Scaling the Change Project for Impact

In order to recognise and qualify the substantial contributions made by your Change Project to the Education 2030 agenda, you can make use of a further monitoring and evaluation tool, called the Re-Solve scaling model, which will help you to further reflect on your project in order to consider how you can scale the project for further impact. It will also help you to manage the overall project processes as they unfold, and to highlight both unintended and intended project outcomes, following the value creation stories that you have created already.

Click here to continue with your Case Story and click below to listen to our story.

Scaling dimensions

Scaling processes often occur simultaneously along several dimensions. These processes may be enabling of each other, or can also be in contradiction. Three common dimensions of scaling that you might want to consider to scale impact of your Change Project are:

1. Vertical scaling: This dimension of scaling requires institutionalising of ESD through government or institutional decisions (policy changes, legal actions). For example, your Change Project could lead to an ESD policy for your department or institution.
2. Horizontal scaling: This dimension of scaling involves replicating impacts more laterally to cover wider geographical or institutional areas, such as scaling to cover different departments, faculties, and/or institutions. For example, your ESD Change Project can be spread or expanded across a number of faculties or TVET colleges.
3. Functional scaling: This dimension of scaling requires the scaling process extending the programme via a range of additional activities or functions. Functional scaling also involves increasing the scope/ types of activities within a programme, and finding solutions to new problems. For example, you could add a range of new activities to an originally smaller scale ESD Change Project over time.

Figure 1 Levels and types of scaling for impact

Using the Re-Solve model to think through scaling for impact

The Re-Solve scaling model (SWEDESD, 2018) is a reflective and iterative process tool for assessing the impact, scaling potential and pathways for your Change Project. It is comprised of a series of workshops, which are designed to enable Change Project stakeholders to reflect and self evaluate
existing activities, and to define visions, strategies and actions to accomplish desired scaling intentions.

Here we briefly summarise how you can approach making a decision on what to scale from your Change Project.

1. Consider what seemed to be of greatest value from your value creation analysis? 
2. Identify members of the community of practice, or additional colleagues or community members who may be interested in the expansion or adaptation of the ESD Change Project to their area of work or interest.
3. Host a workshop or a consultation with them. Present the ESD Change Project to them, and most importantly explain WHY the ESD Change Project is of value to the institution or community or both.
4. Discuss the value that is being created by the ESD Change Project.
5. Develop an action plan for how the ESD Change Project can be taken further through either vertical scaling, horizontal scaling or functional scaling approaches. 
6. In your plan of action indicate WHAT aspect of the ESD Change Project you wish to scale, WHO will be involved, HOW you plan to do it, and WHEN it will be done. Also remember to indicate WHY it is important.  

Share your plan of action with your fellow students and facilitators on the forum. Indicate WHAT aspect of the ESD Change Project you wish to scale, WHO will be involved, HOW you plan to do it, and WHEN it will be done. Also remember to indicate WHY it is important.