Monitoring & Evaluation
Since the LoC Program’s inception, there has been a strong focus on the need to monitor and evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the program, providing an independent evidence base to assess the success of the program. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation is also important to help identify improvements for the program and understand the successes and the challenges at each site.
Since 2013, Researcher Bill Fogarty from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at The Australian National University in Canberra has been working closely with the LoC team, the LoC Steering Committee members, community members, and other stakeholders as a part of the monitoring and evaluation process.
The evaluation was specifically intended to maximise stakeholder input in the design of the evaluation and data collection methodology, ensure robust data analysis, and provide ongoing feedback of findings to all project stakeholders.
The Monitoring and Evaluation team have been out and about visiting schools, engaging with the Learning on Country teams in community, and undertaking Values Workshops.
Indigenous Values and indicators of Program success
Underpinning the ongoing adoption, sustainability and success of the Learning on Country Program is the emphasis on Indigenous governance and community ownership of the Program, which is ensured through the guidance and directives of the Local LoC Committee and the LoC Steering Committee.
Part of this process was the development of ten Indigenous values and indicators of success, to measure and guide the performance of the LoC Program, against the values as set by the Steering Committee and community members.
The Learning on Country values are the culmination of over a decade of research by Associate Professor Bill Fogarty in partnership with Traditional Owners, families, Steering Committee and Local LoC representative committees and community members involved in the LoC Program. The values were synthesised and collaboratively devised in a series of workshops with LoC stakeholders during 2020 and 2021 and officially ratified by the LoC Steering Committee in 2022.
These values are now being integrated into the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of LOC, with communities being able to conduct their own ‘health checks’ of the Program. The values will also be used to guide decision making on the future of the Program. The 10 Values are listed below:
Research
