WYSS ACADEMY COMPETENCE CENTERS
Learning, Monitoring & Evaluation
Photo: ©Timon Lanz
Rolled out in 2022, Learning, Monitoring & Evaluation (LM&E) proposes a comprehensive framework that enables us to track our projects’ progress and understand the drivers and mechanisms of change. In this way, we continuously learn from our experiences and those of others. We aim to share the gained knowledge widely.
A systematic and participatory approach
LM&E is nested within all the areas in which we operate. From the start of each project, we develop impact hypotheses and define key progress indicators and data collection methods that allow regular monitoring, reporting, learning, and knowledge management. These efforts are carried out in close cooperation with our partners and other stakeholders in the communities where we work.
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Looking at the big picture
Our LM&E system will ultimately enable us to assess whether the innovations we propose have the expected impact. It supports our work in several ways, including tracking our progress against our and our partners’ objectives and targets, systematically evaluating the outcomes and setbacks of our knowledge-based engagement efforts and outcomes achieved through our incubator projects, enhancing our internal learning, and sharing credible evidence and insights with our partners and the wider community. The system allows us to understand how the science we produce and the knowledge we share with others is used – by whom, how, and with what results – as well as how far along we are in forging new and transformative partnerships with knowledge holders and decision makers, which we consider crucial to achieving on-the-ground systemic, transformative change. Ultimately, we expect that our LM&E system and mechanisms will enable us to demonstrate pathways toward mutually beneficial change for people and nature, which is one of our strategic objectives.
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Learning takes place in several ways. Practitioners are informed by research, while region or country-specific solutionscapes and incubators provide researchers with new, contextual insights. We seek to break down boundaries to inspire and promote collaboration across diverse geographies, people, disciplines, and backgrounds.
Photo: Samira Stalder
Student excursion to the Hub of East Africa in 2020
Photo: Pavel Martiarena
Hub South America - Amazon nut process
Growing LM&E function
The seeds for a comprehensive LM&E system were sown at the Wyss Academy’s inception. By further incorporating our organizational units, regional hubs, partners, and all relevant stakeholders in this process, we will cultivate a culture of evidence-based and collaborative learning and harvest abundant learnings and improvements.
Our ambition is to embrace different perspectives
Our work combines interdisciplinary, practical, and theoretical knowledge from established academic sources, local practitioners, and indigenous communities. Our knowledge management, a vital part of our LM&E system, will define the processes, tools, and practices by which we generate, share, and use knowledge. Ultimately, what we have learned will be made available to others through the Wyss Academy’s engagement within a worldwide network. By sharing our experiences and insights, we aim to catalyze positive change and encourage others to take action on the pressing issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable land use, poverty, and increasing inequality.
