Explaining the Difference: the impact of Community Based Adult Learning CLD Managers Conference 9 th November 2010 Edinburgh Susan Walls and Shirley Grieve

Explaining the Difference: the impact of Community Based Adult Learning Learning Outcomes of today’s workshop: To increase understanding of the work of Explaining the Difference To increase knowledge of the different opportunities to take part in Explaining the Difference under the national CLD Upskilling Programme

Explaining the Difference: the impact of Community Based Adult Learning Introductions Who you are and who you work for? What has attracted you to this workshop?

Explaining the Difference: the impact of Community Based Adult Learning In partnership and collaboration Learning Link Scotland is the national intermediary supporting and representing voluntary adult learning organisations in Scotland Evaluation Support Scotland works with voluntary organisations and funders so they can measure their impact, report on the difference they make and improve their services

Explaining the Difference: the impact of Community Based Adult Learning What is Explaining the Difference (ETD)? an innovative approach to evaluation a programme for learning how to show the impacts and outcomes of your work

Explaining the Difference: the impact of Community Based Adult Learning What we did? Ran an action learning set of voluntary adult learning providers Built a collective model of the difference they make and how they contribute to local and national outcomes Produced individual models to describe this difference and generated much learning about how to evidence our impact Produced tools to create the evaluation process

Explaining the Difference: the impact of community based adult learning What difference has this made for the participants? Better at self evaluation Delineated the learner’s “journey” Checked this with meaningful indicators Confident about asking “so what?” Told their story and highlighted the impact of the sector Gained the support of a peer network

Explaining the Difference: the impact of community based adult learning What difference has this made for the organisations? Ability to see clear links to SOAs and National Outcomes Become more robust and sustainable Helped organisations effect change both within their organisation and at a local level Able to make the links between developing their own logic model and HMIe/HGIOCLD? (2)

Explaining the Difference: the impact of community based adult learning What difference this has made for service delivery? Increased collaboration and partnership Voluntary sector engagement in SOAs Capturing unexpected outcomes Added value of an action learning approach

Explaining the Difference: the impact of community based adult learning The Programme - Creating an evaluation process: 4-6 session action learning set supported by a pack of learning materials: Exploring and agreeing learner’s needs Mapping inputs and activities Identifying the outcomes and stages of outcomes Evidencing through indictors/data collection Creating the model to demonstrate impact

Explaining the Difference: the impact of community based adult learning The EtD Pack contains Synopsis of the first Action Learning Set “Do it yourself” section with activities Tools to develop the evaluation process Signposts for further help

Explaining the Difference: the impact of community based adult learning CLD Upskilling Programme Opportunities are: 6 half day taster sessions across Scotland 1 Action Learning programme for 8 CLD staff 1 day workshop for CLD managers/practitioners

Explaining the Difference: the impact of community based adult learning How to sign up for tasters, action learning set or 1 day workshop in CLD Upskilling Programme? Contact: Shirley Grieve to learn more about the opportunities