Learning Logs: The good, the bad, the ugly, and the one we’re excited to share about

We will explore a co-designed learning log created in partnership between Emergence Collective, Hopelab, and university researchers. The learning log was developed as part of a developmental evaluation of a fellowship program for researchers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and was designed to facilitate real-time decision-making, adaptation, and collaborative learning. We’ll share the tool’s evolution, from lengthy spreadsheets to a centralized “source of truth” document that integrates multiple learning questions, findings, and categories. Participants will learn how to build and maintain a similar log, ensuring it is collaborative, easily updatable, and useful for ongoing evaluation and program adaptation. The session will include an interactive review of the log, reflection on its application in practice, and discussion on how it can be adapted to fit different contexts. Join us to explore how a learning log can streamline documentation, enhance stakeholder engagement, and support meaningful, real-time decision-making in evaluation work. Click to fill survey.