How Innovative Approaches to Technology Use Enhanced Engagement
The USAID Forward Experience Summit, held at the Asia Regional Training Center (ARTC) in Bangkok Thailand January 13-17, 2014, brought together USAID development professionals from around the world to share experiences in the USAID Forward reform areas of talent management; monitoring & evaluation; local solutions; and science, technology, innovation and partnerships (STIP). It was a platform to showcase new approaches, promote peer-to-peer collaboration and learning, discuss cutting-edge solutions to achieve critical Agency reform goals, improve development results, and institutionalize USAID Forward reform efforts. The Summit included USAID staff from 32 Missions across the globe from multiple backstops, resulting in a broad cross-fertilization of knowledge and best practices. Many of the attendees are responsible for the implementation of USAID Forward reforms at their Missions, and hopefully they returned to their Missions inspired to support and incorporate these reforms into their programs in more effective ways. The Summit also produced recommendations and feedback that will be shared with decision-makers in Washington to help inform the direction of USAID Forward in the coming years.
Due to the high number of participants (a total of 110) and the expectation of active interaction among the participants and presenters, the planning committee explored multiple ways to capture and share the wealth of experience in the room. Standard training methodology would have guided event organizers to incorporate frequent breakout groups into the schedule, but given the group size and the limitations of the training facility, this would have resulted in multiple breakouts of 20-plus people, which would have been logistically challenging and potentially disruptive rather than constructive.
To address this challenge, the planning committee took an innovative approach with the help of technology. A laptop was stationed at every table and Google Drive (forms and surveys) was utilized for table discussions. All 17 tables were networked to a single command center at the front of the room where the Summit organizers controlled the presentations and monitored the survey data and participant questions during each session. This system not only kept people engaged at their tables, but allowed the planning committee to instantly collect the output from those discussions and provide specific comments to the presenters and facilitators to provide real-time feedback. As a result, individuals remained engaged throughout the sessions while the facilitators and planning committee maintained control over the discussion flow of the large group. This type of setup had not been attempted at ARTC before and, because of its success, will serve as a model for future large-group learning events.
By using this technology setup, multiple small-group (five to six people) discussions on specific topics took place in just about every session throughout the event, and outcomes of those discussions were recorded in real-time as Google Drive documents, making the data easy to aggregate into thematic areas for review and analysis. This permanent record of table discussions was one of the unexpected benefits of this set-up and became one way to measure learning at the Summit. Instead of unrolling flip chart posters days or weeks later in an effort to remember what had happened, Summit organizers now had a permanent, real-time record of discussions. Moreover, the mini-surveys after each panel presentation had two or three questions that provided the participants with instant baseline data on mission implementation of USAID Forward reforms. In addition to the Google forms and surveys, participants filled out a more traditional evaluation form on paper at the end of each day. The comments and suggestions at the end of one day were then used by the Committee to adapt the discussions and format for each succeeding day to make the Summit more relevant and useful for the participants. The types of questions asked during these small group discussions ranged from statistical ("How many people at your table have personally been involved in the development of an S&T partnership activity?") to thought-provoking ("How can we evaluate the success of Mentoring programs beyond meeting Topline Indicator targets?").
The innovative use of technology was one of the factors that made the Summit a success, but a key lesson learned was that other more traditional methodologies should have been incorporated as well. Nearly every session included a survey, and, according to daily evaluations, the constant Google-form guided table discussions and surveys became a bit tiresome for participants. Participants recommended a few more breakout or open-space sessions to add variety to the week and allow for more free-flowing exchanges of ideas.
The Summit was especially effective in demonstrating how the USAID Forward reform areas are intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Each day participants walked away thinking not only about the reform area they came to learn about, but also about how closely the other reform areas related to their work. For example, without strong dedication to how USAID manages and cares for its staff (talent management), the Agency will not be able to work to its full potential in monitoring & evaluation, local solutions or science, technology, innovation & partnerships. In this way, one of the most important Summit outcomes was the progress made on removing the stove-piping around USAID Forward reform areas and, instead, institutionalizing its processes, activities, and objectives into every-day development activities.
The Summit-generated recommendations, as well as the videos and presentations, will soon be made available to USAID staff globally, with the intention that key messages and recommendations will diffuse throughout the Agency for consideration and replication.
The Summit itself was an excellent example of the outcome of USAID Forward reforms, as USAID employees planned and carried out the entire event without outside help, sharing their knowledge and learning from each other. Innovative technological approaches were used to promote learning that can be replicated by the Agency in other venues and events. The participants overwhelmingly agreed that both the Agency and missions should be more proactive in organizing and promoting peer-to-peer learning events to continuously capture and share the innovative development experiences occurring throughout the world and to reflect the goals of USAID Forward 2014.
CLA in Action articles are intended to paint a more detailed picture of what collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) looks like in practice. Unlike other disciplines, CLA is not a technical "fix;" it looks different in different contexts. This series will showcase examples of intentional collaboration, systematic learning, and resourced adaptation, some of which you may find applicable to your own work. The case studies, blogs, and resources represented in this series document the real-world experiences of development practitioners experimenting with these approaches for the benefit of sharing what's possible.