The Peacebuidling Evaluation Consortium (PEC) and the Network for Peacebuilding Evaluation(NPE) were pleased to have hosted the Thursday Talk on “Closing the Loop: On-going research into effective feedback practices” with Isabella Jean of CDA on November 20, 2014. If you missed the talk, please view the resources below.
International and local organizations are increasingly designing and testing methodologies and approaches for collection and analysis of feedback from program participants and other stakeholders in the local context. Commitments to improve accountability, program effectiveness, and ethics are among the factors that trigger increased attention to feedback practices. However, the aspiration to ‘close the loop’ cannot be met just with feedback collection alone, it requires a corresponding attention to feedback utilization in decision-making. There is limited guidance on how to integrate listening and feedback mechanisms into existing organizational systems and how to use the feedback to steer program adaptation and implementation. Even less evidence and guidance is available on lessons and practices around feedback for program and context monitoring in fragile and conflict affected states.
CDA presented findings from recently completed research on feedback in Darfur, Pakistan and Haiti and key guidance points from the ALNAP-CDA evidence-based practical guidance on “Effective feedback in humanitarian contexts” (2014). The session highlighted findings most relevant for peacebuilding practitioners and identified the remaining gaps in evidence on effective feedback loops in the peacebuilding sector.
Recording and Transcript
2014-11-20 10.04 Closing the Loop On-going research into effective feedback practices from DME for Peace on Vimeo.
Please click here for a written summary (link is external).
Or click here to read a blog on the presentation’s highlights.
About the Speaker:
Isabella Jean is the Director of Evaluation and Learning at CDA Collaborative Learning based in Cambridge, MA. She supports the development of effective methods for capturing the results of CDA’s efforts to influence the practice and policies of corporate operations, peacebuilding, development and humanitarian aid.
She has led field-based collaborative learning and research efforts with international and local aid agencies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Based on findings from CDA’s Listening Project, Isabella Jean co-authored a book on cumulative impacts of international assistance “Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of International Aid.” Isabella’s research and analysis focuses on aid effectiveness, conflict-sensitive aid and peacebuilding effectiveness, participatory program design, monitoring and evaluation methods, and feedback loops.
Isabella also serves as an Adjunct Faculty at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy Management where she teaches a graduate course on design, monitoring and evaluation of peacebuilding interventions.
Suggested Reading:
ALNAP-CDA Research and Resources (link is external)
DFID Help Desk Request & Responses for the CCVRI (link is external)
Keep the conversation going and post your questions in the discussion thread below!