Parallel Sessions to Fill Knowledge Gaps

On our last day and before lunch we hold a session based on the needs and knowledge gaps that we had identified the day before, and that participants considered as important for their projects. We used the session to introduce the Open Space Technology, even if we used it only to a certain extent. Participants could add session topics to those that we had previously identified. They were then asked to sign up for a maximum of two sessions. A short review of the numbers of sessions and the sign-ups, the group decided to go for two rounds of parallel sessions on 4 different topics:

• Monitoring and evaluation of KS
• How to choose a KS tool or method
• How to identify user needs
• Learning more about RSS, CMS and Yellow Pages

Here is a summary of the M&E discussion:

Two types of M&E have been discussed among Selam, Pete, Gauri, Petr, Maria Grazia, Nadia, Grace, and Sandra:
1) M&E of Web resources
2) M&E of KS

1. On the first topic Pete Shelton pointed us to a blog he wrote on that topic where he lists a few potential indicators for measuring impact on the web while commenting their overall value and utility: Page views/visitors, downloads, citations, mentions in the media, RSS feeds, Search Engine rankings. Pete would like to identify IFPRI’s different audiences and perhaps use a planning, and M&E method to reach them more effectively.
2. On the second topic we mentioned and briefly introduced some possible methods, like the Impact Pathways, Outcome Mapping, Innovation Histories or Most Significant Change. Those methods have in common that they provide ways to look at behavioral changes through SNA, storytelling, interviews, and more.

Gauri mentioned an effort at FAO to measure the usefulness of Communities of Practice at FAO. The number of members of s CoP (they are run on Dgroups) is not an indicator of success. Gauri asked for ways to find out more about their impact. The group suggested doing a survey combined with a set of interviews. Nadia raised the issue of the need to always combine different methods in order to cover different aspects of M&E.