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Collaborative Learning

Research teams may choose to apply the Framework in one country or in multiple countries. Both SPARC and SEARCH teams applied the Framework across ten countries using a Collaborative Learning approach which brings together people who face common challenges to share knowledge and jointly problem-solve. In India, the Strategic Purchasing Resource Centre for India — a Collaborative Learning Network facilitated by R4D and implementing partners from four Indian states — came together to apply the Framework in those four states.

Collaborative Learning involves groups of learners working together to solve a problem, complete a task or create a knowledge product. In this case, multiple research teams were involved, each working in one country. Each team had a regular touchpoint for joint learning, troubleshooting and sharing their experiences applying the Framework with the Network. In both the SPARC and SEARCH teams, there were facilitators who also served the role of technical reviewer and who supported communications, work planning, project managing, writing the knowledge products (reports, briefs, blogs etc.) and convening the research team members as needed.

From the outset, it is critical to clarify a common set of goals for the Collaborative Learning Network and also to understand the interests and objectives of each research team. This helps align objectives and ensure a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust and transparency. Learning activities are designed with the research teams’ interests, capacity and availability in mind.

Future applications of the Framework may take a different form and may be based on individual countries or smaller groups of research teams. It may not be possible to provide the same level of support as in previous applications, but we have created this toolkit as a way to replicate some aspects of Collaborative Learning. Through the videos, you can learn from the experiences of others who have applied the framework in their countries. And to share your experience or ask questions, you can email us here.