventions, and reasons for success or failure in other organisations’ projects emerge as the top two preferred issues to be put on the agenda.

Building trust

Building a safe and trusting environment in which practitioners, policy makers and researchers can exchange ideas and knowledge is paramount at DLL. The Chatham House Rule applies for all learning arenas to encourage free discussions. Results from the survey indicate that participants appreciate the efforts to build an open and safe space for sharing successes and failures and that this is crucial to achieve effective sharing of knowledge and experience. 91 % of the respondents said that spending time together to build mutual trust is very important or somewhat important.  

Desire for a continued education in MEL

The survey also shows a very high interest in continued education in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) with 73 % of respondents stating that they are interested or potentially interested. The considerable interest probably reflects the substantial emphasis on MEL in the daily work of most aid professionals, while rather few have a specialist competence in this area.