Organizational Learning & Evaluation Capacity Building
Joaquina Kankam, PhD (she/her/hers)
Evaluation Expert
Joaquina Scott Kankam, Ph.D , United States
Location: White River Ballroom E
Abstract Information: This Birds of a Feather session is an informal way to explore effective practices for leading learning agendas. "Learning Agendas, or evidence-building plans, are systematic plans for identifying and addressing priority questions" related to an organization's inputs, outputs, and outcomes (evaluation.gov, 2022). Learning agendas determine strategic priorities designed to generate evidence that supports alignment with the organization's mission and performance metrics. This session allows participants to answer questions and develop ideas about the most effective methods to lead learning agendas for organizational decision-making.
Relevance Statement: According to USAID (2023), "a learning agenda includes (1) a set of questions addressing critical knowledge gaps, (2) a set of associated activities to answer them, and (3) products aimed at disseminating findings and designed with usage and application in mind."A learning agenda is designed to foster the collaboration of colleagues and peers to answer questions that lead to building organizational capacity. The questions can center on programming ineffectiveness and inefficiencies, gathering guidance for decision-making, and strategically planning future initiatives. Discussing effective practices can lead to an organization's achieving and enhancing its impact and performance goals.