Impact Spectrum

The Education Collaborative Initiative views impact along a spectrum with different levels that are not hierarchical, but instead represent depth and breadth of impact. Our impact model is based on Marina Kim’s article on Rethinking the Impact Spectrum, and as adopted by the Ashoka U network. Impact is viewed along four levels.

Direct Service: Engaged institution focuses internally to build capacity in an area(s) of exemplar practice

• The institution’s academic, non-academic, leadership, and management structures are optimized to provide the best possible student outcomes for its students
• The institution identifies areas not maximized for impact and works on the structures, processes, and culture, needed to improve and maximize the outcomes for students. It then sets up to expand impact beyond own campus.

Scaled Direct Service: The institution develops a system to impact others beyond its internal campus and stakeholders.

• Institution engages an efficient structure and process to share key models and learnings with peers in its region. It engages as a mentor and supports peers, either at the unit level, or at the institutional level through sharing learning.
• The institution identifies key partnerships in the community, industry, regulators, and funders, and engages with Education Collaborative’s regional network to maximize outcome of partnerships.

Systems Change: Institution maintains influence among the regional hub collective.  

• Institution advances its expertise by supporting its mentees to mentor others, and accesses available resources to maintain and grow its internal capacities and quality outcomes through continuous learning.
• Institution’s engagement is toward the collective and developing inter-institution accountability and support regionally. Identifies stakeholders in policy, regulation, and funding with interests in region, and nurtures those relationships.

Framework Change: The network collectively shares evidence of impact to influence the higher-ed framework on the continent

• The institution actively contributes to the efficient development and administration of systems for learning and tracking of impact in region.
• Institution contributes to strengthen the network’s connection to key higher education stakeholders in the region, and leads regional hub collective to persistently influence regulation and policy