MEAL Learning with New Peers

At Catholic Relief Services, we have found success using cohort learning models and anticipate they will serve as a foundational step in longer-term accompaniment relationships between CRS staff and partners. The cohort learning initiative resulted from our ongoing integration of our Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) and Partnership and Capacity Strengthening team efforts in order to enhance outcomes in MEAL capacity strengthening among our partner organizations and to better measure, as well as learn, from our capacity strengthening work. Noting that our work to strengthen internal MEAL capacity was not done, we reinvigorated our commitment to strengthen MEAL capacity among partner staff in 2023. We determined that the MEAL DPro Guide, the associated online course, and the opportunity it provides for internationally recognized MEAL DPro certification would be the right tool to establish strong common ground in MEAL capacity among program managers, sectoral leads and entry-level MEAL staff.  Our challenge was to incentivize this learning among busy staff working in a variety of operating contexts through one common initiative.  

First, we secured internal funding for all partner learners, who were part of a learning cohort with CRS staff, to enroll in the MEAL DPro course and, subsequently, to seek MEAL DPro certification. Second, we considered what degree of engagement and structure would be helpful to deepen learning, create new networks, and motivate learners to complete course work on time. Our approach was to create learning cohorts at the country level, comprised of CRS and partner staff, MEAL specialists and program staff alike.  

These cohorts brought together five to 25 learners across multiple organizations each week during the MEAL DPro learning process to discuss recommended learning questions. In these weekly sessions, we suggested that the learners consider how they have or have not seen the MEAL practices in the course applied in their contexts, to brainstorm ways to address barriers in achieving MEAL quality, and to consider appropriate roles for MEAL in existing staffing structures. 

We were unsure of the degree of demand for MEAL DPro learning among our staff compared to that of our partners, but we were reassured when over 500 staff registered, spanning the French, Spanish, Portuguese and English learning opportunities, to attend within a few weeks. Furthermore, our completion rates for the MEAL DPro courses were above 70% despite issues with staff turnover and conflicting work priorities during the 4-week course period.  

Over 60% of MEAL DPro learners engaged in the optional weekly cohort learning session. Those that did not cited limited time as the main barrier to doing so. Highlights of the course shared by participants included deepened learning, understanding of other perspectives and experiences and stronger teamwork and networks which lasted beyond the course. Many participants asked for more diverse cohorts in future learning opportunities and some suggested cohort exchanges become required in future initiatives. 

MEAL DPro Cohort Learner Feedback: This learning opportunity was absolutely right for me because it offered practical tools and methodologies that I can directly apply to my work. The discussions allowed me to see the immediate relevance of MEAL principles in my current projects. I feel more equipped to contribute effectively to monitoring and evaluation activities. 

The demand for the MEAL DPro initiative surpassed our expectations, as did the degree of positive feedback on the cohort approach. From participant feedback, we learned that cohorts added value for some learners by establishing new networks, while the cohorts primarily deepened MEAL DPro learning and its applicability for others. We plan to reach out to participants in a year to understand how any of the networks established have continued or evolved and to take stock on what new cohorts we can support to further MEAL learning. The success of the cohort learning approach has prompted CRS to develop guidance and recommendations on utilizing cohort learning models more consistently. We will continue to learn from this MEAL DPro initiative and hope that cohort learning may become our default approach in for learning among CRS staff and partners. 

For those considering our learning cohorts, our advice is to: 

1. Weave together a diverse network. To do this, identify a common learning need across different teams. Revisit held conceptions of who are our peers and to seek to make less intuitive connections across teams and organizations.  
2. Give a distinct purpose to the cohorts. Do not duplicate exchanges within an official course structure but help learners to contextualize the information and share experiences (good and bad) that they have had with the content.  
3. Communicate the value of cohorts. Specify their role in deepening learning and networks and set expectations associated with participation. Keep the time commitment limited and build ownership by making the cohort learning self-led and self-organized.  
4. Provide freedom.  Give cohort members recommendations and suggestions, not requirements. Some cohorts may find face-to-face exchanges enriching while virtual could only work for cohorts spanning different geographic areas.  
5. Seek feedback. Ask for feedback on the cohort process from learning during and after the event. Check on the value the cohort provides and adapt the process in response to any feedback received.