So in Jeannie’s new role as research director at IRC, she and I have been brainstorming about how to assist learning in the field—both IRC’s expat aid workers and national staff.
It seems to us that aid organizations and workers–not just IRC–enjoy opportunities to engage with the latest thinking and research–be it the new foreign aid treatise, the latest child nutrition study, a useful impact evaluation, or articles on project management. Presumably the quality of aid would benefit too.
Cost, bandwidth, and logistics of education materials are all big barriers. But these barriers are falling in the information age, even in Africa, and it seems to us there’s room for something new.
Our thought: these are no longer the important barriers. Three more human ones look more imposing.
First, a lot of people aren’t in the habit of reading, either because they don’t like it or (more likely) they want to, but (like many of us) they find it hard to turn aspiration into action, especially in the frantic business of aid.
Second, it’s one thing to read more research, and another to read it critically. Alone. Without falling asleep.
And third, it’s another great leap entirely to turn reading into application.
You might add that most research is horrific to read–all too true–but I think enough well-written stuff is out there to keep us all busy for a fair while.
It occurred to me: these are problems I face too, and they pay me to read all day. What if my incentives were to just get things done?
So what to do?
Well, blogs and podcasts are proliferating. See my favorites on the sidebar, right. One reason I think people like blogs, particularly academic ones, is that it helps them not just stay current, but also stay part of an intellectual milieu with people of like interests. Well, at least that’s why I love my development blogs.
Another good idea: CARE has an e-learning program online, the CARE Academy. (The more I learn about CARE, the more I love them.) It looks to be free and open, so other organizations (including IRC) don’t have to reinvent distance education. Kudos to CARE.
I’m also told that Mercy Corps sends out a weekly e-mail along the lines of, “if you only read one thing this week, read this.” Also a great idea.
That’s great. But not everyone sits behind a computer (especially national staff) and none of these solutions surmount our three human barriers.
We have two ideas, and we’re curious what you think.
First, where do field workers spend 50 percent of their time? In Land Cruisers. Bumpy, dusty Land Cruisers. One simple idea: podcasts and books on tape. A captive and otherwise bored audience, and probably enthusiastic too.
Our second idea is a bit more involved, but it’s the one that excites me most: reading clubs for aid workers.
The idea comes from a meld of suburban books clubs we all know, and the journal clubs that hospitals run for their doctors to stay current.
But this one is much, much bigger than a single hospital. I dream of self-organizing clubs from Goma to Kathmandu. Guidelines, suggestions and PDFs on a blog (all optional) plus discussion forums and user-generated reading guides. Maybe we can even arrange podcast interviews with authors (Owen Barder: I’m looking at you).
NGO HQs can even incent their staff by offering to pay for the bi-weekly lunch or dinner. Or shipping the occasional package of books when PDFs just won’t suffice.
I’m also hoping a handful of bloggers could help us lead the fray. (Bill, Duncan, Alanna, and Katmanda: consider this fair warning.)
We might even need some techy innovations. (Erik and Eric, you’re in my sights.)
Hm. This is starting to sound like some nerdy gathering of the Superfriends.
Readers in the field, what I’d love to hear from you:
- What do you do to keep learning?
- Are we crazy?
- Do you have a suggestion, or a better idea?
- And, failing the above, any ideas on the name of the program? (Nothing catches on like a cute name.)
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