Back To Resource Library

Activity Learning Cycle Toolkit

Sectors:
Adapting | Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting | Program Design and Management | Monitoring and Evaluation
Authors:
IDEAL
Year Published:
2024
Resource Type:
Tools & Manuals
Language:
English

About this Toolkit

The Activity Learning Cycle Toolkit is designed to inform the development of and facilitate the systematic analysis and tracking of the learning cycle in an activity by identifying and mapping its components, assessing gaps or challenges that may be hindering the application of learning for project design and adaptation, and documenting the outcomes of learning. The toolkit also guides activity teams to consider learning activities that can be incorporated into or removed from the learning cycle to improve generation, capture, sharing, and application of learning for timely adaptive management. 

Learning is a non-linear process of “generating, curating, and utilizing knowledge and evidence to improve the effectiveness” of activities. The learning cycle is influenced by the activity life cycle and includes learning activities that individuals and/or teams can choose and undertake to strengthen collective learning from varied activity data, information, and evidence, which informs timely decision-making and adaptive management. The Activity Learning Cycle Toolkit classifies learning cycle activities into three broad categories—Evidence Generation and Management; Data Analysis, Reflection, and Learning Capture; and Activity Design, Planning, and Adaptation—to help simplify the process of mapping the complex array of components that interact with each other to produce learning that can be translated into activity design and adaptation.

An image of a pathway for the Activity Learning Cycle Toolkit, with the following steps: reading through the Introduction document; watching the video tutorial; reading user case studies; using the Activity Learning Cycle Mapping and Assessment Tool; and using the Activity Learning Cycle Planning and Tracking Tool.

Click on the image of the Activity Learning Cycle Toolkit pathway to view it as a PDF!

IDEAL extends its appreciation and partnership of the projects that piloted the tool on their activities, were generous with their time, and offered feedback that helped shape the tools you find here: Amalima Loko (Zimbabwe, CNFA), USAID Economic Foundations for a Resilient Armenia (CNFA), USAID West Bank/Gaza Effective Management of Irrigation Water Activity (CNFA), Farmer-to-Farmer (CRS), Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Wunguke (CNFA), USAID Resilient Communities Activity (Georgia, CNFA), and Takunda (Zimbabwe, CARE).